# Least bad nespresso capsules



## LukeT (Aug 6, 2017)

I have a nespresso machine at work. I don't much like the coffee I get out of it but needs must.

It's time to place a new order so I'm going to test whether I can improve things by changing the pods. Does anyone have experience with alternative brands of pod?

It's a basic nespresso machine and I tend to drink a sort of poor man's flat white: 1 or 2 short shots with half a cup of lightly microwaved milk. I also think it can be improved by stopping the shot short. I've used loads of nespresso's own branded pods and not felt much love for any of them, frankly, so I haven't noted down what i liked and disliked. Sorry not to be more specific!

Is there a significant improvement to be had from moving to say Pact's pods? Or is there anyone else I should look at? I'm skeptical since at the and of the day we're talking about pre-ground coffee. However, if there is an improvement in quality to be had then I don't mind an increase in cost.

Edit: I see a couple of other roasters at it too:

https://colonnacoffee.com/collections/capsules

https://departmentofcoffee.com/pods/

I imagine there are more, but given the limitations, is there much of an improvement?


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## adz313 (Apr 13, 2016)

@LukeT

what's your preference with coffee?

I went through some of Colonna's capsules and enjoyed them in comparison to the Nespresso own brand.

Found that their long capsules were more to my taste as closer to filter.

I've actually just had an email from Colonna, saying they've got some new capsules out (including a Geisha)


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## khampal (Feb 6, 2017)

I've had the colonna ones before, they're really good!


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## LukeT (Aug 6, 2017)

I think drunk this way I'd be thinking caramel/chocolate/nutty type flavour notes would be desirable, but anything that works with a bit of milk is good.

I suspect I need to find a quality source before refining the type of flavour though.

What is the real difference between the long and short capsules? Is long ground coarser to extract over longer? Or just more in the pod? I'm very likely always going to drink it short but if the grind is the same on a long capsule I'm not sure I get why you wouldn't push the short button on a long capsule.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Stopping the Nespresso pods short is unlikely to give good results. Volluto, Rosabaya & Bukeela ka Ethiopia are the ones that are most like coffee that I normally drink, all pulled to 45g.

L'Or Splendente is like a fairly traditional espresso flavour-wise, probably works well in milk (don't drink milk so can't say myself).


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

LukeT said:


> I think drunk this way I'd be thinking caramel/chocolate/nutty type flavour notes would be desirable, but anything that works with a bit of milk is good.
> 
> I suspect I need to find a quality source before refining the type of flavour though.
> 
> What is the real difference between the long and short capsules? Is long ground coarser to extract over longer? Or just more in the pod? I'm very likely always going to drink it short but if the grind is the same on a long capsule I'm not sure I get why you wouldn't push the short button on a long capsule.


All the capsules have maybe 6.5g tops in the pod, you're not going to see much more than that. Grind will be the difference. Stopping some long pods short (assuming you mean shorter than 25mL?) will just make them sour.


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## LukeT (Aug 6, 2017)

I reckon my short button is a hell of a lot longer than 25ml. I thought I read 40ml. Maybe I'll measure it. The pour goes pretty pale and thin very early on in the shot and I don't think I'd call what it produces an espresso. It's also possoble my machine isn't much cop - it was about the cheapest available.

Anyway, as a test I've ordered from both Collona and Pact. Will try those and comment!

When I upgrade my Mignon I might replace the office Nespresso with that and aeropress or v60.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

LukeT said:


> I reckon my short button is a hell of a lot longer than 25ml. I thought I read 40ml. Maybe I'll measure it. The pour goes pretty pale and thin very early on in the shot and I don't think I'd call what it produces an espresso. It's also possoble my machine isn't much cop - it was about the cheapest available.
> 
> Anyway, as a test I've ordered from both Collona and Pact. Will try those and comment!
> 
> When I upgrade my Mignon I might replace the office Nespresso with that and aeropress or v60.


Short is 25mL, Espresso is 40mL (I like mine a little bit longer), Colonna long are 65g, Lungo is 110mL (but often over-extracted). Best to set your buttons with scales, I wouldn't rely on the preset from the factory.

Even the cheapest machines (Inissia) work OK.

