I thought I’d start the working week with a coffee filled post. I use a combination of my Nespresso machine, a cafetiere, stovetop pot and jar coffee. It all depends on how much time I have and what type of mood I’m in. One of my favourite ways to enjoy coffee during the working week is with a little help from my Nespresso machine. I pick out my favourite pod of the month, pop it in and fill up my aeroccino with almond milk. Within a few minutes I have a delicious homemade flat white to start my day. I often fill up my Ecoffee Cup before heading out of the door too. That way I’m not wasting single-use coffee cups, saving a little money and getting a delicious coffee.
Despite the fact that I enjoy trying out different types of coffee for my Nespresso machine it’s rare that I stray away from the traditional pods for long. Some of the ones in the supermarket are okay for an emergency but many of them don’t always work smoothly with my machine. There is however, one brand which sits equally alongside my good old traditional Nespresso pods and that is Gourmesso. I’ve talked about the brand before and even shared a recipe post where I created 3 dairy free coffee based treats to make with them. I’ve reviewed their coffee a couple of times here on Prettygreentea and have continued to repurchase them over the last few years.
Gourmesso pods work perfectly well with both the Magimix Citiz and the the U. Although I’ve only tried the pods with these 2 machines you can find a full list of the machines that the pods are compatible on their website. The pods are BPA free and can be recycled as part of your local recycling scheme.
Gourmesso was founded in Berlin and is the European leader in Nespresso compatible coffee capsules and once you’ve tried them it’s easy to see why. I’ve tried a wide range of pods from the brand and they all work smoothly with the 2 machines I have access to. They fit perfectly, never get stuck and always allow for the full amount of coffee to come through. They offer 10 espresso, 6 lungo, 12 flavoured coffees, 4 decaf and even 5 tea infusions. I love a traditional coffee and usually make myself a flat white. Sometimes it’s nice to have a coffee with a hint of something else, like cherry or cinnamon and this is a big part of why I enjoy the Gourmesso range. You can browse their full collection over at the Gourmesso store
The brand has come a long way since I first tried them back in 2013. The coffee is still just as delicious but they’ve certainly improved upon their packaging and it’s now much more environmentally friendly. Gourmesso now send out their pods in these smart boxes with the full information of the blend you have selected. The boxes stand neatly in the cupboard, unless like me, you prefer to store your pods in a jar. They’ve got rid of the individual wrappers on the coffee pods which although made them look pretty was quite unnecessary. Inside the box you’ll find a set of colour coordinated pods with the blend name on the front. I store my coffee pods in a jar so it helps to be able to pick out the blend I want with ease.
Honduras Pura Forte is one of the top selling blends. It’s a fair-trade, single-origin coffee and made from 100% Arabica beans which are sourced from family coffee farms in Honduras. This coffee has a lovely rich taste and a smooth finish. I find that it works perfectly well in my flat white or cappuccino but it also stands well on it’s own as an espresso There’s no bitter taste to the coffee at all, it’s very smooth and goes down a treat.
Gourmesso are working hard to expand their range of fair trade coffee so I’m delighted to be sharing another blend from that range with you. This is the Soffio Cannella which has an intensity of 5. It’s a beautiful blend with a hint of cinnamon spice. Although this pod works perfectly well as an espresso I sometimes use it for a flat white and it works delightfully well. It’s a nice alternative to a traditional coffee and you don’t need to add any sugary syrups to get a flavourful kick of cinnamon. The flavoured pods from Gourmesso are usually much punchier than the ones from Nespresso and this is certainly the case with the cinnamon ones. I’m personally very happy about this.
This is the Soffio Nocciola pod with an intensity level of 5. It’s a hazelnut coffee which works best as an espresso or in a mocha. I found that this flavour wasn’t as strong as the cinnamon one but still offered a rich coffee blend with a subtle taste of hazelnut. It has a lovely warming flavour which I think will be ideal during the colder months.
Other blends from Gourmesso I’ve enjoyed are the SFCC House Blend and the Cherry pods – a personal favourite. All of the pods are 30% cheaper than the ones from Nespresso too and of course, that means more coffee for your money.
Let me know if you give Gourmesso pods a try with your machine and what you think of them.