Nespresso compatible pods Lidl €1.99

The_Conductor

garrett b wrote: »

Spar have started selling their own pods now! (this is news to me).Saw them this morning, I think I've become trained to seek these things out. €2.00 ten pods. They don't look very appetising, sort of rough and ready packaging-little cardboard box, poor graphics.

In all fairness- the Nespresso ones don't feature the world's most exciting packaging either- the bare cardbord box that the sleeves come in, isn't going to win any awards- and as for the sleeves themselves- the colours don't really reveal a lot about the contents (which if you're in a house with a few coffee drinkers who all have their favourites- can be an issue).

I reckon the Aldi ones cost me more than Nespresso- given we're using a few pods per cup- its just a lot weaker than the Nespresso ones........

bk

garrett b wrote: »

Spar have started selling their own pods now! (this is news to me).Saw them this morning, I think I've become trained to seek these things out. €2.00 ten pods. They don't look very appetising, sort of rough and ready packaging-little cardboard box, poor graphics.

I literally just came here to say that! And yes the packaging isn't very convincing nor is it easy to tell the difference between the different types.

While I haven't tried them yet, the Aldi ones look to have the best packing so far.

mrcheez

The_Conductor wrote: »

If you make the Aldi or Lidl coffee on an espresso setting and use 3-4 pods- its actually quite ok. I've just had 4 here now. A bit more bitter than I'd expect- but quite drinkable.

ok so you need 4 of the Aldi pods to get the equivalent of one Nespresso pod?

Isn't that a false economy (not just in cost of using 4 pods, but in the time involved) ?

bk

The_Conductor wrote: »

I reckon the Aldi ones cost me more than Nespresso- given we're using a few pods per cup- its just a lot weaker than the Nespresso ones........

Have you tried the different strengths? I find that the Lidl Ristretto ones are much stronger for big drinks.

Btw be careful if you are yu sing 3 or 4 pods, that means you are getting 3 or 4 times the caffeine!!

The_Conductor

mrcheez wrote: »

ok so you need 4 of the Aldi pods to get the equivalent of one Nespresso pod?

Isn't that a false economy (not just in cost of using 4 pods, but in the time involved) ?

4 to get the equivalent of 2 Nespresso pods.
I use the Bodum pyrex mugs that came with the machine- it takes 2 full cups dispensed to fill a mug. So- 4- instead of 2- and use the espresso setting instead of the cup setting.

The_Conductor

bk wrote: »

Have you tried the different strengths? I find that the Lidl Ristretto ones are much stronger for big drinks.

Btw be careful if you are yu sing 3 or 4 pods, that means you are getting 3 or 4 times the caffeine!!

There isn't the taste/flavour though- otherwise- they're a lot weaker than the Nespresso ones.
(I prefer the Livano one)

mrcheez

The_Conductor wrote: »

4 to get the equivalent of 2 Nespresso pods.

20c x 2 = 40c per cup (for using 2 Aldi pods)
vs
38c x 1 = 38c per cup (using 1 Nespresso pod)

so it's not a monetary saving as such, but it's mainly the accessibility if you are not near a BT or don't want to pay for delivery (although Nespresso take away the old pods for recycling so there's the saving there in terms of less garbage)

Just saying is all

JohnK

samapple789 wrote: »

Everyone seems to be selling there own branded ones now just waiting to the day you will walk into pennyes and they be selling there own branded pods LoL.

Saw today that M&S sell their own brand now too.

bk

mrcheez wrote: »

so it's not a monetary saving as such, but it's mainly the accessibility if you are not near a BT or don't want to pay for delivery (although Nespresso take away the old pods for recycling so there's the saving there in terms of less garbage)

Which just goes to show the craziness of this whole situation! It isn't just about cheaper coffee, it is about convenience, people are clearly willing to pay Nespressos price, but they don't want the hassle of its very inconvenient selling model.

Had the Nespresso people been wise, they should have done a deal with Tesco, etc. to sell at least their top 3 variants in stores and I'm sure many people would have happily continued to buy official Nespresso pods, rather then 3rd party ones.

