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"Is this a good coffee maker?" Well, that's going to depend upon your expectations in coffee.If you're looking for a "pod coffee maker" that makes normal drip coffee (think Keurig) then Nespresso is somewhat different, and may or may not meet your expectations.I also have a Keurig. It's just fine for brewing basic, cheap coffee (or more expensive if you buy major-brand-name capsules). I like my Keurig--we've had it for over 5 years, and it works great. But, those who are environmentally conscious will soon realize that Keurig is not recyclable at all, and countless billions of pods a year are making their way into landfills.Nespresso's pods are made of 100% recycled/recyclable aluminum. Nespresso is VERY focused on a goal of 100% recycle-ability, and provides recycling bags with fully pre-paid shipping. Fill the bag (holds about 75-100 capsules), seal it, and drop it off at your nearest UPS store (or Nespresso store/kiosk if you happen to have one in a mall nearby). Nespresso will dismantle the pods, collect all the used grounds and process it into compost for landscaping use, and then melt down the pods and recycle them. 100% recycled!All those recycling costs are already built in to the pod cost, so while these pods are more expensive than Keurig, there is ZERO waste as long as the consumer does their job.The best way I can describe Nespresso is it's a totally new coffee "experience." Espresso or "foo foo coffee" lovers will likely be very pleased with this machine line. Folks who aren't impressed with anything beyond a drip cup may find Nespresso a little "snooty" for them.Nespresso's Vertuo product produces coffee that is much more similar to a cup of espresso. The pods are spun at variable RPM's (typically 3000 - 7000RPM) and use "centrifusion" - a made up word intended to commingle "centrifugal force" and "infusion". Basically, they spin the pod, a pump squirts in water, and the spinning forces produce the coffee which is extracted and drips into the cup. It's not particularly noisy for a kitchen appliance, but you can definitely hear the spinning. Regardless of pod, they all come out with a layer of crema (coffee foam). There are (at the moment) five "sizes" of pods, which produce 1.5oz (espresso) up through 14 oz ("Alto XL").As with any product line, there are pros and cons. There are some fantastic things about Vertuo and a few limitations.Pros: Absolutely fantastic coffee. All cups have a crema layer on them, and there are a relatively plentiful number of flavors and intensities available, ranging from lighter and fruitier/acidic flavors all the way up to very dark bold and smoky options. There are seasonal special pods as well, such as holiday blends or single-origin "master" type coffees. Pods and contents are 100% recyclable. Easy to use out of the box--there's ONE button. You press it. It works. Milk frother (optional add-on, included in our purchase) is FANTASTIC. I thought it was going to be a gimmick, but I use it with every cup! It's easy to use, and creates that "latte experience"--it makes better lattes' than a certain really large chain whose name ends with "bucks"--yeah, you'll spend 'em there. Pod cost, compared to an espresso shop brewing an equivalent latte for you, is cheap. VERY tightly-integrated recycling: drop pods in bag. Bag full? Seal it and drop it off at your UPS store. Pre-paid return shipping means zero-extra cost. Done. Milk frother is VERY easy to clean--takes about 15 seconds, if that. I've only owned the machine for a month, but the build and overall experience lends itself to belief this is a very high-quality unit. Excellent app (iOS/Android)---you can view/order/manage pods, accessories, maintenance/cleaning products and subscriptions right from your phone/tablet. Love a particular flavor? Just add it to your cart. It even supports automatic/routine replenishment if you want that. Seasonal and other specials show up in the app when available, making the app a one-stop-shop. Company is VERY plugged in environmentally and has created a coffee experience that doesn't fill a landfill. If you actually play the game the way Nespresso intends, it's a holistic coffee experience and a great one at that.Cons: No third-party pods, and pods are relatively expensive when compared to other "pod" brewing standards. You want this machine? You'll be buying Nespresso-branded pods from Nespresso, or authorized resellers, and at full-tilt retail which typically runs about $0.90 for an Espresso pod and up to $1.20 for their normal coffees (some origins are as high as $2.00 a pod). So each cup is roughly double the cost of a Keurig brew. There are about 20 different pod flavors and five sizes available, so most people will find SOMETHING they like, but if you don't love one of the 20, you're out of luck as there are no 3rd-party options without "hacking together" a used pod, some self-ground coffee, and some foil cap stickers you found on the Internet.Overall, this is an EXCELLENT machine for those who want more than a pod of coffee. I've owned it for a month and I'm 100% hooked.

