Nespresso® Pods – All You Need to Know!

Compatible Nespresso® pods offer huge benefits including big savings, eco-friendly capsules, organic and Fairtrade varieties.
But they also bring up many questions. Will compatible pods work in my machine? Do they taste the same?

In this complete guide, our coffee experts will answer all your questions. We’ll also give you some useful tips to help make your coffee experience even tastier.
Let’s get started!

Nespresso® Compatible Pods: What Are They?

Quite simply, a compatible Nespresso® pod is one not produced by the Nespresso® brand. However, it’s designed to work perfectly in a Nespresso machine. This makes it an excellent alternative to Nespresso®.

Companies that produce compatible pods include Real Coffee, Douwe Egberts, Café Pod, Hotel Chocolat, Gourmesso, and many more. These pods vary in design and construction. They can be made of aluminium, plastic, and other materials.

Top Tip!

Just because an alternative pod is made of aluminum doesn’t necessarily mean it’s any better than those made of plastic. It all comes down to the overall design of the pod. Make sure to choose a serious coffee company with good reviews and credibility.

Compatibility: Do They Really Work?

We can’t speak for every single coffee brand, as all pods are designed differently, however the simple answer is yes – most of them will work in your Nespresso® machine.

Thorough testing ensures compatibility. Most serious coffee brands will thoroughly test their pods to ensure complete compatibility with popular Nespresso® machines, including the Pixie, Inissia, Citiz, Essenza and Lattissima series.

Providing you follow the correct instructions; most compatible pods should work in your Nespresso® machine. However, some may not work as well as you hoped. It all depends on the pod you choose and the machine you use. That’s why you should use a trusted brand with good reviews.

It’s also worth noting that some compatible capsules do struggle when used in fully-automatic Nespresso® machines such as the Prodigio, Nespresso-U®, and the Expert. This is because these machines are very sensitive. Even tiny modifications to the original Nespresso design can result in problems during use.

Real Coffee says...

We can't speak for the rest, but Real Coffee's compatible capsules are 100% campatible, even when used in a fully-automatic machine such as the Prodigio, Nespresso-U®, and the Expert. This is because every batch of coffee that comes from Real Coffee's state of the art lab is developed by professional engineers as well as coffee experts.

The perfect pod and coffee flavour is as much a science to Real Coffee as it is to Nespresso®.

Benefits: Big Savings and Better Selection

While Nespresso’s status as the luxury brand is hard to beat, there are big benefits to using compatible Nespresso® pods instead.

Big Savings
One of the biggest is the potential savings, especially if you are a heavy Nespresso® user. Compare a 39p Nespresso® pod to a 25p compatible pod from Real Coffee. Even if you drink just three cups a day, you could save around JOD219 a year using compatible pods instead of original Nespresso! For a large family, or even an office using 10+ capsules a day, the annual savings would be huge.

Better Selection
Another big benefit is that the choice on offer is very wide-ranging. There are many other styles of capsule you just can’t find in the original Nespresso® range. For example, organic and Fairtrade coffee, speciality flavoured coffees, and even hot chocolate pods.

Hassle-Free Purchase
Purchasing your capsules is another advantage of using compatible Nespresso® pods. For example, you can usually pop into your local supermarket and buy a box of compatible pods. You can also buy directly from a brand online in smaller quantities to suit your desires.

Real Coffee says...

At Real Coffee we invest in quality coffee rather than spending big money on marketing, advertising campaigns, and rent for expensive shops. This means we are able to offer great quality coffee at a highly competitive price.

Top Tip!

Buy a small amount to begin with whenever trying a new brand, variety or flavour. If you aren’t a fan of the taste, you won’t have wasted your money on a huge shipment of pods. Try a taster pack of Real Coffee’s most popular varieties to find your favourite. We’ll give you your money back if you don’t like them for whatever reason – no fuss.

Buy Compatible Nespresso® Pods:
How to Choose the Best

Use a trustworthy brand! As quality greatly differs with compatible capsules, make sure you buy a brand of coffee you can trust. And always buy from a retailer or marketplace that offers a money-back returns policy, should you be dissatisfied with your coffee.

In 2018, buying a pack of Nespresso®-compatible capsules from a good brand couldn’t be easier. You can buy a big range of pods in supermarkets.