First Look: Nespresso's Prodigio is a connected coffee lover's dream device

By Sonya Davidson

It was during our travels in Europe that we had first discovered Nespresso. We had tried the various flavours (aka Grand Crus) then and knew that it was something that we would be willing to invest in. We have always enjoyed espresso drinks but finding an at-home machine that didn't take up much space wasn't easy at that time. When we returned home we did our research and decided that Nespresso was for us. It not only offered convenience but it also offered high quality roasts and flavours that suited our tastes. We've had our machine for probably 8 years now and it's still going strong. 

Today, Nespresso offers several types of machines as well as flavourful roasts. We had a chance to check out the latest machine, Prodigio, that launches this month. This particular machine is the first Nespresso that offers the option of being connected to your smartphone. Yes, now you can program your machine to warm up and have your hot beverage waiting for you at your convenience. 

Paired with Nespresso's app via Bluetooth, The new Prodigio can brew any of the current 23 "Grand Crus" capsules remotely at any given time. It can also be programmed to turn off. In addition, the app offers alerts including, when the water tank is empty, when it's time for de-scaling and will keep track of capsules telling you how many you have left and reminding you that it maybe time to re-order. Which you can also do. 

I can see this being handy for those who are pretty scheduled and have a routine morning (like my husband). He likes the machine warmed up for a few minutes before. I like the idea of notification settings, particularly the water levels as I often get to the machine last. The challenge here would be to remember to pop in a pod for the next person before use. While for one person it would be just including that in your daily routine but for two or more? I wonder if we could get into that kind of routine. Hubby is more diligent, he would be fine..but me? Another story. That said, this machine does offer the convenience of programming your brew ahead of time...or not. You can still access it as usual. 

The Nespresso Prodigio comes in two models -- one offers an integrated milk frother. The design is slim and tall ideal if you don't have a lot of counter space. Available starting in March 2016 in North America.