Time has stood testament to the fact that change is the only constant we have in this world. And history has stood witness to a lot of revolutions that have brought change through the ages. Some of us have even been lucky enough to stand witness to a few giants be supplanted, by both the legitimate and illegitimate progeny that followed.
We’ve watched the CD make the floppy disk obsolete.
The USB flash drive made the CD unnecessary.
And the iPod made the walk-man a thing of the past before it too vanished into the pages of yesterday.
It’s no secret that the incursion of coffee into households all over the world is one of the biggest movements in recent times. A champion amongst them has been the Nespresso line of coffee machines.
And in 2014 the Nespresso Vertuo line emerged to usurp the Original line of the company from its rule over the coffee community of the world.
We’re here to pit the two; Nespresso Original vs Vertuo line, against each other, allow them to go toe to toe, to see who ends up on top.
About Nespresso
Nestling under the umbrella of Nestlé, Nespresso was born in 1986 in Switzerland, Europe. Eric Favre, a Swiss engineer working for Nestlé at the time noticed a gap in the coffee market and filled it. He was responsible for the invention and copyright of Nespresso, a contribution that led to his promotion as the first president of the company.
Through research and development, over the span of three decades, the brand has grown into a superpower amongst the global caffeine community. Throughout their ascent, the company has never lost sight of the core reason for which they launched. Nespresso was created to bring the technique and talent of constructing the perfect cup of coffee from Baristas in cafes, into the common man’s hands and homes.
While the brand began with machines, they quickly advanced towards unique and original coffee blends. It was their advent into the world of single-serve coffee capsules that cemented their seat at the head of the table. A key element that sets Nespresso apart and above the market competition; is the fact that they made sure their coffee capsules are environment friendly and biodegradable.
And Now, Nespresso Original vs Vertuo Line Machines
About Nespresso Original Line
Nespresso made a big splash when it entered the coffee scene. It didn’t take a lot of time for the brand to make a home in houses all across the globe.
The Original Nespresso line doesn’t have any of the complicated bells and whistles that have intimidated users away from bringing home coffee machines in the past. Easy to use, the Original line possesses a system that employs up to 19 bars of pressure in order to extract the coffee from hermetically sealed capsules.
It is the perfect partner for people who like espressos or other types of short coffee drinks. They even fit well with those who prefer their shot of morning coffee with a dash of milk. Most of the machines from the original line come with a built-in milk frother. The ones that don’t are offered in a bundle package with the Aeroccino frothing accessory allowing you the option to brew anything from Espressos Macchiatos and Cappuccinos to Flat White and Lattes.
About Nespresso Vertuoline
The United States of America is best known for Hollywood, baseball, and Disney World. When it comes to the food and beverage industry, they are the mascot for excess volume. The people at Nespresso took notice of this and decided to capitalize on the country’s obsession with size. And so in 2014, the VertuoLine was born to cater to the demands of North America, offering up American style large-cup coffee.
The new VertuoLine presents both espresso brewing and regular coffee brewing capabilities. The new line introduced the world to the system of centrifusion; a term created by the people at Nespresso themselves which is exactly the difference between Vertuo vs Original line machines. The system allows the coffee capsule to spin within the machine while the hot water is added to it. The barcode on the capsule is unique to each blend. It allows the machine to draw out the perfect proportion of the elements that go into building your perfect cup of coffee.
Offered up in chrome, black and red the machine combines style with technology to offer up the finest cup of coffee.
5 Reasons Why Original Line is better
Now that we’re all caught up on the what, how, and when. It’s time to get down to business and address possible reasons why you might find the Original Line better than Vertuo.
Price Point
One of the main reasons people opt to bring a coffee machine home is the coins and notes saved on your daily trip to your local café. While none of the machines offered up by Nespresso can be classified as cheap, the Original Line offers a price range that starts at $107and keeps going up. The VertuoLine range on the other hand begins close to $240.
It is not just the machine, the coffee pods fit in the same pattern. Each capsule from the Nespresso Original Line would leave your wallet between $0.70-$0.85 lighter. A single VertuoLine capsule would hit closer to $0.90-$1.25. While that might not feel like much at first, if you’re someone who enjoys between one to four cups of caffeine a day, the number builds up to a formidable amount.
Milk Matters
Coffee preferences can vary from person to person, to the place and even the time of day you’re enjoying your cup. While there are many that opt for a strong black unadulterated cup to shock their systems awake, there are others that prefer their caffeine with a dash or more of milk. If you are someone who finds happiness in the comfort that arrives with a creamy velvet layer of white lying on top of your coffee, you’re going to appreciate the original line. Given that some of the machines come with an attached milk frother and others from the line make it easy to acquire one.
While it is true there are a number of very nice milk frothers sold in the market today that could pair well with a machine from the VertuoLine, it is only an additional cost thrown on top of an already expensive machine.
Third Party Capsules
Any avid coffee drinker will tell you, their is no such thing as too much coffee. Since one pod equals one drink, you might find yourself running out of coffee pods before long.
