NESCAFÉ® Dolce Gusto® pods

About NESCAFÉ® Dolce Gusto® coffee
Coffee—a drink linked nowadays so inextricably to our daily pleasures—comes in a variety of forms: beans, ground coffee, instant coffee drinks, pads and, of course, capsules, otherwise known as coffee pods. There are numerous different pods on the market, designed for numerous different brewing systems. Despite this overwhelming variety, Nescafé Dolce Gusto pods, which are meant to be used in capsule coffee machines of the same name, remain one of the trendiest. They’re manufactured by Nestlé and made unique by the particularly wide choice of flavours the curious coffee connoisseur is given a chance to explore.

Nescafé is a brand known all over the world, occupying a leading position in the instant coffee market ever since 1938. The company’s products have always been particularly innovative and easy to use, yet the manufacturer took another step forward in 2006 by introducing its fans to a new coffee brewing system: it was called Dolce Gusto (Italian for ‘sweet taste’) and used coffee capsules created specially for it. The Nescafé Dolce Gusto coffee machines are capable of producing a variety of beverages at the touch of a button, be it espresso, cappuccino, latte macchiato, lungo or numerous others. These user-friendly appliances can also serve lovers of sweets with hot chocolate or some delicious cocoa.

What’s So Special about Nescafé Dolce Gusto Pods?

These pods boast an exceptionally high quality. When producing them, the company thinks everything through down to the smallest detail:

First, the creators of Nescafé Dolce Gusto pods carefully select coffee beans grown in various corners of the globe and by numerous different farmers: they do that based on the flavours these beans are capable of unveiling. Different varieties are then combined, resulting in rich, well-balanced blends. Experienced roasters select a roast profile best suited for the beans in question and hence make the blend even yummier.

Different coffee pods contain beans of different grind levels. Espresso and similar beverages generally require a finer grind, which goes towards creating the bitter, rich flavour typical of these drinks. Other recipes are suited better for coarse grinds: these produce a delicate, delightfully fruity black coffee or lungo. The optimal flavour is inseparable from the optimal grind, so, in order to ensure maximum precision, Nescafé Dolce Gusto uses the latest laser technologies when grinding beans.

Once coffee is ground, it’s poured into special capsules. These are made up of an external casing, a small pyramid-shaped, aluminium-coated plate on the bottom, a perforated membrane and an upper membrane. The pyramid plate ensures consistent pressure throughout the capsule, while the soft membrane above the coffee distributes the inflowing water evenly. Nescafé Dolce Gusto capsules are hermetically sealed to protect them from the effects of air and humidity—this guarantees long-lasting freshness and keeps the coffee from losing some of its flavours and aromas as time goes on.

How to Pick the Best Dolce Gusto Pods for You? 

Nescafé Dolce Gusto offers a particularly wide range of coffee pods. This might make choosing the ones for you quite difficult, so, to help you out, we’ve listed some things that are worth paying attention to when making your decision.

Regular, instant, flavoured or milky? Different Nescafé Dolce Gusto coffee pods have different ingredients. Most of these pods are filled with freshly ground coffee only—that is, there are no extra ingredients in there. However, to make your brew even more exceptional, some of these pods contain flavoured coffee. It’s important to note here that the absolute majority of flavourings used in Nescafé pods are completely natural. If you’re a fan of milk-based coffees, you might want to give coffee and milk powder pods a try: the milk powder can come in a separate capsule or be pre-mixed with coffee in the same one (instant coffee is used whenever that’s the case). When using separate capsules to prepare a milk-based drink, you’ll have to use them one after the other. There’ll be 16 capsules in total in a package like this: eight of them will be filled with coffee and the other eight will contain milk powder.

100% arabica or an arabica and robusta blend? There are two main coffee varieties ruling the world nowadays: arabica and robusta. Arabica has numerous different subspecies characterised by various flavours. Compared to robusta, it’s generally more delicate, subtle and marked by fruitier notes. Robusta, on the other hand, is intense, bitter, characterised by the taste of grain and a narrower flavour palette in general. Interestingly, robusta also contains more caffeine.

All in all, fans of espresso, black coffee and a wider choice of flavours should probably go for arabica coffee pods, while those who prefer their brews rich and marked by some extra bitterness are likely to enjoy arabica and robusta blends.

