The Finest Nespresso Pods of 2024, Examined & Reviewed

Espresso and wine are sometimes fancifully described. For espresso, frequent tasting notes embrace chocolate, caramel, fruit, and baking spice. These descriptors are supposed to be expressive and attractive—studying them ought to make you wish to take a sip. 

Sadly, they typically appear to scare folks a bit. As a licensed sommelier, I’ve seen this occur numerous instances. It makes me unhappy once I hear somebody shrug off a tasting observe by claiming “I can’t style the distinction anyway.” You possibly can style it—I consider in you! The key is that variations are far more obvious while you pattern a number of varieties aspect by aspect. This can be a massive a part of skilled coaching, however it’s not the way in which most of us drink our morning espresso (or night wine). 

Tasting plenty of espresso is one of the simplest ways to find what you want. To assist get you began, I brewed 14 Nespresso pods for his or her Authentic and Vertuo machines (utilizing our favourite fashions of every).  

The Winners, at a Look

The Nespresso Scuro is balanced and flavorful. Darkish roast espresso can lean slightly one-note—all you style is the bitter roast. This model retains wealthy particular person notes of fruit and chocolate. It makes a tasty espresso or espresso and it’s flavorful sufficient to yield a beautiful iced espresso or latte. It’s accessible for each the Vertuo and Authentic Nespresso machines.

The Nespresso Colombia is comprised of 100% Colombian Arabica espresso beans. This can be a mild roast brew with gentle bitterness and sharp acidity. Nespresso recommends serving the Colombia as a espresso or espresso to understand its crimson fruit bouquet and wine-like complexity.

The Nespresso Vaniglia was by far the perfect of the flavored pods. It’s surprisingly refined—the espresso doesn’t style synthetic or overly candy. It blends effectively with milk for a latte or cappuccino.

That is my choose for many who keep away from caffeine. It had caramel notes and stood up effectively to a splash of milk.

The Assessments

• Plain Brew Check: I brewed a plain espresso or espresso with every pod to guage its scent and style. I took notes on the aroma, taste, and texture to assist me examine cups. 
• Specialty Drink Check: I examined Nespresso’s beneficial brewing model (latte, iced, espresso) for every of the top-performing pods, utilizing entire milk the place relevant. I took notes on the aroma, taste, and texture.

What We Realized

Go Daring for Lattes and Iced Drinks 

When pairing wine with meals, sommeliers goal to match depth. For instance, if you happen to drink a fragile Chablis alongside spicy barbecued ribs, the meals will overpower the style of the wine. I discovered {that a} related precept utilized to creating Nespresso’s espresso-like drinks. Medium roast brews are beautiful on their very own, however the taste of a daring darkish roast blends effectively with milk.   

When you begin your morning with a latte or iced espresso, go for a darker choice. Roasting brings out espresso’s daring, smoky, and nutty flavors. These notes can stand as much as milk or ice with out being muted. Creamy milk additionally helps steadiness out the bitterness in bolder coffees. Nespresso recommends pods just like the Nocciola and Freddo Intenso for lattes. It additionally provides Vertuo pods just like the Forte and Leggero particularly designed for iced espresso. 

Use Nespresso’s Information 

Every pod has its personal profile web page on Nespresso’s web site. Nespresso offers tasting notes, brewing suggestions, and particular person scales for physique, bitterness, roast, and acidity. I didn’t all the time choose up on the precise tasting notes talked about by the corporate, however I did discover that I agreed with the general depth rating for every pod. As soon as you discover a number of pods that you just like, attempt utilizing Nespresso’s web site to seek out related brews. 

Know Your Machine: Vertuo vs. Authentic

Nespresso makes two kinds of machines: the Authentic and Vertuo. The Authentic makes use of a high-pressure pump to drive heated water via the espresso pods and make espresso and employs the identical water temperature and quantity of stress for every pod. These machines deal with espresso or lungo espressos. A number of main espresso producers, together with Peet’s and Starbucks, make suitable espresso pods. 

Vertuo machines are slightly extra high-tech. Every Vertuo pod features a barcode. The machine scans this code and adjusts the brewing course of to enhance the espresso. Quite than merely permitting water to drip via the grounds, the machine injects a small quantity of water into every pod and spins it whereas the espresso infuses. Vertuo machines could make espresso or espresso and the pods are proprietary.  

The Standards: What to Search for in a Nespresso Pod

The very best Nespresso coffees are clean and balanced with only a contact of bitterness. Search for a pod model that may work along with your favourite drink—bolder choices are higher fitted to creamy and iced drinks. If you wish to attempt a brand new espresso model, peruse the Nespresso web site’s tasting notes to seek out pods with the same depth. 

Our Favourite Nespresso Pods

What we favored: The Scuro is a well-balanced espresso. Nespresso charges Scuro pods three out of give on the roastiness scale. I discovered that the medium-dark roast added pleasing richness and toastiness with out overpowering the espresso’s extra refined flavors. The mid-level depth makes this brew versatile—Nespresso recommends having fun with it as an espresso or iced espresso. Even chilled, loads of daring flavors come via. 

