Verismo vs Nespresso

Starbucks Verismo System vs Nespresso

If you’re the kind of person who would rather enjoy the morning espresso in the comfort on own home, instead of running to the closest coffee shop while trying to make it to work on time ☺, if you have just realized that your expense account would look a lot healthier without the cost of daily coffee bought from the shop or if you are what we’d call a “coffee fanatic”, always in search of new flavors or new levels of espresso intensity, without being forced to wait in a queue to get it, guess it’s time for you to buy an espresso machine that you can use at home.

The market offers a great deal of options, but today we take a look at two of the most popular and quality-wise home brewing machines and their pods, which promise to help you start your day in a beautiful way with that unmistakable aroma of fresh coffee: Starbucks Verismo and Nespresso. And to make your decision easier, we will go through both the strengths and weak points of these two top manufacturers’ coffee machines.

Machine models

Always striving to have more satisfied customers in its “coffee lovers fan club”, Starbucks Verismo line has created several unit models over the years, such as Verismo 580, 583, 600 and its latest V. version.

Swiss brand Nespresso’s models come in various sizes and colors, such as Pixie, Inissia, Citiz, Essenza Mini, Vertuo and many other machines . The manufacturer’s aim, no matter the model produced, seems to be its recognition worldwide as the authentic espresso experience supplier.

Type of coffee used

The coffee sheltered by Nespresso capsules – brand’s exclusive Grand Cus – offers its customers an intense taste, in flavors like Fortissio Lungo, Roma, Rosabaya or Arpegio, while
Starbucks has placed selected quality of roasted and ground Arabica coffee from its coffee shops into pods that fuel the Verismo System.

For higher tasting beverages, Starbuck specifically recommends the use of filtered water for the Verismo coffee machine, while Nespresso makes a general reference to use fresh drinking water for the water tank. Since some of Nespresso’s models (such as VertuoLine) are not equipped with water filters, you should however use for this machine distilled of filtered water to cut down lime deposits that can be generated by the use of tap water.

Beverages’ sizes

Verismo System can provide 1 oz of espresso, 10 oz of brewed coffee and 180 ml of Caffé Americano or Caffé Latte.

The default setting of Nespresso’s coffee machines provides a 1.35 oz cup size for espresso and a 3.7 oz cup size for a lungo. However, these sizes can be modified to either smaller or bigger quantities of beverage: 1 oz for espresso with 2.7 oz for lungo or 1.5 oz ml for espresso with 4 oz for lungo.

Design

The coffee machine Verismo is Swiss-engineered, is based on a dual-pressure technology and provides several types of coffee, latte and espresso that you can enjoy at home. Its design makes it suitable for any type of kitchen, as it occupies a small space thanks to its minimalist appearance. “Simple to use” seems to have been the motto of this machine’s creators, as it has only four buttons on it: a button for power and three others for selecting the type of serving you would like to have: coffee, milk or espresso.

The design of Nespresso machines is a stylish one (Alessi, Porsche and Miel bringing their contribution to it), using sleek lines, extremely compact format, highly sophisticated or minimalist appearance. These Swiss units are made of stainless steel or hard plastic and their construction is a durable one.

Technology and features

Among the features of Nespresso machines we find a 19 bar pressure pump that ensures an even and fast distribution of water through the coffee (in “Original Line” models, such as Citiz, Pixie), while a centrifuge blends at 7,000 RPM the perfect mixture of flavors in VertuoLine model.

Nespresso machines are provided with a collection container where used capsules are ejected (14 capsules, for example, in VertuoLine). Verismo has also tray for used pods, where you can keep up to 10 such pods, thus making the clean up rather easy.

In terms of features, Verismo System is equipped with a drip plate that can be adjusted or removed allowing you to use short, medium or tall cup. Nespresso also has a folding drip tray that enables you to fit in two different sizes of coffee cups at the same time (in Citiz model, for example).

Verismo V. comes with a detachable, easy to refill water reservoir of 2,3 liters, while Nespresso’s models water tanks range between 0,7 liters to 1 liter and are dishwasher safe, making their maintenance easy.

Both Verismo System and Nespresso have a feature for clean out, which allows hot water to clean the machine between descaling cycles, but the feature on Verismo is much simpler (one button) than the one of Nespresso (VertuoLine model).

Time needed to make a coffee is also a criteria to take into account when selecting your coffee machine: the Verismo V. System heats up in 8 seconds, takes 13 seconds to prepare a shot of espresso, plus 32 seconds for any beverage that contains milk, while in Nespresso, you may need from 25 seconds for heating in Citiz model to 15 seconds in VertuoLine model (since Espresso is a very strong drink, it must be brewed at very high pressures to get its specific taste and caffeine concentration).

Accessories

Thanks to the milk frother, which comes at a separate price, Starbucks Verismo offers its customer the chance to enjoy delightful beverages (such as Americanos, lattes, cappuccinos, brewed coffee). Easy to use and to clean, this accessory that has auto shut-off function, non-stick coating and is safe to use in the dishwasher can be bought from Amazon at around 60 dollars.

Nespresso also offers milk frothers, such as Aeroccino 3 or Aeroccino 4 or Aeroccino+.

