Breville BNV220CRO1BUC1 Nespresso Vertuo Coffee and Espresso Machine, Chrome

The external build quality seems to be great. No weird noises, rattles, it’s sturdy and relatively quiet.

Initially, we had some difficulty getting the first cup out. I can’t remember why, something about the first cleaning cycle, and not having the lock all the way tightened when making the first cup. It does take some effort to lock, and for 80+year old seniors, this is slightly a challenge.

The coffee is consistent, but very bold. I have tried about 8-10 flavors at this point and do enjoy them all, but some are more tasty than others. The good coffee smell permeates the area quickly.

I don’t like that some information is not easily available about the coffee types. You’ve got to go to Nespresso’s site and there’s little information about the beans. There’s definitely very little printed on the boxes when you order a 10 pack for example.

Be prepared to spend money to drink coffee. At $1.10 a pod, this is much more expensive than buying a high quality bean and grinding a small amount daily. But, you do get massive convenience and the ability to make both espresso and coffee. If you drink mostly iced lattes daily for example, this might be a cheaper option than SB/CB/Peet’s/etc (or the espresso only model) so go buy syrup and a milk product.

When you lift the lid, the old cap goes into the trash bin on the right. Left side is for water. How long does the tank last? For coffee cups, you get maybe 4-5 cups with that tank.

Beyond outstanding! I’m no coffee snob, but I can taste good, and excellent coffee. Make no mistake about it, this is not your Keurig, which we happen to own at our weekend home (and for which we paid MORE than this Nespresso). This beautiful machine was no doubt designed in Europe. The Nespresso Pods are made in Switzerland, and I love that they’re made of aluminum instead of cheap plastic. The overall machine is simple to use (turn right to open, turn left to close). Each Nespresso pod has a barcode and it tells the machine how big a cup to pour (espresso, coffee, etc.). Ultimately, it’s the quality of the coffee it makes. It’s simply mouth-watering good, and it creates a nice layer of foam on top. If you check my name, you’ll see that I don’t write positive reviews often, but I simply had to come and write this. I’ve already bought three more for family members or Christmas.

If you are looking here perhaps you are excited to order up a new espresso/coffee maker, step perhaps up from keurig, or have a nespresso and want to see the new technology.

I have owned a nespresso (d290) as well as some keurig machines. I definitely enjoy a good cup of joe with perhaps some creamer in there.

As an owner of the prior nespresso product, I was already a fan of the brand. They have excellent customer service and in general the coffee selection is excellent and there is not one pod that isn’t upscale arabica coffee. I really think everyone would love the coffee line. They also would feature different “special” selections throughout the year. It is super easy to order coffee online for a minimal to no shipping fee. And your capsules are on your door step in acouple days. So I actually preferred getting a great product shipped other than perhaps mediocre coffee pods at times at the store (keurig anybody brand, folgers anyone?)

That being said one downside is I really am a coffee drinker not an espresso drinker. So I basically had my nespresso set to poor water through to make a coffee sized drink through an espresso pod. Of course this lead to listening to the pump for 3 minutes as it pumped all that water through for a full sized 7oz cup. Nor did my coffee cup fit, and finally perhaps my biggest complaint is the water temp. It was clearly espresso warm not coffee hot….and I do like hot coffee.

But ohhhhh, the coffee…I mean seriously for a single serve machine the coffee can not get better. I am shocked with people saying it wasn’t good. I think it is consistently great java. Short of roasting, grinding, and pulling your own espresso this is as good as it gets. It just is.

So I was excited to get the mailer for the new Vertuoline machine! What is this nespresso’s shot across the bow of keurig. Finally, my coffee mug will fit. Great coffee, great crema! I was in! I ordered direct from nespresso. My new chrome vertuoline and welcome coffee kit arrived in… you guessed it two days.

It was a simple unbox and plug in. Now as you will have read there is a difference in these vs prior nespressos. This works by pumping water through a pod that is basically spinning around using centrifugal force to I guess make great coffee with good crema.

