Is There A Difference Between Iced Nespresso Pods Vs The Regular Kind?

Move over, hot coffee. Iced coffee has been trending for quite a while, both at your local coffee house and for homemade drinks. A widely reported Starbucks announcement from 2023 said 75% of the coffee giant's sales were made up of iced drinks, so it only makes sense that Nespresso is ready to lead the home iced coffee market with specialty capsules designed specifically for cold drinks. The first two pods for brewing on ice were released in 2017, and the selection increases each year, with seasonal flavored offerings sprinkled into the mix as well.

The coffee pods Nespresso markets for iced coffee are designed to be stronger so they stand up to the dilution from melting ice and the addition of cold milk. The result is a light but flavorful coffee flavor, according to Nespresso. That's great to know, but there's no law of physics that prevents you from cooling down the coffee from any other Nespresso pod and serving it in an icy cold drink. If you run out of iced coffee pods, you're still in luck when you crave a cold caffeine kick.

The iced coffee capsules are designed to be brewed directly into ice, which baristas say "shocks" a normal shot of espresso and can cause bitterness. Nespresso has created specific blends for the iced capsules that avoids that problem along with the stronger flavor profile. If you want to chill down coffee from a regular espresso or coffee capsule, you might want to pick one of the capsules in the Barista Creations section since they were created to mix well with added milk. Stronger ristretto capsules and other blends with a strength ranked higher than 8 by Nespresso should hold up to dilution as well.

But don't brew those normal capsules directly on ice. You should allow the coffee to cool a bit so the ice doesn't melt too much, or you risk a watered down coffee. One great technique is brewing your pod onto a chilled spoon or whiskey stone. You can also just pop your brewed coffee in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to cool, and then add ice and the rest of your ingredients. Don't forget to froth your drink up for a creamy sipping experience.