There’s nothing wrong with making your coffee from scratch but very few methods can provide the speed and convenience that brewing with a coffee machine and capsule provides.
Nespresso is one of those coffee machines that use capsules, and if you want to get a good drink, getting good compatible capsules helps with that.
What are Nespresso Compatible Capsules?
Nespresso is a subsidiary of the Nestlé Group, based in Switzerland. It’s a household name popular for its coffee machines and accessories.
Nespresso works with capsules, also called pods, by brewing with the grinds in them after you hit the start button.
These capsules come with their own flavors so you’ll have to choose the ones that provide the strength and taste you need. You can also brew lattes if you want but you’ll need to use a separate milk frother.
Nespresso has approved different varieties of capsules that are compatible with their machine but choosing is the hard part, right?
There are different types of capsules and groups of them form collections. Espresso, Pure Origine and Lungo are some of the collections available.
Let’s look at all the collections and the capsules that make them up:
1. Nespresso Espresso Capsules
The Espresso collection is a bit popular than others, it has a wide range of coffee blends.
The capsules differ in the strength of their flavors and that’s mostly because they’re from coffee beans of different origins. Let’s look at each of them:
• Ristretto Capsule
The Ristretto capsule is a mix of East African and South American Arabica coffee. It does have a little amount of Robusta and you would spot the slight acidity of this capsule when you’re having your drink.
Ristretto capsules are fine grinds so they do have that chocolate feel. They come with a Nespresso intensity of ten and you get 1.35 ounces of espresso per capsule.
The capsule isn’t compatible with Nespresso VertuoLine.
• Roma Capsule
A blend of Central and South American Arabica and Robusta, the Roma coffee is one with strength and body fullness in the right proportions.
It’s lightly roasted and compatible with the Nespresso original line system. There are 50 capsules in the pack, ten per box.
Each capsule can produce 1.35 ounces of espresso. It has a Nespresso intensity of eight and its woody and roasted notes are trademark features.
• Volluto Capsule
Volluto is a blend of Brazilian and Colombian Arabica coffees. It contains 50 lightly roasted capsules, ten capsules per box with a Nespresso intensity of four.
Each capsule produces 1.35 ounces of espresso.
• Capriccio Capsule
The Capriccio blend is a mix of mainly Arabica coffee and some portions of Robusta from Brazil.
It’s a lightly roasted blend with slight acidity with a rich body. There are 20 capsules in the pack and each brews 1.35 ounces of five Nespresso intensity espresso.
• Cosi Capsule
Cosi is a blend of Latin American and Kenyan Arabicas. It is a lightly roasted mix with a Nespresso intensity of four. There are 50 capsules in the pack, ten per box.
Each capsule brews 1.35 ounces of espresso with a Nespresso intensity of four.
2. Nespresso Pure Origine Capsules
Pure origine capsules are said to be no different from espresso capsules by many baristas but they’re usually single origin capsules rather than the espresso capsules that are a blend of different coffees.
The capsules in this collection produce a wide range of tastes. Let’s check each of them out.
• Rosabaya de Brazil Capsule
Coffee from Colombian Arabica bean plantations make up the Rosabaya capsule.
It’s made up of 50 capsules each with a Nespresso intensity of six. 1.35 ounces of acidic and fruity coffee can be prepared with this capsule.
• Indriya Capsule
Take a quick guess and you’ll be able to spot where the Indriya coffee comes from. Yes, India, Southern India to be specific.
It is a well-bodied coffee with notes of pepper and nutmeg. There’s a Nespresso intensity of ten so your brew will have a strong character to it and each capsule can produce up to 1.35 ounces.
3. Nespresso Lungo Capsules
Lungo capsules are what you want if you need more coffee in your cup, they average 3.7 ounces of coffee so it’s one you should get for a longer drink.
Look at each of them.
• Fortissimo Lungo Capsule
Fortissimo capsules owe their flavor to the South and Central American Arabica makeup in them while the slight blend of Robusta produces the body.
The split-roasting technique is used with this blend and woody notes can be obtained. There are 50 capsules in the pack and each can brew a 3.7-ounce cup of coffee.
• Vivalto Lungo Capsule
Made mainly from a mix of South American and Ethiopian Arabicas, the Vivalto Lungo capsules are famous for their lightly acidic makeup and floral note.
Components are split-roasted to produce a Nespresso intensity of four and each capsule can brew a 3.7-ounce cup.
• Linizio Lungo Capsule
A blend of Brazilian and Colombian Arabica beans, the Linizio blend features a cereal profile and has a Nespresso intensity of four.
There are ten capsules in each pack, longer roasting times are used for the Brazilian beans and this is responsible for the sugary aspect of the blend.
A capsule brews 3.7 ounces of espresso.
4. Nespresso Decaffeinato Capsules
Decaffeinato capsules are for you if you’ll love to have your coffee but without the effects and influences of caffeine.
It’s caffeine-free coffee and here are some of them:
• Decaffeinato Lungo Capsule
This is decaffeinated Vivalto coffee, so if you love Vivalto and need the caffeine out, this is what you need.
It has the same flavor and character as the original Vivalto Lungo capsule. The split-roasting technique is employed and up to 8 ounces of coffee can be produced with the Decaffeinato Lungo.
• Decaffeinato Intenso Capsule
Intenso is a coffee of strong flavor and character made from South American Arabica beans that have been dark-roasted.
Cocoa and chocolate notes can be noticed in the brew and 20 capsules are included in the pack.
When you get your capsule, you need a good technique to get the perfect coffee.
How To Make The Perfect Nespresso Coffee
There are a few things you need to do to get the best out of your machine.
1. Warm Up Your Machine
This is the first step. It helps remove leftover grounds (from your last brew) and eases capsule piercing.
It helps you get a fresh brew and eliminates waste.
2. Program Your Machine
The Nespresso extracts coffee from the capsule and uses this while brewing but bad programming reduces the amount that can be extracted.
You’ll need to program your machine to accommodate longer extraction so you don’t miss out on important notes.
Do this- if you’re using a Lungo capsule, hold the Lungo button until you’re okay with the amount of coffee in your cup.
The machine sets this as the standard time for brewing so you don’t need to manually program when next you get your Lungo capsule in the machine.
3. Monitor The Process
Watch how the coffee changes colors while brewing so you’ll be able to spot when you’ve got the perfect drink.
Espresso changes from red to finally blonde so if you’re watching properly you’ll be able to stop brewing immediately you notice the color change.