This being said on first inspection the pods are basically on steriods if you were used to the other pods. They look kinda like flying saucers. However, like previous there is a line of coffee pods based on strength and intensity, two flavored pods hazelnut and vanilla, decaf, half caf, and then a line of 4 or so espresso pods. They have little barcodes that the machine reads that basically tells it if it is pooring a coffee or espresso shot.

Fill left sided reservor with water, right side for ejected pods. Basically put pod in, lock down the top, push button once. Overall compared to my previous experience the process was simple and the coffee was poured alot faster than my previous long pump method. The time to heat up was seconds compared to a keurig, but the poor time is perhaps a few seconds longer.

My thoughts- Everything you know and love if you already love nespresso. Excellent coffee and espresso in a much better looking package than keurig machines. Hands down again amazing coffee. Seriously, if you don’t know about the coffee please go try it. I really could not see someone being disappointed. There is a selection based on intense roast to mild. Like anything palates vary so try the sampler. It is actually amazing how different some are. If you have a nespresso and only drink espresso I would say this is not an upgrade and would keep your machine.

However if you are looking for a coffee experience it was totally worth it. I really do love this machine. The nespresso and coffee experience is spot on. And if you want you can program how much water goes through should you want to vary this from the presets.

Why the one star off….Well I will say that the coffee is warmer than my prior d290, but it is still cooler than the keurig. I think the Keurig was about 167 degrees and I bet the nespresso is about 160-162. I would kill to be able to turn up the heat just alittle….even if it wasn’t the “best” brew temp for the coffee. I think this is in fact perhaps the Achilles heal for competing with keurig. Most American drinkers, that drink a craft or drip brew are used to that extra hot coffee. So it may bug you to poor a nice coffee and then feel it is luke warm. I do run hot water on my cup prior to having coffee, and it is close enough for me. But I wish I had the option to turn it up a few degrees.

Second is perhaps the waste factor. Before I felt wasteful throwing away my old capsules, now they seem twice the size. Nespresso will recycle them if you live next to a nespresso store, which I would say basically no one does. Heck I would even save them and ship them back…even pay extra to recycle them.

Alas so not perfect, but I would be shocked if there would be much to complain about here. Coffee is excellent, alittle too cool. Perfect for a mug at home….maybe not perfect for your 32 oz too go cup….
Cheers!

An updated thought on temperature:

A keurig single pod machine often has an adjustable brew temp of 187-192 degrees. Nespresso brews tops at about 170 degrees. (about 160s in most tests) If you are used to having drip at DD or starbucks, or McDonalds or just out of a keurig 160s will seem barely “hot” for a standard cup of coffee. That being said I think the coffee is wonderful, but I would love for a few extra degrees or at least a chance to adjust it for those that perhaps enjoy very hot coffee.

A good example is if you went into starbucks and order a latte it will be served at 145-165 degrees. If you order an “extra hot” latte it will be closer to 180 degrees.

160 cools quickly so if (like me) you add some creamer from the fridge that brings it down to 140-150. So your coffee cools pretty quickly. I do wish nespresso would let those of us that perhaps like it alittle hotter to up the brew temp, much like the keurig.

Built well, looks nice, presentation is a 10 after brewing. But there is no taste to the coffee and the coffee is only warm and not hot. Anyone who knows anything about coffee knows what the correct brew temp should be. You would think they would update the heating element to brew coffee at the correct temp. Its not bitter, so beats Keurig on that front, but I tired all strengths of coffee and they all tasted the same, no taste and none of them are strong. Big waste of money and pods are way over priced. Lot better options out there. Returning today.

The machine looked good and it worked fine, however, the coffee coming out of it was not hot coffee..I had to heat it in the microwave to get it to the desired temperature. Amazon has a great return policy, I was able to return it for the newer version, Evoluo Deluxe, and that one works perfect. Now I get amazing hot coffee!

This machine makes an outstanding cup of coffee. The Crema alone makes the machine worth buying. There are several varieties of coffee you can purchase from Nespresso and are similar to cappuccino and latte’s. The only thing I feel would be a negative is the pods are pretty pricey. Also you cannot make a quick trip To the grocery store to pick up if you run out. You can only purchase at the Nespresso boutiques and online. Perhaps you might can find here on Amazon but not sure how they are sold since Nespresso has the market on this.