The media could not be loaded.  Expensive pods, sometimes takes a minute to recognize a pod but tastes great. I dislike that it takes awhile to recognize an official pod from Nespresso but that said, the taste of the coffee is far superior to the taste of k cups. I have a few recipes I use to make different drinks with this as well.A full 7.77 oz mixed with a little sugar and ice , blended in a smoothie blender makes a wonderful easy to go iced drink. Add some frothed or unfrothed coffee mate vanilla instead of sugar for an iced drink you won’t soon forget. I have flavors that you can buy that are meant for making flavored jellos - on amazon it’s a pack of maybe 36 flavors or something, all different extracts. Tiny bottles. Add a drop or two to any of these coffees iced or blended w ice for a blueberry or any other fruit flavored iced coffee at home made prices. Maybe a little expensive.Also be careful because nespresso sends you a welcome kit if you purchase $100 or ten sleeves from them. Original line doesn’t work in these only Vertuo line. Make sure your welcome kit is also Vertuo or you will get pods that don’t work with that kit. However if you call and are polite but firm they will send you the other welcome kit. It’s a little frustrating bc they inundate you with several coupon codes but only allow one to be used so it’s the kit or other things like $$ off your order or maybe another type of free item. And nothing gets auto added even if it looks like it. Nespresso promised a travelMug w every order over $100 but it was my first order so I used the code for welcome kit (and may have lost use of my first orderCode that came in the box). I called and asked but they did not honor it however did send the other welcomeKit and didn’t want me to send the other back. One is glass espresso cups w saucers and the other is glassCoffee mugs so stuff I don’t need but nice quality and worth getting bc they look good.Lastly, you can’t buy aftermarket pods bc these pods have a bar code underneath them, however there are methods in which one can empty and refill the pods. Grasseed sells a set up with a littleSilicone stand that I will review. It becomes a chore however to remove the foil tops, empty out pods, clean and dry them, refill them and properly place tops on them. But doing so saves significantly over buying fromNespresso or buying Nespresso pods on amazon. For sometimes as low As $15 one can get a large bag of Starbucks coffee and grind it at home in small batches to refill pods. I recommend that if you do this, you do it in batches, trading off a little time for a bunch of pods to be ready for the following week or two. It gets old doing this and many of us usually wind up wanting to just find sales and discount codes for Nespresso online where they often have a deal on something or other to keep you up to your neck in pods.Quality is as good as my old espresso machine that. Made wonderful espresso. And the ease of use makes it easier and faster than making a traditional espresso. Choices of single or double espresso or the 7.77oz full sized coffee that is just a tad bit weaker than espresso but has the same consistency and crema on top. My only complaint is that it is not immediately discernible when purchasing that the machine only accepts Nespresso Vertuo pods and not the original line. An adapter would be great!

Before purchasing, I scoured the reviews for any tips that might help with longevity. I feel I've gotten good mileage out of this product and here is what I've done: I've only used filtered water from my Brita and this may gross some people out but I never clean the machine. Meaning, I never remove the canister from the mechanism on the bottom. I've de-scaled it one time in two years. It's been a good product.For the coffee itself, Individuals who like plain black coffee often don't like nespresso, it's quite bitter. But for those that like cream and sugar, the combo of bitter and sweet is sublime. I'm very happy with this purchase.

Everyone that has this loves it so I was anxious to try it out. My machine didn’t function properly. I was granted a return but became very sick. It is all packed in the box. May I still return?