{Review} of Aromo coffee, Cafepod and Nespresso coffee capsules.

I make no secret of the fact that I consider tea to be the work of the devil. We love our  Nespresso Citiz + Milk- bought for DH as a wedding anniversary gift- I’m fairly sure it’s the thing we’d be most likely to save in a fire. That shot of caffeine first thing in the morning is all that gets me through the school run.

So of course I was happy to try Aromo capsules and Cafepod capsules, both of which are designed so that they are compatible with Nespresso machines. I rather enjoyed the direct comparison- it made me feel like I worked on Good Housekeeping, a job I’ve always secretly wanted.

 

Packaging

Nespresso: a long square tube designed to dispense the 10 capsules easily, the boxes stack well in the cupboard until needed. Brilliant, simple design. The capsules are coloured foil-sealed individual units so they have no scent, which means they can be stored in the open air without loss of flavour.

Aromo: A fatter box which contains a sealed bag which contain the 12 capsules, so more packaging than the Nespresso, and the smell of coffee is immediately apparent- though the capsules have a foil seal across the top there are perforated holes in the base which presumably helps them work in the machine but which clearly releases some of the aroma and, potentially, the flavour.

CafePod: The square box, containing 10 capsules,which stands up well by itself, contains individually wrapped capsules. I presume this is because the capsules themselves have a clear plastic perforated top and also a perforated base, so a lot more of the flavour and aroma is exposed to the air once opened. The extra packaging creates a layer that makes storage in my ‘capsule container’- next to the tea container- harder as they are bulkier, but at least there is a reason for the packaging.

 

Performance

Nespresso: as these capsules are designed for the machine, working them is a dream. They fit in the slot and the arm folds down smoothly, punching the capsule to release the coffee flavour.

Aromo: the capsules fit easily in the slot but folding the arm down was harder- perhaps due to the plastic rather than metal capsule? The coffee brewed just fine and the spent capsule was released without issue.

CafePod: this was the hardest of the three to fold the arm down on. The coffee was brewed easily once in place and I had no problem getting the used capsule out.

 

Flavour. 

I should qualify this by saying that I drink black coffee. DH’s cappuccino is a lot kinder to the palate and he liked most of the coffees.

Nespresso: has the greatest range of flavours by far, each bearing a strength rating from 1-10. In fact we have a catalogue to keep track of them all. I favour a mid-range strength coffee called Rosabaya for my morning coffee which has a fruity tone to it and is great for drinking without milk, whilst the cappuccino-loving DH prefers a slighlty stronger Roma to blend with his milk.

Aromo: I was sent three of their four flavours to try. Argento is described as ‘rich and aromatic’, and I’d agree. The flavour was strong and- I found- tasted a little like burnt sugar. But DH’s cappuccino was really very nice. The Intenso, by contrast, was actually too bold a flavour for either of us first thing in the morning. I confess we have yet to try the Decaf.

CafePod: offers four flavours, one being Decaf. I tried the Smooth blend, which had smoky nutty aroma and was indeed smooth. DH enjoyed his cappuccino too, and wondered if I had ‘done something special’ to it.

 

Cost

Nespresso: a range of prices starting at 27p per capsule (bought in multiples of ten) dependent on which flavour you have, and you must order in multiples of 100 capsules (10 boxes). My Rosabaya costs 33p per cup. Free standard delivery but expedited delivery is £4.95

Aromo: minimum online order is 120 capsules or ten boxes but works out- with free delivery over £35- at £33.50 per minimum order, as 28p per cup.

CafePod: available from Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s and online, this is the only coffee capsule that is easily available, which is something to commend, especially if you find yourself short. I bought mine from Sainsbury’s for £2.75, which works out at 28p per cup.

 

Outcome of comparison

There is no doubt that it makes sense, if you own a Nespresso, to buy the same make of coffee. However this seems to be an increasingly competitive market, so as a consumer, I shall watch with interest. The problem I have is that you have to order online or buy from a recognised dealer, who may not have the full range available even if you can get to them. From a cost perspective, it clearly depends which coffee you buy. I love their blending and flavours and am very attached to my pink capsules.

Aromo, produced by Dualit and also compatible with Magimix and Krups machines, have a more limited range and similar supply issues but I like the flavours that they had. To be honest though, they offer nothing that I cannot get with the Nespresso brand. It’s a shame they are not more widely available, or available in smaller amounts.

This is the thing that the CafePod has over both brands- they are for sale in several large supermarket chains and can be bought in boxes of ten. That convenience would make me choose this brand, though they don’t work as well in our machine. And I genuinely like their coffee and the packaging, shallow though that comment may seem.