If you owned a Nespresso machine, you’re probably enjoying its quality coffee beverages. However, can you get hot chocolate Nespresso pods? Read on to find out.
Although coffee is my poison, I do indulge in a cup of creamy hot chocolate on occasion. One cold winter night after I had made my cup of hot chocolate the old-fashioned way, I suddenly wondered “Can you get hot chocolate Nespresso pods?”
The next morning, I promptly did some research online and found that hot chocolate Nespresso pods are indeed available. However, these hot chocolate pods are from third-party manufacturers.
Nespresso doesn’t make its own branded hot chocolate pods. Here’s some more information on how you can make hot chocolate with your Nespresso machine.
Hot Chocolate Pods Only Work With the Nespresso OriginalLine Series
For those of you who are perhaps not so familiar with Nespresso, two types of machines are offered: the OriginalLine series and the VertuoLine series. OriginalLine machines, as the name implies, were the first Nespresso machines to hit the market.
With these coffee makers, you can make an Espresso, Ristretto, or Lungo. In response to the demand in the U.S. market for larger coffee drinks, Nespresso introduced the VertuoLine series in 2014. You can make five coffee drinks with these machines: Espresso, Double Espresso, Gran Lungo, Coffee, and Alto XL.
As you’ve probably noticed, Nespresso chocolate is not an option on either the OriginalLine or the VertuoLine machines. However, you can use third-party hot chocolate pods with OriginalLine machines. Not with VertuoLine machines, though. This is because VertuoLine machines work exclusively with proprietary Vertuo Nespresso pods, which are barcoded.
When you insert a pod into a VertuoLine machine, the barcode laser scanning system reads the barcode and automatically selects the various parameters needed to make the specific drink indicated on the pod.
Such parameters include the water temperature and volume. For this reason, third-party pods won’t work. In addition, VertuoLine pods are also shaped differently, so third-party pods won’t even fit into these machines.
Which Third-Party Hot Chocolate Pods Are Available?
There are various options to choose from if you’re looking for third-party Nespresso-compatible pods. A company such as Real Coffee offers Sweet Hot Chocolate and Dark Hot Chocolate flavors.
Another popular third-party pod manufacturer is Podista, which offers a whole range of hot chocolate options. Apart from regular chocolate, you can opt for flavored chocolate options such as mint, caramel, and hazelnut. Podista also offers a sugar-free option in the regular chocolate flavor.
So, what do these hot chocolate pods taste like? To be honest with you, I have only tried Podista pods. I have made hot chocolate with my Nespresso machine only a few times. The hot chocolate drinks were not bad! They were quite creamy but a bit on the sweet side for my taste.
With Podista pods, you can either make a neat espresso-size drink or you can froth some milk and add this to the hot chocolate. I prefer the latter. However, once you have gone through the trouble of frothing milk and adding it to your hot chocolate beverage, you may as well have popped hot chocolate powder into your Aeroccino.
Will Using Off-Brand Pods Damage my Machine?
Although Nespresso doesn’t manufacture its own hot chocolate pods, there’s no evidence that using third-party pods damages the system in any way. One may think that Nespresso has opted not to supply hot chocolate pods due to the relatively thicker density of this beverage compared with coffee drinks.
However, you won’t lose your warranty if you use third-party hot chocolate pods in your Nespresso machine and I haven’t read about any machine packing up due to making hot chocolate drinks.
If you liked this post, you might also enjoy our Nespresso Vs. Keurig guide.
The Last Word on Can You Get Hot-Chocolate Nespresso Pods
If you’d like an easy-to-make hot chocolate drink sans frothed milk from time to time, it may be a good idea to invest in a box of third-party hot chocolate pods. However, if you prefer milk with your hot chocolate drink, it may be easier to just add hot chocolate powder to the milk from the get-go.
FAQs About Can You Get Hot Chocolate Nespresso Pods
Does Nespresso Provide Proprietary Tea Pods?
No, as is the case with hot chocolate pods, you can make tea with your OriginalLine Nespresso machine but only with third-party tea pods.
What Is the Nespresso Barista?
The Nespresso Barista is a standalone machine with which you can mix your own cold and hot drinks, including hot chocolate beverages. However, it is not a coffee maker and doesn’t work with pods.
How do you make hot chocolate in a Nespresso frother?
The first step is to set your milk frother’s whisk in place. One cup of any type of milk will do, but full-fat milk is recommended. After that, add 15g of the warmed chocolate bar or 1 heaping tablespoon of cocoa powder to the machine, and one tablespoon of powdered sugar should also be added. Then froth the mixture.
