Nectar Premier Mattress Review 2023: Tested And Reviewed By An Industry Pro
Our Nectar Premier Mattress review is going to try to distill down the reasons why this is arguably the most popular memory foam mattress sold on the web.
At just $1099 in queen, and loaded up with complimentary gifts like pillows, sheets, and mattress protectors, it competes against vast numbers of competitors, garnishes top reviews, and is a favorite on other review sites.
Being a mattress manufacturer myself for 25 years, I like to scrape off the mystique of a mattress I’m reviewing and dig inside what it’s made of, where it’s made, and what you can expect on the back end.
The Nectar Premier Mattress is actually just one of Nectar’s three models, though you can also opt for the Nectar Premier Hybrid Mattress, which is different from the Premier only in the fact that it has an added pocketed coil layer for more support. This upgrade runs $200 more, but we’ll get into that option farther down.
I Like The Simple, Failproof Design Of This Web Favorite
One of the reasons why memory foam mattresses typically begin to show dips and impressions around year 3-4 of ownership has to do with improper sequencing of various foam layers from the top down.
Being a 13″ tall mattress and having a simplistic design of 3 individual layers, The Nectar Premier Mattress follows a kind of old school, reliable cake layer recipe used in the first years of memory foam mattress build-outs and designs.
That’s a real asset in my book, rather than straying down the path of adding 4-6 layers of “mystery foam” that collectively mash down pretty damn fast.
Outfitted on the outside with a unique cooling fabric that is woven with polyethylene fibers, which happens to be a food grade material that is not only inert, but is also antimicrobial.
In my Nectar Premier Mattress review, it should be noted that The Nectar Mattress Company, which builds three mattress models, puts serious emphasis on cooling, and uses a slightly quilted covering for a body contact surface to allow breathability rather than a poofy pillow top that can trap heat.
So, there are really two different kinds of material design for the top of a mattress. On less expensive bed in a box options, often found on mattresses costing less than $800 or so, a “smoothtop” cover is typically used. This involves a material that is not quilted, so it is very thin, and puts you in direct contact with what’s right underneath it.
Many people who bought the first memory foam type mattresses back in the 90’s had this kind of mattress, which could often be too hard, extremely hot, and wasn’t very good at distributing weight or offering an inviting, sumptuous feel.
At the other extreme was what is called a “box top pillow top”, typically a really thick, heavily quilted separate piece that was plopped on top of the underlying coils or foam layers. Many people found theae overstuffed tops too soft, and complained that you couldn’t really tell what was underneath.
These days, most companies are offering a kind of hybrid version of the two, and Nectar uses a slightly more streamlined version of a quilted top that adds some nice elements to the top, initial feel, with taking away the carefully orchestrated benefits of the comfort layers beneath.
The Nectar Premier Mattress incorporates cooling technology, but also targets pain and pressure relief as well. Why all the emphasis on cooling mattresses these days?
The reason for this could be that memory foam in general, often has somewhat of a bad reputation created by owners early on in the 90’s when the concept was just becoming popular.
Also, recent research suggests that not only should you sleep in a room where the thermostat is set to 66-68F, but the ability to fall asleep and experience REM sleep requires that your body temperature is slightly lowered.
In one article that NIH featured from The Journal Of Anthropology, research indicates that our thermal environment plays a big part of the quality of sleep we experience, and hot sleepers may experience interrupted sleep.
The original “memory foam” was far more dense, had no practical way to ventilate on its own, so the trend these days by manufacturers seems to be to add gimmicks and gadgets to their product to defeat the bad reputation.
Actually, memory foam these days, including the memory foam recipes that include beaded gel foam, and shaping the layers to allow for active ventilation, doesn’t really pose a heat trapping problem as much.
The Nectar Premier Mattress is designed with a 3″ thick layer of a convoluted gel/memory foam blend using a proprietary technology that is pretty productive at cooling.
What Is Phase Change Technology And Why Is It So…”Cool”?
The Nectar Premier Mattress has five components as part of its architecture, including a 3″ section of sculpted phase change material loaded (PCM) memory foam which reduces heat by converting body warmth to cooler temperatures by storing and releasing the heat.
When I decided to write my Nectar Premier Mattress review, I was eager to test a memory foam mattress that really dove into this tech, but it is a process and element of mattress making that’s been around for years in institutional and medical bedding.
