What is the Volluto Decaffeinato?
The decaffeinated version of Nespresso's lightest Original espresso.
Volluto is the sweet, low-bitterness end of the Original range, and this is the same blend of Brazilian and Colombian Arabicas with the caffeine taken out. Nespresso rates it 4 on its own scale, the same as the caffeinated one.
It sells at $9.50 for a sleeve of ten, which is 95 cents a capsule against 90 for the caffeinated version.
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, Breville and others build machines that take these capsules, and other roasters make compatible ones.
It will not fit a Vertuo machine. Vertuo capsules are larger and barcode-read, and the two systems share a brand and nothing else.
What is in the capsule
Brazilian and Colombian Arabicas, lightly roasted, decaffeinated by a method Nespresso does not state.
The published profile is the interesting part. Acidity is rated 4 of 5 and bitterness 2 of 5, which is the same shape as the caffeinated Volluto. That matters because decaffeination usually costs a coffee its brightness first, and a lot of decaf ends up tasting like a flat dark roast whatever it started as.
What Nespresso does not say is how the caffeine came out. Swiss Water and CO2 are solvent-free and roasters who use them say so; the cheaper routes use methylene chloride or ethyl acetate. Nespresso states neither, on this capsule or any of its decafs, so we record nothing.
What a cup costs
95 cents a pod, in sleeves of ten, which is the only size sold.
The decaf premium here is five cents a cup over the caffeinated Volluto at 90. That is small. Decaf is more expensive to produce and most roasters pass on considerably more than that.
Against the rest of this site it is still an expensive way to drink decaf. The cheapest pod here is 64 cents and it is a K-Cup, and Nespresso offers no bulk box to close the gap.
What happens to the capsule afterwards
Aluminium, through Nespresso's mail-back scheme rather than your kerbside bin.
Free collection bags, returned at a UPS drop-off point or a boutique. It is funded and it works if you use it.
The distinction worth holding onto is between a scheme you join and a bin that is already emptied for you. Aluminium is endlessly recyclable in principle; this capsule gets recycled only if you post it back.
Volluto Decaffeinato vs Ristretto Italiano Decaffeinato
Nespresso's two Original decafs sit at opposite ends of its scale and cost exactly the same.
The Volluto is rated 4 and pours 40ml, sweet and bright. The Ristretto Italiano Decaffeinato is rated 10 and pours 25ml, roasted and chocolatey. Both are 95 cents.
So this is a straight choice about what you want in the cup rather than what you are willing to pay, which is rare. If your objection to decaf is that it tastes flat and roasty, the Volluto is the one arguing against that; if you want a short dark shot in the evening, it is the other.
Is the Volluto Decaffeinato worth it?
If you own an Original machine and want a light decaf, yes, and the premium over caffeinated is negligible.
The case for it is that it keeps the acidity. Most decaf does not, and a published 4 of 5 on a decaf capsule is a meaningful claim rather than marketing.
The case against is the price of the system rather than the coffee. At 95 cents a cup you are paying roughly a dollar a day for a habit that costs less than half that on a K-Cup machine, and Nespresso will not tell you how it decaffeinates.
Who should buy it (and who should not)
Original owners who want a decaf that still tastes bright.
Buy it if you drink decaf in the afternoon and resent it tasting like a different, worse coffee. Buy it if you already buy Volluto and want the same cup without the caffeine.
Do not buy it if you want a dark, heavy decaf, because it is deliberately the opposite. Do not buy it if the decaffeination method matters to you, because Nespresso does not publish one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How was this coffee decaffeinated?
Nespresso does not say, on this capsule or on any of its decafs. That is worth knowing, because the method is the main thing decaf drinkers compare: Swiss Water and CO2 use no solvents and are named proudly by roasters who use them, while the cheaper routes use methylene chloride or ethyl acetate and tend to be described only as naturally decaffeinated.
Does decaf taste worse than regular coffee?
It usually loses brightness first, which is why so much decaf reads as flat and roasty. This one is the argument against that: Nespresso publishes the same acidity rating, 4 of 5, for the decaf as for the caffeinated Volluto.
How much more does the decaf cost?
Five cents a capsule. The caffeinated Volluto is 90 cents and this is 95, both in sleeves of ten, which is a small premium for decaf by any standard.
Is there any caffeine left in it?
Decaffeinated coffee is not caffeine-free, and no process removes all of it. Nespresso publishes no residual figure for this capsule, so we cannot tell you how much is left.
Will it work in a Vertuo machine?
No. This is an Original capsule. Vertuo machines read a barcode on a larger capsule and will not take it.
