Best Nespresso Original Pods
Capsules for the Nespresso Original system, ranked from our reviews. ⚠ These do not fit a Vertuo machine and a Vertuo capsule does not fit an Original: the two share a brand and nothing else. What Original has going for it is that the patents expired, so other roasters make compatible capsules and refillable pods exist, which puts a floor under what a cup costs for as long as you own the machine. Vertuo has none of that.
Ranked by our review score, which is worked out from the specifications each maker publishes rather than from opinion, so you can open the arithmetic on any product page. Anything commercial is labelled and sits outside that order, and how we score explains what each criterion measures.
Ranked, and why
scored on what the maker publishes · open a row for the working1
Nespresso Original Ispirazione Firenze Arpeggio7.1- What Is In The Capsule
- 7.0
- Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo
- 5.0
- Recycling & Disposal (home compostable and kerbside recyclable not published)
- 8.0
- System, Range & Availability
- 8.5
- Sourcing & Certification
- 8.1
Weakest link: Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo — 5.0 of 10, carrying 22 of the 87.8 points scored here.
Read review →PricePricing N/A2
Nespresso Original Ispirazione Ristretto Italiano7.1- What Is In The Capsule
- 6.5
- Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo
- 4.5
- Recycling & Disposal (home compostable and kerbside recyclable not published)
- 8.0
- System, Range & Availability
- 8.5
- Sourcing & Certification
- 10.0
Weakest link: Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo — 4.5 of 10, carrying 22 of the 87.8 points scored here.
Read review →PricePricing N/A3
Nespresso Original Volluto7.1- What Is In The Capsule
- 6.5
- Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo
- 4.5
- Recycling & Disposal (home compostable and kerbside recyclable not published)
- 8.0
- System, Range & Availability
- 8.5
- Sourcing & Certification
- 10.0
Weakest link: Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo — 4.5 of 10, carrying 22 of the 87.8 points scored here.
Read review →PricePricing N/A4
Nespresso Original Master Origin Colombia7.0- What Is In The Capsule
- 7.5
- Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo
- 3.9
- Recycling & Disposal (home compostable and kerbside recyclable not published)
- 8.0
- System, Range & Availability
- 7.2
- Sourcing & Certification
- 10.0
Weakest link: Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo — 3.9 of 10, carrying 22 of the 87.8 points scored here.
Read review →PricePricing N/A5
Nespresso Original Capriccio6.8- What Is In The Capsule
- 6.5
- Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo
- 4.5
- Recycling & Disposal (home compostable and kerbside recyclable not published)
- 8.0
- System, Range & Availability
- 7.2
- Sourcing & Certification
- 10.0
Weakest link: Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo — 4.5 of 10, carrying 22 of the 87.8 points scored here.
Read review →PricePricing N/A6
Nespresso Original Cosi6.8- What Is In The Capsule
- 6.5
- Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo
- 4.5
- Recycling & Disposal (home compostable and kerbside recyclable not published)
- 8.0
- System, Range & Availability
- 7.2
- Sourcing & Certification
- 10.0
Weakest link: Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo — 4.5 of 10, carrying 22 of the 87.8 points scored here.
Read review →PricePricing N/A7
Nespresso Original Ispirazione Genova Livanto6.8- What Is In The Capsule
- 6.5
- Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo
- 4.5
- Recycling & Disposal (home compostable and kerbside recyclable not published)
- 8.0
- System, Range & Availability
- 7.2
- Sourcing & Certification
- 10.0
Weakest link: Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo — 4.5 of 10, carrying 22 of the 87.8 points scored here.
Read review →PricePricing N/A8
Nespresso Original Ristretto Italiano Decaffeinato6.8- What Is In The Capsule
- 7.0
- Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo
- 5.0
- Recycling & Disposal (home compostable and kerbside recyclable not published)
- 8.0
- System, Range & Availability
- 7.2
- Sourcing & Certification
- 8.1
Weakest link: Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo — 5.0 of 10, carrying 22 of the 87.8 points scored here.
