I tried the Nespresso Vertuo Pop - here's where it ranks among the other Nespresso machines out there

Nespresso pretty much have the pod coffee machine market mastered, with so many iterations that you've most definitely encountered one at some point in your life. Often found in offices and even hotel rooms, a Nespresso pod coffee machine is one of life's sureties. In fact, the Nespresso Vertuo Pop, this very machine, is now the Ideal Home team's at-desk machine. Adds up.

As far as the best pod coffee machines go, the Nespresso Vertuo Pop has a fairly standard design. It's bigger than the Nespresso Pixie, which we also recently tried, and about one-tenth of the price of our favourite pod coffee machine ever, which is a collaboration between Sage and Nespresso, a machine that's as pretty as it is capable. For one-tenth of the price, it's a certified bargain.

We'll really dig into those comparisons later, but for now, here's what we thought when the Nespresso Vertuo Pop became the Ideal Home team's workday coffee machine of choice.

Unboxing and first impressions

The Nespresso Vertuo Pop came all wrapped up in various cardboard elements, and was easy to unpack and set up, as it's a very uncomplicated machine. You have the unit's main body, which is quite squat and fairly thin, and then a small 600ml cylindrical water tank that fits into the back. 600ml might sound big, but you're getting two coffees worth maximum before you need to refill, so beware.

We tried this machine out in Aqua Mint, but it's also available in Mango Yellow and all-black. Nespresso also often have various design collabs running on this machine, including a version with Pantone and one with the famed department store Liberty.

These designs offer a little more than the standard ones, but on the whole I find this machine to be quietly sleek and unremarkable in terms of design, meaning it would be easy to slot one into most kitchens. Sure, it doesn't have the stainless steel allure of a Sage coffee machine, but it's inoffensive design-wise.

To operare this machine, you simply fill the water tank and use the lever on the front to lift the lid on the main unit. Here, you can pop in your pod, press the icon on the top and wait for your coffee to dispense. It is as simple as that. You'll need to run a rinse cycle when you first set this machine up, but even with that accounted for, it took me under ten minutes to serve my first coffee.

The drip tray under the spout is removable, and if you've got a larger mug, you'll need to remove it for it to fit underneath, which is slightly annoying. More on that later.

As this is a new generation Vertuo machine, it uses the new type of Nespresso pod, which has a large surface area and is packed full of coffee. Each pod has a barcode which corresponds to which flavour it is, and you can tell the length of coffee that each pod will dispense from reading the outside.

Iced drinks, such as the Sunny Almond Vanilla flavour that I tried, dispense 80ml of coffee, while more standard pods like the Vivida pods, can dispense up to 230ml of coffee at a time. There's an even larger style of pod too, like the Cold Brew style pods, that dispense 355ml at a time.

Nespresso Vertuo pods of this size aren't as easy to find as the first generation of pods are, as they're patented exclusively by the brand. It can make things quite pricey in the long run, but reusable pods are available, which you can fill with your own coffee, if you want to save pennies.

Testing the Nespresso Vertuo Pop

Operating the Nespresso Veruo Pop is a one-button affair. Press to dispense, or alternatively, stop the dispensing of the coffee by pressing the button on top again, for a shorter drink. There's no drinks menu here, but there is a wide variety of pods to choose from, that will deliver you different flavours.

I first tried a Vivida pod, which is infused with Vitamin B12 in case you're feeling deficient, which took 1 minute 38 seconds to dispense. It's also where I ran into my first issue of the drip tray and spout being too close together to fit a standard mug into the gap. It meant I had to remove the drip tray entirely, and risk spillages on the desk.

I suppose one explanation of this is that a Nespresso-branded mug might fit, but for those trying to use their own reliable vessels, it's pretty annoying.

When tasting the first coffee I tried, which was a Vivida pod, I was struck by how bitter the resulting coffee was, but I do find this fairly standard across all Nespresso machines. Another thing to note is that with a standard mug, the Vivida dispenses 230ml of coffee and takes it right to the top of the rim.

There's a fair layer of crema (which is more like foam) on the top of the drink, which, if you wait a few seconds does subside, but if you'd prefer more room for milk, then stop the dispensing of the coffee early.

We've had the Nespresso Vertuo Pop on our desk for a while now and can report that the Sweet Almond Vanilla pods are a huge hit, and give a sweeter flavour. They are designed to be used over ice and are great for the summer.

What's it like to clean?

There's a panel on the side of the machine that pulls out to reveal your pod storage bin, which can hold up to about 7 pods in my experience. It's important to give this a clean in warm soapy water to prevent any build up of loose coffee grinds.

The exterior of this machine is very sleek, and it's very easy to wipe down and keep clean. And any time you feel like there might be any build-up within the machine, I'd recommend doing a cleaning rinse. On the whole, a very easy clean.

How does it compare to similar coffee machines?

We recently reviewed the Nespresso Pixie and gave it 5 stars. It's even smaller than the Vertuo, but it is a little pricier. For this extra price, I think you gain a fair amount, including a better looking machine and the chance to use the OG pod shape, which you can pick up versions of in your local supermarket.

On the other end of the spectrum, our top-rated pod coffee machine ever is the Nespresso Vertuo Creatista. It's quite simply a gorgeous machine, and the built-in milk frother is stellar. However, for the privilege, you'll pay up to £400 more, so upgrading is going to be a matter of budget. But it is seriously good.

Should you buy the Nespresso Vertuo Pop pod coffee machine?

The Nespresso Vertuo Pop has an RRP of £99.00 but you can basically always find it for significantly less, and sometimes there are even bundle deals that throw in a milk frother. For this price, it feels silly to quibble about too much with this machine, though there are annoyances like the drip tray size and the pod exclusivity. If you're in the market for a budget pod option, the Nespresso Vertuo Pop won't let you down.