Typically, the heat is stored within the PCM, which needs to be thicker (like the 3″ piece used in the Nectar Premier) and it can expel the heat later through the sides and bottom of the mattress. Oddly, it really works, and the first time I experienced it years ago, it was pretty strange.
Also note that you can find plenty of memory foam mattresses in the 10″ tall category which include a thinner and insufficient 2″ layer of memory foam near the top, which is usually stacked right on top of a pretty hard layer of high density foam acting as the bottom, support layer.
If you are over 150 lbs. or so, it’s pretty typical to bottom into this harder layer right out of the gate. The other feature the 13″ tall Nectar Premier Mattress offers is that despite its medium level of firmness, you can easily lay on your side and feel no pressure underneath.
Couples and people weighing over 200 lbs will do well with this mattress because of the attention paid in design to the foundation layer and the extra thickness of the memory foam and responsive foam layer.
Even after a solid hour of catnapping on my back and side of my test model, I never really developed a hot sensation underneath, despite the subtle and gentle amount of immersive nestling the mattress delivers. A lot of it, though, has to do with the fabric covering as well. Slightly quilted, not overstuffed.
Below the cooling memory foam layer I found a second layer of what is often referred to as a “support layer”, described by Nectar as “responsive foam” designed to provide a little resilience and a moderate amount of bounce. As I got into my Nectar Premier Mattress review, I was eager to see how much bounce was found in the mattress.
Many shoppers factor in intimacy as a key bullet point, and the fact is, the more jiggle and responsiveness the better, according to comments I’ve heard for 25 years in the mattress building game, is a sought after feature they like.
A bouncier mattress is one quality almost all natural latex rubber mattress owners rave about. Though they are very springy and highly elastic, latex mattresses often deliver the body conforming and hugged sensation that memory foam mattresses deliver.
Including an extra thick 3″ layer of this resilient and bouncier “dynamic response” material adds just the right amount of bounciness to the mattress, which actually makes it easier to change position, too, by pushing back and lifting, rather than making it feel like you have to dig your way out.
I recommend the Nectar Premier Mattress for a variety of needs, including a strong option for couples, heavier folks, back and belly sleepers, and anyone who has difficulty moving or transferring in and out of bed.
The primary reason for this is the underlying bottom layer, or the “foundation layer” as it is often called in typical “bed in a box” mattress type mattress. The Nectar Premier Mattress incorporates a thicker 7″ layer of high density foam which prevents sinking, and if a better material is used, contributes to a much longer lifespan for the owner.
Because Nectar uses CertiPUR-US® foam for this supportive base, the mattress will perform better, and is safer due it’s elimination of compounds like VOC’s, formaldehyde, PBDE’s, and heavy metals.
Ok, So The Components Are Top Notch.. What About Support And Comfort?
I found the Nectar Premier Mattress to have a medium feel, maybe a bit softer than average. It has a bit more a nestled in feel, so if you prefer a plusher feel, it’s perfect.
Those looking for a firmer, more resilient surface might want to look elsewhere, but I’m drawn to softer mattresses to begin with- so long as I don’t bottom into it and my spine stays aligned when on my side and back.
Bullet Points And Takeaways
For overall support, The Nectar Premier Mattress offers pretty good motion dampening qualities, excellent pressure relief, and good fill-in at lumbar areas between shoulder blades, as well. The mattress is clearly a bit more plush than the typical memory foam mattress, and because it has thicker supportive layers, even bigger folks should experience pressure and pain relief at hips and shoulders when on your side.
For back sleepers, I found that The Nectar Premier Mattress also relieves pressure pretty effectively at the shoulders, since it fills in the space between your shoulder blades, and in the lumbar region right above your hips. This helps to equalize your weight and give you a bit more float factor, too, which I really liked.
Here are my bullet points I like the most that I discovered during my extensive Nectar Premier Mattress review, along with detailed features and benefits that I observed:
- Medium level of support with a pillowtop feel, though more subtle, no digging your way out
- Very good edge support, ease of changing position, and transfer in and out of mattress
- Excellent cooling qualities using phase change technology, but not icy cold to the touch
- Washable and removable cover with zipper
- Very good for pain and pressure relief for solo sleepers and couples
- Opt for hybrid version with pocket coils instead of HD foam base for firmer support
- 365 day trial period, lifetime warranty, notable customer support on the back end
- 13″ height, with thicker layers that competitors for better support, priced at $1099 in queen