To make the perfect cappuccino, you need more than light, airy froth. Read on to find out which Nespresso pods for cappuccino work best.
Making the perfect cappuccino takes a bit of skill. Apart from sweet, steamed milk and light, airy foam, the perfect cappuccino also needs the right type of espresso. This is because you want a balanced taste and flavor after you’ve added the milk and foam. If you have a Nespresso machine, you may be wondering which Nespresso pods for cappuccino work best.
To prevent the milk and foam from overpowering the coffee, you may want to stay away from weak Nespresso capsules. Conversely, darker roasts can result in a bitter cappuccino. Read on to find out which Nespresso capsules work best when you’re making cappuccino.
Does Nespresso Make Cappuccino Pods?
Nespresso, and most of the other companies who produce Nespresso-compatible pods, don’t make cappuccino pods. By “cappuccino pods,” I mean pods that contain both coffee and milk inside and provide an instant and ready-to-go cappuccino.
Although ready-made cappuccino pods may be convenient and quick, they don’t provide the perfect cappuccino. The quality of a cappuccino created with freshly frothed milk is infinitely better than that of a cappuccino that comes from a pod. Also, with a cappuccino pod, you don’t have any freedom with regard to the coffee-to-milk ratio or the type of coffee you’d like to use.
For these reasons, Nespresso prefers that consumers choose their own Nespresso pods when making cappuccinos. You might also be interested in our bone dry cappuccino guide.
What Does One Look for in a Nespresso Pod for Cappuccino?
It is great that Nespresso allows us coffee lovers a bit of freedom when selecting the pods we want to use in our cappuccino. However, Nespresso offers a wide range of pods, and some work better for cappuccino than others.
When it comes to creating the perfect cappuccino, you want to stay away from the weaker capsules, except if you like a weak cup of coffee. Remember that only a third of the drink consists of espresso, and the rest is milk and foam. For this reason, you want to choose a capsule that’s strong enough to ensure that your cappuccino is flavorful.
Conversely, you may also want to avoid darker roasts. Although darker roasts work well with drinks that contain low to moderate amounts of milk, such as cortado, they tend to become a bit bitter in milky beverages, such as lattes or cappuccinos. If you like this post, you might be interested in learning if pod coffee is more expensive.
Which Capsules Work Well for Cappuccinos?
The espresso you drink neat or in a macchiato will differ from the espresso you may want to put in your cappuccino. The perfect latte will also require a different type of espresso than the perfect cappuccino. This is because a latte consists of a lot of milk and a little coffee, while a classic cappuccino consists of 1/3 coffee, 1/3 milk, and 1/3 froth.
You will, therefore, opt for a milder capsule with cappuccinos than with lattes.
A few milder Nespresso capsules you can look at include:
- Livanto: This is a blend of medium-roasted Central and South American Arabica coffee, with an intensely sweet and malty aroma and a gentle bitterness that intertwines with sweetness.
- Iced Forte: Although the Iced Forte pods are designed for recipes with ice, they still make a delicious cup of hot coffee. This blend has woody, peppery notes that make for an exceptionally comforting drink when combined with warm milk froth.
- Ethiopia: As the name suggests, this is Ethiopian Arabic coffee. This espresso lies densely in the mouth and contains no acidity. Instead, it provides fruity flavors that tend towards orange blossom.
- Barista Chiaro: This is a blend of Arabica coffee from Kenya and Indonesia. It is a lighter espresso with an oily texture and a milky taste profile with grapefruit/kiwi-like acidity.
