Hello!
We all have busy mornings, so for many, breakfast is the most skipped meal of the day. But it is also the most important meal, and my productivity tends to decrease whenever I skip it. So I try to get up a few minutes early and make myself breakfast.
My usual mornings consist of a breakfast bagel with eggs & cheese and a cup of coffee. So two major appliances I use daily are a toaster and a coffee machine. I’ve gone through a number of toasters and coffee machines to find the perfect duo – Smeg 2 Slice Toaster and Nespresso VertuoPlus.
First, the toaster.
I love the retro look of Smeg appliances. Honestly, for $150, I could’ve gotten a bigger and better toaster from other brands, but I specifically wanted this one. First of all, the cream color is absolutely gorgeous in person. There are many toasters in stainless steel finish, but I wasn’t able to find other cream-colored toasters. It’s a perfect match for my ivory kitchen. I didn’t want to go with a 4-slice toaster because I wanted to minimize the counter space as much as possible. I like to keep my kitchen clutter-free except for the daily essentials. A toaster and coffee machine are the two appliances I reach for every single day, and the 4-slice toaster was taking up too much space. Besides, I’m the main user of the toaster, so I didn’t need the benefit of toasting multiple slices at once.
It toasts slices evenly without burning them. It comes with multiple heat settings, but I rarely have to use higher heat settings. I normally set the toaster at 2-2.5, and I get the perfect golden brown toast.
It also features defrost and bagel settings, and they have been performing to my expectations. As a huge bagel lover, I particularly enjoy the bagel setting that toasts only one side.
I love Nespresso machines because it makes consistent espressos, fast. The automatic brewing system at a touch of a button is probably the biggest selling point of the machines.
There are 2 main types of Nespresso machines – the Original and Vertuo. The Original machines use the smaller coffee capsules that Nespresso’s known for. The latest addition, the Vertuo machines use the “Centrifusion” technology for perfect brewing. Each capsule has a specific barcode that contains information like the exact water amount, extraction length, and volume to ensure you get the perfect coffee experience. Because of the unique barcodes, there is only 1 button. So simple. It is pretty cool, and every time I get a generous amount of crema.
The VertuoPlus has a much larger water reservoir, and I can easily shift it around for easy refill. It shifts left and right smoothly. And I can push and place the reservoir behind the machine to minimize the space it takes.
The VertuoPlus comes in many colors - silver is the most popular because it goes well with most other stainless steel appliances. For my kitchen, since the toaster and coffee machine were going to sit next to each other, I went with the white. They look so minimalistic and clean together that I look forward to my morning routine just so I can use them.
The added shot options and larger volume come handy if you’re using multiple original Nespresso capsules to get your caffeine boost. Although individual capsules are more expensive than the original capsules, the price difference is minimal because they are larger and contain more caffeine. Instead of using 3-4 capsules, I only use a Grand Lungo (5 oz) or an Alto capsule (14 oz) from the Vertuo line.
Hello!
We all have busy mornings, so for many, breakfast is the most skipped meal of the day. But it is also the most important meal, and my productivity tends to decrease whenever I skip it. So I try to get up a few minutes early and make myself breakfast.
My usual mornings consist of a breakfast bagel with eggs & cheese and a cup of coffee. So two major appliances I use daily are a toaster and a coffee machine. I’ve gone through a number of toasters and coffee machines to find the perfect duo – Smeg 2 Slice Toaster and Nespresso VertuoPlus.
First, the toaster.
I love the retro look of Smeg appliances. Honestly, for $150, I could’ve gotten a bigger and better toaster from other brands, but I specifically wanted this one. First of all, the cream color is absolutely gorgeous in person. There are many toasters in stainless steel finish, but I wasn’t able to find other cream-colored toasters. It’s a perfect match for my ivory kitchen. I didn’t want to go with a 4-slice toaster because I wanted to minimize the counter space as much as possible. I like to keep my kitchen clutter-free except for the daily essentials. A toaster and coffee machine are the two appliances I reach for every single day, and the 4-slice toaster was taking up too much space. Besides, I’m the main user of the toaster, so I didn’t need the benefit of toasting multiple slices at once.
It toasts slices evenly without burning them. It comes with multiple heat settings, but I rarely have to use higher heat settings. I normally set the toaster at 2-2.5, and I get the perfect golden brown toast.
It also features defrost and bagel settings, and they have been performing to my expectations. As a huge bagel lover, I particularly enjoy the bagel setting that toasts only one side.
I love Nespresso machines because it makes consistent espressos, fast. The automatic brewing system at a touch of a button is probably the biggest selling point of the machines.
There are 2 main types of Nespresso machines – the Original and Vertuo. The Original machines use the smaller coffee capsules that Nespresso’s known for. The latest addition, the Vertuo machines use the “Centrifusion” technology for perfect brewing. Each capsule has a specific barcode that contains information like the exact water amount, extraction length, and volume to ensure you get the perfect coffee experience. Because of the unique barcodes, there is only 1 button. So simple. It is pretty cool, and every time I get a generous amount of crema.
The VertuoPlus has a much larger water reservoir, and I can easily shift it around for easy refill. It shifts left and right smoothly. And I can push and place the reservoir behind the machine to minimize the space it takes.
The VertuoPlus comes in many colors - silver is the most popular because it goes well with most other stainless steel appliances. For my kitchen, since the toaster and coffee machine were going to sit next to each other, I went with the white. They look so minimalistic and clean together that I look forward to my morning routine just so I can use them.
The added shot options and larger volume come handy if you’re using multiple original Nespresso capsules to get your caffeine boost. Although individual capsules are more expensive than the original capsules, the price difference is minimal because they are larger and contain more caffeine. Instead of using 3-4 capsules, I only use a Grand Lungo (5 oz) or an Alto capsule (14 oz) from the Vertuo line.