I think Nespresso will end up becoming a text book case on not how to do business!

Mr. Incognito

You get what you pay for.

If you want crap coffee dont get a nspresso.

Tried aldi. I live beside one in rathmines. Went back to nspresso.

I like good coffee

garrett b

It appears coffees pods are now available in Dunnes, Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, M&S, Spar...and of course the Nespresso shop. So if you want pods you can kinda get them anywhere, basically. Maybe all this competition will give Nespreso a little kick up the arse. Hopefully increase their availability, lower the price etc. If Brand X was for sale for €2.00 alongside Nespresso for €2.50 in Tesco I'd certainly buy Nespresso. Sales would sky-rocket!

mrcheez

bk wrote: »

Which just goes to show the craziness of this whole situation! It isn't just about cheaper coffee, it is about convenience, people are clearly willing to pay Nespressos price, but they don't want the hassle of its very inconvenient selling model.

I guess they want to retain an air of exclusivity, but yeah I agree that perhaps selling the top 3 variations on their coffee in supermarkets would be a good idea (same as Butlers Chocolates do: you can get a certain variety in Tesco but for the full variety go to the Butlers cafés).

Just a note, you get free delivery of Nespresso when you order 200 capsules. The capsules have a long expiry date so you'd easily use up 200 capsules before they go off.

Plus they take away the old pods so saves the planet and your bin

Odyssey 2005

68 lost souls wrote: »

That's ridiculous.like buying a multipack of crisps eating one pack and then returning them or a pack of plasters using one and returning them

We're not talking about crisps or plasters. Why is it so ridiculous? It states on the package the pods come in "if you are not entirely satisfied with this product please return it to the store and we will be happy to replace it or refund you"
By that statement you would be perfectly entitled to return them.

maxwell smart

bk wrote: »

Which just goes to show the craziness of this whole situation! It isn't just about cheaper coffee, it is about convenience, people are clearly willing to pay Nespressos price, but they don't want the hassle of its very inconvenient selling model.

Had the Nespresso people been wise, they should have done a deal with Tesco, etc. to sell at least their top 3 variants in stores and I'm sure many people would have happily continued to buy official Nespresso pods, rather then 3rd party ones.

I think Nespresso will end up becoming a text book case on not how to do business!

Fairly sure they will never sell them in Tesco that would be completely against their business model. There is a pretty nifty 'Cube' in Barcelona airport which is a sort of automatic Nespresso dispenser kiosk. genuine capsules in it. I would think they might expand this sort of thing, perhaps eventually to Ireland? I could see them putting one in Dundrum, maybe in Galway somewhere and Belfast also?
They are opening a stand alone coffee shop in Vienna and London but using the commercial system (which we have in work and is fantastic, capsules get delivered next day for free!!)

keithclancy

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

You get what you pay for.

If you want crap coffee dont get a nspresso.

Tried aldi. I live beside one in rathmines. Went back to nspresso.

I like good coffee

I would disagree, the Nespresso is too inflexible for me, its not possible to buy whatever beans I like or adjust the dose depending on the size of the cup I want.

Was using a Nespresso for a few weeks and while it was ok I prefer my bean to cup machine.

Also all of our AirBNB guests say its better than Nespresso.

Have been using a Tassimo as well and that thing is terrible, a French Press is better.

Bluefoam

keithclancy wrote: »

I would disagree, the Nespresso is too inflexible for me, its not possible to buy whatever beans I like or adjust the dose depending on the size of the cup I want.

Was using a Nespresso for a few weeks and while it was ok I prefer my bean to cup machine.

Also all of our AirBNB guests say its better than Nespresso.

Have been using a Tassimo as well and that thing is terrible, a French Press is better.

Then nespresso is not for you... Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it...

loyatemu

JohnK wrote: »

Saw today that M&S sell their own brand now too.

SuperValu as well, 3 different varieties, €2 for 10, not individually wrapped.

bk

mrcheez wrote: »

I guess they want to retain an air of exclusivity

Apple has an air of exclusivity too with its awesome Apple stores and Apple website. But they still aren't stupid enough not to sell iPads and iPods in Tesco, Argos, etc.

