To Find the Best Nespresso Pods, I Drank 14 Coffees (I’m Fine, I Swear)

Making the most out of your Nespresso machine is all about the pods. Nespresso pods come in tons of different roast styles and flavors, and to find your favorite, you need to compare them all. After brewing 14 cups of coffee in the Nespresso Vertuo machine, I found the four best Nespresso pods for most people. My picks include dark and light roast pods, as well as the best flavored Nespresso pod and a decaf option. The only thing left for you to decide is which coffee mug you want to brew into.  

The Winners, at a Glance

The Best Nespresso Pods (Dark Roast)

Nespresso Double Espresso Scuro Coffee Capsules

$41 at Amazon View on Nespresso.com

These are the best Nespresso pods for both the Vertuo and Original Nespresso machines. The Nespresso Scuro is balanced and flavorful. Dark roast coffee can lean a little one-note—all you taste is the bitter flavor. This version retains rich individual notes of fruit and chocolate. It makes a tasty espresso or coffee and it’s flavorful enough to yield a lovely iced coffee or latte.

The Best Nespresso Pods (Light Roast)

Nespresso Colombia

View on Amazon View on Nespresso.com

The Nespresso Colombia is made from 100% Colombian Arabica coffee beans. This is a light roast brew with mild bitterness and sharp acidity. Nespresso recommends serving the Colombia as a coffee or espresso to appreciate its red fruit bouquet and wine-like complexity.

The Best Flavored Nespresso Pods

Nespresso Barista Creations Vaniglia Original Coffee Capsules

$45 at Amazon View on Nespresso.com

The Nespresso Vaniglia was by far the best of the flavored pods. It’s surprisingly subtle—the coffee doesn’t taste artificial or overly sweet. It blends well with milk for a latte or cappuccino.

The Best Decaf Nespresso Pods

Nespresso Fortado Decaffeinato Vertuo

$42 at Amazon View on Nespresso.com

These are the best decaf Nespresso pods—ideal for those who avoid caffeine. The Fortado Decaffeinato had caramel notes and stood up well to a splash of milk.

The Tests

• Plain Brew Test: I brewed a plain coffee or espresso with each Nespresso pod to evaluate its smell and taste. I took notes on the aroma, flavor, and texture to help me compare cups. 
• Specialty Drink Test: I tested Nespresso’s recommended brewing style (latte, iced, espresso) for each of the top-performing pods, using whole milk where applicable. I took notes on the aroma, flavor, and texture.

What We Learned

The Best Nespresso Pods for Espresso Drinks Are Bold

Through my work as a sommelier, I know that wine is paired with food to match intensity. For example, if you drink a delicate Chablis alongside spicy barbecued ribs, the food will overpower the taste of the wine. I found that a similar principle applied to creating Nespresso’s espresso-like drinks. Medium roast Nespresso pods are lovely on their own, but the flavor of a bold and dark Nespresso pod blends better with milk.   

If you start your morning with a latte or iced coffee, go for a darker pod. Roasting brings out coffee’s bold, smoky, and nutty flavors. These notes can stand up to milk or ice without being muted. Creamy milk also helps balance out the bitterness in bolder coffees. Nespresso recommends pods like the Nocciola and Freddo Intenso for lattes. It also offers Vertuo pods like the Forte and Leggero, specifically designed for iced coffee. 

Use Nespresso’s Guide to Find the Best Pods for You 

Each pod has its own profile page on Nespresso’s website. Nespresso provides tasting notes, brewing recommendations, and individual scales for body, bitterness, roast, and acidity. I didn’t always pick up on the exact tasting notes mentioned by the company, but I did find that I agreed with the overall intensity score for each pod. Once you find a few pods that you like, try using Nespresso’s website to find similar brews. 

Know Your Nespresso Machine: Vertuo vs. Original

Nespresso makes two types of machines: the Original and Vertuo. The Nespresso Original machine uses a high-pressure pump to force heated water through the coffee pods and make espresso. It employs the same water temperature and amount of pressure for each pod. These machines focus on espresso or lungo espressos. Several major coffee producers, including Peet’s and Starbucks, make Nespresso Original pods. 

Vertuo machines are a little more high-tech. Each Vertuo pod includes a barcode. The machine scans this code and adjusts the brewing process to complement the coffee. Rather than simply allowing water to drip through the grounds, the machine injects a small amount of water into each pod and spins it while the coffee infuses. Vertuo machines can make espresso or coffee, and all of its pods are proprietary.  

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Nespresso Pod

The best Nespresso pods are smooth and balanced with just a touch of bitterness. Look for a pod style that will work with your favorite drink—dark Nespresso pods are better suited for creamy and iced beverages. The best Nespresso Vertuo pods can be used for espresso and coffee because the machine adjusts the brewing details. The best Nespresso Original pods are ideal for espresso and lungo espresso. If you want to try a new coffee style, peruse the Nespresso website’s tasting notes to find pods with a similar intensity to your favorites.

Our Favorite Nespresso Pods

The Best Nespresso Pods (Dark Roast)

Nespresso Double Espresso Scuro Coffee Capsules

$41 at Amazon View on Nespresso.com

What we liked: The Scuro makes a well-balanced coffee. Nespresso rates Scuro pods three out of five on the roast-level scale. I found that the medium-dark roast added enjoyable richness and toastiness without overpowering the coffee’s more subtle flavors. The mid-level intensity makes this brew versatile—Nespresso recommends enjoying it as an espresso or iced coffee. Even chilled, plenty of bold flavors come through. You can buy the Scuro in pods for the Vertuo and the Original machines.

