How Nespresso Machines Work

Whether your particular favorite is a tall latte, a robust espresso, or a frothy cappuccino, we all love a cup of freshly brewed, fragrant coffee. And Nespresso machines are known to make it easy to get that perfect cup of joe: just insert the pod, add water, and press. But how does a Nespresso machine actually work? Do the different Nespresso machines work differently?

Nespresso coffee machines work via one-touch pod technology. Nespresso Original machines force a measured amount of heated water under pressure through the punctured pod to produce espresso, while the Nespresso Vertuo uses centrifugal technology to swirl heated water through a pod rotating at 7000 rpm.

Coffee-making is both an art and a science, extracting flavor from coffee beans and water to create a magical beverage. There are different methods of coffee extraction: for example, the coffee grounds can be immersed in the water (like a French press); the water can be poured over and then allowed to drip through the grounds (like percolated coffee) or forced through at pressure (like an espresso machine). The original Nespresso machines are pressure-based, but the newest Nespresso Vertuo technology is entirely different – using centrifugal forces to extract the most coffee flavor for the ideal cup.

How Nespresso machines work

Created initially for the home market, Nespresso machines were ground-breaking in their philosophy: brewing coffee-bar quality and style espresso in the comfort of your kitchen, at a fraction of the price and in a fraction of the time. Nespresso is the product of the Nestle brand, based in Switzerland.

There is more than one kind of Nespresso coffee-making machine, but all use the same basic system of quickly and efficiently making a single serving of coffee via a pod or capsule system. Each has a water tank or reservoir which you fill with cold water, and a heating system or element to warm the water. However, the method of extracting the coffee differs.

The Nespresso pod system

All Nespresso machines are based on a single-serve, one-touch aluminum pod or capsule system with unique Nespresso technology. Each pod contains the perfect amount of compacted, ground coffee for your desired beverage and is hermetically sealed to maintain freshness. Nespresso offers a wide variety of coffee sizes, flavors, and strengths in their pod selection, with coffee sourced from responsible sources across the world. The variety of coffees differs seasonally.

Originally, Nespresso pods were unique to their machines; however, other brands of coffee are now able to make pods that are compatible with the Nespresso Original machines. This allows for a wider variety of coffees to be available for this coffee system.

Once you have inserted your choice of coffee in the form of the pod and filled the machine with water, at a press of a button, the Nespresso machine will do the rest: it will automatically manage the balance between water temperature, pressure, beverage size, and speed to create what they promise to be the perfect cup of coffee, time after time.

Once the coffee has been made, you press a button to expel the pod. All Nespresso pods are recyclable, so once the machine has filled up with empty pods, you can collect them in recycling bags provided by Nespresso and return them for recycling.

How the Nespresso Original Machine Works

There are a few variants of the Nespresso Original machine, but each works in the same way, based on the traditional definition of espresso-making. Espresso is made by water being pushed through the ground coffee under nine bars of pressure, the amount of pressure required for crema to be produced. Crema is the layer of delicious, creamy “microbubbles” and is the hallmark of a well-brewed espresso required by serious coffee lovers.

Setting up a Nespresso Original Machine

Before using your Nespresso device, you need to set it up so that it works optimally.

• Rinse the reservoir tank: Fill it with fresh tap water, rinse it out, then refill. Slide the tank back onto the Nespresso device and reattach if necessary.
• Run water through the machine: Plug in and switch on the machine. Press the “lungo” button so that water runs through the device. Remember to have a cup in place to catch the water. Repeat three times, discarding the water that has run through.
• Wipe down the outside of the machine.

