These are the best PROMOTIONS on coffee makers NOW
Many of us wonder which is the best brand of coffee capsules, if there is one that stands out above the others. And in the end we always end up reducing the discussion to the personal tastes and preferences of each one. So it’s difficult to get something clear, don’t you think?
To resolve this question, Mikel López Iturriaga (most famous for his blog El Comidista) and expert taster Kim Ossenblok have made an interesting proposal in the form of a blind test. Kim, a renowned specialist in the world of specialty coffee, blindly tests ten of the main commercial brands of coffee capsules, and evaluates them according to his criteria.
Kim Ossenblok is the author of the book ¡Al Grano!, authorized SCAE Barista & Roasting trainer, 3rd place in the 2012 Coffee Tasting World Championship, runner-up in Spain for tasters (Cup Taster 2015)… we are not going to include his entire resume because we would run out of space.
What is the best coffee capsule on the market?
Are you curious to know the results? Want to know which are the best Nespresso capsules according to this expert’s opinion? Or the best compatible capsules? Well now, without further waiting, we leave you with the complete video of the blind coffee capsule test, and the live opinions of Kim Ossenblok:
Conclusions: What is the best brand of coffee capsules?
Well, according to Kim Ossenblok’s analysis, the verdict is clear: the best espressos in her opinion are those from Bellarom (Lidl’s brand), the official Dolce Gusto capsules, and the Carte Noire single doses (for Nespresso). It is true that this test was done a long time ago and currently the options are more varied.
Even so, this does not mean that one brand is necessarily better than another, since the taster in this case has tried only one variety (espresso) from each firm. What about milky or mixed coffee varieties? And with the Lungos? What about premium varieties?
And on the other hand, in the video only capsules from the most popular commercial brands on the market are tested. Other premium brands in Europe are not included, nor are capsules with specialty coffee, which there are also. Remember that you can find several in our online coffee capsule store.
In any case, if one of the greatest international experts in coffee tasting is able to give a score of 5 out of 10 to these capsules… there is no doubt that on the palate of an average profile consumer (less trained, and probably also less demanding) will be able to offer a very notable experience, more than decent.
And you? Do you agree with Kim Ossenblok’s scores? For you, what are the best capsules for Nespresso? What are the best Nespresso compatible capsules? And the best capsules for Dolce Gusto in your opinion? We want to know what you think!
What are the best coffee capsules according to the OCU?
Well… the OCU doesn’t know much about coffee, but we already know that its rankings are highly valued by consumers, who give it a lot of credibility.
This analysis changes every year, but for 2021 the best coffee capsules according to the OCU have been those of the Carrefour brand, Auchan (the Alcampo capsule brand, and some varieties of the official Nespresso ones. As you can see, a very different criterion and different from what the experts offer, and it is also not clear which varieties or brands have been analyzed and which have been left out… each one should give it the credibility they consider appropriate.
The best gourmet coffee capsules
For both Dolce Gusto and Nespresso (also in other systems, but we focus on these two because they take up almost the entire market share in Spain) there are compatible capsules that do not focus on lowering the price of the official ones, but on offering origins or very select blends with superior quality.
To identify some of these manufacturers, take a look at the following table:
