Types of coffee capsules – characteristics and shapes

In a very varied range, coffee capsules are increasingly widespread in domestic and professional consumption.

IN THE previous article we discussed the advantages their use. In short, the benefits of capsules are:
– The quality constant of coffee
– Simplicity and speed prepare a drink
– The variety of flavours
– Pleasant taste of brewed coffee.

Coffee capsules are plastic or aluminum cans which contain ground coffee, perfectly dosed, packaged in a protective atmosphere, to preserve the freshness and flavor of the coffee for a long time.

Many coffee manufacturers have created their own coffee capsule system. There is a variety of capsulesand the list continues to expand every year.

Capsules have different shapes, sizes and characteristics, they don’t match from one system to another. Coffee capsules can be original (those created by the manufacturer) or compatible with capsule system.

This buying guide will help you identify the pod system your machine uses.
If you know exactly what you’re looking for, to order coffee capsules, access this link.

The most popular existing capsule systems are: Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Nespresso, Caffitaly or Cafissimo, Lavazza Espresso Point, Lavazza Blue, Lavazza A Modo Mio, Tassimo, Iperespresso.

Single doses or pods are cans of ground coffee packaged in paper and I included them in the article.

1. Nescafè Dolce Gusto

The Nescafè Dolce Gusto capsule system was created in 2006 by Nestlé. Coffee machines compatible with this system are produced by Krups, Delonghi and Arno.

They are very popular capsules in Romania and you can easily recognize them by their large size. The capsules are U-shaped, 54 mm in diameter and 36 mm high.

On the market there are both original capsules produced by Nescafè (Nestlé) and capsules compatible with this system (produced by Lavazza, Carraro, Covim, Costa, Ristora, Garibaldi). The capsules are made of plastic with a sheet at the top and a spout at the bottom. They contain ground coffee but also soluble coffee depending on the variety chosen.

The most common Dolce Gusto espresso machines are:
Nescafe Dolce Gusto® Circolo®, Jovia®, MiniMe®, Genio®, Esperta®, Krups Piccolo®, Krups Melody 2®, Krups Creativa®, Krups Fontana®, Krups Melody 3®, Krups Oblo®, Krups Drop®, De Longhi Stelia®

Nescafe Dolce Gusto capsules you can find it in our online shop here.

2.Nespresso

Nespresso is a popular capsule system and probably the oldest in the world. The inventor of the Nespresso capsule is considered Eric Favre, an employee of Nestlé, and the system has its origins in 1975. The capsules have the smallest dimensions: height 30 mm, diameter 37 mm. The capsules contain 5 or 6 grams of ground coffee.

On the market you can find both original Nespresso capsules and compatible capsules from manufacturers such as Lavazza, Illy, Costa, Covim, Davidoff, L’or. The capsules come from aluminum (the original ones and some compatible capsules), both from plastic (most compatible capsules) and are V-shaped.

The most common Nespresso espresso machines are:
Nespresso® U, U Milk®, Inissia®, Pixie®, Pixie Clips®, Lattissima®, Lattissima Touch®, Lattissima Plus si Pro®, Essenza®, CitiZ®, Kmix®, Maestria® si Gran Maestria, Creatista®, KitchenAid®, Prodigio®, Essenza® (manufactured by Krups si De Longhi), Caffeluxe Verona, Sienna, Turin, Milan, Piccolo,Cafelaan, MyCoffee de Cino, Russell Hobbs Novella, Russell Hobbs Vivace rises.

Original Nespresso capsules you can find them all here Nespresso capsules including the compatible ones found here.

3. Caffitalia

The Caffitaly system was created by Caffita System SpA in Italy. Subsequently the system became popular among manufacturers such as: Tchibo, Julius Meinl, Chicco D’oro, Dallmayr and others.

The capsules are U-shaped, with a diameter of 45 mm and a height of 25 mm. They contain ground coffee and inside they have 2 plastic sieves both in the upper and lower part. Espresso machines pierce this capsule at one point at the top and at one point at the bottom.

Compatible expression: Chapitly S04®, S06H Nutilus®, S03®, S05®, Gagn Evolution®, K111 D Galge®, S11H Nautilus®, S16 Diadema®, S15 Amphora®, S21 Clio®, Pingo Doce Express, CBTL Dallmayr Dalmayr Dalmayr, Saech Ofhe, Saech Office Two.

You can find the capsules of the Caffitaly system here.

4. Tchibo Cafissimo

Tchibo Cafissimo is a coffee capsule system produced by Tchibo, a German brand well known for its coffee. Cafissimo offers a wide range of coffee machines and capsules, recognized for its versatility and the fact that it offers the possibility of preparing various types of drinks, such as espresso, long coffee and tea.

The capsules are U-shaped, with a diameter of 45 mm and a height of 25 mm. They contain ground coffee and inside they have 2 plastic sieves both in the upper and lower part. Espresso machines pierce this capsule at one point at the top and at one point at the bottom.

The espresso used is Tchbo Cafisime: Easy, Cafixime Purs, Cafixime Milk.

Tchibo Cafissimo capsules are compatible with Caffitaly machines.

Cafissimo capsules can be found here.