How the Nespresso Original makes a cup of coffee

The Nespresso Original machines work as follows:

• Plug in the device and switch it on.
• Fill the water tank at the back of the machine.
• Place your cup on the drinks tray, which is created to catch any spills.
• Press the button indicating the size of beverage required. The light will flash to show that the device is warming up, then remain on, meaning that it is ready to use.
• Lift the lever to access the port for your pod.
• Insert your cup-shaped pod, containing 5-6 g of coffee. The pod can only be fitted in one way. Close the lever.
• The machine then punctures the broad, foil-covered side with three prongs.
• Once you press the button indicating the size of your beverage (espresso or lungo), the machine automatically pumps the required amount of water from the tank through a line that curls around a heating element. This 1550-watt heater heats the water to the ideal temperature.
• Via the ultra-thin, pressure-producing tube, water is then forced through the punctured capsule at 19 bars of pressure, releasing an authentic, crema-topped espresso.
• Filter paper in the pod prevents the coffee grounds from spilling into the cup.
• Once the coffee has been dispensed, the machine forces air through the pipes to ensure that they are free of coffee. The device is then immediately ready to produce another cup of coffee without any stale coffee from the previous cup. You don’t have to remove any parts for cleaning between cups.
• A simple lift of the lever mechanism releases the pod into the built-in waste bin. This has to be done after every coffee has been dispensed since the machine is a single-serving dispenser.
• The machine will turn off when not in use.

Customizing your Nespresso Original brew

The Nespresso Original dispenses the amount of water you choose, depending on whether you press the “ristretto”, “espresso” or “lungo” button. However, you may decide to customize how much water you want in your coffee. The clue to the strength of the coffee lies in the color changes it is being dispensed:

• The initial coffee, the ristretto, is dark reddish-brown and is sweet and full of body.
• The coffee then changes to caramel color, the espresso, which gives the coffee balance.
• The coffee then lightens to a yellowish color, which is watery – this is not what you want in your coffee.

To customize your beverage, you can control how much water flows through the pod by following these steps:

• Fill the machine with water and place your cup as usual.
• Insert the pod and press the required brew button, holding it down.
• When the amount of coffee you want has dispensed, release the button.
• The machine will remember the size of coffee you prefer and dispense this amount of water every time.

Maintaining the Nespresso Original machine

 To keep your Nespresso machine producing delicious drinks every time, you need to maintain the device to avoid the build-up of limescale from water and oil from the coffee. Over time, these unwanted residues can affect the functioning of the machine, even causing leakage and influence the taste of the coffee. In extreme cases, bacteria and mold can build up inside your appliance.

The Nespresso Original machines are not self-cleaning (the Vertuo has a cleaning function, as you will read below). In order for the appliance to continue to produce tasty coffee, it needs to be descaled and cleaned every 100 cups. This will also improve the longevity of the machine.

Clean the machine as follows:

• Remove the spent capsules and capsule container.
• Clean the container and the drinks platform. (You should do this regularly anyway.)
• Fill the water tank and mix in a sachet of descaling or machine cleaning product.
• Put a container on the drinks platform.
• Press the “lungo” button, refilling and emptying the container until the water tank is empty.
• Rinse the machine by refilling the tank and dispensing clean water three times.

How the Nespresso Vertuo Machine Works

Released in 2014, the Nespresso Vertuo machine is also a pod-based system, although the capsules are larger and bowl or dome-shaped. These machines are aimed at the American market, where larger, filter-style coffees are the trend, rather than the traditional European espresso.

However, the most significant difference between the Original and Vertuo machines is the technology. The new Vertuo machines have transformed traditional espresso-making technology by using a patented extracted method known as Cetrifusion technology (a combination of centrifugal and infusion, describing the motion of the pod during coffee extraction).

Despite not using traditional espresso-making technology, the Vertuo machine creates a coffee espresso-like taste, mouthfeel, and crema.

Setting up a Nespresso Vertuo machine

Before using your Nespresso device, you need to set it up so that it works optimally.

• Rinse the reservoir tank: Fill it with fresh tap water, rinse it out, then refill. Slide the tank back onto the Nespresso device and reattach if necessary.
• Run water through the machine: Plug in and switch on the device. Close the head of the machine and turn it to “lock”. Push the button on the head three times quickly to run a rinse or clean cycle. Remember to have a cup in place to catch the water. This cycle may take two to five minutes.

