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Coffee capsules: Taste test
Coffee capsules: Taste test

Video: Coffee capsules: Taste test

Video: Coffee capsules: Taste test
Video: I Tried Every Nespresso Pod 2024, March
Anonim

I'll tell you about capsule coffee, but without any reference to George Clooney because I know you will appreciate the effort, dear readers of Dissapore. Rather, I will say of how these blessed capsules have earthquake the coffee market by questioning the magic of the one prepared with the moka, a domestic moment sacrificed to the heat of reaching the level of coffee taken at the bar in our homes.

The numbers speak for themselves: from 2011 to 2016 the number of families using the capsules more than doubled, passing from 1, 5 to 3, 6 million, with record consumption among families under 35. Despite some problems with the disposal of the capsules.

Convenience, technology, ease of use and marketing are the keys to success, despite the very high prices, especially when compared to common Moka powder.

In fact, if on the classic domestic blend we are around 15 euros per kilo, the range of prices of the capsules fluctuates between 40 and 80 euros. One more reason to buy with good reason, perhaps using the Dissapore Tasting Test.

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We focused on the five most popular brands. For each we have chosen a “base” blend and the so-called “top of the range”. Each contender obtained a final vote given by the sum of the two tastings.

Technical note, if we can say so: the machine used to prepare the coffees is Nespresso, except in one case. But we will explain why later.

PELLINI TOP

100% Arabica

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The Cambridge Dictionary, no less, explains that "entry level" means "the cheapest or simplest version of a particular product or service".

Pellini Top - the name could not have been otherwise seen - starts with an ambitious product: 100% Arabica blend, retail price of around 72 euros per kilo. But the color of the capsule is red, and pay attention to it, in the coffee trade the color red is often associated with the base product.

Very persistent foam, almost a cream. Low acidity, elegant toasting on the nose. Too bad that the flavor is quite flat, the body not very soft and not very syrupy, the aftertaste almost non-existent. On the packaging I read the word "espresso" and I regret the one for the mocha, made with the same Pellini Top but in powder form.

VOTE: 6

Price: 3.60 euros (a coffee: 36 cents)

Supreme

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The most expensive coffee found on the supermarket shelves, costs almost half of a coffee at the bar (in some areas of Italy it still sells for 80 cents). Very elegant casket with anthracite gray capsule, in case the name of the blend does not convey the idea enough.

If by “body” we mean the sense of creaminess that coffee oils and sugars create in the mouth, Supremo has plenty to spare, in the midst of a general and disappointing washed-out effect, which seems almost a peculiarity of coffee in capsules. Very complex, on the nose it expresses the acidity of red currant and the dense fruitiness of Amazonian walnuts.

Curiosity: Pellini Top also produces a blend for capsules in an organic version, which we did not include in the Tasting Test to make the challenge fair. Not all the contenders have turned to organic, at least for now. Anyway, we happened to find her at Lidl.

Price: 3, 89 euros (a coffee: 39 cents)

VOTE: 8.5 | TOP PELLINI TOTAL: 14.5

KIMBO

Naples

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The red Kimbo blend, in capsule format, gave us some satisfaction. By mixing Arabica and Robusta, it is able to highlight a discreet body, without being astringent, the friction between the tongue and the palate caused by the woody substances of the coffee.

Intense, due to the percentage of Robusta (unspecified), it releases a scent to the nose that recalls a particularly raw wholemeal biscuit. There is also a note of tomato, certainly due to Arabica.

The Naples roasting company chooses a very elegant package for capsule packages.

Price: 3, 49 euros (a coffee: 35 cents)

VOTE: 7.5

Harmony

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The script for selling the different coffee blends is quite predictable. If the robust variety is involved, the keywords are density and character. For a 100% Arabica, instead, the focus is on elegance and balance of flavors, often associated with iridescent colors.

In this case we speak of “Harmony” in gold color on a black background. 100% Arabica, with a very pleasant floral aroma that can sometimes be associated with freshly cut grass. Always among the aromas, a light tomato peel and a note of freshly baked bread.

Honorable mention to the foam, which between sweetness and toasting recalls brown sugar. Modest persistence, alas.

Price: 3, 49 euros (a coffee: 35 cents)

VOTE: 7.7 | TOTAL KIMBO: 15.2

VERGNANO

Creamy

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Okay, you can see it for yourself, the packaging does not stand out for its good taste, but a guarantee is confirmed on the Vergnano flavor.

