Best Nespresso Pods

Best Nespresso pods by taste profile
Best Nespresso pods for specific uses

Answering the question “what is the best Nespresso pod?” with an unique name is impossible. There is no such thing as an overall best pod for everybody, for every taste. Many websites have their own answer to such a question, but it is inevitably partial and personal. We do not want to go that route.

Much depends what we really mean when we ask which of the many Nespresso pods is the best one.

The best Nespresso capsules may be intended as those who sell the most. Ispirazione Napoli may be then the answer. Or the best Nespresso pods may be instead those which have been available for the longest time. Reasoning being that if they have been purchased for so long in many countries, they must be the best ones. Then perhaps Arpeggio wins (at least the old version).

Or if we are wondering what may be the best Nespresso pods for latte, it may led us to a completely
different answer (Ristretto maybe?).

Our interpretation of what is the best Nespresso pod question is then our own, and may differ from yours. We came to the conclusion that it is moot to try to answer from our point of view, or to try to give a single answer. In both cases, the selected pod or pods will match only a percentage of your selection, a
minority even.

Therefore to us it makes much more sense to present a series of Nespresso original capsules that can be considered the best for their taste profile and intended use. This not to end up advising for a specific capsule that may be completely different from your tastes

Therefore we prefer to answer here more specific questions like “what is the most intense Nespresso pod” or “what is the best Nespresso cappuccino pod“. This way you may use this article as a reference and go to the section that matches your immediate desires, choosing among what we consider the best Nespresso pods for that intended use and type.

We will include both limited edition and standard pods. It may then means that a few of the pods we suggest are not available anymore. We believe it is still useful to list them, as perhaps a few of these pods are still available to buy from third-party channels like Ebay, or one day Nespresso will re-release them, as often happens with past limited editions.

Every list is obviously subject to change with time and as new capsules become available. Do suggest us different flavors or your preferences and we will be glad to add another category to this post.

Best Nespresso pods by taste profile

In this category we group pods that match a specific taste profile, grouped into the three main characteristics of a coffee: bitterness, acidity, and sweetness.

After these, we will list the Nespresso pods that have the highest and lowest intensity, and the best crema.

Best Nespresso pods by bitterness

Many Nespresso capsules are quite bitter, but these are definitely the bitterest:

Best Nespresso pods by acidity

Not a great deal of Nespresso pods is strong in acidity. It is a characteristic that is present here and there, but rarely in great quantities. These are the few exceptions:

Best Nespresso pods by sweetness

Very few Nespresso pods contain naturally some sweetness. If they do, it is usually accompanied by a high acidity, that can be off putting for some drinkers. Therefore our selection of the sweetest Nespresso pods focuses on the flavored pods, that have an added level of sweetness that unflavored pods
cannot match.

Best Nespresso pods for a low-intensity cup of coffee

Many Nespresso pods are quite intense, or at least can be considered of medium intensity. Therefore there is not much choice if you want a gentle, low-intensity cup of coffee from a Nespresso machine. Among those that are lowest in intensity, we selected those pods which are the gentlest, easiest to drink:

Dulsão do Brasil
Ethiopia
Barista Chiaro
Vanillio
Vaniglia
Vanilla Eclair
Vivalto Lungo / Tokyo Vivalto Lungo
Nordic Cloudberry (an acquired taste though)
Infiniment Gourmand
Papua New Guinea
Esperanza de Colombia
Tamuka mu Zimbabwe
Buenos Aires Lungo

Best Nespresso pods for an intense cup of coffee

Intensity is a measure of how strong is the coffee taste, not of caffeine content. Many Nespresso pods are quite intense, with these below as the most intense Nespresso capsules:

Best crema in a Nespresso pod

If you like foamy, long-lasting crema on top of your coffee, these are your best picks:

Best Nespresso pods for specific uses

Regardless of the characteristics of a coffee, sometimes we all want a specific coffee. Perhaps a latte, or a cappuccino, or an iced coffee when it is the hot season, or a classic espresso experience.

Generally-speaking all Nespresso pods can be brewed however you want, but not all will work best in these specific coffee drinks and uses. In the next groups we then selected those that to us are the best picks according to how you want to drink your coffee.

Best Nespresso pods for a Latte

Theoretically all capsules can be drank with milk but only a few can balance well the milk and coffee tastes together. You can find our top recommendations in their own section of the Best Nespresso Pods for Lattes and Cappuccinos article.

Best Nespresso pods for a Cappuccino

In this category we suggest the best Nespresso capsules that will work well as a cappuccino. Unlike a latte, a cappuccino has a lower milk to coffee ratio, 2:1, and therefore there is no need for the coffee to be very intense to be a good pod for making a cappuccino.

Head to the Best Nespresso Pods for Lattes and Cappuccinos article for our top picks for both a mild and a strong cappuccino.

Best Nespresso pods for a Lungo

For a lungo it is definitely needed a pod that can sustain a longer brewing time and not produce a watery or weak cup of coffee. There are a few Nespresso pods that fit these requirements, and these are our best picks for a lungo cup:

Fortissio Lungo / Stockholm Fortissio Lungo
Envivo Lungo / Cape Town Envivo Lungo
Arpeggio/Ispirazione Firenze Arpeggio (for an Americano)
Paris Espresso
Kahawa ya Congo
Ispirazione Novecento
Tokyo Vivalto Lungo

Best Nespresso pods for Iced Coffee

Any capsule may work as an Iced Coffee but only a few work best so. These are the ones which we find the best to drink with ice:

Best Nespresso pods for classic espresso lovers

A mix of dark roast, bitter, intense and low acidity makes a typical Italian/French espresso cup. These are the Nespresso capsules that most closely approach such definition:

These pods are the best at recreating the typical Italian/French espresso experience, made of dark roasted beans, high intensity, and low acidity. These Nespresso pods are those which more closely match this definition:

Roma/Ispirazione Roma
Ispirazione Napoli
Il Caffé
Ristretto
Kazaar/Ispirazione Palermo Kazaar
Paris Black
Ispirazione Salentina (especially as a ristretto cup)
Paris Espresso
Paris Black
Ispirazione Novecento

Best Nespresso Pods

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