What we didn’t like: The Scuro is a blend of Robusta and Arabica coffee from Central America. There’s nothing wrong with blended coffee, but it can be harder for producers to ensure consistent flavor in every batch they make. The Scuro may be too toasty for some coffee drinkers.

Key Specs

• Tasting notes: Cacao, vanilla, chocolate
• Recommended brew style: Espresso, double espresso, iced 
  

The Best Nespresso Pods (Light Roast)

Nespresso Colombia

View on Amazon View on Nespresso.com

What we liked: Colombia coffee pods are part of Nespresso’s Master Crafted Single Origins line of 100% Arabica coffee beans sourced from Colombia. In my opinion, drinking single-origin coffee is enjoyable even without a ton of background knowledge—it’s an easy way to appreciate the complexity and learn a bit about different coffee regions. Nespresso rates the Colombia pods a one out of five on the roastiness scale. The light roast preserves plenty of the beans’ unique characteristics. When brewed, it has notes of red berries and a wine-like complexity. It comes in Vertuo pods and Original pods.

What we didn’t like: Nespresso’s Colombia pods are not the best choice for morning latte drinkers, as this delicate, aromatic coffee can be overpowered by milk. Light roast coffees have more caffeine than their darker counterparts—I’ll let you decide if that’s a red flag or an added perk.  

Key Specs

• Tasting notes: Candied apple, red berry, wine
• Recommended brew style: Espresso, lungo, coffee 
  

The Best Flavored Nespresso Pods

Nespresso Barista Creations Vaniglia Original Coffee Capsules

$45 at Amazon View on Nespresso.com

What we liked: This vanilla Nespresso pod is surprisingly subtle. The Nespresso website lists “natural vanilla aroma” and “other natural aromas” as flavoring agents. When brewed, Vaniglia lacks the cloying sweetness and harsh artificial edge found in some flavored coffees. Nespresso suggests drinking Vaniglia coffee as a lungo or cappuccino, latte, or macchiato. During testing, I found that this coffee paired nicely with milk. Vaniglia lattes were delicate, creamy, and lightly sweet. 

What we didn’t like: Vaniglia pods are only available in espresso format—they aren’t compatible with the Vertuo machine. 

Key Specs

• Tasting notes: Vanilla, sweet biscuit, cereal
• Recommended brew style: Espresso, lungo, latte
  

The Best Decaf Nespresso Pods

Nespresso Fortado Decaffeinato Vertuo

$42 at Amazon View on Nespresso.com

What we liked: The Nespresso Fortado blend is the best decaf Nespresso pod. It's a dark roast with medium-high intensity. It yields a satisfyingly robust cup of coffee with toasty caramel notes. Nespresso recommends serving the Fortado as a Gran Lungo, but I found that the flavor was good with a splash of milk.

What we didn’t like: Fortado Decaffeinato pods are only available in Vertuo format—they aren’t compatible with the Nespresso Original machine.

Key Specs

• Tasting notes: Cacao, oak, caramel 
• Recommended brew style: Gran Lungo  

The Competition

• Nespresso Ristretto: This dark roast was overly bitter—it had a burnt finish and a thin mouthfeel. 
• Nespresso Ice Forte: The Ice Forte had a pleasant fruit and pepper aroma and lingering bitter almond on the palate—a solid choice for ice coffee devotees 
• Nespresso Ice Leggero: This blend was pleasantly toasty and fruity but once it was combined with milk and ice it produced an extremely mild drink. 
• Nespresso Napoli: This was an intense dark roast—creamier and more balanced than the Ristretto but still too bitter for my taste. 
• Nespresso Sweet Vanilla: This flavored pod was overly sweet and tasted artificial. 
• Nespresso Intenso: This was a robust and bold dark coffee that worked well with milk but it was too bitter on its own. 
• Nespresso Roasted Hazelnut: This pod yielded a cloyingly sweet and artificial-tasting drink.  
• Starbucks by Nespresso Blonde Roast: This woody blonde roast lacked complexity. 
• Peet’s Coffee Crema Scura: This was an intense dark coffee with a strong bitter finish and minimal depth. 

FAQs

What are the best Nespresso Vertuo pods?

The two best pods in our review, the Double Espresso Scuro, and the Nespresso Colombia, are Vertuo compatible.

What are the Nespresso pods flavors?

There are quite a few flavored Nespresso pods. The best one is the Vaniglia pod, but browse Nespresso's site for more. They even have a White Chocolate & Strawberry flavor.

How do you recycle Nespresso pods? 

Nespresso pods are made from recyclable aluminum. You can’t throw them into your home recycling bin, but the company offers several ways to return used pods. Capsules can be dropped off at a Nespresso store or shipped to a waste center with a provided recycling bag. Nespresso has also created a network of collection points for in-person returns—use its website to find one near you. 

How much caffeine is in a Nespresso pod?

Caffeine content varies depending on the type of bean, degree of roast, and pod size. Nespresso espresso pods generally contain between 70 to 150 mg of caffeine. Vertuo pods are slightly larger and range from 170 to 200 mg.

Can you use Nespresso pods twice?

No—Nespresso pods are single-use. Brewing an espresso or cup of coffee extracts most of the flavor from the grounds. Reusing a pod would result in a weak, flavorless cup. 

Why We’re the Experts

• Madeline Muzzi is a regular Serious Eats contributor, reviewing kitchen items like flatware and toaster ovens. 
• As a certified sommelier, Madeline is formally trained in deductive tasting. 
• Madeline tasted 14 different Nespresso coffees multiple times to conduct this review. 
• We’ve also reviewed Nespresso coffee makers.