# Compatible Nespresso Coffee Capsules, what's your opinion?



## benjaminjamesmason (Jun 24, 2014)

Hello,

I know some people will read this and will look at me and think of me in disgust I do apologise. At a starting point I much prefer my coffee pods and machines rather than grinding my own beans. For now anyway.

I love my Nespresso and Milk Citiz Machine. I also love the price of the coffee pods. Much more affordable than say Tassimo. Usually between £2.90 / £3.50 per 10 capules depending on variety.

I have now however noticed a lot of cheaper "compatible" versions. The newest ones I have come across is some in Lidl only £1.79 for 10 an absolute bargain for a drink!







Whilst they may not be able to provide the best taste or in some cases a better one, What's everyone's opinion using compatible capsules. Is this a good thing? Will it damage or break my machine. The one I had today seemed to work perfectly fine. But I just wanted to make sure this is okay, before I bulk up more on the bargains. Your opinions and advice would be greatly appreciated!









Thanks Benjamin


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## Neill (Jun 26, 2013)

There are very few capsule users on this forum if any.


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

The capsules are really simple, I wouldn't hesitate to buy the cheaper ones if I owned a capsule machine.

Much like buying cheap printer ink, they may not be quite as good as the name brand, but at a fraction of the price they are the best choice.


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## DavidBondy (Aug 17, 2010)

I have also heard of people buying empty capsules (I think Amazon sell them) and filling them themselves with acceptable (as good as can be!) results.

As a matter of interest a friend of mine in the US (and he is one of the judges on the SCAA South West Barista competition) has a pod machine by Keurig (who seem to have the US market sewn up but do not (AFAIK) sell in Europe). He fills his own pods with coffee from Intelligentsia and I have been quite pleasantly surprised by the results!


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

mmmmm printer ink


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## m4lcs67 (Mar 16, 2014)

Not wishing in to be harsh but the people on here don't do pods. We like our coffee as it was intended. Ground with fresh beans. Have you considered an espresso machine and grinder? You will then be able to take your coffee experience into the stratosphere and consign the pods to the bin.


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## claybourne (Jul 11, 2016)

There is nothing wrong with using Nespresso coffee pods or should I say Nespresso compatible pods. I have been using them for quite a long time and they are working just fine. I love that they are cheaper and has a wide range of flavours I can choose from.


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## h1udd (Sep 1, 2015)

I have tried at least a billion compatable pods, yet none of them taste anywhere near as good as the nespresso ones in my opinion.

oh ... Possibly Collona pods ... But I only had 3 of them and didn't use them wisely .... As soon as I discover he is selling thdm online, I'll revisit that one


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## R6GYY (Nov 22, 2015)

benjaminjamesmason said:


> I also love the price of the coffee pods. Much more affordable than say Tassimo. Usually between £2.90 / £3.50 per 10 capules depending on variety.


I'm interested in how you come to that conclusion. We have a Tassimo machine in work (although I use an Aeropress myself), and pods for this machine are £3.99 for 16 (25p each). Somehow you think that £2.90 for 10 (29p each), or £3.50 for 10 (35p each) is more affordable?

I think your calculations are flawed somewhere.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

benjaminjamesmason said:


> Hello,
> 
> I know some people will read this and will look at me and think of me in disgust I do apologise. At a starting point I much prefer my coffee pods and machines rather than grinding my own beans. For now anyway.
> 
> ...


It's hard to know whether you're taking the piss or not. I mean, considering Lidl pods/capsules at 1.79 an absolute bargain for a drink, be sure you try Asda and Poundland. If you want a drink that's an absolute bargain, fill the kettle with water boil it and tip said water into a cup...or simply drink it raw.

Now more kindly, assuming your serious...it's akin to coming on to a Hi Fi forum and stating that you borrowed a £5 speaker plugged into your mobile phone, it's what you like *and you're looking for the forums advice on getting a cheaper one that are going to be just as good (or slightly worse) as the one you borrowed*...If you could find said bargain, you might even "bulk up" on the purchase to get 2 speakers to have stereo. Now of course you are fully entitled to your opinion, but you can't expect any real advice...can you?

Remember, on here you're not asking should I be looking to improve my experience and how...your asking "can I save money on pods, even if they provide a worst taste than my current ones". In this quest of yours, all we can do is pat you on the back and advise you to try all the Pods you can at the target price point you are aiming for and when you find something YOU like, stick to it. Sure, post back on here and tell us what you eventually decided upon....perhaps it will help someone in the same situation as you


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## adz313 (Apr 13, 2016)

@*DavecUK*

not wishing to overstep boundries, respecting your elders etc., but:

on the basis the OP posted 2 years ago, and this post has been dragged up from the depths, i think you may never get your feedback!


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## R6GYY (Nov 22, 2015)

Oh! Didn't notice


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

adz313 said:


> @*DavecUK*
> 
> not wishing to overstep boundries, respecting your elders etc., but:
> 
> on the basis the OP posted 2 years ago, and this post has been dragged up from the depths, i think you may never get your feedback!


I hate you just a little bit now........


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## Joff81 (Jul 13, 2016)

I've got a latissma plus and have used compatible pods I'm my machine. The ones from lidl are good, sure nowhere near as good as nespresso genuine pods but they are on par with most other compatible pods out there.

