Are all the Nespresso machines the same?

Perhaps the most common question when thinking about what machine to buy is if there’s any difference in quality of the coffee among the various Nespresso machines.

Simply put, no, there’s none. If you were worried of buying a machine that produced “bad coffee” rest assured you can’t. Let’s see why.

The underneath brewing system of both the Original and Vertuo lines is patented by Nespresso and is identical to every machine of the same line (the Original’s patent expired though). The very idea that gave birth to Nespresso is to be able to brew the same exact cup of coffee each time, no matter the machine you use, so it should not be surprising that the machines are all equally capable of making the same quality coffee. All the Nespresso machines, independently from the actual manufacturer, share the same brewing system and therefore produce absolutely identical coffee. The pods are obviously the same across all machines, Original or Vertuo. No matter how much you spend on your machine, the coffee will be the same.

Nespresso machines aren’t like espresso or drip ones

This is wholly different from espresso or drip coffee machines. Unlike Nespresso’s, those machines differ in some details or completely, even within the offering of the same manufacturer. One can produce excellent coffee while another, same brand, not so, even using the same coffee grounds. It is a world that is quite unlike Nespresso’s, with its advantages and disadvantages. Most of the confusion about the Nespresso machine’s output quality stems from an automatic comparison with these other brewing systems.

The main differences between the Nespresso machines are in the speed they can brew, capacity of the water/milk tanks, preset recipes, connectivity, size, shape and colors and other smaller features that are present to make brewing coffee easier. But that’s about it. It is not about “good vs bad” coffee. Coffee stays the same.

It is easier to choose a Nespresso machine

This equality in output is comforting, as you can choose across all the spectrum of Nespresso machines without worrying that going too cheap will give you bad coffee. If you are not interested in the added features and just want a simple machine that makes good coffee, reliably, you can go with the cheapest Nespresso machine on the market without any fears. The increased price of some machines is only worth spending if you need more features, better support or just fancy one machine over another more.

We do suggest that you choose a Nespresso machine according to the features, price and availability. Don’t worry about one making better coffee than another.

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