What we didn’t like: The Scuro is a mix of Robusta and Arabica espresso from Central America. There’s nothing unsuitable with blended espresso, however it may be more durable for producers to make sure constant taste in each batch they make. Some tasters discovered the Scuro too toasty. 

Key Specs

• Tasting notes: Cacao, vanilla, chocolate
• Really helpful brew model: Espresso, double espresso, iced 

What we favored: Colombia espresso pods are a part of Nespresso’s Grasp Crafted Single Origins line of 100% Arabica espresso beans sourced from Colombia. For my part, consuming single-origin espresso is pleasing even and not using a ton of background information—it’s a simple solution to admire the complexity and be taught a bit about totally different espresso areas. Nespresso charges the Colombia pods a one out of 5 on the roastiness scale. The sunshine roast preserves loads of the beans’ distinctive traits. When brewed, it has notes of crimson berries and a wine-like complexity. 

What we didn’t like: Nespresso’s Colombia pods may not be the only option for morning latte drinkers, as this delicate, fragrant espresso will be overpowered by milk. Mild roast coffees have extra caffeine than their darker counterparts—I’ll allow you to resolve if that’s a crimson flag or an added perk.  

Key Specs

• Tasting notes: Candied apple, crimson berry, wine
• Really helpful brew model: Espresso, lungo, espresso 

What we favored: This vanilla-flavored espresso is surprisingly refined. The Nespresso web site lists “pure vanilla aroma” and “different pure aromas” as flavoring brokers. When brewed, Vaniglia lacks the cloying sweetness and harsh synthetic edge present in some flavored coffees. Nespresso suggests consuming Vaniglia espresso as a lungo or cappuccino, latte, or macchiato. Throughout testing, I discovered that this espresso paired properly with milk. Vaniglia lattes have been delicate, creamy, and flippantly candy. 

What we didn’t like: Vaniglia pods are solely accessible in espresso format—they aren’t suitable with the Vertuo machine. 

Key Specs

• Tasting notes: Vanilla, candy biscuit, cereal
• Really helpful brew model: Espresso, lungo, latte

What we favored: The Nespresso Fortado mix is a strong choice for the caffeine-averse. This can be a darkish roast with medium-high depth. It yields a satisfyingly sturdy cup of espresso with toasty caramel notes. Nespresso recommends serving the Fortado as a Gran Lungo, however I discovered that the flavour stood up effectively to a splash of milk.

What we didn’t like: Fortado Decaffeinato pods are solely accessible in Vertuo format—they aren’t suitable with the unique Nespresso machine. When you’re in search of a decaf espresso after dinner, this gained’t do the trick. 

Key Specs

• Tasting notes: Cacao, oak, caramel 
• Really helpful brew model: Gran Lungo  

The Competitors

• Nespresso Ristretto: This darkish roast was overly bitter—it had a burnt end and a skinny mouthfeel. 
• Nespresso Ice Forte: The Ice Forte had a nice fruit and pepper aroma and lingering bitter almond on the palate—a strong alternative for ice espresso devotees 
• Nespresso Ice Leggero: This mix was pleasantly toasty and fruity however as soon as it was mixed with milk and ice it produced an especially gentle drink. 
• Nespresso Napoli: This was an intense darkish roast—creamier and extra balanced than the Ristretto however nonetheless slightly too bitter for my style. 
• Nespresso Candy Vanilla: This flavored pod was overly candy and tasted synthetic. 
• Nespresso Intenso: This was a strong and daring darkish espresso that labored effectively with milk however it was barely too bitter by itself. 
• Nespresso Roasted Hazelnut: This pod yielded a cloyingly candy and artificial-tasting drink.  
• Starbucks by Nespresso Blonde Roast: This woody blonde roast lacked complexity. 
• Peet’s Espresso Crema Scura: Sadly, this was an intense darkish espresso with a powerful bitter end and minimal depth. 

FAQs

How do you recycle Nespresso pods? 

Nespresso pods are comprised of recyclable aluminum. You possibly can’t throw them into your private home recycling bin, however the firm provides a number of methods to return used pods. Capsules will be dropped off at a Nespresso retailer or shipped to a waste middle with a supplied recycling bag. Nespresso has additionally created a community of assortment factors for in-person returns—use its web site to seek out one close to you. 

How a lot caffeine is in a Nespresso pod?

Caffeine content material varies relying on the kind of bean, diploma of roast, and pod dimension. Nespresso espresso pods usually include between 70 to 150 mg of caffeine. Vertuo pods are barely bigger and vary from 170 to 200 mg.

Can you utilize Nespresso pods twice?

No—Nespresso pods are single-use. Brewing an espresso or cup of espresso extracts many of the taste from the grounds. Reusing a pod would end in a weak, flavorless cup. 

Why We’re the Consultants

• Madeline Muzzi is an everyday Critical Eats contributor, reviewing kitchen objects like flatware and toaster ovens. 
• As a licensed sommelier, Madeline is formally educated in deductive tasting. 
• Madeline tasted 14 totally different Nespresso coffees a number of instances to conduct this assessment. 
• We’ve additionally reviewed Nespresso espresso makers.