Every Nespresso Signature Pod, Ranked Worst To Best

Nespresso owners know that there's a plethora of pod options at their disposal. While owners of Original machines have plenty of third-party pods to choose from, Vertuo machines are pretty limited to pods from Nespresso's own company (and its couple partnerships, like Nespresso's collab with Oatly). Fortunately, those in possession of a Vertuo still won't feel deprived of pod choices — Nespresso has dozens of Vertuo pods that can fit pretty much any palate. Its capsules are categorized into collections to help consumers find what they're looking for, and today, we're taking a look at its Signature Coffee line.

There are seven pods in Nespresso's Signature line, and each brews a 7.77-ounce cup of coffee. Among the selections are a decaf and half-caf option so you can enjoy a cup of joe no matter the time of day; the rest of the pods come in a wide variation of light to dark roasts, with some being very gentle and others boasting strong, intense flavors. I grabbed a box of each to try and rank based purely on flavor. Because I prefer my coffee smooth, black, and without any bitter notes, some of the darker coffees were placed toward the bottom of my list, while the milder choices got higher scores. 

Given what I just said about my coffee preferences, it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that I didn't love Nespresso's Intenso pod. This capsule boasts a level nine intensity (out of 12) and a full roast and claims to have roasted, chocolatey notes. I didn't prefer this higher-intensity Nespresso pod, but I'd hesitate to call it downright bad, and I'm sure there's a consumer out there who would appreciate the depth this coffee has to offer — unfortunately, I'm not that girl. 

In my opinion, Intenso is best enjoyed with cream, primarily because of the bitter flavors that came toward the end of the sip and lingered at the top of my palate. However, I wasn't expecting to enjoy the smokiness it offers as much as I did, and that made the front of each sip quite enjoyable. If I was craving a creamy coffee that could stand up to a wealth of additional flavors, there's a decent chance I'd choose this pod. But as someone who drinks her first cup black every day, it wouldn't be my top choice, which earned it spot No. 7 in this ranking. 

Up next is Nespresso's Melozio Decaffeinato pod. It's certainly not Nespresso's worst decaf pod, but it didn't hold its own when pitted against the other selections on this list. When placed next to the company's caffeinated Melozio pod (which appears a bit later in this list), you can tell this one is decaffeinated. It has a very slight, almost chemical-esque flavor that tends to be particular to decaffeinated coffee; however, it wasn't as overwhelming as other decaf coffees I've had. 

This pod claims an intensity of six and is a medium roast, with self-proclaimed cereal, nutty, and balanced notes. This decaf pod is slightly less smooth than its caffeinated counterpart, but the variation is very slight — I could only tell because I tried each side-by-side and I was looking for differences. While the nutty, toasted cereal notes came through, I'd say its nuttiness was more prevalent. Melozio Decaffeinato is pretty strong, but I can't call it dark. If you like strong black coffee, this would be a good decaf choice as it will hold up well to any cream you add. 

Up next is Stormio, a dark green pod whose name is instantly intriguing. I had an inkling this would be one of the stronger coffees out of the bunch even before looking at its details on the back of the box — its name is reminiscent of thunderclouds, and I was excited to see the punch packed by this pod. I was very torn on where to place this in my ranking. It had one of the more interesting flavors of all the pods, and that will have me reaching for it again. Unfortunately, I don't think that flavor would come through with milk, and this coffee was still strong enough for me to want to add some. 

Stormio has an intensity of eight and is a medium-dark roast with woody, earthy, and spicy notes. It's not unusual for darker roasts to have notes of chocolate and caramel (both of which are natural byproducts of the roasting process), so I always get a little excited to see darker coffees with different tasting notes. 

I could smell the spiciness of this cup, and, though it's strong, it's smoother than Intenso. Stormio also has a bitterness to it, but it's like the bitterness that comes with a bar of very dark chocolate — it added to the coffee's depth without making it unpalatable. I don't think it will be as widely palatable as the following options on my list, but if this description intrigues you, it's well worth the buy. 

If you're in the market for the exact opposite of Stormio and Intenso, Solelio would be a good place to start. This was by far the lightest of any of the pods I tried and is among the lightest of all Nespresso pods I've had (and trust me, I've sipped quite a few). With a few minor tweaks, I'd even say this could have earned the top spot on my list — after all, I'm particularly a fan of light and fruity coffees. However, this one fell just short enough to knock it down several pegs on this ranking, making it take the fourth place spot.

