Lavazza Super Crema Aluminum Capsules Compatible with Nespresso* Original Machines, Medium Roast, Arabica and Robusta Blend (60 Capsules)

I read a few of the negative reviews that mentioned fitment issues and coffee not coming out properly etc, but it seemed at least some of those also mentioned this was happening on their plastic pods. Well, now they switched to aluminum pods so I figured, for $.26 a pod I'll give these a shot. TLDR;There were too many issues with these and I recommend to stay away. Issue 1: Package arrived damaged in one corner. Upon opening and inspecting, two of the six 10-pack boxes where half damaged, so about 9 pods in total looked completely mutilated. OK, snapped a photo, contacted Amazon and they refunded me the purchase and recommended I either recycle these, give to a friend or donate. So I decided to donate to science..... Issue 2: As I proceeded to unpack the outer box, I came to realize that the Variety pack I ordered was no variety at all. Each of the 10-packs inside was exactly the same, namely the 5/13 strength "Lungo" flavor, which would have been the only one of the variety I actually didn't care for. Issue 3: I tried using an undamaged pod using my trusty DeLonghi, when the button was pressed, only water came out, indicating the foil wasn't properly breached. I stopped the pour, dug out the pod from the collection bin, and sure enough, no prick holes in the foil. I proceeded to massage the pod a bit, thinking maybe it was a little bent etc. put it back in the DeLonghi, tried again, still just water still no holes. Grabbed another pod, this time a slightly damaged one, put it in pressed the button and this time, the right noise was coming out AND coffee (Imagine that!!). Coffee wasn't very strong so I tired another pod (failed) and another pod (failed) ,and after the third "another pod" finally coffee came out again. Realize that at this point I'm at about $1.25 per working pod. Upon inspecting the failed pods, I noticed that the aluminum foil on those that failed was very flat and sinking into the pod, and on those that were working it seemed full and was "ballooning" out. I figured that this "ballooning" was what allowed the blades to reach the foil, so at this point, without much left to lose I proceeded to take a known failed pod from the refuse bin, and I stated to really squish its body round and round so that the foil ballooned out. Sure enough this worked on every single pod. There were a few that I over-did and they seemed to created to much back pressure on the machine, at which point no water at all came out, but it was simple enough to find the correct method. Issue 4 (The dagger to the heart): After all these admittingly enjoyable experiments, the one thing science couldn't fix (Unless I feed the grains to my cat kopi and wait for her to poop them back out) is that the coffee just didn't have good flavor. I understand this could be because it was the 5/13 roast, or that it could have been due to over or under pressure in the pods etc. but really, Lavazza, you had one job. ONE! For now, I'll stick with Nespresso originals for Decaf and a few other flavors and with L'or for the risterro. I'll throw a Peets in the cart every now and then, but those haven't impressed me much either. Good luck to all! Edit: I'm also noticing a ton of water collecting at the bottom tray and that some capsules just fall right through when dropped in.

UPDATE: Lavazza and Amazon moved with great speed to fix the labeling error. Amazon quickly issued a refund for the incorrect box (with no necessity to return, which I thought was classy.) Lavazza also fulfilled the original order with the correct variety pack. As everyone knows, it's a challenge to find an affordable substitute for Nespresso Original Line capsules. Poor coffee quality, capsules that fail, "aluminum" capsules with a paper around the seal that clog the machine. Lavazza's new aluminum capsules perform like original Nespresso. The only variety I didn't like with the light roast Lungo, but I'm not a fan of light roasts. I don't care for citrusy aftertaste, which was very low or non-existent in the Lavazza varieties. I have found my Nespresso substitute, and kudos to Amazon and Lavazza for an excellent shopping experience. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I received a six-pack of all decaf and not the variety pack I ordered. Return or replacement requires going through Customer Service for this non-returnable item, because I was sent the wrong product. I decided to keep it because I like Lavazza decaf the best, and reorder the variety pack. I assumed Amazon just pulled the wrong item. Here is the reason for the Beware! warning: I noticed that the label on the box from the manufacturer clearly states that it's decaf, but the label on the item generated by Amazon IS for the variety pack. If you order around the same time as I did, you'll likely get all decaf and not the variety pack. A review seemed to be the only way to alert shoppers. Two stars because I like the quality of the coffee, and the error was not the fault of the manufacturer. I like that the capsules are now aluminum (I actually opened one - it is aluminum.) Not plastic, which I hate. I like that the capsules don't have that cheap paper ring like some other Nespresso off-brands, that break off and clog the machine. These seem to work as well as Nespresso capsules, but it's too early to tell if they all will work. And the price is great. I will go through the hassle of contacting Customer Service and alert them to the error. Hopefully they'll correct the wrong label. I already reordered before I discovered the error, but the Prime Day Price was just too good to pass up.

I read a number of negative reviews about Lavazza's nespresso capsules. The two main issue are about the burned taste of the coffee and that the capsule doesn't work well when dispensing. For me, when using the Nespresso Creatista Plus machine: 1. Dispensing and using the capsule is just the same as the original capsules. I have no issue with dispensing and all capsules arrived perfective with no deformation. Also note that some reviewers used non-Nespresso branded machine which adds more variations to the compatibility of the capsules. 2. Regarding the burned taste some reviews reported, I think I can kind of taste that very bold taste from the "Intenso" flavor. Note that I ordered the 6 pack which contains 5 different flavor. i would guess that very bold taste from the "Intenso" flavor is what some reviewered referred as the burned taste. Yes, it may not be the best flavor. However, the "Classico", "Lungo" etc are all pretty good and more balance in terms of taste. If you don't like the intenso flavor, just avoid that one the second when you buy specific taste. The 6 pack combo is for you to try out what taste you like. Overall, I think these capsules works very well on my machine. The taste are mostly good and strong. there is just as good amount of creama from these capsules compared to the original.I would say the original Nespresso capsules are still better in terms of taste but these are very good and they are excellent alternative and offer great value.

I ordered the Super crema variety and wasn’t disappointed. The only bad part is for whatever reason it took a month to arrive. I’ve tried many various Nespresso options outside of their own branded capsules and, in my opinion, you’re always trading at least some flavor for savings. These capsules though I found to be about the closest to actual Nespresso. They do deliver a decent “crema” for what that amounts to from my Essenza Mini machine. It tastes nice and toasty without being overly bitter. I usually always opt to brew a lungo for a mini coffee and these have been pretty nice. The capsules I received were in good shape and I’ve had no issues with any of them working properly in my machine. I’d very likely purchase again as long as I don’t have to wait forever to actually get them.

Best Lavazza pods I've had, I usually drink the purple ones, sometimes the red pods, these are absolutely better. Hoping they stay at competitive pricing compared to those.