Consuelo Nespresso* compatible Capsules - Intenso, 100 coffee capsules (10x10)

My usual (caffeinated) pods for my Nespresso machine are Kenko, which are excellent. I bought a trial pack of these decaff and found them almost as good, so I’ve now bought a hundred pack. Here’s a tip you might like to note: probably because the foil cap is different from my Kenco ones, it takes the machine quite a bit longer to complete its run. HERE'S HOW TO FIX THAT: pull the handle down as usual to lock the pod in place, but just before locking it fully down, swing it up and down a few times, just a couple of inches. Then lock it down. I guess this just makes the pierced holes in the foil a bit bigger.

I would have loved these to have worked in my Nespresso Magimix coffee machine at 10p a shot! These have rather mixed reviews (Consuello decaffeinated) and some encouraging ones. I note now that the reviews on the packs of 50 supplied reveal far more customers experiencing problems. The problem I experienced was that every capsule was unusable! With these I couldn't even close the handle down on my machine. I also tried puncturing the capsule a second time as advised by one reviewer though that also didn't work for me. (Interestingly it did work for Soave decaffeinated capsules - 17p a shot - also purchased on Amazon and I prefer and enjoy the taste of the Soave decaffeinato Italian coffee). I have an older Nespresso coffee machine though it works fine with the majority of compatible capsules. With the Consuello capsules, If I forced the handle down and manually held it shut, then a small amount of coffee trickled out. However this situation is wholly unsatisfactory and I have to say that the coffee "brew" was mediocre and almost unpleasant. A personal taste thing perhaps. In conclusion for my Nespresso machine and taste I would not use these capsules. Amazon's response was first rate. A full refund on return of the capsules.FOOTNOTE: It is interesting (if you have the time) to read about the various methods of decaffeination used. It seems that the various chemical solvent method could be the least desirable, the Swiss Water method the best though the process is the most costly and reflected in the cost of the capsules and the CO2 (Carbon Dioxide ) method I understand used for these and the Soave capsules. Fingers crossed that this method doesn't contribute to climate change!!

I'd read other reviews about how water struggled to get through the capsules, but I thought those reviews were the result of the unlucky ones who bought from a bad batch. Silly me! They arrived just now, so I eagerly inserted the first capsule. It was just as those reviewers had said. I would think a seven million bar pressure machine might get the water through and the coffee out, but since most machines are about fifteen, there's about as much chance of a successful ristretto as there is of a snowflake's making it through the Sahara unscathed. I'm not returning them because they were quite cheap, and I might get one ristretto from four capsules if they don't kill my machine first. Come to think of it, the Krups seems to beg for mercy when these capsules go in!

I've gone through various 'nesspresso' compatible posds. These are up there with some of the best. The taste is good but can be a little bit bitter in my opinion. The pods themselves don't feel or look premium but that's what you'd expect from the price range. Again if you're on a tight budget these are definitely for you. If not then I would recommend the L'or capsules, in my opinion are the best tasting and best value for money. I'm impressed with Consuelo but not blown away

As some others have said these capsules don't work very well in the machine. They run slow and often the flow grinds to a halt. I had real problems with these when I first started using them and considered returning them. However, there are workarounds that will allow these capsules to work well so if you don't mind putting a little extra effort in, then these capsules represent good value for money and are perfectly acceptable.To get these to work I squeeze the capsules for a few seconds to loosen up the coffee within, which seems to be quite compacted. Then I puncture the foil base in 3 locations followed by the foil cap in a few more. I keep a small slotted screwdriver in my kitchen drawer for this purpose. When placing the capsule in the machine I squeeze the lever down onto the capsule a couple of times. Taken together these steps seem to allow water to pass through the capsule reasonably well and the coffee is prepared in the same time as for a genuine capsule; flow is very much improved.It does seem like a faff but I can live with this since the capsules are a good price. Taste wise they are not the best but I do drink a lot of decaf in-between regular coffee so that's good enough for me. There's no knowing what the extra steps do to my machine - I can't see any reason why I might have problems, but for now all is ok with these.

I recently tried the Classico Variety of these pods and was pleasantly surprised - see my review against that product.Thought I would take a chance on these as according to the description they have a fruity balance and are 100% Arabica even though they are cheaper than the Classico?I found out why when they arrived. According to the producer they have a shelf life of 2 years - production date to BBE date - which is stretching things a bit!The ones I received have barely 5 months of shelf life left meaning they were roasted 19 months ago!To be fair the coffee they produce is not bad - it is drinkable - but it would have been a lot better and fruitier if it was about 12 months fresher no doubt.I have not had a problem with fit or leakage in my Krups Mini Essenza although I do agree they can pour very slowly - they do seem to be a slightly different design to the Classico ones but that could just be that they were using older blank pods!I won't be ordering these again and it would be fairer to the customer to actually state "we have reduced these because they are getting close to the BBE date"