Which is right for your daily cup of joe, Nespresso or Keurig? Here are the main differences between Nespresso pods and k cups.
Pod Varieties
Keurig k cups offer more than 400 varieties from different brands. These beverages include coffee, hot chocolate, tea and lemonade.
Keurig machines are also compatible with a reusable k cup filter that allows you to use any ground coffee that you like. But, Keurig can’t do espresso shots.
Nespresso Vertuo pods come in 30 different flavors plus limited editions. But Nespresso Vertuo machines can make both – espresso shots and regular coffee.
The cost
The Keurig K cup pods are less expensive, averaging from $0.35 to $0.60 per serving.
Nespesso Vertuoline capsules cost from $0.98 to $1.40 per capsule depending if it’s espresso or regular coffee.
Recycling
As indicated on the Keurig website, Keurig Green Mountain has been making an effort to produce recyclable coffee pods , and as of late 2020, all k cups pods are now 100 percent recyclable. But not all recycling facilities accept k cup pods.
Nespresso offers it’s own recycling channel and makes recycling easy. The company offers free pod-recycling bags with prepaid UPS shipping labels. Bags can be mailed back to Nespresso. You can also bring used pods to a boutique retailer and the company will do the rest.
Espresso
The main difference between Nespresso pods and k cups is that Nespresso Vertuo can do both – brewed coffee and real espresso shots. Keurig machines only make regular coffee. While there are some models that offer shot option like Keurig K Cafe, it’s still just concentrated brewed coffee, not a real espresso shot.
Nespresso Vertuo machines use pressure to make espresso shots so you get real espresso with crema on top.
Taste
Nespresso wins on flavor. What makes Vertuo machines unique is the Barcode Reading Technology. The machine automatically recognizes the inserted capsule and adjusts the brewing parameters to extract coffee at its best.
Nespresso Vertuo machines simply brew much better coffee than most Keurig machines I’ve tested. So, even though k cups cost less, if you want to enjoy a really good cup of coffee, Nespresso is a much better choice.
Price per pod: Keurig
Pod varieties: Keurig
Espresso: Nespresso, Keurig doesn’t make espresso
Eco-friendly: Nespresso
The taste: Nespresso
