If you cannot function in the morning before having a cup of coffee, you’re likely aware of the wildly popular Nespresso machines. In recent years, the company has designed proprietary technology for its highly vaunted pods, with the latest offerings being its Vertuo machines.

The new lineup of Vertuo machines are now available in South Africa, with Nespresso selling them it their dedicated experience stores across the country and selected retailers.

Among the new Vertuo range and three different models, with the key difference between them being the finish.

The range starts with the Vertuo Next at R3 499, then the Vertuo Next Premium at R3 999 and Vertuo Delxue at R4 499. There are also bundled options with Nespresso’s Aerochino milk frother.

Along with the specially designed capsules made only for these machines, Nespresso explains the other key element of these devices are the fact that they can serve five cup sizes.

These include Carafe Pour-Over Style (535ml), Signature Coffee Mug (230ml), Gran Lungo (150ml), Double Espresso (80ml) and Espresso (40ml).

Shifting back to the new Vertuo capsules, there is some interesting technological elements at work here, with the first being the change of shape to a dome that houses the ground coffee.

Instead of using pressure to extrude coffee, these systems use a technology that Nespresso terms “Centrifusion”.

This system spins the capsule inside the machine of up to 4 000RPM as water is injected into the capsule and “infused” with the ground coffee inside it, according to the company.

Added to this is a barcode-style pattern around the sides of the capsule which are initially read by the machine in order to determine what serving size it is and complete the order. This has been a particular sticking point for Nespresso, as third parties were allowed to create their own versions of the older format capsules.

This new design means that only Nespresso Vertuo capsules will work with these machines.

A final aspect that Nespresso has highlighted with this local launch is sustainability, with these machines manufactured from 50 percent recycled plastic and packaging being made from 99.5 percent recycled material.