Read more about the Nespresso Vertuo Plus here.
Size: 8.7″ x 12.7″ x 12.8″
Water reservoir capacity: 40 oz. (standard) 60 oz. (deluxe)
Colors: 5
Coffee sizes: 1.3 oz., 2.7 oz., 5 oz., 8 oz.
Best single-serve coffee maker for cold brew: Cumulus
What we love: We have an in-depth review of the Cumulus cold brew machine for more details, but here’s the gist: You could, in some ways, consider this the Nespresso of cold coffee with its recyclable aluminum capsules that are filled with an extremely concentrated, well, concentrate. The machine does the job of chilling water via an onboard compressor, meaning no ice is required in your cup. For texture, the Cumulus offers three settings — still, nitro, and espresso — making it one of the best machines we’ve tried for cold coffee connoisseurs. (Oh, and it achieves that “nitro” coffee without any gas canisters by using ambient air.) It vacuums out the capsules leaving them empty and ready to recycle after you’re done brewing. And at just 6″ wide it’s got a relatively small footprint and front-loading water reservoir, making it easy to use and keep on the countertop.
What we’d leave: At its current nearly $700 price tag, this is a luxury item—though if you’re dropping $5 on cold brew every day, maybe it’s not?
Size: 19” x 6” x 16”
Water reservoir capacity: 80 oz.
Colors: 2
Coffee sizes: 2 oz., 10 oz.
Best alternative to Keurig: Instant Dual Pod Plus
What we love: The brand Instant makes a lot of appliances, so we initially wondered how good their capsule coffee maker could be, but we were pleasantly surprised. Not only does this machine brew K-cups and have its own reusable pod, it can brew classic Nespresso pods, too (i.e. the smaller kind that just make shots, not the Vertuo pods). It has a generous 68-oz. water reservoir, plus settings for brew size and strength. And its removable shelf allows it to accommodate a travel mug up to 7″ tall. Most impressively, our espresso shots came with a satisfying crema on top, as they’re supposed to, and our K-cups tasted better than when brewed in other Keurig-compatible machines.
What we’d leave: We think the best hot pod coffee comes from Nespresso Vertuo pods and this machine can’t use them. We’re recommending it here for anyone who likes the convenience and ubiquity of K-Cups and wants to make the best coffee they can with them.
Size: 16.2” x 7.2” x 13”
Water reservoir capacity: 68 oz.
Colors: Black
Coffee sizes: 2 oz., 4 oz., 6 oz., 10 oz., 12 oz.
How we tested single-serve coffee makers
With so many proprietary pods out there, we did our best to compare apples to apples by attempting to find Starbucks pods of similar roasts for every machine that could use them (Bruvi was the only exception), not because they’re our favorite coffee roasters, but because they are the most cross-pollinated among all types of machines. For Keurig machines, we also tested using K-cups from Illy coffee. Fresh grounds were used for any machines that offered a refillable pod. We tested the different brew size, strength, and style options on each machine as well.
What makes a good single-serve coffee maker
There are plenty of subpar single-cup coffee makers out there, and life is short, so we don’t think bad coffee needs to be a part of it. We looked for coffee pod machines that delivered balanced flavor and a smooth finish with consistency.
Are the pods simple to load and is the interface (buttons or screens) intuitive and simple? Does the water reservoir require constant refill oversight, and is it easy to access? Does the machine require regular cleaning or maintenance to keep working? The ease of use should extend to pod collection and disposal, as well. Some machines require emptying the coffee pod chamber after each use. Others collect them for occasional disposal or recycling.
Pod coffee makers don’t need to take up too much space, but they can also be too small, relying on heating and brewing elements that sacrifice on quality. And because most regular coffee drinkers won’t be putting their machine away every day, it should look good on your countertop, too.
Pods are a problem. There’s no way around it. Overall, we can’t get behind any machine that requires plastic pods that aren’t residentially recyclable. Machines that operate using a reusable pod were also given some bonus points.
Other single-serve coffee makers we tested and liked:
Bruvi
This touchscreen pod machine is everything we wish most K-cup machines could be. It offers rich, balanced, and nuanced coffee, plus eight brewing sizes, one-touch presets for low-acid, americano, iced coffee (which brews hot over ice), and cold brew (which uses cooler water), as well as simple customizations to any of these like temperature control and brew strength. And it does all this using its own proprietary pods made with specially treated polyethylene which will (mostly) break down in a landfill. So other than you need to use its proprietary coffee pods, Bruvi offers all of the convenience of capsules and the fancypants settings of high-end coffee makers and good coffee with little downside.
Nespresso Essenza Mini
The Essenza Mini comes from Nespresso’s Original line which uses smaller capsules and only brews 1.35-oz. espresso shots or 3.7-oz. Lungo cups of coffee. And it does so using 19 bars of pressure for extraction, as opposed to the VertuoLine’s centrifugal extraction method. It doesn’t make plain old cups of coffee, however, but we’ve included it here as a good option for pod coffee drinkers who prefer espresso drinks and want a simple way to make beverages like cappuccinos and macchiatos.
L’or Barista
If, for whatever reason, you want to brew Nespresso pods but don’t want to actually get a Nespresso machine, the L’or is your choice. It brews Original Nespresso pods along with its own proprietary pods (which are cross-compatible with classic Nespresso machines). L’or’s brewer offers three brewing sizes and extracts coffee from the pod at 19 bars of pressure through two spouts, similar to the way coffee comes out of a semi-automatic espresso machine. This produces a delicious layer of crema that’s as good as Nespresso’s. It was only in a head-to-head matchup that we slightly preferred Nespresso.
