How to choose coffee capsules: systems, compatibility and types

Coffee capsules are not one product but at least seven incompatible worlds. A Nespresso capsule will not drop into a Dolce Gusto machine, Tassimo reads its capsule off a barcode, and pods look more like a tea bag than a capsule. Before you start picking a blend you need to know which system you have on the kitchen counter — and after that, choosing is easy. This guide takes you through both steps and shows you what counts most with capsules: the price of a single cup.

Seven systems that refuse to mix

The capsule market split into closed systems because every machine maker wanted a capsule shape of its own. The practical consequence for you is a single one: the capsule has to match your machine, otherwise it physically will not fit. A universal capsule does not exist.

Our range of coffee capsules covers these systems:

Read the price-per-drink column carefully, because that is where the systems differ most — and it is not only about the price of the pack. The explanation is further down in the section on price.

How to work out which system you have at home

If you do not know what machine you own, go through three steps. They take a minute and they save you sending a parcel back.

1. Look at the brand and the model

The name of the system is almost always on the front of the machine or on a label on the underside. Watch out for one mix-up: Krups and De’Longhi make coffee machines, not systems. Krups builds machines for Dolce Gusto and for Nespresso, and so does De’Longhi. The badge on the casing will not tell you on its own which capsules to buy — look for the name of the system, not the manufacturer.

2. Look at the capsule you already have

Shape is the quickest clue. Nespresso is a small cup about the size of a thimble. Dolce Gusto is noticeably bigger and flatter. Tassimo is a disc with a barcode around the rim — that is the unmistakable sign, no other system carries a code. A pod is flat, soft and looks like a tea bag.

3. Check how the machine handles milk

If your machine makes a latte macchiato from two capsules that you load one after the other, you have Tassimo. If it makes milk drinks from one large capsule, it is Dolce Gusto. If it does not deal with milk at all and only pours black coffee, it is most likely Nespresso, Cafissimo or A Modo Mio.

If you are still not sure after those steps, work back from the machine itself: with capsule machines the system is always stated in the product description.

Which capsules fit your machine: brand by brand

The most common source of confusion is that people go by the badge on the casing. But the badge names the maker of the machine, not the capsule system — and one maker routinely builds machines for several different systems. The table below turns the brand into a system, and straight into where to look for the capsules.

Watch out for L’OR: a brand and a system at once

L’OR is the one case where the same name means two different things. The capsules L’OR Nespresso compatible pods are aluminium capsules from the L’OR brand made for Nespresso machines. Capsules for L’OR Barista, on the other hand, are made for L’OR’s own system, which has a different shape and will not fit Nespresso. So when you are looking for L’OR capsules and do not know which machine they belong to, this is what settles it: the L’OR brand goes into Nespresso, while the L’OR Barista system has a shape of its own. For business machines there is a third option as well, L’OR for Nespresso Professional, which differs from the home line in size.

Nespresso Original and Vertuo are not the same thing

Inside Nespresso there are two incompatible lines. The classic capsules belong to the Original line and have the shape of a small cup. The Vertuo line uses a noticeably larger capsule with a barcode around the rim, and the machine will pull bigger drinks from it as well. An Original capsule will not fit a Vertuo machine, and the other way round. For business machines there is then a separate Nespresso Professional line with a larger capsule.

Original or compatible capsules

With most systems you have two options: capsules from the owner of the system, or compatible capsules from another roaster. The difference is not that one lot is “genuine” and the other is not — the patents on capsule shapes have expired one after another, so compatible capsules are legal and completely ordinary.

What really does differ:

• Price. Compatible capsules tend to be a quarter to a half cheaper than the original. At two capsules a day, that adds up to a noticeable difference over a month.
• Choice of roasters. Compatible capsules are made by Italian roasters that have no original line of their own — so they get you to coffee the owner of the system would never have offered you.
• Precision of the shape. With cheap unbranded capsules it happens that they sit a fraction of a millimetre out in the holder and the machine leaks around them. With capsules from established roasters that is not an issue.
• Tassimo is the exception. The machine reads the barcode and will not start a drink without it, so compatible capsules in the original sense do not exist — all you can get are capsules made for this system under licence.

If you want to try several roasters before you make up your mind, reach for a taster pack. With pods as with capsules it is the cheapest way to find out what suits you without buying five boxes.

Price per drink: the only number worth comparing

The price of a pack tells you nothing, because packs hold different numbers of capsules — from ten with Nespresso up to a hundred with professional systems. Price per capsule is better, but with one system it misleads.

With Tassimo, one milk drink needs two capsules — one with coffee, the other with milk. A pack labelled “16 capsules” is therefore a pack for eight drinks. Anyone comparing the price per capsule ends up with a Tassimo that looks half as expensive as it turns out to be at the till.

Two things come out of the table. Professional systems and pods work out cheapest per drink, because they are sold in large packs and you are not paying for a milk component. And milk drinks always cost more than black coffee, whatever the system — the milk inside the capsule costs something.

Types of capsules: espresso, lungo, milk drinks, decaf

Inside every system, capsules are split by the drink that comes out of them. The labelling differs slightly from brand to brand, but the logic is the same.

