Coffee capsules are having a renaissance. Once valued mostly for convenience, they're now becoming a way to try speciality beans and blends easily at home. When I spoke to Colin Morrison, Managing Director at Small Batch Coffee Roasters, about coffee trends in 2025, speciality capsules were one of his top picks.
"With advancements in technology and an emphasis on preserving the nuanced flavors of specialty coffee, pod manufacturers and roasters are delivering high-quality options," Morrison explained.
Most recently, Nespresso has launched a range of new Vertuo Coffee+ capsules, which are intended to give your usual morning brew an extra boost with added nutrients and caffeine. There's even an option to pick up a pack of collagen supplements along with your pods. The jury is out on just how effective collagen supplements are for improving the health of your joints and skin, but if you're thinking of incorporating it into your daily routine, then adding it to your morning brew seems like a good way to establish the new habit.
I have a little Nespresso Vertuo Pop at home, which despite its small size and very modest price tag is one of the best Nespresso machines around. It usually takes a back seat to my manual espresso maker, so I was curious to see whether this new generation of capsule might sway me.
After all, I seem to be in a minority. A recent survey by Deloitte found that 39% of regular coffee drinkers favor instant, while 28% prefer filter and 25% use capsules. Just 20% use a fully automatic espresso machine, and manual espresso machines didn't even make the cut when it comes to the top five ways to prepare a morning brew. Perhaps I've been missing out.
Top of the pods
I was most intrigued by the Nespresso Coffee+ Ginseng Delight capsule, which contains a blend of robusta and arabica beans, with ginseng, and "a soft caramel flavor". Robusta beans are higher in caffeine and have a more bitter, punchy taste than arabica, which is lighter and more fruity, As such, I was interested to see how the two would work together – particularly since ginseng also has quite a bitter flavor.
A few seconds after dropping the capsule into my coffee machine, I found myself with a surprisingly creamy and easy-drinking double espresso. I'm not normally a big fan of extra flavoring in coffee, since you can have so much fun experimenting with beans and grind sizes to try different tastes, but here the added caramel was just enough to take away any hint of bitterness without becoming too sweet. Nespresso suggests it's best enjoyed on its own, but after a little experimentation, I can say that the smooth taste works well as a latte.
The next day, I tried the Vivida capsule, which contains extra vitamin B12. As the NHS explains, vitamin B12 is necessary to make red blood cells and keep the nervous system healthy, release energy from food, and use folate. Meat and dairy products are good sources, but vegetarians and vegans may struggle to get enough in their diet.
Unlike the Ginseng Delight, this capsule brews a 230ml mug of coffee. Its biscuity flavor pairs well with a splash of oat or dairy milk, but it's also enjoyable black, and the added vitamin B12 doesn't seem to affect the flavor. Each Vivida capsule contains 0.63μg of vitamin B12, which is well within the limits of what the NHS suggests is safe for a supplement.
I had a long marathon training run the following morning, so I decided to take one of the added caffeine capsules for a spin. The Stormio Boost capsule (an attractive shade of green) creates a cup of coffee with a smooth, smoky flavor, and 20% more caffeine than Nespresso's regular Stormio blend.
The extra caffeine comes from unroasted (aka green) coffee beans, which are then used for decaf blends. The green Stormio beans are then treated with steam and infused with the extracted caffeine before being roasted. As another member of my running club noted, it's coffee with extra coffee, which sounds good to me.
Did it have a noticeable effect on my training run? It's hard to say, but I got through 17 miles using only regular non-caffeinated energy gels, so perhaps it did have some impact (or maybe it was just the peanut butter and banana on toast I had with it). Regardless, it tasted good.
On the final day of my experiment, I popped the golden Melozio Boost capsule into the chamber of my little Nespresso machine and watched as another 230ml of rich, caffeine-enhanced coffee dispensed itself into my mug. I found that the Melozio had a milder, less bitter taste than the Stormio. It's an easier-drinking option, even if you usually steer clear of black coffee. If I didn't know better, I wouldn't have guessed that it contains just as much caffeine as the punchier green capsule.
All four of the capsules I tried had their perks, but it's the Ginseng Delight that gets my personal vote. It's the most unusual of the set, and its caramel flavor is unlike anything you'll get from beans alone. I do love a latte as well, and it works perfectly with steamed milk. I won't be shutting my manual espresso machine away in a cupboard any time soon, but I think I'll find a place for the Vertuo Pop beside it, so I can choose between the two in future.
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