Restocking isn’t as simple as running down to your local grocery store and picking something up. While the Original Line Nespresso capsules were originally only offered up by Nespresso, that reality has changed. There are now several companies that sell coffee pods that are compatible with Original Line Nespresso coffee machines. This helps offer a wider range of flavors by third-party vendors and also lowers the potential cost per pod.
The Nespresso Vertuo coffee pods on the other hand hold a unique shape and individual barcodes. This means you can only buy them from the official Nespresso site or their boutiques. If the pods you desire aren’t available at any given time in these places, no other creation will work on any of the VertuoLine coffee machines.
The Numbers Game
The sure volume of options available in the Nespresso Original Line far eclipses that of which its successor offers. Starting off with 8 base models, and rounding off with another twelve unique models, the line has an appliance to suit every coffee drinker’s crazy demand.
And it doesn’t ends there, the fact the Original Line machines can be run off with third party capsules has opened the door for a much larger range of flavor profiles. While Nespresso itself offers roughly the same number of flavor options on both lines. Contributions from third parties have given birth to over nine hundred aromatic profiles in the Original Line.
Espresso Experts
No one has, or ever can question the fact that Nespresso offers up some delicious tasting coffee. The Original Line carries the credit for being the brand you turn to for the most authentic espresso taste. Employing up to 19 bars of pressure to pass hot water through the coffee grinds, the machine ensures the oils and other flavoring from the grinds carry into your drink for a strong espresso that hits the right spot. So if an authentic espresso with just the right layer of crema is your morning cup of choice, don’t waste time looking anywhere else.
5 Reasons Why VertuoLine is Better than Original Line
On the other side of the fence, there are a few things that set the Vertuoline apart, and for many people above, its predecessor.
Centrifusion
Time to get geeky with it. The new line employs new science in its aim to better your coffee experience. If you’re confused about the term used, centrifusion is the combination of infusion with centrifugal force. Once inserted into the machine, the Pods spin. Depending on what the beverage requires, it can go as fast as 7,000 revolutions per minute to ensure the hot water reaches and uses all the grounds of the blend.
Customization
While there are a few caffeinated beverages that contain the same ingredients as others, small differences in basic elements make a big difference in the overall taste and enjoyment of the drink. One of the most striking shifts that Nespresso made in their VertuoLine is in the shape and style of their capsules.
Each coffee pod in the new line has a barcode inscribed on it. The unique barcode is read by the VertuoLine machine once inserted in. This allows the machine to learn the length, strength, and type of coffee held within the pod. The machine accordingly decides the volume of water it will pull into the drink, along with the temperature the water will be at. It also alters the capsule spin rate, water flow rate, and the exact amount of time the water is in contact with the coffee grinds to suit each blend. Thus ensuring a customized creation to each variety of the caffeinated beverage every single time resulting in a perfect drink at every go.
Size Matters
One of the key reasons that Nespresso decided to launch a new line, was to capitalize on the obsession America has with the bigger size. If your approach towards your morning cup of coffee leans towards the mind-frame of; the bigger the better. The Vertuoline is perfect for you. It offers up to twenty-three varieties of coffee, not counting their seasonal flavorings.
Unlike its predecessor, the pods are available in five sizes ranging from a short espresso to an extra-large coffee that fills a 230 ml mug.
Chilled Choices
While a steaming cup of coffee is often considered a safety blanket against the cold and rain, caffeine is often the best gift to fight away from a particularly tiresome hot summer day. Blends that boast of fruity flavors in particular taste divine when devoured cold. The fact that the machines in the Nespresso VertuoLine lack a milk frother makes them the perfect partner for caffeinated beverages that include cold milk as one of its ingredients.
Bragging Rights
Everyone likes to show off a little now and again. And if you say you don’t, you’re probably lying. The truth of the matter is that if you have a Nespresso Vertuoline coffee machine calling your house it’s home, you’re considered as a bigwig in the coffee community. You’re going to want to parade it around a little bit. And why not? After all, you have one of the most elite machines on your kitchen counter. To become the social host you were born to be and present your Nespresso Vertuoline coffee to the world.
Key Take-Aways
- Well, Nespresso machines are in general relatively heavy on your wallet, the Original Line does offer a wider price range that begins on the lower side of the price scale.
- While there are fans and fanatics of the taste of the coffee on both sides. the method by which the coffee is extracted into your drink is different. When we compare the brewing mechanism of Original vs Vertuo, the Original Line uses up to 19 bars of water pressure, the VertuoLine opts to use the innovative Centrifusion method.
- Should you choose to include milk as one of the ingredients in your cup of coffee, the VertuoLine is more compatible with beverages that employ cold milk while the Original Line is the better choice for hotter caffeinated preparations.
At the End of the Day
Caffeine trends have come and gone. Yet Nespresso has sat comfortably on its throne ruling over the roost for a long time. A contender for the seat was born of the same family in the face of their VertuoLine. While they’ve been trading blows, with offering attributes the other lacks, they’ve left the coffee community divided. No one still knows who will emerge victoriously.