Read review →PricePricing N/A9
Nespresso Original Tokyo Vivalto Lungo6.8- What Is In The Capsule
- 7.5
- Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo
- 4.5
- Recycling & Disposal (home compostable and kerbside recyclable not published)
- 8.0
- System, Range & Availability
- 7.2
- Sourcing & Certification
- 8.1
Weakest link: Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo — 4.5 of 10, carrying 22 of the 87.8 points scored here.
Read review →PricePricing N/A10
Nespresso Original Volluto Decaffeinato6.8- What Is In The Capsule
- 6.5
- Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo
- 4.5
- Recycling & Disposal (home compostable and kerbside recyclable not published)
- 8.0
- System, Range & Availability
- 7.2
- Sourcing & Certification
- 10.0
Weakest link: Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo — 4.5 of 10, carrying 22 of the 87.8 points scored here.
Read review →PricePricing N/A11
Nespresso Original Ispirazione Roma6.5- What Is In The Capsule
- 6.5
- Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo
- 4.5
- Recycling & Disposal (home compostable and kerbside recyclable not published)
- 8.0
- System, Range & Availability
- 7.2
- Sourcing & Certification
- 8.1
Weakest link: Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo — 4.5 of 10, carrying 22 of the 87.8 points scored here.
Read review →PricePricing N/A
Nespresso Original is the small-capsule system: an espresso-format pod holding around 5g of coffee, brewing 25ml to 110ml depending on the button. It is the older of Nespresso's two systems, the more widely copied, and the one where a third-party capsule is actually a realistic option.
The 5g dose is the whole economic story
Every capsule in this list holds between 4.8g and 5.2g. That consistency is useful, because it means cost per pod and cost per kilo rank the same way and you can compare within the system on the sticker price alone. Across systems it is the opposite: 5g against a Vertuo capsule's 12.5g is why an Original pod looks cheap and is not.
Most of the range sits at $0.90 a capsule, with the Master Origin single origins at $1.00. That is around $180 a kilo of coffee, which is the figure worth holding in your head when a bag of specialty beans costs $40 to $70 a kilo. You are buying convenience and a sealed dose, and the packaging is most of the price.
Intensity is Nespresso's own scale, and it is not roast
The number on the sleeve runs 1 to 12 on most of the range and describes Nespresso's own assessment of strength, not a roast level and not a caffeine figure. Ristretto Italiano sits at 10, Cosi at 4. Both are the same 5g of coffee. The number tells you how the cup will read, not how much is in it.
It is also worth knowing that Nespresso does not print a light-medium-dark band on Original capsules the way a bag of beans carries one. If you shop by roast, that translation does not exist here.
Where the range is actually strong
Single origins. Master Origin Colombia is the highest-scoring capsule in this list and it is the only part of the range that names a growing country rather than a flavour idea. If you are paying $180 a kilo, buying something whose origin is stated is a better use of the money than buying an Ispirazione named after an Italian city.
What to ignore
The city names. Firenze, Genova, Ristretto Italiano and the rest are blend identities rather than sourcing statements, and none of them tells you where the coffee is from. They are consistent year to year, which has real value, but consistency is what they are selling and not provenance.
Common questions
How much coffee is in a Nespresso Original capsule?
Between 4.8g and 5.2g across the range, which is an espresso dose. That is roughly 40% of what a Nespresso Vertuo mug capsule holds, which is why the two systems cannot be compared on price per pod.
What does the intensity number on a Nespresso pod mean?
It is Nespresso's own strength rating, usually on a 1 to 12 scale. It is not a roast level, not a caffeine measurement, and not comparable with any other brand's number. Two capsules at different intensities still hold the same 5g of coffee.
How much do Nespresso Original pods cost per kilo?
At $0.90 a capsule holding 5g, about $180 a kilo. Specialty beans by the bag run roughly $40 to $70 a kilo, so most of what you pay for in a capsule is the capsule.
Do Nespresso Original pods fit a Vertuo machine?
No. Despite the shared brand the two systems use different capsules and different machines, and neither accepts the other's pods.
Which Nespresso Original pods are single origin?
The Master Origin range names a growing country; the Ispirazione range is named after Italian cities and is made up of blends. If provenance matters to you, that is the distinction to shop on.