Description
The Nespresso VertuoPlus, distributed by Breville under model number BNV420BLK1BUC1, is the motorized version of the Vertuo capsule machine. The listing records a black color, dimensions of 6 inches deep by 17 wide by 13 tall, programmable operation, fully automatic operation, button controls, 110 volts, capsules as the coffee input type, Breville as manufacturer, a listed weight of 10.14 pounds, a China country of origin and first availability in January 2017. The description adds one touch operation for coffee and espresso, a movable water tank, a motorized brew head and barcode reading technology.
The published dimensions do not describe this machine. A VertuoPlus is a narrow vertical appliance, and 17 inches of width with 6 inches of depth is the wrong shape entirely, which points to transposed figures or a carton. The filter type field also reads Reusable, which is meaningless on a sealed capsule machine that uses no filter, and the specific uses field lists only Espresso despite the Vertuo system’s defining feature being that it also brews full mugs.
What it is and where it fits in a home
Like the Nespresso Vertuo, this is a closed system machine that takes Nespresso Vertuo capsules and nothing else. That is the central commitment and it should be understood before anything else: the machine is tied to one supplier’s capsules for its working life, and it cannot take the K-Cup pods used by machines such as the Keurig K155 Office Pro.
Where the VertuoPlus differs from the plain Vertuo is the movable water tank. The tank can be repositioned to the side or the rear of the machine, which sounds trivial and is not: it is what lets the machine fit into an awkward corner, under a low cabinet, or against a wall where a fixed rear tank would be unreachable. In a small kitchen, that flexibility often decides whether a machine fits at all.
Living with it day to day
The motorized brew head is the daily difference. On the plain Vertuo the head is opened and closed by a lever. Here a button does it. That matters most for anyone with limited hand strength or a wrist problem, for whom operating a lever mechanism every morning is a real barrier rather than a minor inconvenience. It is a genuine accessibility feature sold as a convenience one.
It is also a motor, and a motor is a moving assembly that a lever is not. That is the durability tradeoff, and it is the same pattern as the drawer mechanism on a microwave drawer or the dispenser on a bread machine: the mechanism that removes effort is also the mechanism that can fail.
Barcode reading works the same way as on the plain Vertuo. The capsule carries the recipe, the machine reads it, and one button press delivers the drink. There is nothing to select and nothing to adjust, which is either the appeal or the frustration depending on the drinker.
The specific uses field listing only espresso understates what the machine does. The Vertuo system’s whole point is that it brews mug sized coffee as well as espresso, which is what distinguishes it from the original Nespresso line, and a listing that records espresso alone is describing the machine incompletely.
No decibel figure is published. Capsule machines are loud for the fifteen to twenty seconds they run, and a motorized head adds a short mechanical noise at each end of the cycle.
Controls and what works without an app
There is nothing connected. No Wi-Fi, no app, no account. Buttons are the interface and the barcode reader is the intelligence, and both live entirely in the machine.
That is the right architecture and worth stating plainly. The reader in the brew head talks to a printed code on the capsule rim, with no network, no server and no phone anywhere in the chain. A machine from 2017 reads capsules produced today, which is not something that could be said if the recipes had been delivered over the internet.
The motorized head is likewise a local mechanism driven by a button rather than a connected feature. Nothing on this machine can be withdrawn by a software decision, which on a coffee machine used every morning is more valuable than any smart feature would be.
Running cost and upkeep
Capsules are the dominant running cost, as with any closed system, and the Vertuo format has no reusable capsule option comparable to the refillable pods available for other systems. That is the honest ongoing commitment of buying one.
Descaling is the maintenance that decides how long the machine lasts. Water heated in a small internal circuit will scale, and in a hard water area a machine that is not descaled will slow, then under fill cups, then stop. No descaling interval is published on this listing, so the machine’s own indicator is the prompt.
The used capsule container and the drip tray need emptying, and capsules left in a warm container develop a smell within a couple of days. The motorized head is the additional maintenance point compared with a lever machine: coffee residue around a moving mechanism is more consequential than around a fixed one, and it needs wiping rather than ignoring.
Electrically, the listing records 110 volts. That is a slightly unusual way to express the North American supply, which is normally given as 120 volts, and it is a looser designation rather than a contradiction of the kind seen elsewhere in this catalog. No wattage and no amperage are published. A capsule machine draws hard while heating, in a short burst rather than sustained, and the rating plate is the source before deciding what shares the outlet.
Highlights
- A motorized brew head, which is a real accessibility feature for weaker hands.
- A movable water tank that repositions to fit an awkward corner.
- Barcode reading operating entirely between machine and capsule with no network.
- One touch operation for both coffee and espresso sized drinks.
- A black finish, which shows fingerprints far less than a chrome one.
Things To Consider
- The published dimensions do not describe the machine and look transposed.
- The filter type reads Reusable, which is meaningless on a sealed capsule machine.
- The specific uses field lists espresso only, which understates what it brews.
- The motorized head is a moving assembly that a lever machine does not have.
- No wattage or amperage is published, and the voltage is given as 110 rather than 120.
Who it is not for
Anyone who wants to grind and dose their own coffee should be looking at the wider coffee machine category rather than a capsule machine. Anyone who wants to vary strength or volume from the same capsule will find the barcode system restrictive. Households already committed to K-Cup pods cannot share capsules across the two systems, so the the single serve brewer category and this machine are alternatives rather than companions. And anyone who values mechanical simplicity should note that the lever operated Keurig K-Elite does the same brewing with one fewer motor in it.