Espresso, cappuccino, caramel latte macchiato, or something else completely? The recipe that a particular Nescafé Dolce Gusto variety has been created for is always listed on the packaging, so you won’t have to second guess here. The exact serving size recommended for the optimal flavour is indicated on there too. When it comes to coffee pods, these aren’t the only variables, of course: the origin of the coffee used, the exact blend, the amount of coffee and its grind level all vary from pod to pod. To make it a bit easier, all Nescafé Dolce Gusto pods can be grouped into the following categories:

Espresso and ristretto pods are designed for small, yet intense servings. Our Nescafé Dolce Gusto range includes Espresso, Espresso Intenso, Doppio Espresso, Ristretto Ardenza and Ristretto Barista capsules.

Lungo pods are perfect for those who like to enjoy their coffee for a little bit longer: choose from Grande, Grande Intenso, Lungo, Lungo Colombia and Grande Mexico.

Milk-based pods will delight fans of milky drinks. We’ve already noted that some of these drinks will require you to use two separate capsules: these are Cappuccino, Latte Macchiato and Latte Macchiato Caramel. Other milk-based pods contain a mixture of instant coffee and milk powder, so if you’d rather use a single capsule, take a look at Café Au Lait, Cortado, Flat White, Almond Flat White, Coconut Flat White and Oat Flat White.

Pods for making other drinks are also part of the Nescafé Dolce Gusto range. Give hot chocolate a try, or enjoy a cup of Nesquik cocoa!

What makes the taste of your coffee? Nescafé Dolce Gusto sources its coffees from all over the world, so being aware of the key qualities characterising beans from different regions may very well help you choose the right pods for you. South American coffees are usually marked by notes of chocolate, nuts and caramel, so fans of traditional flavours should go for coffee pods containing Brazilian or Colombian coffees. If you’re looking for something a little bit more exotic, choose coffees from Central America. Lovers of fruity, refreshing flavours are likely to find African coffees perfect for their taste, while fans of spices are bound to appreciate coffee from Southeast Asia.

Roast level is important too. If you prefer delicate flavours, choose capsules with medium-roast coffee in them. To experience a fuller body, a bit of bitterness and generally more intense flavours, you should consider coffees of a dark roast. Pay attention to the level of intensity listed on the packaging too.

Decaf drinks. Not a fan of coffee? No worries: Nescafé Dolce Gusto has something for you too! Try the Chococino hot chocolate pods or Nesquik cocoa pods. Chococino is a particularly indulgent chocolate drink brewed with the help of two capsules. One of them contains chocolate powder, while the other is filled with delicious full-fat milk. On the other hand, Nesquik—sweet cocoa topped with a silky foam layer—only requires a single capsule for you (or your little ones) to enjoy it.

Organic coffee. Those who value organic produce will certainly appreciate organic Nescafé Dolce Gusto coffee pods: they contain coffee grown in sustainability-conscious farms, without the use of chemical fertilisers and with particular emphasis placed on protecting the environment. Nescafé Dolce Gusto “Grande Mexico Organic” is made from a blend of organic arabica and robusta beans grown in the Mexican state of Chiapas, the region known as Soconusco, where coffee cherries, surrounded by luscious forests, are given plenty of time to mature in glorious sunlight. There’s also Nescafé Dolce Gusto “Lungo Colombia” made from organic arabica beans grown in Colombia while adhering to unique local traditions.

Best Nescafé Dolce Gusto deals. To allow you to enjoy your favourite coffee pods whenever you feel like it, Coffee Friend offers various discounts and great deals. Look through the Nescafé Dolce Gusto pod offers for a chance to purchase some cheap Dolce Gusto pods. There’s also something special for whole families made up of capsule coffee lovers, or those who are always worried about running out of their favourite brew: people like that are guaranteed to love capsule sets. Nescafé Dolce Gusto coffee capsule sets are an excellent way to save!

Our trendiest, best-rated coffees. If you’re struggling to choose, you can always rely on our community of coffee lovers to help you out: use the sorting feature to see which pods are currently the most popular and best rated.

Enjoy Your Coffee Even More with Various Accessories and Add-Ons

Coffee Friend’s range of products also includes handy accessories, such as coffee capsule holders. Capsule holders are an excellent tool when it comes to organising your capsules: not only do these holders make your capsules easy to see and access, but they also let you save some precious countertop space. Not to mention that capsules arranged like that look beautiful and can turn into a unique interior accent!

Those who like adding some additional flavour to their drinks are welcome to explore our range of syrups. Use them to spice up your espressos, black coffees and milk-based beverages, creating unique coffee cocktails in the process!

To Conclude…

You now have all of the key information about Nescafé Dolce Gusto coffee pods! Don’t forget that our range includes a variety of pods suited for Dolce Gusto coffee machines, yet produced by other popular manufacturers. If you’re struggling to choose though, feel free to reach out to Coffee Friend’s consultants: they’re always ready to help you out!