Nespresso Vertuo Next
If you like the idea of Nespresso but not the idea of being stuck with one-cup-at-at-time brewing, the Vertuo Next has brew sizes ranging from a single shot of espresso up to 18 oz. of coffee with the proper pods (an optional carafe is available for the biggest brews). This smart machine also has Bluetooth and Wi-fi connectivity, so you can track your favorite pods and get firmware updates. However, the Next is a smaller machine than the Vertuo Plus, and with that comes a smaller water tank. And like the Vertuo Pop+ below, the closing and locking mechanism is a bit clunkier than we’d like. But for all out versatility, it’s probably your best Nespresso-brewing option.
Cuisinart Premium Single Serve Brewer
If you’re looking for a K-cup-compatible coffee machine that can do a little more, this is a good option. It comes with a reusable filter capsule that, while a little finicky getting it to work properly, does, indeed, work. It also has a 72-oz. water tank for less-frequent refills, as well as settings for five cup sizes and two brewing temperatures. The biggest boost we’ll give this machine is that it produced superior tasting coffee using K-cups than any Keurig machine we’ve tried.
Single-serve coffee makers we don’t recommend
Generally, we like almost all Nespresso machines, but we think the three recommended above are better than the Vertuo Pop+ for a few reasons. On the Pop+, the actual snapping down of the lid to puncture the pod inside was the clunkiest of the bunch and a lot of effort in a pre-coffee morning fog. And this low-profile machine was so low to the counter, we couldn’t fit a pint glass or similarly sized tumbler underneath, which was a problem considering that Nespresso offers Iced Leggero pods that brew 7.7 oz., overflowing our smaller ice-filled cups. Lastly, the water reservoir on the standard version of this machine (which comes in at 25.4 oz., or 32 oz. on the Deluxe model) is pretty small compared to the Vertuo Plus and it’s set in a fixed side-mounted position, so you’re stuck with the orientation as is. In other words, it’s still a solid Nespresso coffee brewer but less versatile than what you get for a few dollars more.
You might consider this machine Lavazza’s attempt to answer the classic Nespresso; its plastic coffee pods and presets brew in espresso or lungo sizes. It beats the Keurig and K-cup machines when it comes to robust and flavorful coffee, but it didn’t live up to the high bar set by Nespresso. The Ristretto capsules we tried were a bit bitter and the texture was thin, though we actually liked the medium-roast Decaf capsules enough as after dinner/dessert coffee. Considering Lavazza makes capsules for both Nespresso classic machines and K-cup machines, along with other espresso products, we just don’t think it’s necessary to buy into the Lavazza tech — as sleek and compact as it is — to enjoy their coffee.
Cuisinart Grind and Brew Single-Serve Coffee Maker
We love the concept of a capsule coffee maker that comes with a reusable pod and an onboard conical burr coffee grinder to fill that pod with freshly ground coffee beans. But unfortunately our experience with Cuisinart’s attempt to deliver on this eco-friendly design fell short. The machine has three brew size presets, and we found only the smallest (i.e. most concentrated) was able to make coffee we wanted to drink. The grinder and pod were messy to use (grounds would get stuck in the grinder and then knock loose when we bumped or jostled the machine) and we would have liked the ability to change the grind settings to dial in a better brew. If the point of having a single-serve coffee maker for you is the ease of cleanup, know that dumping and cleaning the pod is a bit of work in a two-coffee-drinker-household like the one we tested in. But we did prefer the taste and texture of the fresh ground capsule to K-cups.
The “dual” on this machine refers to both drip coffee and coffee pods. It offers multiple brew sizes and strengths, and, being a drip machine first, comes with a glass carafe. It accepts pods with an adapter that fits into the filter basket. Some of its handier features are an adjustable 60-oz. water reservoir, dedicated hot water dispenser, fold-away milk frother, and an adjustable drip tray that allows you to brew directly into a cup or tumbler. But we don’t think it’s the best drip coffee maker out there, and it’s too big and complex for just making capsule coffee.
Despite its 4.4 stars from over 100,000 ratings on Amazon, we can’t imagine using this machine for coffee every day. Our experience with Keurig coffee pods, regardless of the brand of coffee we tried, was watery or bitter coffee (or, at worst, somehow both). That, plus the fact that this machine’s reservoir is only large enough for one cup at a time makes this one tedious for regular use.
Unfortunately, the “smart” features of this machine add more frustration than anything. The machine is supposed to recognize which K-cup you put inside and adjust its brew settings accordingly. It also allows you to select and save brew sizes and temperatures as presets. But in our tests, the machine frequently froze and had to be unplugged to get it going again. Being “smart,” this machine also offers app-enabled remote brewing, something we can’t imagine using since you have to put K-cups in (and take used cups out) one at a time. One plus was the generous, 66-oz. water reservoir with a convenient pitcher handle. But in the end, this fancy Keurig didn’t improve our pod coffee experience whatsoever.
As iced coffee rivals hot coffee consumption these days, it’s no wonder Keurig would offer a machine that specializes in cold drinks. One aspect of this machine that is well thought out is its dispensing spout which is high enough off the counter to accommodate a pint glass or tumbler. We found the iced coffee setting only reduced the brew temperature by less than ten degrees, so our ice still had to do most of the work while also watering the coffee down, which was already diluted with 12 oz. of water during brewing. Even on the smallest of three pre-programed hot coffee brew sizes, it mirrored our other Keurig experiences with weak or just not tasty coffee output.
Additional testing and reporting by Emily Farris
Pod coffee is fine, but the fresh stuff is even better
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