Best Nespresso Capsules and Pods
The Nespresso is an amazing coffee maker that takes away all the trouble of grinding and mixing your own coffee blend before brewing thanks to its pod or capsule approach. The coffee machine uses pre-assembled pods to make coffee.
All you need is to know the best pods for different occasions and stock your kitchen appropriately.
The pods span the entire coffee classification chart you would find on any traditional coffee and even have additional flavors mixed straight into the capsule.
Before digging deep into the Nespresso coffee pods world, here are the basic bylines you need to keep in mind:
- OriginalLine Nespresso coffee makers can only make Espressos.
- Go for the VertuoLine if you want to make Espressos and Coffee
- VertuoLine espresso pods are more expensive. If you love espressos, you might find the OriginalLine a better model for your brewing escapades
Types of Nespresso Capsules
Nespresso currently has over 16 types of capsules on the market. These vary depending on flavor, intensity, origin, and caffeine content. This forms the basis that you should use when choosing the perfect pod for your collection.
Nespresso Pod Flavors
Flavoring is all about the additional ingredients the folks over at Nespresso add to their coffee blend to make it more interesting. While this might rob your coffee of its pure aroma and test, it is a good move if you are looking for extra flavoring that adds character to the coffee. Some of the most popular flavors on the market include:
- Vanilla
- Sweet Porridge
- Light Roast
- Intense Roast
- Chocolate
- Wood
Nespresso Pod Intensity
Another crucial characteristic of Nespresso coffee is intensity. While regular brewers vary the intensity by altering the ration of water to grounds, Nespresso lets you choose how intense you want your coffee to be by buying the right pod.
The intensity is ranked on a scale of 1-13 with 1 being the softest and 13 the most intense
Coffee Origin and Type
Nespresso uses this classification to describe where the coffee beans were harvesting and what type they are. In this section, expect things like:
- Arabica coffee
- Robusta coffee
- Brazilian coffee
- Ethiopian coffee
Best Nespresso Capsules and Pods
Here is a roundup of our favorite pods so far. There is no harm in trying out as many of them as possible in search of your favorite (and perhaps least favorite) flavor.
Palermo Capsules
Flavor: Palermo has an overpowering bitterness with notes of pepper balanced with a dense and creamy texture and an intensity level of 12.
Coffee Type: high Robusta and washed Arabica
Coffee Origin: Brazil and Guatemala Robusta and South American Arabica
Roasting Type: medium roasted ground
Review Score: 4.8 out of 5
Palermo is an intense spicy espresso.
Dharkan Capsules
Flavor: intense roasted notes together with hints of bitter cocoa that gives a velvety texture and has an intensity level of 11.
Coffee Type: blend of washed Arabica.
Coffee Origin: Latin America and Asia
Roast Type: split roasted beans
Review Score: 4.6 out of 5
Dharkan has a pleasant bitterness that lingers in your mouth.
Ristretto Capsules
Flavor: offers an intense coffee blend with notes of acidic and fruity taste and has an intensity of 10.
Coffee Type: Arabica with a little amount of Robusta.
Coffee Origin: South American and East African
Roast Type: lightly roasted
Review Score: 4.7 out of 5
Finely ground beans used that results in an Italian-style drink.
Roma Capsules
Flavor: Roma gives a pleasant viscous taste, containing woody notes with an intensity level of 8.
Coffee Type: Arabica and Robusta
Coffee Origin: Central America and Brazil
Roast Type: lightly roasted
Review Score: 4.7 out of 5
Roma has a delicious aroma and a characteristic of smokiness that you can associate with a darker roast.
Arpeggio Capsules
Flavor: offers grilled cocoa notes and woody hints with an intensity level of 8.
Coffee Type: Arabica
Coffee Origin: Central and South America
Roast Type: intensely roasted where the full body develops from the fine grinding of beans.
Review Score: 4.7 out of 5
Arpeggio gives a malt, fruity flavor that is typical of Costa Rica beans.
Capriccio Capsules
Flavor: The blend offers a rich aroma and a strong typical cereal note with an intensity of 5.
Coffee Type: the perfect amount of Arabica with a touch of Robusta.
Coffee Origin: South America and Brazil
Roast Type: light roasting creating a rich character, and preserve a slight acidity.
Review Score: 4.7 out of 5
Capriccio is slightly acidic and highly rich in aroma.
Volluto Capsules
Flavor: Volluto reveals sweet and biscuit flavors with slight acidity and fruity note and has an intensity level of 4.
Coffee Type: Arabica
Coffee Origin: Brazil and Columbia
Roast Type: a light roasting which preserves the cereal and fruity note.
Review Score: 4.6 out of 5
The beans are grown in small plantations in an organic model of farming.
