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The cup that starts the day
Black coffee. Dark roast. Nespresso. I brew it while I’m stretching and drink it with my notebook, 20 minutes, no phone, no screen. The smell while I stretch is the signal: the day is mine.
I tried a lot of ways to make coffee before I landed here. An automatic grinder and drip brewer. A Keurig. A French press. Pour-over. Nespresso won on the combination of great taste and simplicity. At about a dollar a pod, it’s still cheaper than a drip coffee at Starbucks.
Pod #1: Intenso
This is my default. Dark, strong, a full mug. It’s the one I take out on the patio in North Myrtle Beach, or the back deck in PA in the summer, with a Tabak Especial Toro Dulce.
Get Nespresso Vertuo Intenso (30 pods) on Amazon (Paid Link)
Pod #2: Double Espresso Scuro
My other dark roast. When I want it a little bolder, this is the pod. It’s also what I sometimes drink in the afternoon for a little break and reset.
Get Nespresso Vertuo Double Espresso Scuro (30 pods) on Amazon (Paid Link)
Before you buy: these are Vertuo pods
Nespresso makes two pod systems, Vertuo and Original, and the pods don’t cross over. Both of these are Vertuo pods. They only work in a Vertuo machine.
My machine: a Nespresso Vertuo Next. I bought it years ago directly from Nespresso, when they first came out with the pour-over feature, and it’s the one in my condo in North Myrtle Beach. In PA I have an older Nespresso I bought over 10 years ago that still works (no pour-over), but I don’t know the exact model and I don’t think they sell it anymore.
Get the Nespresso Vertuo Next on Amazon (Paid Link)
The cup: Yeti Rambler Lowball and 20 oz Rambler
I have the Yeti Rambler Lowball and the 20 oz Yeti Rambler. I love them because they keep my coffee hot for hours, so I can take my time and fully enjoy it as earned leisure.
Get the Yeti Rambler 10 oz Lowball on Amazon (Paid Link)
The 20 oz Yeti Rambler
Get the Yeti Rambler 20 oz Tumbler on Amazon (Paid Link)
Who this is for
You want a great cup at home in under a minute, without grinding, measuring, or cleaning a French press at 3 AM. You’d rather spend the morning stretching and thinking than fiddling with coffee gear.
Make it part of a ritual, not a habit
The coffee is Step 3 of my morning. The full sequence, from waking without the phone to the 20-minute notebook, is System #1 in The Saturday Morning Blueprint. It’s free.
Get the Saturday Morning Blueprint (free)
Disclosures
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon links are marked (Paid Link).
Cigar content is for adults 21 and older.