Nespresso or Keurig became my dilemma when convenience won out over the quality of the coffee that I needed to fuel me every morning.
When I realized that there was single-serve coffee machine that was easier and more convenient for workaholic people like me, I knew that I needed to get my hands on one.
But since I was looking for a convenient espresso machine that would kickstart my day every morning, I knew I needed one that would fit right in my quaint kitchen in my small apartment. And that’s when all this research came in the picture.
An Overview of Nespresso Coffee Makers
Since Nespresso and Keurig are the top competitors when it comes to single-serve coffee makers, here’s an overview for Nespresso so you’ll have an idea of what brand is better and you think is meant for you.
Nespresso is a Switzerland based unit of Nestle group and is more popular in Europe than in America. The machines have carried the brand name since 2000 and although they’ve collaborated with a few other lines. You might see a few Nespresso machines partnered with Breville, Phillips and De ‘Longhi.
This brand comes in two lines that you’ll come across. There’s the VirtuoLine and the OriginalLine. Here’s how you’ll know which which is:
- The VertuoLine has no third-party competitors with capsule equivalent.
- The VertuoLine was marketed for Canadian and North Americans because they preferred larger servings.
- The VertuoLine uses centrifusion.
- Vertuo machines and pods use barcodes which helps the machine automatically know the right blend brew for each pod.
- The OriginalLine brews espresso only while the VertuoLine brews both espresso and coffee.
Some machines of the Nespresso line come with a built-in frother that’s perfect for you if you prefer other coffee beverages other than the usual cup of coffee or espresso. If you happen to buy one that doesn’t include the built-in frother, you could always opt for a hand-made one and it works surprisingly well with it too.
* Nespresso Inissia Espresso Machine
This Nespresso machine made by De ‘Longhi might be the Nespresso capsule that you’re looking for and would stop the dilemma that’s going on inside your head.
It’s compact, lightweight and comes with a beautifully crafted ergonomic handle which makes the altogether look a perfect addition in your kitchen.
But it’s not the compact design that makes this machine amazing. The fact that it’s programmed to reach the ideal temperature within twenty-five seconds means that it’s going to give you nine cups of coffee without refilling the 23.8 oz tank.
That means that if you have guests over, you can all have a cup of coffee without having to wait around, but that’s only as long as you have guests below nine people.
With the one-touch operation and patented extraction system which delivers to 19 bar pressure, you’re all set the moment that you press it.
Since it speeds up fast enough- like, hello, it takes 25 seconds to reach ideal temperature – you can have the quick grab of caffeine before you dash off to work. You’ll even find the time to squeeze it in when you’re late so at least you’re caffeinated.
Oh, and get this, it also has a feature where you can adjust the cup size of what coffee you want to have. You can choose between espresso or lungo which means that you can kickstart your energy with one cup of espresso or lounge around with a lungo cup or make an iced coffee with it if the weather’s too warm.
Doesn’t that sound great?
The one-touch operation already had me sold but the fact that it’s also energy saving is a great bonus. After nine minutes that it realizes it’s no longer needed, it automatically shuts off. You can have your cup when you’re late and you don’t even have to worry about whether or not you turned it off!
It also has a folding drip tray that can fit a large cup. Now you may be wondering what’s so great about the folding drip tray, but did I mention that it automatically drops itself the moment you remove the mug? Which means there won’t be any mess on your white kitchen countertop!
I don’t know about you, but this product already has all the features that I would need which has me sold. But if you’re not yet convinced, do note that it includes a welcome set of 16 capsules so you can start brewing the moment you get it!
Oh, and it also includes an Aeroccino frother that creates smooth and creamy milk frother within seconds. So, what else are you looking for? This Nespresso machine has everything you would ever need and would make your coffee-loving life way easier than before!
Pros:
- Compact design and lightweight.
- Reaches ideal coffee temperature fast.
- One-touch operation and patented extraction system.
- Energy saving and automatically turns off after nine minutes.
- Folding drip tray that automatically drops when the mug is removed to catch drips.
- Includes Aeroccino frother.
Cons:
- Does not include clear instructions.
* Nespresso VertuoLine Coffee Maker
For over 25 years, Nespresso has been busy with innovating and topping off their products to make sure that they’re still at the top of the market and that they’re providing only the best for their valued customers.
They’ve delivered great products over the years and since they’ve been striving for the best, I think they finally made a product that will revolutionize coffee in a way that no one has ever thought of.
This Nespresso VertuluoLine Coffee Maker has seriously revolutionized coffee makers and here I thought that the pod coffee makers had done it by themselves. Well, I guess I was wrong because this baby made me choke on my words.