It's pressure brewed coffee & you kind of know what you are getting into (not ground to order, not gloopy shots), but you can't cheat the laws of the universe, 5-6g of coffee into 25g of beverage is still going to produce a weaker drink than a 1:2 or 1:3 shot from a typical machine & grinder.


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## khampal (Feb 6, 2017)

I think Maxwell Colonna is right to say we shouldn't be considering nespresso to be actual espresso or whatever, but indeed another brewing method


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## Stanic (Dec 12, 2015)




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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Stanic said:


> View attachment 34029


"Real" coffee has waste issues too. If we were so conscious of waste then we'd all drink instant.


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## Stanic (Dec 12, 2015)

yeah lets ignore the waste issue

to the OP - there is an option of getting re-usable pods and grind whatever beans you fancy


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Stanic said:


> yeah lets ignore the waste issue
> 
> to the OP - there is an option of getting re-usable pods and grind whatever beans you fancy


Not a case of ignoring it, if waste is important to you, tell us how you & the roasters you deal with are reducing it rather than posting ill researched voxpops.

Tell us which reusable pods you use, how you grind & fill them, how good the coffee tastes?


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## Stanic (Dec 12, 2015)

I would never touch the single use ones and don't need to use the reusables as I don't have such machine...single non-reusable and hard to recycle packaging of 6-7 grams of coffee for user convenience is a joke IMO

the waste issue won't disappear using straw-man arguments


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## LukeT (Aug 6, 2017)

I didn't realise you could set your buttons! Every day's a school day....

Waste issue accepted (I don't disagree with you Stanic) but it is a different subject. I may lose this machine sometime and I wouldn't have one in my home (for not just the waste reason) but for the time being I'm interested to see whether I can get a half decent coffee out of it at work.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Stanic said:


> I would never touch the single use ones and don't need to use the reusables as I don't have such machine...single non-reusable and hard to recycle packaging of 6-7 grams of coffee for user convenience is a joke IMO
> 
> the waste issue won't disappear using straw-man arguments


There's no straw man argument, I'm suggesting you contribute to the thread, rather than throwing stones (like people in glass houses probably shouldn't do).

We're all guilty of creating waste, whether we do it in the name of quality, or convenience it doesn't make much difference to the planet.


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## Stanic (Dec 12, 2015)

LukeT said:


> I didn't realise you could set your buttons! Every day's a school day....
> 
> Waste issue accepted (I don't disagree with you Stanic) but it is a different subject. I may lose this machine sometime and I wouldn't have one in my home (for not just the waste reason) but for the time being I'm interested to see whether I can get a half decent coffee out of it at work.


grinding fresh into re-usable ones would most likely result in markedly improved cup


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Stanic said:


> grinding fresh into re-usable ones would most likely result in markedly improved cup


Nice theory, so test it out.


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## Stanic (Dec 12, 2015)

MWJB said:


> Nice theory, so test it out.


there are specialists that can give you a hand with your personal issues


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## LukeT (Aug 6, 2017)

> grinding fresh into re-usable ones would most likely result in markedly improved cup


... but would render it no more convenient or cleaner than various other methods, and it seems to me that these are the USPs of Nespresso, rather than quality or the particular type of brew it makes.

If I had one at home I'd maybe try this but at work I'd sooner move to another method and lose the machine.

Its surely true, however, that the, in my view welcome, growing anti feeling towards single use plastics will hit Nespresso more in the near future, as well as hopefully other unnecessary waste, plastic or not.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

Stanic said:


> there are specialists that can give you a hand with your personal issues


That's rather personal, I don't appreciate it. You are making judgemental statements one after the other.

If you're going to give someone practical advice, have an idea how feasible it is before you offer it.


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## khampal (Feb 6, 2017)

The official Nespresso pods aren't plastic, they're aluminium. You can leave them out in a bag for them to recycle when you get your next load of capsules, or hand in your used ones at a nespresso store. As for the colonna ones, they're plastic but they are recyclable.

Not everybody has the skills, the money, the patience or time, or wants to deal with the faff and mess, to make great espresso. For those who don't want coffee as a hobby (like my parents) then I usually recommend them a nespresso machine because fast, mess free and takes no skill whatsoever.

