Nespresso is the brand name of Nestlé Nespresso S.A., an operating unit of the Nestlé Group based in Lausanne, Switzerland. Nespresso machines brew espresso from coffee capsules, a type of pre-apportioned single-use container of ground coffee and flavorings.
Nespresso Capsules
Nespresso capsules are sold exclusively by Nespresso and are more expensive than portions of ground coffee purchased “loose”. The cost per serving is up to three times higher than that of alternative brewing methods.
Each capsule contains 5-6 grams of ground coffee and makes one cup of coffee. Depending on the length of the pour the capsule is designed for 40mL for an espresso shot, or 110mL for a lungo (long) pour. Refillable Nespresso-compatible capsules are manufactured by Dutch company Coffeeduck. They make two different refillable capsules; one for Nespresso machines made before October 2010 and one for machines made after October 2010 (after Nespresso changed the design of their machines).
Australian company PodCafe released a ‘one size fits all’ Refillable Capsule in 2012. Their refillable pod fits most Nespresso compatible machines, and also allows users to brew Tea and Hot Chocolate.
The capsule material and perforated top are both made of aluminum. For health reasons, the interior of most of the capsule is lined with food-grade shellac.
The Dutch company Douwe Egberts (a subsidiary of Sara Lee) has launched a coffee capsule compatible with Nespresso machines in Europe and the US. Unlike the Nespresso capsules , these “L’or expressO” capsules are made out of plastic instead of aluminium, and unlike the Nespresso capsule these are not perforated in the top while inserting them in the machine but are pre-perforated, and so the capsule is not airtight. Therefore the capsules come separately packaged, each in their own airtight bag, probably filled with an inert gas. Douwe Egberts recently added 2 new varieties of these coffees, there now are six.
Just like Douwe Egberts, Caffe Vergnana, a well known italian coffee blender, launched their own branded ÈSPRESSO compatible capsules made of plastic, individually packaged and starting with 4 varieties. It was first launched in the European market, in selected countries such as Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Spain and Portugal.
Assorted Nespresso pods: each color indicates a variety of coffee.Nespresso offer 16 different coffee “Grand Cru” arabica and robusta. Two Limited Edition Grand Crus are released every year as well as a new set of Variations, flavored espresso capsules.
- Nespresso Espresso Capsules – 55-65 mg
- Nespresso Lungo Capsules – 77-89 mg
- Espresso, Single Shot – 29-100 mg (often around 75 mg)
- Espresso, Double Shot (Doppio) – 58-185 mg (often around 150 mg)
- Decaf Espresso, Single Shot – about 8 mg
- Decaf Espresso, Double Shot (Doppio) – about 16 mg
- Caffeine levels in Starbucks Espresso Drinks and Starbucks Iced Espresso Drinks vary
I have used the refillable pods from pod cafe that you wrote about and they are pretty good, will have to try the sara lee ones