Evaluated as espresso produced in a Nespresso-recommended ristretto 25ml (.85-ounce) shot by a Nespresso capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated using a conventional steam wand. Rich, deep, dark chocolaty. Hints of cedar and perhaps lemon. The mouthfeel is full, perhaps a bit heavy. Clean, simple, rather deep finish. Imparts a sweet, wood-toned chocolate and syrupy mouthfeel to three parts whole milk.
Evaluated as espresso produced in the Nespresso-recommended standard 40ml (1.35-ounce) shot by a Nespresso capsule espresso brewer and with whole milk heated using a conventional steam wand. Sweet-toned, with distinct floral and fruit – mango, apricot – notes in aroma and small cup. Very lightly syrupy mouthfeel; the finish is sweet, clean, simple. Fades a bit in three parts milk, though a delicate floral-toned chocolate persists.
Price: $11.95/12 pods
Evaluated as espresso produced in a 30ml/1-ounce shot by a Verismo capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated separately using a conventional steam wand, not with milk from the Verismo milk capsule. Pungent, roundly bright. Fir, butter, dark chocolate in aroma and small cup. Smooth but slightly lean mouthfeel; crisp, sweet, slightly drying finish. In three parts whole milk displays a muted but sweet fir-toned chocolate.
Price: $14.99/18 capsules
Evaluated as espresso produced in a 40ml/1.35-ounce shot by the Rivo capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated separately using a conventional steam wand. Soft, simple, chocolaty. Distinct chocolate, hints of orange and cedar in aroma and small cup. Smooth, slightly lean mouthfeel. Flavor fades in the short finish, but a pleasant hint of chocolate revives in the long. Delicate in three parts milk with the chocolate sensation showing some richness and hints of complexity.
Evaluated as espresso produced in a 40ml/1.35-ounce shot by a Singolo capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated using a conventional steam wand. Shots from the tested samples of this blend were rather uneven in aroma and flavor, suggesting that blending may not have been sufficiently thorough before the coffee was ground and put in capsules. The mouthfeel was full and syrupy in all shots, but in flavor and finish some shots were dominated by a simple woody molasses, whereas others were livelier, with the wood note more aromatic, the molasses approaching carob, and hints of a tart fruit. The best shots were particularly impressive in three parts whole milk, where they displayed a roundly nuanced milk chocolate.
Price: $14.99/18 capsules
Evaluated as espresso produced in a 40ml/1.35-ounce shot by the Rivo capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated separately using a conventional steam wand. Plum, dark chocolate, gently scorched wood in aroma and cup. The roasty fruit shows a slightly salty tendency in the cup, but sweetens again in a pleasant finish. Roundly chocolaty in three parts milk, though with a continued dry, woody edge.
Price: $11.95/12 pods
Evaluated as espresso produced in a 30ml/1-ounce shot by a Verismo capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated separately using a conventional steam wand, not with milk from the Verismo milk capsule. Scorched and astringent. Burned caramel, gently charred cedar, dark chocolate, a floral hint in the aroma. Leanish mouthfeel. A drying woody sensation dominated the flavor of the small cup, with hints of dark chocolate and rubber. Rich but very drying, slightly salty finish. In three parts whole milk displays a woody but sweet chocolate with a slight rubbery hint in the background.
Evaluated as espresso produced in a 40ml/1.35-ounce shot by a Singolo capsule espresso brewer with whole milk heated using a conventional steam wand. A prune-toned fruit is complicated by a salty chocolate and sweet wood in aroma and small cup. Heavy but rather inert mouthfeel. Salty and astringent sensations dominate in the finish. Very woody in three parts whole milk, though the pruny fruit sweetens to a pleasant chocolate.