You have to make sure that your customers can conveniently access your product or they will go elsewhere.

Butlers chocolate is an excellent example of getting the balance between exclusivity and convenience right.

I expect Nespressos sales will tank with all this new competition. Sad when you consider they could have avoided the majority of this competition with just a little bit of flexibility.

maxwell smart

bk wrote: »

Apple has an air of exclusivity too with its awesome Apple stores and Apple website. But they still aren't stupid enough not to sell iPads and iPods in Tesco, Argos, etc.

You have to make sure that your customers can conveniently access your product or they will go elsewhere.

Butlers chocolate is an excellent example of getting the balance between exclusivity and convenience right.

I expect Nespressos sales will tank with all this new competition. Sad when you consider they could have avoided the majority of this competition with just a little bit of flexibility.

Apple is a good comparison in ways. Yes they sell their IPads in Tesco etc but that is the hardware. Nespresso sell their hardware in Harvey Normanot etc.
but I have never seen, and never will see, any software (apps) sold anywhere except the app store. Just like Nespresso only sell their capsules through channels they control.
Regards sales tanking, compatible capsules have been on sale since 2012 (at least that is the first time I saw the in Switzerland). Sales increase YOY for Nespresso in each year since then? around during 30%. Hardly tanking

moodrater

Some of the carte noire ones are reduced on Amazon at the moment if you use subscribe and save (and then cancel) youll get 40 for less than £8. Theres also an offer of 15% off if you subscribe and save 5 items making them around lidl prices. Just remember to cancel.

bk

maxwell smart wrote: »

Apple is a good comparison in ways. Yes they sell their IPads in Tesco etc but that is the hardware. Nespresso sell their hardware in Harvey Normanot etc.
but I have never seen, and never will see, any software (apps) sold anywhere except the app store. Just like Nespresso only sell their capsules through channels they control.

Apple software!! Yuck what a terrible comparison!

A better comparison would be Gillete razors and blades. After all they created the "razor and blade" model that Nescafé/nespresso are following here.

You can certainly buy both the the Gillete "hardware" (the razor) and the consumable (the blades) in pretty much every store.

And even if nespresso sales are up. Surely they would be even higher if their pods were more widely available? After all people like me and all the other people who are causing the compatible pods to be sold out in Tesco, Lidl etc. are clearly lost sales to Nespresso/Nescafé.

bk

Interesting, it turns out that while Nespresso sales continues to grow, the rate of growth has fallen significantly since compatible pods appeared on the market:

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSL5N0VY3D620150224?irpc=932

"Cox estimates copy-cats account for one out of every five cups of Nespresso coffee and are largely responsible for a slowing of Nespresso's sales growth to about 10 percent now from 20 to 30 percent in previous years."

vienne86

Well we brought home our Aldi pods and tried all except the decaf. Very impressed with them, so they'll do us nicely, but we'll continue to try others as we find them. Love the fact that the packaging is the same as Nespresso.

maxwell smart

bk wrote: »

Apple software!! Yuck what a terrible comparison!

A better comparison would be Gillete razors and blades. After all they created the "razor and blade" model that Nescafé/nespresso are following here.

You can certainly buy both the the Gillete "hardware" (the razor) and the consumable (the blades) in pretty much every store.

And even if nespresso sales are up. Surely they would be even higher if their pods were more widely available? After all people like me and all the other people who are causing the compatible pods to be sold out in Tesco, Lidl etc. are clearly lost sales to Nespresso/Nescafé.

Actually Gilette is a poor comparison as the consumables (the razors) are available everywhere unlike the original capsules.

Where as apple software (the consumables) are also only available in the 'company' store. However, if you 'jailbreak' your iPhone you can use any software, even ones that are not Apple approved. Although of course that invalidates your warranty and you don't get the same 'experience' (in marketing terms) as with approved software, exactly like with Nespresso.

maxwell smart

bk wrote: »

Interesting, it turns out that while Nespresso sales continues to grow, the rate of growth has fallen significantly since compatible pods appeared on the market:

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSL5N0VY3D620150224?irpc=932

"Cox estimates copy-cats account for one out of every five cups of Nespresso coffee and are largely responsible for a slowing of Nespresso's sales growth to about 10 percent now from 20 to 30 percent in previous years."

