Yes, Some Nespresso Coffee Pods Contain Vitamins

Just when we thought Nespresso capsules and pods held few unsolved mysteries, here comes a blend with an unexpected infusion. It's not an exotic new flavor or a special roasting technique, which would be somewhat normal for Nespresso. It's instead an apparent Nespresso entry into the world of "enhanced coffees." The category is loosely defined but basically covers coffees that have been power-packed with ingredients meant to amp up the typical coffee experience. 

Examples of enhanced coffees include ones with extra caffeine, or more commonly, blends incorporating vitamins, natural mood enhancers, energy boosters, or extracts such as lion's mane that potentially aid in areas such as memory loss and brain function. In the case of Nespresso, the company offers three coffees listed in a category called Coffee +, explained as "coffees with extra benefits." Two of the offerings in the group are simply coffee pods with extra caffeine, but the third fits more readily into the growing general category of enhanced coffees. 

Those pods go by the name of Nespresso Vivida, and the "plus" enhancement comes from vitamin infusion. It contains no extra caffeine, instead harboring potential health benefits from the addition of Vitamin B12. Known for a wide range of benefits such as balancing immune responses, preventing birth defects, and supporting healthy bones, eyes, skin, and hair, this super vitamin is routinely included as part of the USDA daily requirement values. Nespresso notes that a cup of Vivida coffee contains 20% of the recommended daily amount of B12. 

Infusing coffee with vitamins is a genius idea in many ways. It's a warm, enticing, beloved liquid, and a large swath of the global population already drinks it on a regular basis, including up to 73% of Americans. Blending B12 into a morning or afternoon cup of java gives consumers an easy leg-up on reaching daily vitamin amounts, especially when the coffee carrier tastes really good.  

Nespresso's Vivida coffee is described as a medium roast with an elegant profile and notes of honey and cereal, and it's intended to be consumed as a classic Americano-style cup of coffee rather than as an espresso-style drink. At present, Vivida is not available in capsules fitting the "original" Nespresso machines. It comes only in the larger, round, bar-coded pods created for the Nespresso Vertuo machines. 

However, if your Nespresso machine only takes the original capsules, you do have some options for trying out vitamin- and supplement-infused coffee in general. An Australian company makes what's known as Brimful enhanced coffee, which is packed inside Nespresso-compatible capsules. Three enhanced-coffee options include infusions ranging from Vitamin C to MCT powder, turmeric, echinacea, and inulin.