There is a few better quality compatible pods out there here are a few

https://www.crukafe.com

https://finecoffeeclub.co.uk

http://www.cafepod.com

They all do decent coffee pods but none taste as good as nespresso genuine pods. One thing they all seem to lack is a mouth feel and thickness of body so they seem a little thin but for making a milk based drink they do just fine.

as for damaging your machine they all should be fine there is no proof at all that compatible pods will damage your machine more than genuine nespresso pods and nespresso are no longer allowed to refuse service of your nespresso machine due to using compatible pods (court case was held and concluded last year).

Saying all this nespresso have changed the design of the pod piercing needles and continue to do so to try and keep ahead of the compatible pod support (new and revised models), so always try to find the compatibility lists on pod producers websites to see if your machine is compatible.

My 2015 lattissima plus now has an issue where it despences a small amount of clean water (a few mls) just before the coffee starts to dispense. The machine is 16 month old but has had lots of use with all different types of pods. This issue seems to be wear and tear but as I have no genuine pods as I'm waiting for them to be delivered and am currently using compatibles I can't say for sure what the issue is. It could be just the compatible pods I have (from a company I won't name) may be not 100% compatible due to inconsistencies in pod manufacture.

my lattissima plus has a 2 year warranty i should get a free service if the issue continues.

Joff


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## Beanedict (Aug 14, 2017)

benjaminjamesmason said:


> Hello,
> 
> I know some people will read this and will look at me and think of me in disgust I do apologise. ...


You disgust me, sir!!!

















I seem to like old threads but this one was revived by someone else, a newbie like me, @Kristine, so not my fault









I just wanted to say that I have a Nespresso machine among other things, due to no fault of mine (birthday present) and in my own rookie experience (I ain't no special connoisseur) the taste does not live up to mid range espresso machine and most filter coffees that I clumsily make. Sometimes, it tastes bit better than filer coffee I make from older beans, but it ma be very subjective since Nespresso can create a lovely crema that implies that it was produced by real espresso machine.

I think the problem is in freshness. Most pods, have old coffee, just like some coffee bags in the shops. I tried compatibles, I tried reusable self filled compatibles, and single use self filled compatibles. Very few of compatibles work properly with Nespresso machine. I think producers of the machine protected their brand well, the shapes of capsules are ever so different, some of them just do not work (pressure is built up and no coffee, then you can'e event open the leaver due to the pressure), others leak coffee into the bin unit, others poor too quickly, and so on. Only original pods work very well others are hit and miss.

so, coffee is not fresh and capsules are not quite right for the machine.



Kristine said:


> ...I think that it is the same taste and quality as Nespresso´s own capsules.


I think the key term here is "the same taste and quality as Nespresso´s own capsules". Out of the compatibles that actually do work properly in the machine, the taste is comparable to original capsules, but it just does not compare to aroma and taste of freshly ground coffee that was not roasted last year. But I will admit, it tastes way better than instant.


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## MikeBookham (Sep 3, 2016)

Like you @Beanedict, I like the odd resurrected old threads, so as I've the opportunity I'll add my two pennies worth.

Most Nespresso pods are actually filled with freshly roasted beans, though whether those beans are fresh is another matter. The pod production process actually stops the coffee deteriorating for months if not years because it's packed in a controlled environment and hermetically sealed.

There are quite a lot of 3rd party options, some of which are very expensive.

BTW Pact Coffee now do 4 varieties of pod at a reasonable price.


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## Beanedict (Aug 14, 2017)

MikeBookham said:


> ...Most Nespresso pods are actually filled with freshly roasted beans, ...


Thanks @MikeBookham, this is nice to know. Do you have inside knowledge about the pods? Although this does not explain why do all pods taste bit flat, with a hint of floral and fruit, but mainly flat. Is it plastic used?







Perhaps it's extraction. As I mentioned before, many commercial pods I tried are ever so slightly different in shape (and size) so that water pressure is different, perhaps.



MikeBookham said:


> There are quite a lot of 3rd party options, some of which are very expensive.
> 
> BTW Pact Coffee now do 4 varieties of pod at a reasonable price.


Yes, I saw Pact ones, I accidentally scrape the information about them in my coffee comparison project







http://coffeediff.co.uk/coffee perhaps I should create a section that looks at Nespresso pods, if there's an interest in them.


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## MikeBookham (Sep 3, 2016)

Beanedict said:


> Thanks @MikeBookham, this is nice to know. Do you have inside knowledge about the pods? Although this does not explain why do all pods taste bit flat, with a hint of floral and fruit ...


I don't have inside info, however I've read about the pod process on various websites & also spoke to Volcano Coffee Works at the last London coffee festival who told me the same.

I think that the taste is in part due to the machine as well as the coffee. All of the Nespresso machines use the same innards and the machines are quoted as producing 19 bar pressure, but I doubt that the coffee subjected to anywhere near that figure.


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Most times old threads are resurrected by spammers

Where possible please do not reply, and hit Report sp we can clean it up and remove the offender


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## Beanedict (Aug 14, 2017)

Thanks again, @MikeBookham. @Glenn, sorry, didn't quite get what just happened :/


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## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

Funnily enough, all three posts from 'IAN OF BRIGHTON' are telling you to buy a brand of pods from Amazon, I would avoid any product that someone feels the need to shill.


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## MildredM (Feb 13, 2017)

Dylan said:


> Funnily enough, all three posts from 'IAN OF BRIGHTON' are telling you to buy a brand of pods from Amazon, I would avoid any product that someone feels the need to shill.


Spammer? He disses the service from that website and promotes Amazon. Odd.


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