Capsules
Cheap capsules forever, or the best long black coffee a capsule can make?
This is not really a comparison of two machines. It is a choice between two supply arrangements that will govern what you spend on coffee for the next decade.
| Compared on | CitiZ | Vertuo Pop+ by Breville |
|---|---|---|
| Capsule suppliers | Dozens — patents expired | Effectively Nespresso only |
| Cost per capsule | From about a third of Nespresso price | Nespresso price, permanently |
| Espresso quality | Good — 19 bar, proper shot | Adequate — spun, not pressed |
| Long black coffee | Thin and over-extracted | Excellent, real crema at 230 ml (8 oz) |
| Ease of use | Choose your volume | Barcode sets everything |
| Capsule waste volume | Small capsules | Large capsules, bin fills fast |
| Listed on amazon.com | Yes | Yes |
A tick marks the better answer on that line only. Counting ticks does not decide the page — the two verdicts below do, because these machines answer different questions.
Buy an Original machine if you drink espresso, lungo or milk drinks built on a shot. The compatible-capsule market pays back the difference within months and keeps paying for the life of the machine.
Buy Vertuo if what you actually drink is a big mug of black coffee. Centrifusion does that better than any pressure-based capsule system, and you are accepting a single supplier in exchange.
The good ones are close, and capsules from a small independent roaster are often fresher than Nespresso own-brand because they are filled to order rather than to a distribution schedule. Cheap supermarket own-brands are noticeably thinner.
At three cups a day, within about two months for either system. That is the whole reason to choose on capsules rather than on the machine.
19 bar · Original system · 1 L tank
The Original system, where the patents expired and everyone makes capsules. The machine is unremarkable; the point is that you can buy pods from a supermarket at a third of Nespresso's price.
Best for: Espresso and lungo drinkers who want capsule convenience without capsule prices.
Vertuo, 6 cup sizes 5–18 oz, 37 oz side tank, 30-second heat-up, automatic ejection
Six Vertuo cup sizes from five to eighteen ounces, a 37-ounce removable side tank and a thirty-second heat-up.
Best for: A Vertuo buyer who wants the sizes and the range and will not notice half a minute
≈ $109
