People are always surprised this is my favourite Nespresso machine - especially because I'm a barista

Lots of the best things in life ‘pop’ — champagne, party poppers, biscuits (into my mouth), friends round to the house. The latest addition to that lovely list is the Nespresso Vertuo Pop, a petite, speedy, pod machine. 

It seemed inevitable that on my hunt for the best coffee machines on the market, I would come across a Nespresso. While the brand has collaborated with Sage to deliver some seriously high-tech machines, one of the most popular and best-rated models is the Vertuo Pop. Since testing it, this has become my firm favourite of all Nespresso's offering.

This’ll make all your black coffees, from a simple espresso through to a rich Americano, all using Nespresso Vertuo pods. I put it through its paces to see whether this is worthy of my barista seal of approval.

Specifications

Unboxing

One of the many things that Nespresso has nailed over the course of their coffee development is packaging. Their coffee machines now arrive in simple, recyclable packaging. There is a clear piece of plastic wrapped around the main part of the Vertuo Pop, but this is only for scratches. The rest of the machine is completely sustainably protected.

Nespresso sends a set of Vertuo pods that’ll get you brewing, which is a nice touch. You’ll get an instruction manual too, but you won’t really need this. Anyone familiar with Nespresso will know that this works by twisting the top to unlock, lifting the lid, and slotting a pod in. More on that later though. 

Who would it suit?

The Nespresso Vertuo Pop is as compact as its name and reputation suggests. This is squat, slim, and it doesn’t stick out on the surface at all, really. This, for the most part, is a big benefit. If you have a small kitchen, shallow cupboards, or lots of appliances, you’ll be grateful for the slim design. However, if, like me, you love a bowl-sized cup for your coffee or a tall travel mug, you’ll need to think carefully about the Pop. My travel cup is 15cm tall and has to be held at a sharp angle to get coffee into it. My wider cappuccino cup can sit under the brew head, but it can’t sit on the drip tray, which could cause some cleaning problems for a few people. 

Aside from its size, the Vertuo Pop is colourful and one of the most affordable Nespresso machines on the market. It brews a delicious shot or cup of coffee — as long as you buy the Vertuo-specific pods — and delivers on all the Nespresso USPs. You’ll need to invest in a separate Aeroccino if you want a latte, cappuccino, or any other milky drink, but Nespresso does sell Pop packages that include the slim Aeroccino. I’ve tested this out separately and it’s a great piece of kit. 

So, in a nutshell, the Vertuo Pop is perfect for people who want the speed and convenience of capsule coffee, without the need to froth milk. It’s a brilliant budget Nespresso that won’t take up much room on the counter either. There are, of course, coffee machines that can deliver fresher, speciality flavours, but this is pretty good. 

What is it like to use?

The Vertuo Pod is just like every other Nespresso: simple, quick, and easy. If you’ve never used one before, you’ll feel like you have after making just one coffee. The Vertuo Pop needs special Vertuo pods (don’t get conned into any other brand, because Nespresso has special barcode technology that won’t read any pods that aren’t their own). Once you’ve got these, you twist the top, sit the pod in, lock it down, and press the button. It’s as easy as that. 

The machine will whirr as it spins and extracts the coffee, but it doesn’t make a lot of noise. You don’t get any control over the size of your coffee, because different pods will have barcodes that tell the machine how big the drink should be. If, however, you did want to stop or extend the brewing process, the middle button will let you control that. 

I put the Nespresso Vertuo Pop through my standard series of tests to see how it compares to other pod machines. Here’s how they went.

Test 1: espresso

You can’t make a good coffee without a delicious espresso, so this is the first drink u test on all coffee machines. Making a single or double shot is simple. You choose the single or double espresso pod that you want, in your preferred roast, and pop it in the machine. At first, the names might seem confusing, so I always keep this useful guide to hand.

After setting the machine running, my single espresso shot was brewed in just 19 seconds. A double shot doesn’t actually take much longer. My shot glass was full after just under thirty seconds, but there’s a big difference in quantity. My first, single espresso tasted delicious, but it was tiny. Nespresso says that their ristrettos are 25ml and this was only just that. The double espresso on the other hand was nearly 50ml and still delicious, but it’s tricky to know where to stand. This variability was only a problem for my first five coffees. After that, my shot sizes for the same capsules remained consistent, both for quantities and flavours. The Nespresso Vertuo Pop makes a decent espresso, especially for a pod machine. I would take it over plenty of other options, which is saying something, because I can be a bit snobby about this kind of coffee.

