Best Nespresso Vertuo Pods
Capsules for Nespresso Vertuo, ranked from our reviews. Vertuo reads a barcode on the rim to set the pour, which is why one capsule makes an espresso and another fills a mug without you touching a setting, and it is also why no third-party roaster can make one: the machine only brews what Nespresso has encoded. That is the trade. You get the widest range of cup sizes of any system here, and one supplier for the life of the machine.
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 Vertuo Melozio7.3- What Is In The Capsule
- 9.0
- Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo
- 2.5
- 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 — 2.5 of 10, carrying 22 of the 87.8 points scored here.
Read review →PricePricing N/A2
Nespresso Vertuo Melozio Decaffeinato7.0- What Is In The Capsule
- 9.0
- Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo
- 2.5
- 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 — 2.5 of 10, carrying 22 of the 87.8 points scored here.
Read review →PricePricing N/A3
Nespresso Vertuo Stormio7.0- What Is In The Capsule
- 9.0
- Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo
- 2.5
- 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 — 2.5 of 10, carrying 22 of the 87.8 points scored here.
Read review →PricePricing N/A4
Nespresso Vertuo Odacio6.8- What Is In The Capsule
- 9.0
- Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo
- 2.5
- 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 — 2.5 of 10, carrying 22 of the 87.8 points scored here.
Read review →PricePricing N/A5
Nespresso Vertuo Ristretto Intenso6.8- What Is In The Capsule
- 7.5
- Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo
- 3.1
- 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 — 3.1 of 10, carrying 22 of the 87.8 points scored here.
Read review →PricePricing N/A6
Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast Double Espresso for Vertuo6.8- What Is In The Capsule
- 9.0
- Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo
- 2.5
- Recycling & Disposal (home compostable and kerbside recyclable not published)
- 8.0
- System, Range & Availability
- 7.2
- Sourcing & Certification
- 8.4
Weakest link: Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo — 2.5 of 10, carrying 22 of the 87.8 points scored here.
Read review →PricePricing N/A7
Starbucks Espresso Roast by Nespresso for Vertuo6.0- What Is In The Capsule
- 7.5
- Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo
- 1.1
- Recycling & Disposal (home compostable and kerbside recyclable not published)
- 8.0
- System, Range & Availability
- 7.2
- Sourcing & Certification
- 8.4
Weakest link: Cost Per Cup, and Per Kilo — 1.1 of 10, carrying 22 of the 87.8 points scored here.
Read review →PricePricing N/A
Vertuo is Nespresso's larger-format system. A capsule holds around 12.5g of coffee and brews a mug rather than an espresso, and the machine reads a barcode on the rim to set the volume and the spin speed for that specific coffee. That barcode is the reason the system is closed in a way Original is not.
It costs more per pod and less per kilo
This is the fact that reverses the usual advice. A Vertuo capsule is around $1.40 against $0.90 for an Original, so it looks 55% more expensive. It holds 12.5g against 5g. Per kilo of actual coffee that is roughly $112 against $180 - Vertuo is the cheaper coffee by a wide margin, and it is the one people assume is the premium option.
The catch is that you cannot buy less. A Vertuo capsule makes a mug, and if what you want is a 25ml espresso the format is wrong regardless of arithmetic. The Ristretto Intenso is the exception in this list at 6g and 25ml, which is also why its per-pod price drops to $1.08.
The barcode closes the system
Each capsule carries a code the machine reads before brewing. It sets the water volume, the temperature and the centrifugal spin, which is genuinely why a Vertuo can pour 230ml with crema. It also means the machine will refuse a capsule it cannot read, which makes third-party Vertuo pods rare and unreliable in a way third-party K-Cups are not.
Buy into Vertuo and you are buying from Nespresso, and from the handful of licensed partners such as Starbucks, for as long as you own the machine. That is a legitimate trade for the cup it makes; it should be a decision rather than a surprise.
Cup sizes are fixed by the capsule
Most of this list brews 230ml. The Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast brews 80ml and the Ristretto Intenso 25ml. You do not choose the size on the machine - the capsule chooses it - so the range you buy is the range of drinks you can make. Check that before the tasting notes.
What to ignore
Comparing Vertuo prices to Original prices per capsule, which is the comparison the shelf invites and the one that is meaningless. Compare per kilo, or compare per drink you actually want to make, and the answer changes completely.
Common questions
Why are Vertuo pods more expensive than Original?
Because they hold two and a half times as much coffee. A Vertuo capsule is about 12.5g against 5g for an Original. Per kilo Vertuo is the cheaper of the two, at roughly $112 against $180.
What is the barcode on a Vertuo pod for?
The machine reads it before brewing to set the water volume, temperature and spin speed for that specific coffee. It is why a Vertuo can pour a 230ml mug with crema, and also why the machine rejects capsules it cannot read.
Can I use third-party pods in a Vertuo machine?
Rarely and unreliably. The barcode requirement makes Vertuo far more closed than K-Cup, so in practice you buy from Nespresso and its licensed partners for the life of the machine.
Can a Vertuo machine make an espresso?
Only if you buy an espresso-format capsule such as the Ristretto Intenso, which brews 25ml from a 6g dose. The capsule sets the cup size, not the machine, so the sizes you can make are the sizes you buy.
Do Vertuo and Original pods fit the same machine?
No. They are different capsules for different machines despite sharing the Nespresso name, and neither system accepts the other's pods.