Best Nespresso-compatible pods for 2021

To help you find the best coffee for your Nespresso machine – and save money on your morning brew – we've put Nespresso-compatible coffee pods to the test, asking a panel of independent coffee experts to blind-test them and rate how tasty they are.

Whether you prefer a flat white or a straight-up espresso, we’ve uncovered pods that will get your taste buds tingling. And if you want to switch to a cheaper or compostable pod, we've uncovered the best of those too.

Read on to find out which capsules impressed our expert tasters, and which ones you should leave on the shelf.

Need to decide which Nespresso machine to buy first? Our handy Nespresso buying guide explains how to choose one which will suit your needs – and your budget – perfectly. Or if you're not totally sold on Nespresso, check our round-up of the best coffee machines from our tough independent tests.

Best Nespresso pods

Our expert tasting panel have blind-tasted and rated Nespresso and compatible coffee pods from popular brands such as Costa, Starbucks and Lavazza. We've also reviewed supermarket own-brands including Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury's and Aldi.

We’ve found three top-scoring Best Buys, plus a great value option for less than half the price of Nespresso branded pods. Log in or try Which? to reveal the results in the table below.

Table notes: Results published April 2020. All pods are compatible with Nespresso Original machines, but not built-in, Vertuo or commercial models. Check the packaging for any other machine exclusions before use.

Best compostable Nespresso pods

Table notes: Availability last checked April 2020. Results are from 2019 taste test and aren't directly comparable with 2020 results above. All pods are available to buy online, Eden Project pods can also be found in Waitrose stores. Composting method is based on information provided by the manufacturer and has not been verified in our testing.

All pods are compatible with Nespresso Original machines, but not built-in, Vertuo or commercial models. Check the packaging for any other machine exclusions before use.  

• See how the different coffee pod brands compare on recycling, price and range of coffees in our full coffee pod brands buying guide
• Take your coffee on the road with the best reusable coffee cups

Nespresso taste test - what we did

We asked a panel of coffee experts to blind-taste and rate a range of Nespresso-compatible pods.

Our 2020 panel of independent coffee experts included:

• Giles Hilton – panel head, coffee specialist with 40 years’ tasting experience
• Colin Smith – artisan coffee roaster and former president of the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe
• Charles Love – tea and coffee product expert and trainer
• Mike Nunn – head of training at Monmouth Coffee Co, which has been roasting and selling coffee since 1978

We made each coffee using a Nespresso machine that had performed well in our coffee machine tests, and asked our experts to taste it both with and without milk.

They rated the aroma, appearance, flavour, mouthfeel, sweetness and aftertaste of each coffee. These ratings were then combined into an overall percentage score.

(2019 eco-pod results were judged by Giles Hilton, Charles Love, Marc-Pierre Dietrich and Charles Metcalfe).

Get the best from your Nespresso-compatible pods with our guide to using compatible coffee pods

Coffee tasting notes explained

Here are a few of the things our experts look for and what they mean:

• Acidity – a bright, tangy and dry wine-like taste that adds life to a coffee
• Tannins – can add bitter notes to the flavour
• Crema – the golden foam on top of an espresso, should be creamy and consistent
• Body – the feel of a coffee in the mouth. Full-bodied brews will be strong, creamy and pleasant, others may be thin and watery
• Clean taste – tasty, but without any particular flavour notes coming through
• Sweetness – essentially a milder, smoother coffee flavour

Need a new machine? See our top five best Nespresso coffee machines

Choosing the best coffee for you

Aren't sure what makes a Sumatran coffee different from a Columbian? Check out the map to find out.

Where coffee comes from and how it is harvested will make a big difference to the taste; here's an overview of the various regions:

 Different roast levels and what they mean

• Light roast – produces a milder coffee. Tend to be brighter, more acidic and have a toasted, grainy flavour. Retains the original flavour characteristics of the beans well.
• Medium roast – a medium-intensity coffee with fuller body. A good balance of intensity and flavour.
• Dark / Italian roast – stronger, more bitter-tasting coffee, often with intense smoky or woody notes.

Making flavoured coffee with your Nespresso machine

If you want to re-create some tempting coffee shop favourites, there are plenty of flavoured Nespresso pods to try - including caramel and chocolate variants. 

Alternatively, you can make flavoured coffee by adding a shot of syrup to a drink make with your favourite Nespresso pod.

We asked our expert panel to try a caramel-flavoured Nespresso pod alongside a standard Nespresso coffee made with caramel syrup and found the syrup to have a stronger caramel flavour compared with the pods. However, the pods were quicker and easier to use.

Want to make frothy coffees such as macchiatos, flat whites and cappuccinos with your machine? Check our video guide to making fancy coffees at home.

There's a wide range of interesting and unusual compatible coffees to try in your Nespresso machine. See our comparison of major coffee pod retailers to get a feel for how they compare to branded pods on price and range.