Nespresso’s cheapest coffee machine costs less than £100 – this is what we thought

Design

The first thing to note about this coffee machine is its colour. While most models come in black, the vertuo pop comes in six different shades, with a pop of colour on the lid – from aqua mint (our tone of choice) to white, red, yellow or blue. There’s also a full black model for those who prefer things nice and simple.

The second thing to note is its size. Measuring in at just 25cm tall and 13.6cm wide, this machine is one of the smallest in the Nespresso coffee-machine family. Small but mighty, it should slot onto most people’s kitchen countertops without too much appliance re-jigging. Weighing in at just 3.5kg, if you have a large cupboard and won’t be using the machine every day, it’s also incredibly easy to store away until you need it.

Read more: Best independent coffee brands

The water tank – often the least aesthetic part of any coffee machine – sits at the back, meaning it’s hidden from sight, and simply pops out, so you can refill it like a cup from the tap. The small cup holder/overspill tray can be left on, to hold up tiny espresso cups, or removed completely, so bigger mugs can fit.

It’s all incredibly sleek and streamlined, so for those after fuss-free appliances, we couldn’t find any faults. All used pods are stored in a tray inside, which can be pulled out and thrown away, and one simple button on the top is all you need to press.

How to use

The official product description of this coffee machine is incredibly swanky – if tech specs get your engine going, we encourage you to give them a read. Centrifusion technology, code analysing capsules and automatic blend recognition are just a handful of the high-tech aspects of this machine.

But, for those who don’t want to be bored by the goings-on behind their brew, it’s essentially very easy to get a great cup of coffee.

Working with the Nespresso vertuo pods – the larger size of the two available – you can unlock the lid of the machine by pushing the small lever to the right. Pop in the pod, push the lid back down – it needs a fairly firm press – and push the button on the top to get the coffee pouring within 30 seconds.

Read more: Is Lakeland’s Dry:Soon heated clothes airer a laundry hero?

As long as you have water in the tank, your pod of choice on the top and a cup ready to collect, your job is done. Just be sure to press the button again to turn off the tap, once you’ve got enough in your cup.

Once you lift the lid back up, to use the machine again, it cleverly flips the old pod into its self-contained bin compartment – so you don’t have to do too much clean-up either. Need we say more?

How to clean

Every now and again, you’ll need to clean your machine, but we promise it isn’t too much of a hardship. It’s a good idea to use fresh water in the tank daily, to keep things fresh and flowing. But if you do go for a short (or long) period of not using the machine, it’s best to do the following before making coffee again, to get any old water out of the pipes.

Fill the tank with fresh water, ensure no capsules are inside and place a large bowl or tub underneath the coffee outlet. Press the coffee button three times and let the machine do the work. It takes around seven minutes, and the coffee machine will light up when done – voila.

Read more: SAD lamps to banish the winter blues

To descale, Nespresso recommends using the brand’s own descaling agent (£9, Nespresso.com ). If your machine starts blinking orange, it’s time to descale. Follow a similar process to the one above, with the addition of the descaler in the tank, and hold the coffee button down for seven seconds. Repeat a clean rinse cycle, dry for 10 minutes, then you’re good to go.