Nespresso compatible coffee pods at Hirsch’s (updated with first thoughts)

Justin Posted on June 6, 2012

Posted from WordPress for BlackBerry.

Excuse the poor quality of the picture, the Blackberry camera isn’t really suited to taking closeups of small newspaper adverts.

This afternoon I saw in our local community newspaper (Highway Mail – 8 June 2012) that Hirsch’s were advertising “Fits into a Nespresso” coffee pods. Branded as “Cafe Luxe coffee pack” they come in sleeves of 10 capsules. Priced at R39.99 its about a rand per cup cheaper than the original nespresso. Not sure if it’s worth the difference but I haven’t tried them so shouldn’t comment on the quality.

This coffee comes in 5 flavours :

Decaffe
Lungo
Mild roast
Medium roast
Dark roast

I am intrigued. If anyone has bought or tried this coffee please let us know.

Update :

I see that the online Espresso Shop also stocks these capsules. They have pictures of the capsules, also priced at R40/pack of 10, along with an FAQ stating that these are fully compatible and won’t damage your Nespresso machine. More details at their website here.

Update 2 :

I bought some of these capsules to try out. I used the first one this morning. Will provide more feedback as I go along:

The capsules are in rather colourful, but plain and function box.
You can slide the box open to remove a capsule without having to damage the box in any way
The capsules feel plastic rather than a thin metal
After putting the capsule into the machine it was a fair bit more difficult to close the Nespresso machine (and pierce the capsule)
Once in and pressing the “make coffee” button some clear water come out before coffee starting pouring out. I haven’t seem this before with the normal Nespresso capsules
The foam on the coffee wasn’t as “rich looking” as with the normal coffee
I tried the medum roast blend (the orange box), and it was ok-ish. Perhaps slightly bitter, but nothing special. Neither good nor bad.
When I took the capsule out after using it and examined it, the cap which normally has the lattice piercings in it was pierced but somehow not as cleanly as is normally the case

After just one cup my initial thought is that I probably won’t buy these again. For saving R1/cup it isn’t worth it, especially with the niggles above. Still, have 49 more cups to go, so more feedback to come.

Update : If you come across this post through a random internet search, you may want to read this later post, it is a whole lot more useful. (Not so compatible Nespresso pods)

Tags: cafe luxe, Coffee, compatible, Espresso Shop, espressoshop.co.za, hirsch's, Nespresso, pods

Categories: Coffee

20 Responses

katija:

Plse let me know if we can use the dulce pots withmik how do we use it with the milk.

27.06.2014 20:29 Reply
- Justin:
  
  Hi Katija
  The Dulce pods are not compatible with Nespresso type machines, so no you cant use them. If you want those milky type coffees you would need to buy the Nespresso machines with the built in milk frother or get a milk frother from elsewhere and then use fresh milk.
  J
  
  31.08.2014 17:07 Reply
Max Rensink:

In my capsule packets I found 2 vouchers whereby one can obtain a “Free collection pack woth R25.Where and how do I collect these? In des paration I have 1 thown away,how do I collect the new one?The number is 015d8y5010up5.

24.09.2013 10:43 Reply
Leila:

I got an espresso machine for my birthday, and it is a mission to get capsules!! I live in the Northern Cape so no Nespresso shop for me! I recently found a pretty cool Nespresso compatible capsule online called Espresseco. They are green and eco friendly which is pretty cool.

16.05.2013 12:33 Reply
- Justin:
  
  Thanks for sharing, will check it out. I also found the Beavers creek coffee shop on the KZN South Coast sell their coffees in the capsules too now.
  
  18.05.2013 09:57 Reply
Luke:

Hi guys we are resellers for Caffeluxe, We can supply your Caffeluxe pods at R38.00 per pack,Our delivery is next day, throughout ZA. If you are concerned about the pods not fitting, please be aware that they have changed the design recently and that now is a thing of the past, the problem lay with the little rubber seal on the foil side of the pod.

20.03.2013 20:21 Reply
cynthiawhite:

I have a nespresso Citz coffee machine and have just found that I can buy the caffe’ Luxecapsules much cheaper than Nespresso. I have purchased 8 sleeves and now I am concerned because it seems they don’t fit. I am afraid to force the lever incase I damage my machine. Can you guarantee they are compatible?

18.01.2013 03:26 Reply
- Justin:
  
  Hi Cynthia
  I have no affiliation with CafeLux, am merely a user of some of their products, so cannot guarantee anything for you. If you are having trouble with their capsules take a look at their web page, mail them or give them a call.
  