Test 2: Americano

The next test that I put all my coffee machines through is making an Americano. This is essentially an espresso with hot water added to it, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get right. However, some machines overheat the water or burn the coffee grounds. Not the Nespresso Vertuo Pop. 

Nespresso has some clever centrifugal technology that spins the coffee, creating that creamy, lighter coloured coffee that could almost be mistaken for a latte. It tastes flavourful, not ashy like traditional cremas, and the flavours were really nice and bold. It comes out at a shippable temperature and, whilst some people might normally like a splash of milk in their coffee, they might not need it with the more mellow flavours of this Americano. It’s really pleasing.

Test 3: cappuccino

I always test a cappuccino with my coffee machines, but it’s a bit tricky with a machine that can’t froth milk. To test out this function, I brewed an espresso and then frothed milk in the Aeroccino to add to my coffee. It’s a bit unfair to judge the milk, because that's not part of the Nespresso Vertuo Pop's repetoire but the espresso blended really well with it too. Whilst I like the espresso flavours on their own, they make for a great cappuccino — sweetened a little by the milk with the richer flavours of the beans.

Cleaning

Nespresso machines are always low maintenance. You’ll need to empty the pod bin before your fifth coffee and I would recommend looking in to Nespresso’s sustainability policy, because the pods are recyclable at special points near you. After emptying the pod bin, give it and the drip tray a rinse, and dry — that should be it. Every month or so, you might want to descale your machine, especially if you live in a hard water area, but this is a simple process that Nespresso’s guides walk you through.

How does it compare?

If you’ve chosen the Nespresso Vertuo Pop for its size, price, and simplicity, I would like to introduce you to the illy E.S.E pod machine. This is smaller than the Vertuo Pop and, even though it looks like it could be a toy, this makes some seriously good coffee. All the pods can go in your green bin, so disposing of your coffee sustainably is a lot less effort with the illy. I found the espressos and Americanos to be just as delicious and rich with the illy, although you don’t have access to the weird and wonderful complete collection of Nespresso pods, if that’s your bag. In the same way that the Vertuo Pop lacks a milk frothing function, so does the illy, which is where the Lavazza comes into play.

Whilst the illy and Vertuo Pop had price on their side, the Lavazza A Modo Mio Desea does not. This pod machine, although compact, is one of the more expensive models on the market. And, while I love the Nespresso and the illy, it’s a better all-rounder. You can make some really delicious coffee (the brand has over 42 flavours), texture milk, and make more customisable coffees in the Lavazza. It’s just as easy to clean and maintain and, whilst the pods aren’t as effortlessly eco-friendly as illy’s, they’re still sustainable pods. You’ll just need to dispose of them carefully. If you don’t drink milky coffee, the illy or Vertuo Pop coffee machines are better places to spend your money. However, if you love a latte — me too — the Lavazza is worth an extra splurge.

Should you buy it?

As far as Nespresso machines go, this is one of my favourites. It’s compact, cheap, and can still make black coffees as well as more expensive Vertuo models. The only area that it doesn’t score top marks for is milk frothing, because you can’t make a latte or a cappuccino without buying a separate milk frother.

How we test

I used to be a trained barista, which means that the way that we test coffee machines at woman&home is probably a little more thorough than most brands. I don’t think that’s a bad thing though.

Our tests look simple enough. I use every coffee machine that we review to make an espresso, Americano, and cappuccino. This is a great test of whether the machine is good at basic extraction and flavours, as well as at handling hot water and steamed milk. I don’t just make three coffees though — I’ll make a whole menu. Before a machine gets a review, it’ll have made at least 50 coffees. In fact, I’ll use most machines over a few months, so that I can get a good idea of what these are like in the longer-term. You’ll want to know about all the quirks. 

I also like to cover other factors, such as what it’s like to unbox, how you clean it, and any maintenance that it needs. Naturally, I also like to compare every coffee machine to similar models, so that you can feel like you’ve shopped around before buying into any coffee machine. At the end of every article, I’ll give you my judgement on whether I think the coffee machine is worth buying. No model is for everyone, so I’ll let you know exactly who it would suit here as well as who it wouldn’t.