Nespresso Vertuo Next review: Big cups of quality coffee full of finesse

The Vertuo Next is Nespresso’s new and improved follow up to its original Vertuo Plus capsule machine. With a freshly-refined design partly hewn from recycled plastics, the Next promises to deliver everything from your morning cup of espresso to your afternoon mug of lungo. With a starting price of £149, though, it’s got some tough competition from other top Nespresso machines – so we’ve set it up in the Expert Reviews kitchen for thorough testing.

Nespresso Vertuo Next review: What you need to know

• Uses Vertuo Nespresso pods
• Five drink sizes: Espresso (40ml), Double Espresso (80ml), Gran Lungo (150ml), Mug (230ml), Alto (414ml)
• Centrifusion brewing: Coffee is brewed using centrifugal force that spins the capsule
• Five-second warm-up time
• 1.1 litre water tank
• 10 capsule bin capacity
• Auto shut-off after 2 minutes
• Dimensions: 14x38x32 (WDH)
• Weight: 4kg

What do you get for the money?

At £149, the Vertuo Next sits at the more affordable end of Nespresso’s scale. The standard model is available in light grey, dark grey, red and white, but you will need to pay a premium for the fancier finishes. The Vertuo Next Premium bumps the price to £179 and comes in black and brown models with chrome accents, whereas the Next Deluxe ups the price to £199 in exchange for a coating of stainless steel and a choice of dark or light chrome finishes. In terms of operation, all three models are identical.

What do you actually get that’s different from the previous generation, though? For starters, the new design is fabulously stylish and, in my opinion, a huge upgrade from the last machine. The build quality feels a lot better as well: in comparison to the light plastic mechanism on the Plus, the Vertuo Next’s new sliding lock system feels far more robust.

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One new addition to the Vertuo Next is its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities. You can pair the Vertuo Next to your phone via the app, which allows you to do things such as check the water status, reset the machine to its factory settings and update the machine’s software.

It’s frustrating that the Vertuo Next doesn’t offer up any new drink choices or milk options, especially considering this machine specialises in bigger coffees typically taken with milk. Still, you can always buy a separate milk frother if milk-based coffees are more your thing.

What type of coffee can I make in it?

Nothing has changed in the capsule department, so you are still limited to using Nespresso’s Vertuo capsules – the Vertuo range of machines are not compatible with standard Nespresso capsules. The benefit of Vertuo capsules, however, is that you get five cup sizes to choose from: Espresso (40ml), Double Espresso (80ml), Gran Lungo (150ml), Mug (230ml), Alto (414ml).

You can choose from 28 different capsule varieties, some of which are intended specifically to go with milk and others without, and each capsule type is matched to a specific cup size in order to get the best results.

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What’s it like to use?

Inserting a capsule is as easy as you might expect. Push the lever to the open position, insert a capsule, close and lock the lever and you’re good to go. Once you’ve made your coffee, opening the lever playfully bounces the used pod into the waste bin, which is rather fun to watch.

Making a coffee couldn’t be simpler: you don’t even have to manually select the coffee size you want. By default, the machine reads the barcode attached to each capsule and dispenses the ‘right’ amount of water for that capsule type. Of course, you can top up your coffee manually by pressing the button once to start the water flow and again to stop it. And, if you want even more control, there’s also an option to customize the water volume for each drink.

Is the coffee any good?

Most Vertuo capsules contain more ground coffee than the standard Nespresso capsules you might be familiar with. While the classic capsules contain around 5g, the biggest Vertuo pods can hold up to 15g for creating stronger and more flavourful longer coffees.

If you want half-decent coffee in a hurry at home, and with precious little mess, this is as good as it gets. The coffee is consistently strong and drinkable, and the range of capsules provide lots of different options and flavours, which is great for when you fancy a change.

Should I buy it?

If you’re a casual coffee drinker that wants quick, tasty coffee at the touch of a button, then the Vertuo Next is a great buy. It’s a stylish machine, and the wide variety of Vertuo capsules gives you the latitude to indulge in everything from big, frothy mugs of coffee to rich shots of espresso. If you already own the Vertuo Plus, then it’s really not worth upgrading, but for everyone else this is a brilliant introduction to the Vertuo family.