Disposable Nespresso-compatible capsule reviews by humans?

September 26, 2020 10:49 AM

I'm looking to find sites that feature actual humans evaluating disposable Nespresso capsules. The only ones I can find are SEO content-farm garbage.

I quite enjoy these capsules but would like to try others. I'm not interested in the official capsules, which are way overpriced. Unfortunately, the sites you find while Googling for Nespresso reviews don't seem to be written by actual human beings. Does anyone know of some?

posted by wnissen to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

I don't know a comparison site, but the ones from Target are good!
posted by 8603 at 11:29 AM on September 26, 2020

I don't know of a comparison site, but I have tried these and they are tasty:

Starbucks makes them. So you can get a double-whammy of corporate coffee.

Portuguese coffee-makers do them, for sale in supermarkets and online: Nicola and Chave D'Ouro
posted by chavenet at 12:22 PM on September 26, 2020

The Peet's capsules are good and you can frequently find them on sale at Target or other retailers - I get the Nerissimo and the Ristretto.
posted by mogget at 12:43 PM on September 26, 2020

I can second the Peet's capsules as a solid alternative.

When I've experimented unsuccessfully with small-brand capsules from Amazon (I was interested in finding organic/fairtrade options), the main problem I had was that the physical capsules would fail/leak/explode. That's the key thing I would keep an eye out for when reading customer reviews.
posted by kickingtheground at 12:55 PM on September 26, 2020

I don't know of any sites where you'll get the best reviews from actual verified humans other than right here! That said, I don't disagree with the recommendations put forth on The Spruce.

I've tried a bunch and the Starbucks pods have been the best in my opinion. My own favorite so far are the Colombia and Pike Place blends, but I usually just get the variety pack from Amazon or Costco. Peet's and Nespresso pods ended up being a little weaker to my Seattleite-tastes.
posted by belau at 4:44 PM on September 26, 2020 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I similarly looked for review sites but they are pretty much all static spam. We use Woken pods and they work and taste just fine.
posted by media_itoku at 5:21 PM on September 26, 2020 [1 favorite]

I can vouch for Gourmesso. They have different flavors, types, and intensities (I like the niteline ones), and recently started selling compostable pods for some of their coffees. They also have a membership program and give discounts.

I like Peet's, mainly because they're convenient to pick up in Costco, but they're also tasty and work well.
posted by hiker U. at 6:19 PM on September 26, 2020 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I went on a coffee walkabout, and have tried Starbucks, Peets, Gourmesso, Woken, Don Francisco, and Cafe Llave. Thanks so much for your suggestions. I found Starbucks and Peets too dark and monochromatic, if that makes sense. Gourmesso was light on body and flavor. Woken was the sweet spot for me, and they are all compostable, so I no longer have to worry about whether the flavor I want is available in that capsule type. Honorable mention to Cafe Llave, which is available in grocery stores around here, a balanced cup. The last time I looked, a few years before this, there were no compatible Nespresso capsules at the grocery store, so it's great to know I can get some there if I run out of my mail-order favorites.
posted by wnissen at 2:01 PM on June 9, 2021 [1 favorite]