Aeroccino+, compact and quiet, can be used to heat milk, at a maximum capacity of 8.5 oz and to prepare creamy milk froth, either cold or hot, at a maximum capacity of 130 ml.

Purchase of machines and pods

Verismo System machines and Verismo Milk Frother are available for sale in Starbuck stores on Amazon, Target, and on Walmart.

Nespresso machines and their milk frothers can be bought online, from Nespresso.com and on Amazon.

Nespresso brewing machines are more affordable than Starbucks Verismo System, but that will not be an impediment if you are an authentic espresso lover. Nespresso range offer several options to fit your budget, from Essenza Mini, which costs not to much to the more expensive model, for example Nespresso Creatista Plus, which would take more dollars from your budget. The more expensive Nespresso models offer a series of extra features, such as a higher capacity for capsule disposal, a larger water tank or multiple options for drinks sizes. At the other end, the cheaper versions of Nespresso have the advantage of being compact and easy to fit on a crowded countertop.

Pods

Verismo System from Starbucks enables you to inter-change the pods of its various models.
So, if you had a Verismo model like 580, 583 or 600 and you want to update your coffee machine to Verismo V., you can use the pods from your old models to your new one. However, since the latest Verismo model – V Brewer, dispenses 10 fl oz of water, while the older Verismo models used 7 fl oz of water, the taste of your beverage might not as bold as it is when using for V model its specifically designed pods.

Nespresso has made a step further in the use of capsules and created them with the scope of being re-used. This means that you can place in them your favorite ground beans to obtain a Nespresso coffee. Also, in 2017, as a fight back against cheaper, compatible capsules for its coffee machines, Nespresso implemented a subscription system to retain customers: if you sign up for monthly Nespresso capsules, you get the chance to receive a Nespresso machine at a very low price. Thus, any customer who spends around 25 dollars per month on Nespresso capsules receives for around 2 dollars a Nespresso Essenza Mini coffee machine, that has a retail price of around 149 dollars. For a 35 dollars monthly subscription, you get the Nespresso Essenza Mini and additionally the Aeroccino milk frother, while for 62 dollars spent a month for Nespresso capsules, you get the Nespresso Latissima Touch. If you are interested in owning another Nespresso machine, buying lots of capsules by registering to this subscription plan is a solution.

Starbuck Verismo System pods, which you can use to make coffee, espresso, tea or any of these beverages with a pinch of milk, can be bought from Starbucks stores, Verismo.com and selected retailers, with a price ranging between one and two dollars, depending upon the type of beverage it provides.

Nespresso has decided to sell its capsules in a dedicated distribution network (instead of retail stores), as part of the brand’s strategy to ensure high quality, fresh coffee at all times for its customers.

In terms of price, Nespresso capsules are more expensive than Starbucks Verismo System pods (2 dollars per capsule for VertuoLine model, for example) and they have the major downside of minimum online order (which can be, in some cases, of 50 capsules), while Verismo System pods’ price makes a coffee cost between 75 cents and 1 dollar.

You should also always check on Amazon for any discounts available.

Weak points

With Starbucks Verismo System, it may be difficult to reach inside the machine for a thorough cleaning, even when using a small piece of cloth.

Verismo does not have a visible heat control button, which at times can create problems.

If you purchase also the milk frother and you fill the milk heater more than half, you risk to get a mess on your countertop, as some customer reviews indicate.

Other customers have reported that Starbucks Verismo System stopped running after variable periods of time – from 4 to 6 months after being in use.

Other technical problems such as the breaking of the ‘arm’ that locks in the coffee pod or the ejection of coffee into the pods bin and not into the machine are also among the complaints of customers who have purchased this coffee machine.

For the Verismo System, Starbucks recommends cleaning the machine every 20-30 cups of beverages and it provides a rather expensive cleaner. Descaling is another mandatory operation to keep your Verismo coffee machine providing tasteful coffee. Cleaning and descaling can be expensive if you think about the 10 dollars for cleaning every two weeks (at most) and another 10 dollars for descaling, every 14-18 days (when descaling light comes on). If you and your family drink a lot of coffee (like 8 to 10 cups per day), the cost of these maintenance operations can lead you up to 60 dollars a month, which turns Starbucks Verismo coffee into a pretty expensive one. However, if you are willing to pay the entire price (machine, pods, maintenance), you get the chance to enjoy a large variety of drinks, from espresso, Christmas Blend Espresso or Veranda to Decaf espresso or Verona.

As for Nespresso, some customers have reported that after couple of month of use, the milk frother stopped functioning. Others say the entire machine broke down, sometimes after two months of use.

For Pixie models, there have been reported some complaints about occasional leaks when the machine has been intensively used, as well as water tank overflows from time to time.

Compared to Starbucks’ Verismo, Nespresso is noisier (VertuoLine, for example).

While both Starbucks Verismo and Nespresso machines deliver the same strong taste in your cup of coffee, some customers say that Nespresso models deliver a high degree of bitterness in your drink. Of course, this is a question of preferences, as that reported bitterness may be an advantage and not a drawback for Nespresso coffee machines.

Bottom line

If you are a Starbucks “addict” who enjoys recreating the Starbucks experience at home, then most probably Verismo System is the right choice for you, despite its weak points presented in the lines above.

If real espresso is the experience that makes your mornings delightful, you will probably just go for a Nespresso machine.