Poor Nespresso, growth of only €750m last year at what I would assume is a very healthy margin. Most companies would kill for that kind of return.

You are not grasping the concept behind Nespresso. Yes they would sell more volume if they sold the capsules in Tesco (or wherever) but that would devalue their brand and drive average capsule prices downwards. They would also not be able to guarantee the storage conditions in outside partners and lose the close contact they have with their members, which must be great for their add on sales and targeting marketing material.

The strategy you are proposing they adopt, if applied to Apple, would mean that you could get Apps anywhere online, there would be no quality control and the brand would suffer, eventually going the way of Android, becoming an almost disposable system.

If you don't like Nespresso then don't buy them and stick to the poorer quality alternatives out there.

vienne86

maxwell smart wrote: »

If you don't like Nespresso then don't buy them and stick to the poorer quality alternatives out there.

You've nailed it there for me. I don't like the Nespresso way of doing things, and am delighted to find a decent alternative. It's nice to have a choice now - that's what floats my boat.

batman2000

Supervalu have Nespresso compatible capsules for 1.99 for 10

vienne86

batman2000 wrote: »

Supervalu have Nespresso compatible capsules for 1.99 for 10

Are they individually wrapped?

bk

maxwell smart wrote: »

Where as apple software (the consumables) are also only available in the 'company' store. However, if you 'jailbreak' your iPhone you can use any software, even ones that are not Apple approved. Although of course that invalidates your warranty and you don't get the same 'experience' (in marketing terms) as with approved software, exactly like with Nespresso.

I'm sorry but it is a terrible comparison. You simply can't equate virtual consumables with physical consumables!!

Remember what we are talking about here, what is the most convenient for the customer?

For virtual consumables, apps, games, music, then online stores are by far the most convenient for the consumer.

Hell what is more convenient then pulling your phone out of your pocket and pressing buy?

It is a damn sight more convenient buying a game from steam or the apple App Store then it is driving to your closest game store.

On the other hand, Nespresso sales model is the least convenient way to purchase the consumable.

They are going out of their way to make it as hard as possible to buy their product!! In what world does that make sense?

For physical consumables, razor blades, butlers chocolates, Ben & Gerry ice cream, scent refills, hell even printer ink, the key is to make your product as widely available as possible, in as many places as possible.

Nespresso model just doesn't make sense anymore in the face of so much more competition in a far more convenient model.

Ice87

I've used the Lidl caps for a while and then went back to Nespresso. Much prefer the Nespresso caps but if I'm out of them I'll use the Lidl ones and stock up on Nespresso once I'm back in town at some stage.

I agree with the above poster that they aren't the most convenient to order from but I still think they are good value for money.

keithclancy

Bluefoam wrote: »

Then nespresso is not for you... Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it...

It's just not very convenient, that's all.

It's cheap in the beginning but expensive in the long run, its simplicity is only possible by large scale manufacture of pods that require energy to transport and manufacture and they are not widely available in bricks and mortar stores.

The coffee pucks from my bean to cup machine go directly into my compost bin, the input is beans and the variety is better (i.e. any beans you want)

Crunchienut

garrett b wrote: »

Spar have started selling their own pods now! (this is news to me).Saw them this morning, I think I've become trained to seek these things out. €2.00 ten pods. They don't look very appetising, sort of rough and ready packaging-little cardboard box, poor graphics.

€2.99 in my local Spar - but they seem to have a price structure all of their own and rarely have any of the advertised offers

galwayjohn89

Nespresso is all about exclusivity. The experience of the boutiques and pretentiousness. Of course they could sell in Tescos etc but that goes against everything that has gotten them where they are today. Most business books have Nespresso down as the example of razor and blade business model, even though the phrase was named after Gillette.

maxwell smart

bk wrote: »

I'm sorry but it is a terrible comparison. You simply can't equate virtual consumables with physical consumables!!

