The Nespresso experience is now a connected one with the launch of the Prodigio&Milk – the first smart Nespresso coffee machine that lets you control your brew and keep a tally of your pods on your smartphone.
The Prodigio&Milk, manufactured by Breville, has Bluetooth on board so you can pair your iPhone or Android smartphone through the free Nespresso app.
The compact machine has a small footprint so you’ll have no trouble finding space for it in your kitchen.
The water tank and Aeroccino (for the milk) are connected to the machine on a swivel base that allows them to be adjusted to suit your kitchen bench.
The top of the machine has three coffee buttons to select your brew size – Ristretto (25ml), Espresso (40ml) and Lungo (110ml) – and the slider which opens and closes the pod door.
You can control the Prodigio&Milk with or without your smartphone.
But using your smartphone is a lot cooler – and more convenient.
First thing you need to do is pair your smartphone and then name your machine.
When you’ve inserted your Nespresso coffee pod you can then start the brew with the app on your device and choose the size of your coffee.
The Aeroccino to froth and heat up the milk (if you’re having milk with your coffee) has to be controlled manually.
But what’s really cool about the connectivity is being able to schedule your coffee brew.
You need to make sure you’ve put a pod into the machine and then set the time to have your coffee waiting for you when you wake up in the morning or when you get home.
But it doesn’t stop there.
The real strength of the Prodigio&Milk is being able to monitor your pod supply and receive notifications when the machine needs maintenance or descaling.
When you pair your machine for the first time you’re asked to add the number of pods you have in your supply.
Then whenever you use your smartphone to trigger the brew it reduces that count by one each time so you can always know how many you have left.
When the supply is getting low you’ll receive a notification and be directed to the Nespresso store through the app so you can order more.
The app, because it knows how many coffees the machine has made, can also tell you the appropriate time to descale the machine as well.
With a regular machine you need to keep track of this yourself by estimating how many months it’s been since the last descale.
The reason users need to descale their machine is to remove calcium and lime deposits from the water to make sure your coffee always tastes right.
The machine itself produces amazing coffee with a great crema every time. And, if you like milk with that, the Aeroccino can provide hot and frothy milk in a couple of minutes.
The coffee is also produced at the right temperature – we like our coffee a little on the hotter side and the Prodigio&Milk nails it.
And when your coffee is made, the machine automatically drops the used pod into the container.
The Nespresso Prodigio&Milk delivers great coffee along with the convenience of connectivity and control.
It is priced at $399 and available now from Nespresso boutiques and major appliance retailers.
