Dear Diary, I bought a Nespresso

Grande Java-chip Frappuccino. Large Hot Mocha with whole milk and an extra shot. Large cappuccino with whole milk and two sweet n lows. Large Latte, whole milk, no sweetener. Instant Nescafe with whole milk and jaggery. Instant Nescafe with 2% milk and jaggery. Instant Nescafe with 2% milk and no sweetener. Instant Nescafe with 2% lactose free milk. Grande blonde sugar-free vanilla latte, 2% milk, extra hot. 

No, this is not the menu of my coffee shop bookstore. This is how my taste in coffee has progressed over the last 3 years. Prior to that, I pledged my allegiance to chai and made a disgusting face at the mention of coffee. But moving to New York changed me. I succumbed to the culture of walking super fast with a coffee in hand, and never looked back. And then, I moved to Seattle. It’s the birthplace of Starbucks, it only made sense to become the annoying person who makes “liking coffee” a huge part of their personality. 

The next logical step in any coffee enthusiast’s life is to add to their vision board, a picture of a coffee machine sitting cozily in a mini in-house coffee station. Who am I to not follow the rules, right? So, you now know ONE of the 100 things I added to my 2026 vision board. And how lucky am I, to have a roommate who was equally excited by the prospect of having “cafe tasking” espresso drinks, from the comfort of our home. Q2 2026: Coffee Machine. 

But wait, which one do we get? 

Trust me when I say that, Gemini is a life saver for guided research before making big purchases. I have worked with it (it’s an it, yepp) for over a month, to learn about the different kinds of coffee machines, the brands, the price ranges, the lines within brands, which ones the members of the coffee community on Reddit swear by, whichs one do they despise, and twenty other things. I am so well versed, I can give a thirty minute talk on this topic. You can ask my team mates, and my room mate. They’ve heard the trimmed down version already. But, just to save everyone some time, here are a few things I learnt:

• Drip coffee and espresso are two different ways of brewing coffee at home. Apparently, there are patents on the pods  made and sold with coffee machines, and you can only buy them via licensed sellers. 

• The most popular drip coffee machine is sold by Keurig. Keurig works with k-cups, sold by almost every grocery store brand - Walmart, Target, Dunkin, Starbucks of course, Peets, etc. 

• The most popular home-espresso machine is sold by Nespresso. Nespresso has two lines of machines, the original and the newer Vertuo line. Within each, we have sub categories - pop, pop plus, smart, Lattisma, etc etc. The “pods” for the original one are sold by almost every coffee brand, but the ones for the Vertuo are sold just by Nespresso and Starbucks. 

Too many options are not good for an indecisive person. But, we finally narrowed it down to one, and bought a coffee machine. The Nespresso Vertuo Latissma with a built in milk steamer. One-press lattes, espressos, iced coffees. The dream. And of course, I haven’t been normal about it. Most of my daily snaps are of my coffee machine. Most of the reels on my for you page are different coffee recipes. Every morning since June 28, when my parents ask me “how are you today?” on our daily video call as I walk to my office, I reply with “I’m doing good, and my coffee machine is doing very well too.” And they’ve joined in on the joke because now my father, very seriously asks, “are you sure she’s not been overworking?” (it’s a she, yepp) and I politely reassure, “no, she just has to brew twice a day at max.”

I moved my coffee time from the AM to the PM so that I can comfortably have it in my room instead of at my desk. I leave work early for this now. I’m back by 4:30 even if that means I have to work a little more from home. At least I get to do that with an iced latte in my hand while my kitchen smells like a café.

If you really think about it, a coffee machine is helping me slow down a little. It's giving me a reason to step away from work, cherish the quiet moments, and build a small ritual around something I genuinely enjoy. I think I'm slowly growing into the kind of adult who finds joy in little things tucked between the tired mess that the rest of the day often is. [this is just me trying to justify “a want not a need” purchase]

All that is left for me is to now get up to speed with all the different notes and intensities and flavors of pods that can be used with this machine. Eventually, get some syrups and learn a few recipes, maybe espresso martinis, or affogatos - ahhh there’s so much to explore. 

Of course, the end goal is to have a game night with a self service coffee station which has something for everyone, with a side of some home made appetizers (those are being experimented and finalized on the side as we speak as well!) and just have the best time. Until then, or should I say in preparation, you’ll find me making my own $8 lattes in $2, in-house using a $350 machine! 

Life is good.