Nespresso Original vs. VertuoLine? Espresso vs. lungo? Best Nespresso pods? Everything you need to know before buying a Nespresso machine.
One of my best purchases hands down has been my Nespresso machine. If you’re a latte girl, then you already know THAT ISH IS NOT CHEAP. When you add up the price of a latte, soy/almond/coconut milk and the occasional extra shot, my favorite Starbucks latte was costing me upward of $7. While I still love it from time to time—the new jam is the cold foam cappuccino with soy—it was way too expensive of a habit to order on the reg.
Enter: Nespresso. I had been thinking about ordering a Nespresso machine for about a year before I actually purchased mine, but had SO many questions. Which one do I get? Do I go for the Original or Vertuo? What pods are best? How much caffeine is in each pod and how many pods do you need to use? Do I need a frother? Decisions, decisions.
I get so many questions from friends about my Nespresso machine, so I’m breaking it all down for anyone considering getting their own. Spoiler alert: It’s so worth it!
Nespresso Vertuo vs. Original
I went with the CitiZ & Milk machine in chrome from the Original line. The perk of a VertuoLine machine is that it can make coffee AND espresso, so if you’re a big coffee drinker, that may be the way to go. I’m not as much of a coffee drinker, unless I’m making it and drinking it at work in the office.
I read up on all the info out there that compares the two. Basically, the Original line has a hotter extraction temperature and uses more pressure, resulting in a better quality espresso. And generally the pods are less expensive. Check out this article for a deeper explanation. At the end of the day a machine from the Oringinal Line made the most sense for me.
Nespresso Milk Frother: To Froth or Not to Froth?
The answer is always to froth! My machine came with an attached milk frother that froths both hot and cold milk (press the button once for hot frothed milk, and hold it down for cold frothed milk). This is great for both hot and iced drinks. Even if you opt for a machine without a frother, you can buy it as an accessory (shop milk frothers here), but I love having mine attached. It makes it a little more fun and fancy and saves you from having to buy one separately.
I make my lattes with soy milk, specifically the Silk Light vanilla soy milk with protein, and it doesn’t froth up as well as regular milk but still works great!
How Much Caffeine is in Nespresso?
With my machine, you can make both espresso and lungo size drinks. Espresso is the standard 1.35 ounces, and lungo makes 3.72 ounces (you can customize these settings further though if you want a little more or less in each).
Lungo is Italian for “long,” and is basically an espresso with more water so it makes a larger cup. Apparently this makes it slightly less strong and more bitter tasting.
One pod of Nespresso is equivalent to a shot of espresso. On the weekends, I usually just use one pod and make it a Lungo. During the week, I’ll typically use 2-3 pods (shots) depending on how I’m feeling. Different pods also have different intensities, which explain the roast, body and bitterness of the pod (aka more about the taste than the caffeine content).
How Much Caffeine is in Nespresso Pods?
- The espresso coffees range from 50-80 mg of caffeine per cup.
- The Lungo coffees range from 60-80 mg of caffeine per cup.
- A regular cup of coffee has about 95 mg per cup.
Best Nespresso Flavors
My favorite Nespresso pods are:
Also look out for the seasonal ones. They came out with a Parisian collection this past winter, and the Pistachio pod was everything.
I love to mix in syrups on occasion too to make my latte feel like it’s from a café. These are my two favorites:
If you order more than $50 worth of pods online and stock up, you get free shipping. Plus, they’ll send you free recycling bags with pre-paid shipping, so you can ditch your used pods in there and mail them back for free. Super easy and less waste than with K-cups.
Also! If you go into a Nespresso boutique they’ll give you a free tester pack with a bunch of different pods so you can try out your favorites at home. They’ll also let you try any that you want in store to try before you buy. Cheers!
Leave a Reply