Remember what we are talking about here, what is the most convenient for the customer?

For virtual consumables, apps, games, music, then online stores are by far the most convenient for the consumer.

Hell what is more convenient then pulling your phone out of your pocket and pressing buy?

It is a damn sight more convenient buying a game from steam or the apple App Store then it is driving to your closest game store.

On the other hand, Nespresso sales model is the least convenient way to purchase the consumable.

They are going out of their way to make it as hard as possible to buy their product!! In what world does that make sense?

For physical consumables, razor blades, butlers chocolates, Ben & Gerry ice cream, scent refills, hell even printer ink, the key is to make your product as widely available as possible, in as many places as possible.

Nespresso model just doesn't make sense anymore in the face of so much more competition in a far more convenient model.

Your not getting it. Of course it's 'easier' to pull your phone out of your pocket and download an app. But your issue is the non availability of Nespresso original capsules in Tesco etc.

Your correct in your point that for most physical consumables the key is to have maximum availability of your product. But that is not Nespresso's business model. And despite what you think, their business model is one of the most successful in the world, used as an example in most marketing and business courses. Their business model is based on controlling their product and the data of those who purchase it. And they are very very successful doing this.

Using your suggestion I should be able to use an Android phone to buy apps from the Apple store. Why can't I do that? After all, aren't Apple limiting their audience to only iPhone / iPad devices in that way and missing out on the 2billion+ people who use Android? The most valuable company in the world and they are doomed according to your logic!

MiskyBoyy

Aldi have started doing the Nespresso capsules now too. Seen them in store today. 10 for €1.99

vienne86

MiskyBoyy wrote: »

Aldi have started doing the Nespresso capsules now too. Seen them in store today. 10 for €1.99

Scroll back a few pages and you'll see some discussion about these. I'm pretty impressed with these - haven't tried the decaf yet, but the others are pretty good to me - Lungo gets my number one vote. Love the packaging!

MiskyBoyy

vienne86 wrote: »

Scroll back a few pages and you'll see some discussion about these. I'm pretty impressed with these - haven't tried the decaf yet, but the others are pretty good to me - Lungo gets my number one vote. Love the packaging!

Ah okay

Don't follow this thread and only happened to see them yesterday myself but good to know they're half decent

bk

maxwell smart wrote: »

Using your suggestion I should be able to use an Android phone to buy apps from the Apple store. Why can't I do that? After all, aren't Apple limiting their audience to only iPhone / iPad devices in that way and missing out on the 2billion+ people who use Android? The most valuable company in the world and they are doomed according to your logic!

You also missed another key difference between Apple's business model and Nespresso.

Nespresso's model is the razor and blade model. Which means they make no money or even a lose on the machines, while making all their profit on the consumables.

That isn't Apples business model, Apples "consumables", apps, only make up about 5% of their revenue. The vast majority of revenue comes from selling hardware. Hardware which again, they do sell wide and far, in every store from Argos to Tesco, despite their similar premium brand.

Apple don't sell apps on Android, because they really don't make much money (comparatively for Apple) from selling apps. The Apple app store is really there to be the most convenient and secure way to deliver software to their hardware, which is where they make all their money.

However I will point out that they do in fact selling, music, movies and TV shows (consumables) on windows via iTunes. And that they also now own Beats, who makes headphones that work fine on Android and has a music streaming service (like spotify) that works very well on Android.

So you can see Apple are far more pragmatic then Nespresso.

Apple sells it's hardware (which they make most of their money from) in the most convenient way possible (almost every store possible) and they distribute their consumables (apps) in the most convenient way possible.

Nespresso on the other hand, sells their hardware in a semi convenient manner and sells it's consumables (pods) in the least convenient manner for consumers.

IMO that really isn't a very wise business decision.

I'd note that in the razor and blade model, third party compatible Gillette razors have never really appeared, despite the fat margins on them. I suspect a big part in the reason for that is that Gillette sold it's razors widely in all stores, thus making it convenient to buy and therefore less demand for third party clones.

I believe that Nespresso sticking to it's sales model and not making at least a small range of it's most popular pods widely available in stores in the same way Gillette does, that they have left the market wide open for third party clones to sweep into the market.

The third party clones can not only be much cheaper, but also much more convenient and that there is a text book recipe for significant market disruption.

youngblood

Aldi nespresson capsules tried & tested in the Nespresso U
Ease of use-Not great- Biggest concern was that over the last 6 capsules, 3 got stuck. Could hear the machine under pressure to extract the coffee
Taste- Seemed ok, better than lidl, only tested the colombian/lungo ones.
Im reluctant to try anymore for fear of damage to the machine.

If only they had refined the design of the capsules a little better it could have been a winner for me

yoshimitsu

Tried the Aldi capsules over the weekend. IMO no that much better than Lidl... very watered down taste of both the Intense and Lungo selections. Tried one of their Lungo capsules back-to-back with a Nespresso Fortissio capsule (also a Lungo) and noticed that the drip out of the Aldi one turns from dark to light very quickly, much quicker than the Nespresso one. Which I interpret as extracting less coffee or simply turning more watery much quicker. Granted, it's quite anecdotal evidence but somehow it makes sense, that there is a less coffee rich brew coming out.
Also noticed that in my Krupps Pixia machine the coffee takes about 2-4 seconds longer to start pouring out vs a Nespresso capsule and right before it comes out you gets 5-6 drops of clear water coming out which doesnt happen with the original ones. This doesnt help the watered down experience
So all in all not so bad that I would necessarily throw out the ones I bought but for me they are not a viable substitute to the original stuff. too bad, i was hopeful...

bk

Tesco now selling both Bewleys and Cafepod compatible pods.

I note that the Cafepod ones are marked as having a "new & improved design", I haven't tried them myself yet, but reviews of them on Amazon seem to be very good at 4 stars out of 5. €3 for 10 pods.

mrcheez

The Bewleys ones are supposed to be nice. Roughly same price as Nespresso, but easier to get.

vienne86

mrcheez wrote: »

The Bewleys ones are supposed to be nice. Roughly same price as Nespresso, but easier to get.

That's the whole point for me - just being able to pick them up in a supermarket.

The_Conductor

When you say the Bewleys ones are nice- do you mean they taste like Bewleys coffee- or something else? Personally- I'd rather drink instant Carte Noir or a good instant- than Bewleys- if the pods are simply recreating standard Bewleys coffee- no thank-you........

mrcheez

No idea, just based on reviews I found hence me saying "supposed to be" nice

Won't know till I try them of course

vienne86

Tried the SuperValue Lungo today - pretty acceptable. Nice pack - much more practical than the Nespresso pack. I'll try the others. €1.99 for 10.

bk

So I've tried the new Cafe Pod ones from Tesco and I have to say I'm very impressed.

Excellent strong taste off them, while being very smooth (no grittiness). Excellent colour and nice big crema.

They seem to also extract better then the Lidl pods, with more coffee in the glass and less water left in the machine.

Of course they are more expensive then the Lidl pods at €3 for 10, but probably closer to the Nespresso pods, while being much easier to get in Tesco. Well worth trying out.

I most enjoyed the Intense one which is a 8 out of 10 strength rating on the box. The Ristretto one is good too, but a bit too strong for my taste, it is rated 10 out of 10 strength on the box. Haven't tried the other two yet, but will.

bajer101

The Lidl pods were €1.69 in Lidl Coolock yesterday.

TrustedApple

Tk maxx also have coffee pods at the moment picked up a box there last week to see what there like. They where €10 for a box of 30 and had 3 different kinds. There a itlain brand of coffee and there fairly ok the father liked them a lot for then the aldi, lidl, super valve and coffee pod ones.

Jet Black

bajer101 wrote: »

The Lidl pods were €1.69 in Lidl Coolock yesterday.

The aldi pods were on special too noticed I during the weekend. Although all they had was a shelf full of decaf.