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- Compact, fun design
- Good coffee
- Plenty of drink options
- Limited cup height
- Some quirks in operation
The Nespresso Vertuo Pop is a tiny pod machine thats more flexible than most. Typically, compact pod machines only cater for espresso (40ml) and double espresso (80ml) or, if youre lucky, a lungo (120ml). The latest and most compact Nespresso machine in the Vertuo series is more generous, however: the Pop offers the ability to brew four coffee sizes from espresso all the way up to mug size (230ml).
The Pop is the third model to join Nespressos Vertuo range and, aside from the smaller size, the design is familiar. A single button controls all the brewing, cleaning and descaling options, and the barcoded Vertuo pods produce a wide variety of coffee sizes and blends. In essence, the Pop gives you most of the benefits of a larger Vertuo machine, but for less money and with less bulk.
Nespresso Vertuo Pop review: What do you get for the money?
At £99, the Pop is Nespressos most affordable machine to date and a significant £50 cheaper than the larger Vertuo Next (£149). Its able to produce four predetermined drink sizes: espresso (40ml), double espresso (80ml), gran lungo (120ml) and mug (230ml), though you can also programme the machine to pour a shorter drink if you prefer.
When it comes to design, the Pop is essentially a squashed version of the Next, with the same distinctive rounded head and long body. Its noticeably more compact, measuring 13.6 x 42.6 x 25cm (WDH) and weighing just 3.5kg, but build quality remains solid. It also comes in fresh new colours including spicy red, aqua mint, mango yellow and Pacific blue, as well as some more familiar ones such as liquorice black and coconut white.
The Pops smaller dimensions mean that the water tank has shrunk a little to 600ml, and the capsule bin capacity is limited to a maximum of 8 pods (depending on the pod size) so will need emptying more frequently than the larger models.
As far as value for money goes, the Pop is respectable. At £99, its Nespressos cheapest machine and has basically all the same functionality as the Vertuo Next (£149) and Vertuo Plus (£179). Whats more, if youre a regular coffee drinker you can pick up the Pop for £50 as part of Nespressos coffee subscription. This costs £25 per month and comes in the form of a credit added to your account, as well as other freebies such as accessories and coffee samples. It should be noted, however, that the perks associated with the subscription do change from time to time, so its worth undertaking a bit of research to decide what offers the best value for you.
Nespresso Vertuo Pop review: Whats good about it?
The new line-up of gorgeous colours is a welcome move away from the classy but often overdone colours you typically get with these mid- to high-priced coffee pod machines. And while style isnt a good marker for a competent coffee machine, its still a nice touch. Another benefit of the Pops design is that its compact nature has somewhat improved the overall design and feel of the machine regardless of whether or not you need the extra space it affords.
The Vertuo Pops biggest selling point, though, is the wide variety of coffee sizes it offers. There are over 40 different capsules to choose from, with limited editions making an appearance from time to time as well. If you consider yourself to be an adventurous coffee drinker, theres plenty to get stuck into.
Another reason to choose this machine is its simplicity. Like the Vertuo Next and Plus, the Pop is supremely easy to set up and use. Theres just one button to switch the machine on, start the coffee making process and descale. The machine reads the barcode on each capsule and automatically pours the perfect-sized black coffee based on the blend youve chosen.
Nespresso Vertuo Pop review: What could be better?
The main niggle I have with the Vertuo Pops design is that you cant use larger mugs. In order to make the machine as compact as possible, Nespresso has reduced the space underneath the brew head but kept its signature chunky drip tray. If you want to use the tray, youll be working with a maximum cup height of just 8cm, which is only just big enough for an espresso cup. The drip tray is easily removed to extend the height to 12cm, but youll still struggle to fit anything larger than a standard mug underneath. Whats more, if you dont immediately return the drip tray once your cup is removed, youll end up with coffee on your counter. A slimline tray would be better suited to the Pop, particularly as the Vertuos selling point is its ability to produce larger cups of coffee.
Another issue I came across with the Pop and indeed all Vertuo machines is that they can, on occasion, be a little temperamental. Every now and then, the button will flash orange to indicate theres an issue with the machine, even when there isnt. The cleaning cycle, which requires you to press the button a number of times within a certain amount of seconds, can also play up from time to time and not do what its supposed to. These instances arent painfully regular but its a recurring problem that needs to be addressed.
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My final grumble about the Pop is its Wi-Fi connectivity. You can connect your machine to your phone using Wi-Fi and the Nespresso app. While this all sounds very modern and slick, the app doesnt actually do a whole lot. You can check whether your machine is in standby mode or if there are any errors, as well start the process for descaling, rinsing or emptying your machine. However, youll need to be at the machine to oversee these things anyway, so being able to do this remotely doesnt really help you. Theres no option to start the coffee-making process in the app either, so its only really useful for buying more capsules and accessories things you can already do on Nespressos website.
Nespresso Vertuo Pop review: Should you buy it?
Despite my grumbles about the app, which isnt an issue exclusive to Nespresso apps for coffee machines are mostly pointless I still like the Vertuo Pop a lot. The cup height limitations may mean that some buyers will be better off buying a discounted Vertuo Next, but thats a relatively minor moan. Overall, the Pop is a tiny, stylish capsule machine that serves up great-tasting coffee.