How the Nespresso Vertuo makes a cup of coffee

The Nespresso Vertuo machines work as follows:

• Plug in the device and switch it on.
• Fill the water tank at the back of the machine.
• Place your cup on the drinks tray, which is created to catch any spills. The drinks platform is adjustable, depending on the size of your cup. You can fold it away for the larger beverage sizes.
• Turn the lever on the head to “unlock” and lift the head to open in.
• Insert your pod into the machine, dome side down, as indicated on the device.
• Close the lid and lock.
• Using smart technology, the machine reads the unique barcode on each capsule: the device will then optimize the bespoke brewing parameters for that particular coffee, including water volume, brewing temperature, infusion time, rotation speed, and water flow rate.
• The barcode is printed around the rim so that the machine can scan it however you insert the capsule.
• The machine then injects hot water into the flat top of the pod.
• Instead of using a pressure-based system, the machine spins the capsule at up to 7000 rotations per minute, blending the water with the coffee (hence the “infusion” part of Centrifusion).
• The centrifugal force then forces the water through a series of punctures around the edge of the capsule, creating a coffee with a silky, indulgent crema layer.
• If you want to override the intelligent technology to create a smaller cup of coffee, press the “on” button to stop the dispensing process when the cup reaches your desired fullness. Pressing the “on” button again will start the pouring operation again.
• Turning the machine to “unlock” releases the pod into the built-in waste bin. This has to be done after every coffee has been dispensed since the device is a single-serving dispenser.
• The machine will turn off when not in use.

Comparison between Nespresso Original and Nespresso Vertuo machines

If you are trying to decide which appliance to purchase, use this handy comparison between the two styles. The most significant difference is the size of the beverage produced, so if you like a larger mug of coffee, the Vertuo is the machine for you. The challenge with the Original line is that the pod size remains the same even if you want a larger beverage, so taller coffees can get a little watery.

However, if you prefer a traditional espresso, a far greater variety of pods are available for the Original machines because of third-party producers of compatible pods. There is also a greater variety of sizes and styles of Original machines to suit every budget and kitchen, whereas there are only three styles of the newer Vertuo devices.

	Nespresso Original	Nespresso Vertuo
Technology	Pressure-based User choice of coffee size	Centrifusion Intelligent machine reads barcode for brewing parameters
Types of coffee made	0.7-oz ristretto 1.4-oz espresso 3.7-oz lungo	1.4 oz espresso 2.7-oz double espresso 5-oz gran lungo 8-oz mug of coffee 14-oz alto XL
No. of machine types	8 base models and 12 machine types: Pixie Essenza Citiz Inissia Creatista Latissima Maestria Gran Maestria	3 machine types: Vertuoe VertuoPlus Evoluo
Types of coffee capsules	40 official coffee flavors, with additional seasonal and limited-edition flavors, as well as other brand Nespresso-compatible pods	28 coffee flavors, only available from Nespresso
Milk-frothing ability	Built-in milk frothing ability in Creatista and Latissima for cappuccinos Aeroccino can be bought as well	No built-in milk frothing ability Intended to be used with cold milk Aeroccino can be purchased as a bundle
Crema	Smooth, thin crema	Thicker, more aromatic, foam-like crema
Cost	Small, budget machines available Average price $150	More expensive Average price $200
Machine volume	Loud pump sound	Quieter operation

Nespresso produces two kinds of coffee machines: the Original, which makes authentic, traditional espresso works via a 19-bar pressure system, while the Vertuo produces five sizes and styles of coffee via a patented centrifugal system, known as Centrifusion. Both kinds of machines make a high-quality, freshly brewed cup of coffee at the touch of a button, without the complexity and price of a traditional espresso machine.