Strong coffee pods, intensity 9 and over

Strong coffee pods are the capsules rated 9 and over on their maker's scale: the ristrettos, the intensos and the darkest espressos in each range. They are what people are after when they search for the strongest pod a system makes, and in flavour they deliver exactly that. Whether they deliver it in caffeine is a separate question.

Strong means dark, heavy and bitter

At the top of the scale the roast is taken dark, to where it tastes of the roast more than of the origin: cocoa, wood, pepper and a lingering bitterness, with the acidity largely gone and the body at its heaviest. It is the capsule equivalent of a dark roast coffee, and like one it is made for people who want those qualities, not as a stronger version of a milder coffee.

Robusta is often the reason

Many of the strongest capsules lean on robusta, which is more bitter and heavier than arabica and holds a firmer crema. The Vertuo Ristretto Intenso, at the very top of Nespresso's scale, is majority robusta. Robusta also carries roughly twice the caffeine of arabica, so a robusta-heavy capsule is the one place where strong in taste and strong in caffeine genuinely overlap.

But the size of the drink matters more

A ristretto is a very short drink with a modest amount of coffee in it. A large, milder capsule can contain more caffeine in total simply because there is more coffee. A strong pod gives the most concentrated flavour per sip, and not necessarily the most caffeine per cup. For the figures, see caffeine in coffee.

Built for milk

These capsules come into their own under milk. The bitterness and weight that can be too much black cut through a latte or a cortado, where a milder capsule would taste mostly of milk. Drunk black, keep them short, a ristretto or an espresso and never a lungo, which drags out the harshest compounds. Decaffeinated versions exist at this level too, such as the Ristretto Italiano Decaffeinato.

Licensed ranges sit on Nespresso's scale

Starbucks capsules made by Nespresso, like the Starbucks Espresso Roast by Nespresso for Vertuo, are rated on Nespresso's intensity scale, which Nespresso notes is not the same thing as Starbucks' own roast descriptions. Compare them with other Nespresso capsules, not with a Starbucks bag. If strong is too much, medium intensity pods give more balance, and Nespresso Original offers the widest choice of short, strong capsules.