What is Tokyo Vivalto Lungo?
A floral lungo capsule from Nespresso's World Explorations line.
Nespresso's Explorations capsules are built around a city, and Tokyo's is the delicate one: high-quality Arabicas chosen for flowery aromas and what Nespresso calls a refined palate.
Rated 6, poured at 110ml, at $9.50 a sleeve of ten, which is 95 cents a capsule.
Which machines does it fit?
Nespresso Original machines, and the many third-party machines built for Original capsules.
Original is the open half of Nespresso: the patents expired, so De'Longhi and Breville build machines for it, other roasters make compatible capsules, and refillable pods exist.
It will not fit a Vertuo, which reads a barcode on a physically larger capsule and takes nothing else.
What is in the capsule
Arabicas roasted light, with floral and herbal notes and bitterness rated 2 of 5.
A lungo is a longer pour through the same capsule, so everything in the cup is more dilute and anything harsh has more water to spread through. That makes bitterness the number to watch, and Nespresso publishes it at 2 of 5 here, with roast level 3 and acidity 3.
Floral and herbal is an unusual lead note for a capsule. Most of this category sells on chocolate, caramel or intensity, and floral aromatics are the first thing a dark roast destroys.
No origin is named, which is a genuine gap for a coffee sold on its aromatics. The Master Origin Colombia at five cents more names a country and a harvest.
What a cup costs
95 cents a pod, sleeves of ten only.
Five cents over the core Original espressos at 90 cents, and five cents under the Master Origin single origins at a dollar.
Per millilitre it is the cheapest Nespresso capsule here, because 110ml is nearly three times an espresso. That is not the same as being better value: it is more water through the same amount of coffee.
What happens to the capsule afterwards
Aluminium, through Nespresso's mail-back scheme rather than kerbside.
Free bags from Nespresso, returned at a UPS drop-off point or a boutique. Funded and real, and it only works if you post them back.
That is a different thing from a bin already emptied at your door, which the word recyclable on a box does not distinguish.
Tokyo Lungo vs Master Origin Colombia
Two light, aromatic capsules five cents apart, and only one names where the coffee is from.
Both are rated 6 with roast level 3. Tokyo leads on floral and herbal at acidity 3; Colombia leads on red fruit and winey character at acidity 4 and names Colombia and a late harvest.
Colombia can also be pulled as a lungo, which makes this closer than it looks: for five cents more you get the same option plus an origin. Tokyo's case is the specific floral profile, which Colombia does not claim.
Is Tokyo Vivalto Lungo worth it?
If you drink lungo, it is the only one here. If you drink espresso, it is not for you.
The published panel is right for the format: low bitterness is what a long pour needs, and floral aromatics are what a lighter roast preserves.
The gap is the origin. A capsule sold on delicate aromatics and naming no country is asking to be taken on trust, and the Master Origin capsules show Nespresso can do better when it chooses to.
Who should buy it (and who should not)
Original owners who drink lungo and want something delicate.
Buy it if you pull long cups and find most capsules taste burnt at that volume. Buy it if floral and herbal is a profile you actively want.
Do not buy it if you drink short espresso, because it is built for the opposite. Do not buy it if you want to know where the coffee came from.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a lungo?
A longer pour through the same capsule, 110ml here against 40ml for an espresso. It is not a weaker coffee so much as a more dilute one, and it exposes any harshness in the roast because there is more water carrying it.
Why does bitterness matter more in a lungo?
Because the extra water spreads everything through the cup, including anything bitter that a short pour would have concentrated and balanced. Nespresso publishes bitterness at 2 of 5 for this capsule, which is low and is the right number for the format.
Where does the coffee come from?
Nespresso does not say. It describes high-quality Arabicas and a Tokyo theme, and names no growing country, which is a real gap for a coffee sold on its aromas.
Can I pull it as an espresso instead?
You can hold the button for less time, but it is built and roasted for 110ml. Nespresso lists it only as a lungo.
Is there a decaf version?
No. Nespresso's Original decafs are Volluto Decaffeinato, Ristretto Italiano Decaffeinato and Firenze Arpeggio Decaffeinato.