I wonder how much waste is generated by us coffee enthusiasts - from our used bags of coffee, vacuum packing beans for the freezer, not to mention the wasted heat and power of our e61/lever coffee machines - and the materials required to make them.


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## Stanic (Dec 12, 2015)

surely there are some positives, mentioned perhaps unsurprisingly by Nespresso spokesperson in an article here

and yes, there is waste generated by us, but why add more?

I haven't used a typical machine at home for the last year as I've got the Portaspresso but surely I do admit I plan on getting a DB..and I work in a restaurant and I get to see wasting of resources on a scale which is many folds higher than at home..but I don't cover my eyes with ignorance arguing that because every action creates waste, it doesn't matter to the environment


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## Jacko112 (Oct 29, 2015)

@LukeT - have you considered buying Joey's Cafflano?


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## LukeT (Aug 6, 2017)

I hadn't. And I received a lovely tamper handle from Joey today so could've saved £1 in postage! That would be great for taking on holiday but I'm not sure it's my office coffee answer. If I was to move to a basic pour over system there I could soon do it with stuff I already have.

Having said that, I am off on hols soon... Damn this place!


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## Jacko112 (Oct 29, 2015)

I use one at work & for me it's so much easier, and I'm guaranteed a good cup every time. I smile to myself inside when I hear my colleagues moaning about the crap instant!


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## LukeT (Aug 6, 2017)

Damn you @Jacko112 you got me thinking about this and i've ordered an Aergrind. For application yet to be entirely decided...

With my Aeropress or V60 which have been neglected since I got an espresso machine, it should certainly offer a good option for both office and travel. I thought I'd want something capable of grinding finer than the Cafflano though, so I passed up that option.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

For me nespresso is a bit of a "Curates Egg". It's great as a vehicle to introduce people to something other than a spoon and a jar, but the environmental issues, expense and taste, makes me hope it works as a stepping stone to something better.


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## LukeT (Aug 6, 2017)

Well, my Pact pods and Aergrind arrived today. Colonna capsules too but not until I was a bit caffeined out so they'll have to wait. MBK taking lots of time to deliver didn't happen to me.

By way of a wildly unscientific experiment to compare two not very comparable things, I conclude that the Aergrind is really rather lovely, as are the Foundry beans I brought into work with me, and the Pact pods still make pod coffee but a bit nicer than the stuff that comes out of any of the Nespresso ones I've had!

Yet again I'm another one who comes on here asking about one thing then spends a fortune on something completely different....


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## Mrbeanscoffee (Mar 22, 2018)

I had a Nespresso Vertuo machine which I bought for about 200 quid last year worse decision I have made, the coffee was disgusting and can only be used with special pods ( I know I probably should of checked before)

I tried to send it back to Nespresso but they said as I've used it I'm stuck with it basically.

still in the garage collecting dust lol.

Mr B.


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## Jeff_London (May 21, 2020)

Hi everyone 

i am new on here.... i definitely like coffee pods and capsules.

I have a nespresso machine... but dont always drink Nespresso pods...

mostly when it comes to Nespresso my favourite one is probably Genova Livanto.

as for other compatible pods..... I often drink the Lavazza intenso, or the Perugia one by Tramoni

The Lavazza pods I got from Waitrose, and the Tramoni ones I got online on their site ( www.Tramoni.com)

However, my favourite one is still probably the Nespresso 'Genoa Livanto'.

have a great day everyone


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## AndyDClements (Aug 29, 2016)

@Jeff_LondonI've not tried coffee from one of the machines (My Niece has one, but I've not tried it), so cannot say anything about the pods in question, but are you aware that some of the suppliers of beans also supply their coffee in compatible pods?

https://ravecoffee.co.uk/collections/nespresso-compatible-compostable-coffee-pods

The down side would be that if you find you then like one of the pods from such a supplier, you'll start the move from Nespresso machine to small single boiler espresso machine, and on, and.... well there's no limit really.


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## Michael87 (Sep 20, 2019)

As others have said quite a few roasters sell coffee in pod form.

Notes is a good local one for me and they sell biodegradable pods. Definitely worth a try.

https://notescoffee.shop/products/espresso-nespresso®-compatible-capsules


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