This new Revolutionary Centrifusion Technology offers you a gentle brew of your choice, be it coffee or a cup of espresso to make sure you’re wide awake for the day. You can do this with a single touch of a button, now that is state of the art technology. You’ll soon realize that this isn’t your average coffee machine and it’s indeed your money’s worth.
It also has capsule recognition and code reading technology for blend-specific parametric brewing which are fancy words to mean that it knows what size you’re using so it could brew the coffee correctly to make sure that it blends well in whatever size cup you’re using. This thing is way more advanced than my brain could even process.
It’s easy to insert and eject the capsules too so even if this coffee machine is so advance for our brain to handle, at least that’s one thing we don’t have to worry about. Oh, but here’s the thing about this one, it’s specific to Nespresso Vertuoline capsules so don’t try to use the original line capsules because things might get messy…just don’t do it.
The removable capsule container could also hold up to 13-20 used capsules so that saves you some time until you finally refill the container.
Also, do note that since this is part of the VirtuoLine, this is the line that gives you both an espresso and coffee considering that the original line only offers you an espresso.
Not everyone is a fan of the small Kickstarter that most of the time leaves me completely wide awake at night because, well, espresso isn’t for everybody and it’s an option meant for me when I’m feeling risqué.
Besides, since this line offers both, then you can always have the option to choose which one you’d like, and it would offer your guest the same option when you invite them in for coffee.
It’s a win-win.
Just like its predecessor, it also automatically shuts off too, so you won’t have to worry whether or not you turned off the coffee machine. Don’t worry, I know how much anxiety can be a pain but it saves you time to run back to your apartment and make sure that you did turn it off because it does it itself. Oh, how great this independent coffee maker is.
So, if its predecessor heats up within 25 seconds, well, this one is much faster. It could heat it up within 15 seconds and well, you know what that means! You’ll get caffeinated before you could even blink and that’s a great feature when you’re running late for work and in dire need to be caffeinated.
It also happens to include Aeroccino Plus milk frother and with the rapid one touch preparation of hot or cold milk froth, it’s your choice!
Pros:
- Heats up within 15 seconds.
- The capsule can hold 13-20 used capsules.
- Easy to insert and eject capsules.
Cons:
- Coffee capsules can be a bit pricey
- Taste can be a watery sometime
Keurig Coffee Makers
Keurig dominates the US market and is considered as the third largest company in North America. They began by marketing their product for office use evidently expanded to domestic use.
Nespresso isn’t the only brand that partners with others, Keurig does too and due to the hundreds of partnership that it’s done with other brands, it has created 60+ K-cups of different brands which give the users of this brand a lot more options to choose from when it comes to what capsule they want, something that gives them an edge in the market.
The beverage of Keurig also varies from coffee, tea, hot chocolate and etc. I guess this is why this brand has dominated because they’re more likely better for commercial use.
But it has ventured into single-serve coffee machines too and if it’s meant for commercial use, then most likely, you can have more than just a single-serve cup of coffee if you intended to.
* Keurig K575 Pod Coffee Maker
This pod coffee maker is giving the other pod brands a run for their money.
The thing about this other than the fact that it’s pretty and would look great in your kitchen and has a nightlight feature that lets you choose from several colors to illuminate your kitchen at night, is that it has these great features that make it your purchase worth it.
This thing has an eighty oz water reservoir. 80 oz! That means you can make ten cups of coffee and if you’re the only one living in your apartment or house and you’re the only one who uses this coffee machine, then think about the convenience that this machine does in your mornings. You won’t have to refill the tank every morning to make yourself a cup.
The fact that it can hold that large amount of water saves you time every morning! No morning refills to think about. And if you have guests over who wants themselves a cup, you can use this machine too! It’s like having your own coffee pot only it makes a fresh cup every time you press the button!
Oh, and did I mention the water reservoir is removable?
No, well, it is! Now it doesn’t only demand you to be refilled every day or every time it runs out, but when it does, you can simply pluck it out and then go and fill it all up again, 80 oz and all.
Another great feature is that it can serve multiple K-cup sizes. From size 4 to size 12, you name the size, it can fill it!
Oh, and it also brews carafe (22, 26, 30oz) using K-Carafe capsules which means that this pod can brew 26 grams of fresh coffee band fill four cups into a specially designed Keurig Carafe that holds 30 ounces of coffee. Do note that carafe is sold separately.
