Nespresso drinkers can now explore a much wider variety of coffees as more and more alternative brands offer Nespresso compatible capsules. But there’s a catch. It can be challenging to get the full flavours from these luxurious coffees through a standard Nespresso machine. In this article we’ll explore why, and how the coffee industry has responded to make premium coffees available in capsules and accessible to Nespresso drinkers alike.
Background: How Nespresso compatible capsules can unlock a world of flavour
No other coffee brand has had as much an impact in the in-home market as Nespresso has. “It turned making espresso into a microwave meal”- as James Hoffmann so aptly described it, thereby creating a whole new genre of coffee lovers. Nestle certainly went all in on Nespresso, paying George Clooney as much as $40 million as part of their global campaign to created a billion dollar empire, and they succeeded.
But when the European Trademark Office refused Nespresso protection on its capsulation, it did Nespresso drinkers a massive favour making it a gateway to a much wider variety of delicious coffees and independent brands. The convenience, consistency and shelf life of capsules makes this a truly attractive proposition for coffee enthusiasts and producers alike.
Here’s the catch. There’s more to Nespresso than just Clooney and the capsule shape. Nespresso is a meticulously integrated coffee delivery system, designed to lock in consumers, and lock out competitors. By design, any change to the coffee, manufacturing process or capsule, creates variances that need to be catered for when manufacturing and brewing Nespresso alternatives.
Coffee variance: Nespresso compatible capsules need more than Nespresso machines can offer.
Nespresso carefully select coffees that are cheap, pungent, and easy to brew in a standard Nespresso machine, which are designed to brew these coffees and their specific capsules alone. This limits drinkers to a very narrow range of coffees. Unfortunately, this oversimplification restricts the machine’s ability to extract the full range of flavours from a broader range of coffees. More diverse or flavourful coffees are typically roasted lighter than Nespresso to retain these vibrant flavours. The challenge medium to light roasts have, is that they are denser and therefore harder to brew than dark roasts. That’s why Nespresso will never release a truly light roast because it under performs in their machine.
Luckily, the coffee industry has responded and developed machines to deal with this limitation, like the Blume 2-Step Pro (similarly priced to the Nespresso machine) and the Morning. These capsule machines substitute the missing elements, like pre-infusion and pressure profiling, and volumetric programming to optimise extraction and enhance unique flavours. In recent testing, these machines enhanced body, cream and flavour, by up to 50% in cases.
The capsule variance: It’s more than just the shape that matters.
Images credit to James Hoffman YouTube channel.
Nespresso capsules have multiple proprietary differences to alternative manufacturers. The seal is one of the trademarks Nespresso retained and it has a significant role together their machine. It ensures a pressure tight seal when the capsule is engaged. Alternative capsules are not allowed to have this seal, providing a less favourable brew in Nespresso’s machine. Alternative Nespresso machines, like the Blume and Morning Pro, accommodate for this by including a seal inside the machine. This allows you to perfectly brew manufacturers capsules including Nespresso. For a deep technical dive, James Hoffman, renowned coffee expert explains.
Images credit to James Hoffman
Another factor is the materials used for the capsule and the lid. Be it aluminium, plastic or environmentally friendly biodegradable material, they all have varying tolerances and stretch patterns, which dramatically affects the brewing process because it’s the materials tolerances that determine when and under what pressure the lid is perforated and coffee is released. Pre-infusion and pressure profiling accommodate for this by regulating the flow and temperature of the water optimise the brew no matter what capsule you’re using, as is the case with the Blume and Morning capsule machines.
Grinder variance: Nespresso has different grinder technology to alternative manufacturers.
Nespresso uses proprietary industrial grinding technology that can literally regulate grind size and distribution of those grinds to minuscule percentiles. The coffee inside the capsule is ground specifically for their regulated brewing process. The grinder technology that an independent roaster is using, albeit very good, simply cannot match the multi-million-dollar industrial grinders Nespresso uses.
The solution to this is again pre-infusion and volumetric programming. Pre-infusion, or “blooming”, gently saturates the coffee, before applying high pressure, together achieving a richer, tastier coffee with more crema. Pre-infusion allows the coffee to expand and evenly spread out before applying pressure, providing a more even extraction for a wider range of coffees and grind distributions. Standard Nespresso machines don’t have this function, simply because they don’t need it as they use one dimensional coffees and have a near 100% consistent grind. And volumetric programming allows you to extend the shot to target the ideal extraction.
If you love capsules and want to explore luxurious specialty coffees and roasters, you’ll need to upgrade your machine.
Exotic, flavorful coffees from independent roasters simply require a little more care than a standard Nespresso machine can offer. Fortunately we now have machines like the Blume, (similarly priced to Nespresso) and Morning Pro, which bring home the vibrant and diverse flavours local roasters offer, whiles supporting local businesses. This combined with the convenience, consistency and shelf life of capsules makes it an exciting proposition beyond just current Nespresso drinkers, but anyone wanting to enjoy coffee as good as the roaster intended, without the need for barista-like skills to make it. It truly is an exciting time to be drinking alternative capsules.