Vertuo Plus

Nespresso

Nespresso's larger-format pod system with centrifugal extraction.

Nespresso Vertuo Plus

Centrifugal extraction: the capsule spins at high speed while water passes through, and a barcode on the rim tells the machine the volume, speed and temperature to use. A closed system by design.

Roast	Grind	Coffee	Water	Time
light	fixed (sealed capsule)	8 g	150 ml	45 sec
medium	fixed (sealed capsule)	8 g	150 ml	42 sec
dark	fixed (sealed capsule)	8 g	150 ml	40 sec

Makes one 150 ml cup. The figures above are the whole recipe.

What goes wrong

Expecting pressure-brewed espresso from a centrifugal system (the crema is different by design), pouring a 230ml Mug capsule into an espresso cup, skipping the capsule-holder clean (stale grounds behind every cup), unreliable third-party capsules with mismatched barcodes (wrong volume and temperature)

Care schedule

1 task for this machine.

Descale the machine

Every 6 months

Pod machines have a small thermoblock and a narrow water path, so scale shows up as a weak, slow, spluttering extraction long before anything actually breaks.

What you need

The maker's descaling kit, or citric acid at about 10g per litre if the manual allows it. A container for the output.

What goes wrong

Descaling with a capsule loaded. Using undiluted vinegar, which perishes the small internal seals these machines use. Rinsing with one tank instead of two. Treating a blocked pod-piercing needle as scale when it is dried coffee - that needs a paperclip, not descaler.

The procedure

Eject any capsule and empty the drip tray and capsule bin.

4 more steps

The full procedure is in the app, along with a reminder when this is next due. Add the Vertuo Plus to your shelf and it keeps track.

Get the app