What The Heck Do The Numbers On Nespresso Pods Mean?

With largely unrecognizable names like diavolitto, orafio, and odacio, many non-Italian-speaking Nespresso consumers may rely on their intensity scale to understand what they are drinking. It seems logical to correlate the intensity number to the amount of caffeine in the brew — but Nespresso's scale is more nuanced than that, referring more to intensity of flavor than the measure of caffeine. 

On the Nespresso site, it indicates that a coffee's intensity number is determined by four factors: the level of roasting, the body of the taste, the bitterness, and the concentration of coffee solids in the brew. "It does not refer to the amount of caffeine found in the coffee." Nespresso's intensity scale ranges from 1 to thirteen. Coffees 6 and below are categorized as "not intense," and options above 8 are listed as "intense." Regardless of the distinction, the coffee company does not factor the caffeine level of each pod into its intensity.

Nespresso's measurement of intensity in coffee slightly diverges from the Specialty Coffee Association's (SCA) standard measure for intensity in coffee. The SCA is an association of industry professionals, and it evaluates the strength of coffee by measuring the amount of dissolved solids left in the extraction. 

The SCA defines an average cup of coffee to be one that has 18% to 22% dissolved solids. Though Nespresso's intensity scale takes into account other factors, neither the Nespresso nor the SCA intensity ratings refer to the amounts of caffeine.

Though Nespresso assigns a specific intensity rating to each pod, no brew is the same. A pod's taste may differ depending on the cleanliness of the brewing machine, the amount of time manufacturing the pods are used, and other variables. Whatever your favorite intensity may be, make sure not to pair the stronger brews with cola.