Real Coffee Alternatives to Nespresso’s Top 5 Varieties

If you’re a long-time Nespresso® user who is curious about using a compatible pod, but are worried that you’ll miss the flavours you are used to, we understand. To help make your decision easier, we’ve highlighted five popular Nespresso pods and the Real Coffee alternatives.

Nespresso® Kazaar -> Real Coffee Roma

Kazaar is an intense, syrupy coffee which shares characteristics with Real Coffee’s Espresso Roma – both give a powerful kick, and are excellent for the mornings. Roma is a dark blend of 70% Robusta and 30% Arabica beans (all Fairtrade coffee). It offers a strong taste, rounded off with a lingering hint of hazelnut and a rich crema. Both Kazaar and Roma should be added to milk, as their flavours can be too strong for drinking neat.

Nespresso® Arpeggio -> Real Coffee Single Origin Sumatra
Arpeggio is a bold dark-roasted coffee with slight notes of cocoa, which shares many flavours with Real Coffee’s Single Origin Sumatra. The Sumatra is one of our organic and Fairtrade coffees, cultivated by the Mandailing people of northern Sumatra. It offers a complex flavour, with a slight herbal, chocolatey finish.

Nespresso® Fortissio Lungo -> Real Coffee San Marino
For a longer drink, Nespresso’s Fortissio Lungo retains a rich full-bodied flavour, and shares some similarities in taste with Real Coffee’s San Marino Lungo. San Marino is both Fairtrade-certified and organic, and offers a smooth long coffee, with an intense yet creamy flavour.

Nespresso® Ristretto -> Real Coffee Venezia
Made with a blend of Arabica and Robusta beans, Ristretto is another intense espresso from Nespresso, although easier to drink on its own without milk. This is the same for Real Coffee Venezia, which offers a familiar bold taste that’s well-balanced and spicy. Like many others in the Real Coffee range, Venezia is Fairtrade-certified.

Nespresso® Arpeggio Decaffinato -> Real Coffee Torino Decaf
Nespresso’s Arpeggio Decaffinato is very similar in flavour to the brand’s original Arpeggio, although without the caffeine. For those who want full flavour without the buzz in a compatible capsule, Real Coffee offers Torino Decaf. This blend is made with 100% Arabica beans from South America, while the decaffeination process is completely free from chemicals.

It’s worth pointing out that Real Coffee have different coffee experts to Nespresso®, so you won’t find two varieties that taste identical. However, when it comes to strength and tasting notes, there are certainly common features with the coffees listed above.

Top Tip!

Be careful not to trust the coffee strength on the package – people taste the same coffee very differently. A ‘9’ to us may only be a ‘7’ to you. If in doubt, buy smaller quantities in the first instance

How to Get the Best Coffee Experience Every Time

The appeal of a Nespresso® machine is that it’s a quick, easy and mess-free way to make a quality espresso. But there’s actually an art to getting the best taste. Here are some of the easiest ways to enhance your next cup of Nespresso-compatible coffee:

Load the pod correctly
It’s worth spending an extra second to ensure the Nespresso® pod is lined-up in the machine correctly. When you close the machine, press firmly to pierce the capsule and foil, but don’t force it. If it feels like there is too much resistance, check the pod is loaded correctly.

Use filtered water
To get the optimum taste from your speciality coffee, we advise using filtered water. Filtration reduces the chlorine, sediment and odours in the water, as well as ‘softening’ the water – this is particularly important if you live in a hard water area of the UK.

Warm your machine and cup before use
A warm machine works more efficiently – the pods pierce easier, the coffee pours smoother, and the taste is even better. Turn your machine on and run some water into a cup. This will give you improved coffee extraction, as well as a warm cup, which all leads to a better overall coffee experience.

Nespresso® Pods and The Environment: Are They Bad?

Much has been said about Nespresso® pods, compatible capsules and the environment, and there’s no doubt that throwing a pile of aluminium capsules in landfill is no good for the planet.

Which is why we recommend using recyclable plastic pods. Compared to other materials, the production of a compatible Nespresso® pod made of polyethylene – a plastic material that is often used for food packaging – has less impact on the environment and can be easily recycled.

Simply open the pod through the foil at the bottom, then empty the coffee remains into your food recycling bin or onto a compost heap. Then just add the empty pod to your household plastic recycling. Simple!

It’s worth highlighting that using coffee capsules in a smaller household or for a single cup of coffee may be a more environmentally-friendly alternative to making a pot of filter coffee. This is because it is quite difficult to brew the right amount of filter coffee in the traditional way for just one cup. Using pods means less energy is wasted and less coffee is thrown away.

The Benefits of Organic Coffee

Better for yourself and the environment.

Organic is certainly a buzz word these days, but for good reason – organic produce is better for both yourself and the environment. Organic coffee in particular, because regular coffee is one of the most heavily chemically-treated foods in the world.

Organic coffee is richer in antioxidants.

While the taste isn’t necessarily better than regular non-organic coffee, by using compatible Nespresso® pods filled with organic coffee, you are not ingesting potentially harmful chemicals that have been absorbed by the beans from the use of synthetic additives or fertilizer. It has also been found that organic coffee is richer in antioxidants than regular coffee, which can only be a good thing.

Meanwhile, organic coffee is generally better for the environment. This is because there is no use of chemicals that can affect the local habitat and harm the people who live on and near the coffee farms.

The Benefits of Fairtrade Coffee

While using Fairtrade-certified coffee has no real impact on you or your coffee experience, using it can be a huge deal for the coffee famers who produce the coffee you drink.

This is because Fairtrade works to improve the coffee farmer’s quality of life, give them fair wages, and enable their children to attend school, while helping to develop local communities. It may not taste different, but it’s a coffee with a good heart.