Lavazza Premium Coffee Corp Nespresso OriginalLine Compatible Capsules, Armonico Espresso, Dark Roast Coffee, 10 ct

Great value, taste great with my Nespresso Pixie Original Pods machine. I stopped buying the Nespresso branded pods after tasting these. Half the price for an excellent cup of coffee with a good crema. I tried the #10 strength pods too from Lavazza, but the #8's just taste better. Yum!

Flavor: 2/5 Value: 2/5 Freshness: 3/5 I purchased 2 x 10 packs of these based on all the positive reviews, but am very disappointed... THE BAD: Out of 10 capsules, only 7 of them worked. I have a Nespresso Pixie and the flow rate through these capsules is terrible. If takes 2 to 3 times longer to extract an espresso compared to original and other third party pods I've used. This ends up putting more pressure on your pump, forcing it to run longer, and in the end will shorten the lifespan of your pump. The 3 capsules that did not work were completely torn up at the top where the capsule is punctured. In addition the capsule do not puncture properly sometimes and you have to eject them and puncture them again... very annoying. THE GOOD: When you get the capsules to work they produce a decent espresso shot. Not as strong and smooth as other capsules I've tried; but decent enough to make a small Americano for your friends who are not espresso/coffee snobs :-) OVERALL RECOMMENDATION: If you ar we a coffee/espresso snob and want the best quality shot capable with your Nespresso, and do not want to deal with defective pods, then DO NOT purchase these. On the other hand, if you want to save some money and can deal with an average tasting espresso/americano then these may be for you, but keep in mind that some of them WILL FAIL, so are you really saving money in the end?

... and it's nothing you can't handle -- and for the price and quality, it's worth the slight hassle. The capsules have a tendency to fall straight through. Maybe 3 in 10 don't get "grabbed" by the Nespresso system. You need to hold the capsule as you close the chamber and make sure it sits properly. Also, it's labour-intensive to recycle the pods: I scoop out the coffee to go in the compost and put the plastic shells in the recycling bin.

I usually order the Fortissio Lungo direct but annoying have to pay for shipping on minimum order. Nespresso seemed to have finally opened up some more options so I gave this a try. Taste is a bit weaker than my favourite, maybe closer to a 5 or 6 but not horrible. However, you will note immediately the capsules themselves are different (probably cheaper) design. And in my older machine, it does get jammed every other time I use them which is the biggest annoyance. Other Starbucks capusules are pretty much identical to Nespresso so why Lavvazza decided to go cheap is beyond me. In fact, I almost prefer this to Starbucks in taste but the capsule is a deal breaker. You save about 0.10 cents per capsule compared to Nespresso but with design and taste, not worth buying again.

Good