With an intensity of two and mild, fruity notes, Solelio may well be Nespresso's least intense pod, making it a good choice for anyone with an aversion to strong coffee. You can tell just from its color in the above photo — the coffee is gentle and unassuming, and it would easily get lost if you added any cream, so it's best enjoyed black. I can attest to it boasting some citrusy notes, and I liked its flavor; however, it tasted far too watered-down for my liking. If I could control how much water my Nespresso dispensed, I'd brew this at about half the volume it normally brews at. I didn't dislike it, but its tea-like quality kept me from fully enjoying it. 

Up next is the caffeinated version of our aforementioned decaf pod: Melozio. If you're a Nespresso newbie asking for pod recommendations, I wouldn't at all be surprised to hear that this was on the list. Melozio is about as standard a cup of coffee as Nespresso gets with any of its pods. Its strength sits right in the middle with an intensity of six, and it's a medium roast with balanced, nutty notes. 

Go for this pod when you need a good, no-frills cup of coffee. It gives off a warm and nutty aroma as it brews, which made me look forward to trying a sip. The thing that surprised me the most was that the crema on top was undeniably sweet, and I quite liked that about this cup. I got that oat-like note of toasted cereal, and it was amply nutty. Although I wouldn't call it overly dark, it is pretty strong and may be best enjoyed with milk (though it wouldn't be hard to drink black). You'll get some caramelization at the end of the sip and the tiniest bit of bitterness. Melozio doesn't have as much depth as other Nespresso pods I've had, but it's nice and neutral and a good pod to have in any collection. 

Slightly more impressive than Melozio was Odacio, and I'll admit to being surprised that I liked this one over the previous pod. Where Melozio is neutral and mild, Odacio amps up its flavors a little bit and dares to be ever-so-slightly different, like that favorite single aunt who's always out traveling and living her best life. It's not extreme by any means, but it's interesting enough to make any sipper go "Oh. Hmm," after trying some — and I mean that in the best way.

Odacio is marginally more intense than Melozio (with an intensity of seven); according to the packaging, it's also roasted slightly lighter, a dichotomy I thought served this cup particularly well. This had a much more chocolatey touch than any of the other pods on this list, and I really enjoyed it black. It's fairly intense, but "intense" doesn't equate to "dark" or "heavy" when we're talking about coffee — it just packs more of a punch than some other flavors in this ranking. Moreover, it managed to do so while remaining surprisingly smooth and didn't have much bitterness to speak of at the end of the sip. I liked the depth Odacio had to offer, and I wouldn't be surprised if this pod made it into my regular rotation.  

Finally, the No. 1 pick on this list, and one that shocked me to my core: Half Caffeinato. Where has this pod been all my life? Why isn't it more widely regarded? If you ask me, Half Caffeinato is an incredibly underrated Nespresso pod that deserves more attention than it's used to getting, but hopefully, acquiring the top spot on this list can propel its rise to Nespresso fame. It's a level five on Nespresso's intensity scale and is a light-medium roast with self-proclaimed sweet and velvety notes. 

This was actually the last pod I tried for this taste test, and my first sip told me it was an easy top choice. I loved all the notes this cup boasted, and the sweet biscuit notes that came through were particularly inviting. It was incredibly smooth, and you'll never catch me adding cream to this coffee — it's easy to drink black, and I wouldn't want to muddy up its flavors by adding anything else into the equation. It's also slightly nutty and non-complex in a way that makes it palatable to a wide audience. This is my new second cup of coffee in the morning, and it gets bonus points for managing to be so good with only half the caffeine kick.  

To do this ranking, I bought one box each of Nespresso's Signature Coffee flavors and tasted them all sequentially. I let each cool for a few minutes before trying it so I could get the full flavor profile without facing temperature distractions. I also drank each black, so none were muddled by the addition of milk — adding creamer would make a few more palatable, but my ranking didn't take that into account.

If you're a fan of big, bold coffees, you should shop the picks in the lower-ranked part of my list, while those who like more mellow coffees should look toward the higher-ranking options. Each coffee was surprisingly different, which I wasn't expecting from this collection of blends. Nespresso really did a good job at catering to its customer base with this collection; its variety of pods means there is a flavor for every type of coffee drinker.