Casa de Szerlip: Nespresso Vertuoline

For the last five years I've been strictly a Keurig coffee drinker for my at home coffee consumption. It's the perfect device to wake up, throw a pod in and have a good cup of coffee. But as anyone who's had a Keurig knows they aren't the most reliable. My Keurig broke probably a half dozen times in the five years I had it and required heavy cleaning to even get it to work. In the last month or two I was having to re-clean it over and over to get even close to a half cup of coffee per pour. Not worth it. So it was time for a change. 

I thought about going Keurig 2.0, but then realized that I was just ready to try something else. Over the holidays Jenn and I went into the Nespresso store in Fashion Island and I fell in love with the Nespresso Vertuoline which does both coffee and espresso. For Easter Jenn surprised me with the Nespresso Vertuoline which she purchased on Amazon. It not only came with the machine but a milk frothier and a sampler pack of both coffee and espresso. 

At the time of this post I've tried half of the espresso and coffee pods and so far they're amazing. In terms of coffee you get a really nice creme on top which is something I've never experienced before with a cup of coffee. Add some work milk and it really is quite good. On the espresso side I'm still trying to work out the right espresso capsule for me. I've made myself a cappuccino but each time its been a bit stronger then I usually like it.

The one thing that makes the Nespresso Vertuoline a bit of an inconvenience are the capsules. They are impossible to buy online (for a decent price) unless you buy from Nespresso's website (which charges for shipping) or go to their store. Luckily Fashion Island is right around the corner and over the past weekend Jenn and I picked up 10 capsules for $11. So figure $1.10 for a cup of coffee. A little steep. But worth it in my opinion. 

Now with almost a month under my belt with the Nespresso Vertuoline I can say I'm a big fan. I like the versatility of being able to have both coffee and espresso from the same machine. I'm thinking about getting a small coffee pot for those days where I want more then 1 cup of coffee. Late nights working, or even just weekend house projects. But for 99% of the time the Nespresso Vertuoline works out perfectly. I've really enjoyed it so far and actually am thinking now might be a good time for a second cup.