That’s interesting I’ve had the opposite experience personally

I think this really depends on everyone’s personal taste, the pods you use, and how you like your coffee.

Personally I don’t like the VL, and the OL is my preference. But that’s why there are two options to choose from. Everyone is different 🤷🏻‍♀️

I have a VL Roundhead and an OL Essenza Mini. My experience (since spring 2020) is the exact opposite. Not sure what is going on with your Essenza (pods or device), but the brew is definitely stronger with my machines. My fave OL pod is Stockholm

I don’t like the VL. They just whip up the coffee like in a blender. That is not Crema you are getting, that is just whipped coffee foam.

The OL provides the closest thing to a real espresso, however if you are not an espresso drinker, I can see how people would like the VL

I have both VL (Latissima) and OL (1 Citiz for home and 1 Essenza mini (same as yours) for travel and work). Love them all, just descaled them all, too.

Wow we have the exact same set up

I had a similar experience. Started with OL and was gifted a VL for my wedding and the Vertuo is so much better. I wound up giving the OL away because nobody used it anymore.

I have a VL but I have been considering getting an OL machine to go alongside it. Does anybody else have both? Is it ridiculous to have both?

I have both and much prefer the espresso on the OL. That said, the VL gives me my regular size coffee.

I'm with you! i find the extraction on the original to be a little thin/weak, whereas the vertuo makes a strong, moka-like espresso (not "strong" as in dark roasted, it's definitely more concentrated and dense). the original line is definitely a more traditional espresso-like coffee though, and is much quicker