You can also control the strength of your brew with this machine. If you want to drink a bolder and stronger coffee to keep you awake at night so you could meet your deadlines or if you want to snuggle under a blanket and read a good book and have a creamier coffee to drink while it rains outside, then this machine has the strength control for you to use.
The programmable strength control of this machine makes it a great option for most coffee lovers considering that people have very varied taste when it comes to their own cup of delicious brown liquid that helps them get through the day.
Plus, if you live with someone else and they prefer a less strong and bolder taste of coffee, then you can simply adjust the blend to suit the taste of your partner. See, it’s the offer of compromise makes it even better.
It also happens to have five temperature controls. I repeat, five temperature controls. There are people who like to drink scalding coffee while there are others who like in just the right amount of heat. Whatever heat level you desire, this machine can offer it.
Seriously, this pod machine is giving Keurig competitors a run for their money.
Pros:
- Strength control.
- Five temperature controls.
- Brews 10 cups.
- Variable size option.
- K-carafe option.
Cons:
- Water under pressure.
* Keurig K115 Office Pro Coffee Maker Brewer
This styled to impress coffee maker isn’t just meant to be sitting in your coffee counter. It’s a commercial coffee maker that the people in your office will surely fall in love with. So set the old coffee maker aside and let this baby in because trust me, it has features that everyone will surely love.
It has a touch screen interface. Wow! Talk about advanced technology. I mean, did you ever see the day that even a coffee maker has touch screen interface because I sure as heck didn’t see it coming.
But anyway, the touch screen interface offers you to adjust the brew temperature. Everyone’s always a fan of adjustable temperature because we all have our preference when it comes to how hot we want our coffee to be.
The interference also offers a programmable on and off setting which means that you can have it shut off any time you want it to and if you want to pull a prank on your officemate or if you prefer other languages, then this coffee maker offers you settings of what language you want to use.
The water reservoir could contain up to 90 oz of water. That’s a whole lot of water which means you can make about 18 cups before it needs to be refilled. It’s removable too so you can do that task with such ease that you wouldn’t even dread it.
Aside from the touch screen interference and the easily removable water reservoir, this machine also offers you four brewing sizes. Sizes range from 4, 6, 8, and 10 oz and you can choose whether or not you want a stronger brew or a milder one.
It also has a removable drip tray to accommodate the travel mugs that other people use and a drainable internal hot water tank for easy transport and storing purposes.
Oh, and did I mention it isn’t only meant for your coffee fix? You can choose from 500 varieties of coffee, tea, special beverages, and even the iced ones. All you have to do is look for a Keurig logo on your favorite varieties of K-cup pods.
Pros:
- Full-color touch interference.
- Adjustable brew temperature.
- Automatic on/off.
- 90oz water reservoir.
- Easily drains for storage or transport.
Cons:
- Error message: water flow interrupted to reset
Why Opt for Single-Served Coffee Machine?
Single-serve coffee machines have dominated the market since it came out. Why you may ask? Well, the answer is really simple. It’s convenient and you wouldn’t have to worry about the extra coffee you have sitting on the pot that turns stale after you come back home.
See, the thing that most people haven’t realized? Convenience wins, every time. Plus, it saves your budget too especially if coffee has been the most expensive decision you’ve ever made in your life.
What I mean is that if you’re living alone or the person in the house with you isn’t a coffee person and you’re the only one, then why would you even bother to brew a pot when you know that you would be the only one drinking it?
Besides, it’s going to turn stale anyway and you’re going to end up with pouring it down the drain because it’s no longer as good as it was before which is a waste of cash.
Since you’ve made that realization, you decide that maybe buying yourself a cup of coffee in coffee shops every day would do the trick. But trust me, you’re only setting yourself up to more waste of money. That’s where this coffee machine comes in.
The deal with this is simple. This machine relies on the grounds held inside the ‘pods’- hence the name- or ‘capsules. They work by piercing together either end of the pod, heats the water inside and once the water is hot and ready, it goes through the pod and then that would go straight to your cup as coffee.
So, for your own convenience and budget, I personally think that this is a great venture. Besides, if you’re looking for the right taste of coffee, I’m sure Nespresso and Keurig could offer it to you. You just need to make sure which one is the right brand for your taste.
Conclusion
So, what do you think after reading this Nespresso Vs Keurig review? Whether or not you choose Nespresso or Keurig, it’s all up to you. Just keep in mind, at the end of the day, they’re both single-served coffee machines that would still provide you a single cup of coffee at your own convenience.
You didn’t venture in this part of the market for other things but for that. Both brands will continue to offer you quality coffee, it’s simply a battle of which brand your tongue will prefer on having every morning. Hope this helped!