Espresso and ristretto

A short drink, 25 to 40 ml, darker roast and full body. Ristretto is the same thing with less water, so it comes out more concentrated. If you drink your coffee without milk, start here.

Lungo and caffè crema

A longer drink, 110 to 240 ml, gentler and less intense. Lungo capsules usually hold more coffee and a different grind size, so a lungo made from an espresso capsule and more water will not come out the same — it just gets diluted.

Milk drinks

Latte macchiato, cappuccino and flat white. With Dolce Gusto and Tassimo the milk sits inside the capsule, so you need neither a milk system nor a fridge. That is the main reason these two systems lead in households with children and in offices.

Decaf

A decaffeinated version exists in almost every system, and it tastes less different from the regular one than people expect — modern water decaffeination keeps most of the aroma. You will find the selection in the decaf Nespresso compatible pods category, and among the E.S.E. pods if you brew with pods. For a sense of how much caffeine ordinary coffee holds, we go through it in our article on how much caffeine is in coffee beans.

Non-coffee capsules

Dolce Gusto and Tassimo take hot chocolate, tea and chai latte as well. That is handy in a household where not everyone likes coffee — the same machine serves the whole family.

Aluminium, plastic or compostable

The material of the capsule affects the taste less than the makers suggest, but the differences are real.

Aluminium is the best barrier against oxygen and light, so coffee in an aluminium capsule keeps its aroma the longest. It is also fully recyclable, as long as you hand it in the right way.

Plastic is cheaper, and in capsules with an inner foil it holds the aroma well. Recycling is worse, because the capsule is multi-material — plastic, foil and coffee grounds all in one.

Compostable capsules made from plant-based materials break down in industrial composting. On a home compost heap they usually do not, whatever the pack suggests — they need a higher temperature than you will reach at home.

Paper pods are the cleanest of the lot from this angle: pod and grounds both go into food waste, with no separating. Alongside price, that is the second reason pods still have their following.

What to do with capsules once you have drunk them

A used capsule is made of two materials: the shell and the coffee grounds. The right answer differs by type.

• Aluminium capsules should be emptied out and the aluminium put in with metals. The grounds go into food waste, or onto the garden — they make good fertiliser for plants that tolerate slightly acidic soil.
• Plastic capsules belong in plastics once they are emptied. Left full, the whole capsule ends up in landfill, because the sorting line cannot split it apart.
• Pods go into food waste whole, paper included.
• Take-back schemes run by the owners of the systems work with some brands, but always only for their own capsules. Compatible capsules cannot be handed in through them.

A practical note: emptying capsules is a chore, but there are simple tools for it. If you keep your capsules to hand, used or new, a capsule holder comes in useful.

Frequently asked questions

How do I choose coffee capsules when I do not know which machine I have?

Look at the label on the underside of the machine, or at the shape of the last capsule you used. Nespresso is a small cup, Dolce Gusto a large flat capsule, Tassimo a disc with a barcode, and a pod is soft and papery. A badge on the casing such as Krups or De’Longhi will not tell you the system, because those makers build machines for more than one of them.

Which capsules fit a Tchibo machine?

Tchibo Cafissimo machines take Cafissimo capsules, which are identical in shape to the Caffitaly system. In practice that means you can pick from both ranges, and the choice is far wider than if you stayed with a single brand.

Do compatible capsules work as well as the originals?

With capsules from established roasters, yes. The difference tends to be in the price and in the breadth of choice, not in how they work. With very cheap unbranded capsules it occasionally happens that they do not sit precisely in the holder and the machine leaks around them.

Why does Tassimo work out more expensive?

Because one milk drink needs two capsules — one with coffee and one with milk. A pack of “16 capsules” is a pack for eight drinks. When you compare systems it therefore pays to count the price per drink, not per capsule.

Can you put ground coffee in a capsule machine?

With most systems, no. Refillable capsules do exist, which you fill yourself, but the result depends on how precisely you keep to the dose and the tamp — and it tends to be less consistent than a ready-made capsule. Anyone who wants full control over their coffee is better served by coffee beans and a grinder.

Do capsules keep for a long time?

Yes, and that is their main strength. The coffee in a capsule is sealed away from oxygen, so it holds its aroma for a year or more — unlike an opened bag of ground coffee, where you are counting in days. We look at it in more detail in our article on how long coffee lasts.

Which capsules are cheapest per cup?

Professional systems in packs of a hundred capsules, and paper pods. The most expensive are milk drinks, because you are paying for the milk component in the capsule as well.

Summary and recommendations

Choosing capsules has two steps, and only the first one is technical. Work out the system first — from the label on the machine or from the shape of the capsule. Only then pick a taste, and at that point you are deciding as you would with any other coffee: espresso for a short drink, lungo for a longer one, milk capsules if you do not want to deal with milk separately.

When you compare prices, stick to the price per drink, not the price of the pack or of the capsule. With Tassimo that is a factor of two. And if you are wondering whether to reach for the original or for a compatible capsule, with established roasters you will not find a difference in how they work — only in price and in the breadth of choice.

The whole range of coffee capsules is in one place, split up by system, so all you have to do is pick yours and after that it is only a matter of taste.