  0860 238830
  info@caffeluxe.com
  http://www.luxurycoffee.co.za/about-us/
  
  I have used their capsules without problems, maybe you have a bad batch.
  
  Regards
  Justin
  
  18.01.2013 22:07 Reply
  - Justin:
    
    Cynthia, I mailed Caffeluxe last night and received an immediate response (not just an automated one), very impressed with their customer service. Daniel was very helpful and will get Josh to reply to you. Daniel also noticed that I had reviewed the older design capsules. They have newer ones with an improved capsule design, better grind and coffee. Daniel has offered to send me some, so I look forward to receiving these and providing some feedback on what I find. Good customer service all round.
    
    19.01.2013 11:41 Reply
- Josh:
  
  Hi Cynthia,
  
  Thanks for your feedback, it is very valuable to us!
  
  Could I send you a box of our latest collection pack for you to try out?
  
  Look forward to you trying out our newest generation capsules!
  
  Kind Regards
  
  Josh – Caffe Luxe
  (021) 460 0428
  
  23.01.2013 13:37 Reply
Colleen van Rooyen:

I just bought the caffeluxe Milano Espresso Capsure Machine from Pick ‘ Pay at R999.00 and tried it today for the first time, Really simple to operate and tried the Decaff capsule. Great taste and no problems with water running out first.

28.10.2012 17:05 Reply
- Justin:
  
  Hi Colleen
  
  Thanks for the feedback, always good to hear. Have you tried any of the Nespresso pods in your machine? Would really love to know if they work. I’m looking to get a second machine for the office, and would much rather be paying R999 than the R1800 of the cheapest Nespresso machine I can see.
  
  Thanks
  Justin
  
  28.10.2012 18:44 Reply
- Justin:
  
  I’m glad to hear that the Caffeluxe capsules are now available in our local Checkers here in Westville. I will def be trrying these out soon.
  
  03.11.2012 08:59 Reply
Brett:

Has anybody tried the refillable coffee cap – (www.coffeecaps.co.za)
Just bought myself a set and was wondering if anybody had any tips on how to fill. Really looking forward to some different coffee in my Nespresso machine.

29.08.2012 12:21 Reply
danny:

i tried these and wasnt blown away . I found an italian coffee capsule for those of you who are interested .Actually found it better than nespresso .. go figure … http://www.espressoilove.co.za check them out , good service also

03.08.2012 12:38 Reply
stephanie:

Hi Justin great blog i just stumbled across it , I recently bought a Caffeluxe Sienne Espresso Capsule Mashine at Checkers in Sea Point Cape town and i could not believe how affordable it was R999 on special and the capsule was R39.90 i tried a few flavours and loving it!!!! i also think it makes a great gift and got one for my sister for her birthday, the website is also great easy and simple to place a order. i did contact them to find out if you can purchase it all over south africa and they said in all 36 checkers in the western cape and the rest of the country next month. http://www.caffeluxe.com

21.06.2012 20:31 Reply
- Justin:
  
  Thanks for the info Stephanie, I didn’t know that Caffeluxe also made the coffee machines. Thats certainly a much more reasonable price than the Nespresso machines.
  
  I look forward to their rollout nationally so I can get my coffee at the local Checkers.
  
  21.06.2012 22:25 Reply
Frank:

I read your blog so I called the Company in Paarden Eiland Cape Town where they have a factory shop. They explained to me some of the issues that you mentioned. I was told that it was only the Nespresso Essenza machines that were manufactured before 2010 that are tough to close. They also mentioned that the problem with water coming out before coffee has been solved with their new capsule that was released on 14 June. I really enjoyed the Lungo and Mild roast and did not have any issues with the caps on my Pixi machine. I enjoy the fact that I can get the caps in Checkers or on their website ( http://www.caffeluxe.com ) and the taste is great too.

21.06.2012 14:56 Reply
- Justin:
  
  Hi Frank
  
  Thanks for sharing your experience. Interesting info, though, I have the CitiZ and am having that problem so it doesn’t really align. I am curious about the new capsules though, so once I start to run low may get some just to try.
  
  If you get some of the new ones, let us know if the problems are all fixed as described.
  
  I haven’t seen them in Checkers, that would be far more convenient than Hirsch or online.
  
  Justin
  
  21.06.2012 19:59 Reply
Anthony:

I tried them as well, they were a little harder to close, but worked well, i like the dark roast. would def buy again as way more convenient.

18.06.2012 17:45 Reply