5. Lavazza Blue

The system was created in 2003 and the name is an acronym for (Best Lavazza Ultimate Espresso). Each plastic capsule contains ground coffee in a generous amount of 8 and 9 grams. There are many different coffee blends (Delicato, Crema Lungo, Intenso, Tierra, Decaffeinato, Ricco, Gold Selection, Top Class, Amabile, Caffe Crema) and also soluble tea with lemon or dark chocolate.

The Blue capsule is U-shaped and has a diameter of 47 mm and a height of 27 mm. It is perforated in multiple places on both the top and bottom.

The capsules were created for convenience and professional use and the boxes are quite large, containing 100 pieces each.

Devices compatible with this system have the prefix LB (Lavazza Blue) in front: Old devices: LB 800 and 850 Chiara, LB 1000 and 1100, LB 2000 and 2200, LB 2300 and 2301.
The new devices: LB 300 Classy mini, LB 900 Classy Compact, LB 1150 Classy, ​​LB 1200 Classy Milk, LB 1150 Classy Custom Milk.

Professional devices: LB 4100, 4600, 4700, 5000
Vending Automata: necta colibri Blue, Brio 3 Blue, Kikko Blue, Astro Blue, Canto Blue and Zenith Blue.

Lavazza Blue capsules do not fit Tchibo Cafissimo espresso machines.

Original Lavazza Blue capsules compatible with gasiti aici.

6. Lavazza Espresso Point

This generation of capsules was conceived in 1983 and is the oldest type of Lavazza capsule.

The original capsules are made of hard plastic, have the shape of a tube, packaged by 2 in aluminum foil. They have a diameter of 47 mm and a height of 27 mm. They are not pierced by the device, but the water passes under pressure through the capsule, which has holes in both the upper and lower parts. Today there are manufacturers such as Covim, Garibaldi, Pera, Kimbo who produce capsules compatible with this system.

The Espresso Point capsules are: Crema e Aroma, Aroma Point, Aroma Club, Tierra, Bourbon and Deko. There is also lemon tea. The first 2 types of coffee are presented with 3 types of coffee grinding: Espresso (fine ground), Gran Espresso (medium ground), Gran Caffe (coarse ground).

The devices compatible with this system have the prefix EP (Espresso Point) and are: EP 800, EP 850, EP 950, 2100, 3200, Matinee, 1800 time, 3500 plus

Original Lavazza Espresso Point capsules compatible with gasiti aici.

7. Lavazza A Modo Mio

Lavazza A Modo Mio is the system created by Lavazza in 2007 dedicated to domestic consumption. The capsules are available in a wide variety, in boxes of 12, 16 and 36 pieces. Apparently the capsule resembles Lavazza Blue or Firma, but has different dimensions, diameter 47 mm and height 17 mm. The capsules contain 8 grams of ground coffee.

The devices that use them are: Saeco Piccina, Electrolux Favola, Saeco Extra, Electrolux Espria, Electrolux Magia, Minu Caffe Latte, Lavazza Simpla, Electrolux Favola Easy, Electrolux Favola Plus, Electrolux Favola Cappuccino, Electrolux Espira Plus, Lavazza Jolie, Electrolux Fantasia

Original capsule is compatible Lavazza A Modo Mio gasiti aici.

8. Illy IperEspresso

IperEspresso is the capsule system created by Illy for domestic coffee consumption. The capsule seems very complex and is probably why it is a little more expensive than other types.

Pre-infusion and extraction guarantee a superior quality product: creamy, tastier and at the right temperature. Illy coffee is a 100% Arabica coffee, delicate and very aromatic.

The devices that use these capsules belong to the Francis Francis range, models such as: Y3.2, Y7.1, X7.1, X9

For the IperEspresso line we only have original capsules produced by Illy available. You can find them here.

9. Tassimo

Tassimo is a capsule-based coffee and hot drink system owned by Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE). Tassimo is known for its easy-to-use coffee machines and versatility, offering a wide range of drinks from espresso and classic coffee to hot chocolate and tea.

Tassimo uses capsules called T DISCs, which are unique to this system. A barcode is printed on each T DISC and the Tassimo machine reads this code to automatically adjust the dispensing parameters (amount of water, temperature and dispensing time) for each drink.

Compared to other capsule systems such as Nespresso or Dolce Gusto, Tassimo stands out for its flexibility in preparing various drinks and its barcode reading technology to automatically adjust the dispensing process.

You can buy Tassimo capsules here.

10. Single-serve coffee (ESE) and Senseo pods

Single doses or pods (pods, pods, pods) are doses of ground coffee individually wrapped in paper or aluminum foil. They differ in size depending on the system they are part of.

The system in Italy is nominated ESE (Easy to Serve Espresso). The single doses of this system have a diameter of 44 mm and the coffee is pressed into the paper package. The devices that use these single doses bear the ESE pod logo: DeLonghi, Gaggia, Philips-Saeco, La Piccola.

The system in Germany (Senseo forests). The single doses of this system are often called pads or pods and have a diameter of 62 mm. The ground coffee inside them is not pressed. Woods Tchibo, Eduscho, Lavazza, Movenpick, etc. packaged in bags of 10-16-32 pcs. they are compatible with devices such as Philips Senseo.

Single doses of coffee can be found here.

We hope this guide will help you purchase the capsules and single doses you need for your espresso.
Here are some recommendations for capsules that you can find in our shop: