Nespresso pod deals this Cyber Monday will come as welcome relief to all those who regularly turn to their Nespresso machine for their coffee fix. Usually, while Nespresso and other coffee pod or capsule machines are a quick and easy option, but they aren't cheap to use. However, the good news is that the best Cyber Monday deals will include cheap Nespresso Pods as well as cheap Nespresso coffee machines.
All of the big Nespresso brands use the same styles of compact pods, packed with coffee with a vast range of brews tweaked to suit your own personal taste. Magimix, Krups, Sage, Wacao, Dualit, it doesn't matter on the brand of machine you own because you'll still need those pods to keep on drinking cups of the black stuff. They also come in two size: classic Nespresso pods, which you can find cheap all the time including on Black Friday, and the larger and more premium Vertuo pods, which can be harder to find deals on as they remain exclusive to Nespresso, while anyone can now make the smaller, older, Classic pods.
Thankfully, Black Friday not only brings with it lots of discounted Nespresso coffee machines but the annual sale event is also a perfect time to stock up on Nespresso pods. As noted, in the case of Classic pods, these can be official Nespresso pods made by Nestlé or, since a series of law suits, any third party that feels like making some Nespresso pods. Vertuo pods remain Nestlé-exclusive.
Black Friday means that all of the major outlets will be shifting their fair share of discounted Nespresso pods, including Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart and Sears in the US plus John Lewis, Currys and, unsurprisingly, Amazon in the UK. Finding the best Nespresso pod package is therefore pretty easy, and you should be able to make a significant saving on these coffee-making essentials too.
Read on for some top tips on Nespresso coffee pods, the variants, the alternatives and where to get them all this Cyber Monday and beyond.
Best Black Friday Nespresso pods and capsules deals in the UK
Best Black Friday Nespresso pods and capsules deals in the USA
How to buy the best Nespresso products
Standard Nespresso pods are smaller than those by other coffee capsule brands like Lavazza and Illy, with around five grams of coffee per capsule. So if you like a decent caffeine hit first thing then I’d advise using two pods, one after another.
Alternatively, purchase a Nespresso Vertuo machine instead. This is a whole new kettle of coffee because, instead of just one capsule size, it uses five: Espresso, Double Espresso, Gran Lungo, Mug and extra large Alto. It’s able to tell what size pod you’ve put in by reading a unique barcode which tells the machine the amount of water required and the length of extraction. This is a brilliant way to satisfy a wide range of coffee preferences. Nespresso Vertuo espresso pods start at a fairly reasonable 39p with prices rising to a rather steep 62p for the Alto blend.
When it comes to finding the right standard Nespresso blend to suit your palette, you’ll be required to sip through a chocolate box assortment of 29 different flavours and intensities with names like Arpeggio, Kazaar, Bukeela, Roma and Ristretto.
Most of the Nespresso machines reviewed here come with a free selection box of 16 different flavours and blends. The general rule of thumb is that the darker the pod colour, the stronger the blend.
At Nespresso’s own website, every variety is explained in detail. You can even set your own search parameters like intensity, cup size and whether you prefer a fruity, balanced or more intense flavour. Expect to pay between 31p and 39p per capsule and more for Vertuo pods.
You can also buy Nespresso and Vertuo capsules at Nespresso bars in most shopping malls and some high streets. However, the experience is often unnecessarily slow and frustrating – like buying a house or a new mobile phone.
Most Nespresso machines are sold through the Nespresso website and at stores like John Lewis and Amazon. Some machines are Nespresso branded and made by Eugster/Frismag while others are produced under license by well-known companies like Krups, Sage, Magimix, KitchenAid and De’Longhi.
Rest assured that all the models featured on this page are dead easy to use. Simply drop in a pod, hit the button and out pops a stream of crema-topped black gold every bit as rich and aromatic as the last one. However, we urge you to give the new Vertuo system a try because it not only covers a wide variety of coffee-style preferences, but it produces some of the best capsule-related espressos we’ve ever tasted.
How to buy third-party Nespresso capsules
Make your own Nespresso pods using Bluecup's clever self-fill capsules
Look online and in many supermarkets, and you’ll find a host of artisan coffee providers offering their own Nespresso-compatible blends. For instance, Pactcoffee.com UK sells a range of Nespresso compatible pods filled with an interesting variety of bean blends, while Colonna does everything from high-quality espresso to full-on, rare, artisan beans for coffee connoisseurs. And in compostable pods, to boot. Sadly, the unique nature of the Vertuo system doesn’t allow for third-party capsule manufacturers to get a look in.
If you’d rather enjoy your own favourite coffee blend in a Nespresso pod, consider either Capsul’in disposable self-fill Nespresso capsules or Bluecup’s reusable alternative. The Capsul’in system retails at a very reasonable £8.40 for 100 plastic capsules and 100 circular sticky foils. Simply scoop your preferred blend into a capsule, stick a silver foil on top and drop it into your Nespresso machine. Despite its slightly messy nature, we can vouch that it works perfectly well, as if using a proprietary capsule.
If you’d rather not add any more plastic to the landfill, perhaps try the Bluecup system instead (£25.50), which comes with two reusable plastic pods, 100 aluminium foils, a spoon-cum-tamper and a clever capsule maker that fuses the foil to the capsule with a single twist of its cap. The Bluecup system is our preferred method because it's more environment friendly and it doesn’t create quite as much mess. It’s also cheaper to use in the long run. Both products are available from MaxiCoffee.
Nespresso Vertuo Plus: different strokes
The Vertuo system uses a variety of capsule sizes for different styles of coffee
Unlike the majority of espresso capsule machines that use water pressure during the extraction process, this Vertuo machines use both pressure and centrifugal forces that spin the capsule at up to 7,000 revs per minute. The result is a smooth albeit slightly foamy crema that’s almost as deep as the coffee. Indeed, if you add a splash of warm milk and stir, it’s like drinking a smooth cappuccino.
Rather cleverly, each recyclable foil-covered pod is equipped with a barcode that tailors the size of extraction. Hence, if you put in a small single espresso capsule, it’ll dispense just the right amount of black gold to fill a standard espresso cup. Conversely, if you slap in a larger Alto pod, it’ll extract a full mug’s worth. This make the system perfect for families with different coffee requirements.
The Vertuo range is made up of three different sized capsules capable of delivering five different types of extraction: Espresso, Double Espresso, Gran Lungo, Mug and extra large Alto. The single-shot Espresso capsule produces 40ml of coffee, the Double Espresso 80ml, the Gran Lungo 150ml, the Mug 230ml and the Alto a whopping 414ml. Each capsule comes with a different barcode which the machine reads before extracting the perfect dose.
To make matters a little confusing, some capsules are available in more flavours (or aromas) than others. For instance, the Mug range comes in 11 flavours while the single Espresso only has four and the Double Espresso just two. However, the good news is that there are 29 aromas across the entire range of pods, so chances are you’ll always find the blend that’s right for you.
It has to be said that, while some of the flavours are rich and aromatic, others are too chocolaty or tainted with some other added ingredient. This writer prefers standard single-shot espressos so I stick rigidly to the strongest Diavolitto blend (intensity 11) which is wonderfully aromatic with a great palette-smacking kick.
Vertuo capsules aren't the cheapest, but there’s nothing better out there for outright convenience and versatility. It's worth noting that unlike the standard sized Nespresso capsules, these Vertuo ones don't turn up in most supermarkets.