Inside the box, the capsules are packaged separately to preserve the flavors. Will it count? Will it be just suggestion? The fact is that the aromatic complexity is the strong point of coffee: it ranges from the spicy pepper to nut shells like hazelnuts. Then a slight woody that gives on the vanilla and the note of acidity that never hurts. Which is the effect that a successful blend of Robusta and Arabica should have.

Soft body, persistent foam and bitter finish that does not clash.

Price: 3, 49 euros (a coffee: 35 cents)

VOTE: 8

Arabica

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On the matter of preserving the aromas Vergnano is really zealous. Even the capsule lid changes: paper for the previous Cremoso blend, plastic for this “Arabica”. Where Arabica is a fancy name, given that, according to the package, there is a "pinch of Robusta" in the recipe.

Nothing wrong; on the contrary, the perceived wood note rounds off the aromatic picture. But playing with the names risks creating confusion for consumers.

Compared to the “Cremoso” the foam cap, now caramel colored, is much less dense. The floral scent makes its way, the acidity - too much, if you want to be picky - and persistence increase. To the detriment of the body, however.

Price: 3, 49 euros per kilo (a coffee: 35 cents)

VOTE: 7.8 | TOTAL VERGNANO: 15.8

LAVAZZA

Red quality

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No, we weren't wrong. The capsule is different because it is made for the "Lavazza A Modo Mio" machine that the Turin company makes especially for its coffees. In the name of consistency, we could not fail to include Red Quality, Lavazza's “entry level” capsule, even if only available in this format.

Then we turned on the other machine, the one that is not Nespresso (there are others too, but the two mentioned are the most common), with this result: a vaguely tawny foam, not very persistent and a clear wood aroma. The bitter finish is astringent, with a long persistence. The body is pleasantly round and creamy.

Price: 5.99 euros (a coffee: 37 cents)

VOTE: 6.5

Carte Noire - Intense

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Are you amazed? Because we do, we are.

In the gigantic range of Lavazza capsules there is also this brand, apparently anonymous but visibly luxurious. The "Luigi Lavazza S.p.a." is in the credits, on the back of the sumptuous packaging, for who knows what reason perhaps related to marketing issues: after all, these capsules are made for the appliances of Nespresso, Lavazza's rival.

The fact is that Carte Noire “Selection exclusive”, in the “Intense” version, not overly expensive, beats everyone.

100% Arabica, it shows off a riot of red fruits and the disturbing sweetness of chestnut honey, which added to a delicate roasting and hints of dried fruit combine the aromas with the memory of nougat.

Price: 3, 39 euros (a coffee: 34 cents)

VOTE: 9.5 | TOTAL LAVAZZA: 16.5

NESPRESSO

Restricted

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Premise: do not enter a Nespresso shop at the beginning of the month, or in any case when your entire salary is still available. Do you think you are insensitive to certain reminders? Think again, your free will will be severely tested by an unparalleled range of coffees, by the affectation of certain shop assistants, by the coffees they offer.

Nestlé encapsulates four single-origin coffees, as many decaffeinated and keeps fourteen classics in its catalog, including espresso and “long coffees”, without missing out on limited editions. You will understand, I am sure, the difficulty of selecting two blends for this Tasting Test.

Let's start with an evergreen, Ristretto, a blend of Arabica (South American and East African, they are keen to specify) and Robusta, the brand's attack product. You guys are thinking that the package is tamarra but you are not saying it, okay, I do.

However, the foam has a density unknown to the other contenders, the body of this coffee is remembered for a long time and the bitter note, although softened by sweet aromas, is very marked. The effect is that of dark chocolate with over 85% cocoa, so to speak. From a similar product it was reasonable to expect a greater persistence.

Price: 3, 70 euros (a coffee: 37 cents)

VOTE: 9, 7

Dharkan

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We go up in price with a 100% Arabica from Latin America and Asia. Born as a limited edition, this blend has been included in the catalog like the others. Evidently she liked it a lot.

Its peculiar characteristic in the mouth is to be very toasted, to the point of flattening the aromatic range that was envisaged. The acid note typical of Arabica is almost absent on the nose, but is evident in the aftertaste, very persistent.

Oh well, we expected better.

Price: € 4.3 (a coffee: 43 cents)

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