Livanto capsules
Flavor: Livanto has a complex and caramel bouquet of taste with hints of cereal and an intensity level of 6.
Coffee Type: A pure Arabica
Coffee Origin: South America in Costa Rica and Columbia
Roast Type: a medium roasting
Review Score: 4.7 out of 5
The blend is a full-bodied medium-density roast that can cause headaches when you drink more than one.
Cosi Capsules
Flavor: the blend has a characteristic of fragile citrus note and lightly toasted cereal with an intensity level of 4.
Coffee Type: Arabica
Coffee Origin: East Africa and South America
Roast Type: a light roasting
Review Score: 4.8 out of 5
It’s a pure blend that gives a refreshing character.
India Capsule
Flavor: it’s a blend with an intense, woody, and spicy aromatic with an intensity of 11.
Coffee Type: Arabica and Robusta
Coffee Origin: Southern India and grows in the shade of high plantations.
Roast Type: lightly roasted to preserve its aroma
Review Score: 4.3 out of 5
The blend contains full-bodied espresso with notes of spices like cloves, pepper, and nutmeg.
Envivo Lungo Nespresso Capsules OriginalLine
This is a blend of green coffees from Mexico and India. The result is a beautiful Arabica and Robusta coffee blend whose high intensity of 9 is not only dark but also has one of the most refined tastes. The coffees are roasted differently to achieve high intensity. It is not surprising that it has a 4.5 star rating on Amazon after 219 ratings.
Fortissio Lungo
The excellent fortissimo lungo Nespresso has a pleasantly bitter taste brought about by the flecked sweet cereal and malty toasted notes. This gives it an exquisite fullness and smooth texture. With high intensity of 8, the blend has the Monsooned Malabar Arabica from India, as well as Latin American coffees. The beans are split roasted to generate the dark roasted coffee that is rich in smell and texture. It has a 4.5 star rating from 359 ratings done on Amazon.
Vivalto Lungo
This coffee blend is a perfected blend of several origin coffees that result into a rich flavor. The coffee has an intensity rating of 4 resulting from the separate roasting of the coffee beans. The blended mix results in a light coffee blend. It has a 4.5 star rating from total of 263 ratings on Amazon.
Linizio Lungo
If you love a malty flavor then this roasted coffee blend is for you. You get a round and smooth feel well the rounded Brazilian and Colombian coffee mix blended with pure South American Arabica coffee. Its intensity of 4 is achieved after split roasting the coffee, giving it an excellent cereal-malty taste. It has a 4.5 star rating out of the 183 ratings on Amazon.
Ispirazione Firenze Arpeggio Decaffeinato
This is an excellent coffee blend from some of the perfect Arabica coffees from South and Central Americas. This gives an intense but great taste. It has an intensity of 9, and a 4.5 star rating out of the 261 ratings on Amazon. It is inspired by the lifestyle in Florence.
Decaffeinated Capsules Variety
This excellent blend has an intensity of 7. It also has a 4 start rating after 20 customer ratings on Amazon. It is a mixture of several Colombian and South American Arabica beans blended with a small amount of Robusta. It goes through a short, light roast that accentuates the fresh, and fruity taste of the coffee.
Vivalto Lungo Decaffeinato
This coffee is complex and well balanced. With an intensity of 4, it is created from a blend of Ethiopian beans which is then combined with the fruity Colombian beans that are darker. The long roast results in a reinforced bitter taste. It has a 4.5 star rating after 238 ratings on Amazon.
Volluto Decaffeinato Mild Roast Coffee
This is a sweet and light coffee blend with an intensity of 4. Its rich flavors are as a result of blending decaffeinated Colombian and Brazilian Arabicas. It is lightly roasted hence it cereal flavor. It has a 4.5 star rating out of 210 ratings.
Vanilio, Medium Roast Coffee
The coffee comes with an intensity of 6, and is made from a blend of Central and South American Arabica coffee beans with vanilla. This gives it a general velvety and sweet flavor that is contributed by the medium roast. The overall smooth coffee has a 3.5 star rating out of 3137 ratings on Amazon.
Caramelito, Medium Roast Coffee
This excellent coffee is a blend of Arabica coffee beans originating from Central and South America resulting into a malted and caramelized coffee that is fruity. It has an intensity of 6 resulting from the medium roasting procedure. It has a fruity malted, and slightly caramelized taste. It has a 4.5 star rating out of the 3137 ratings on Amazon.
Caramelito, Medium Roast Coffee
The chocolate flavored coffee is a blend of Arabica coffee beans from Central and South America. It is bitter in taste with an intensity of 6 that has been accentuated by the medium roasting and the inclusion of square dark chocolate. It has a 4.5 star rating out of 3137 ratings on Amazon.