Help! Which capsules fit into my coffee machine?
Don’t stress. Here is your ultimate Capsule Machine Guide!
The struggle is real! You just bought a new coffee machine, because somebody recommended it or the guy at the store was super friendly and you couldn’t resist, but now you wonder: which capsule fits into that specific coffee machine? Where can I get the capsules? Can I only buy original capsules, or is there compatibles on the market at a much better price?
First things first: it is a jungle out there, so there is more machines and capsule types than you can imagine. To make it easier for you, we’ve listed the most popular systems below, and explained which capsule fits into which machine.
Please note that the list below can never be complete. There are just too many machines on the market, there is not enough space to list them all. If you cannot find your machine,
please contact us (best is to send a pic of your machine), and our coffee experts will tell you exactly which pod fits into yours!
SYSTEM |
SHOP |
SHAPE |
MATERIAL |
PRICES |
MACHINES |
NESPRESSO®
|
BUY |
 |
ORIGINALS:
Aluminium
|
COMPATIBLES:
Aluminium,
Food grade plastic,
Compostable
|
|
ORIGINALS:
R6,50 - R10,00
|
COMPATIBLES:
From R3,49
.
.
|
|
view |
NESCAFÉ®
DOLCE GUSTO®

|
BUY |
 |
ORIGINALS:
Soft and hard plastic
|
COMPATIBLES:
Soft and hard plastic
|
|
ORIGINALS:
R5,60 - R6,20
|
COMPATIBLES:
From R4,70
|
|
view |
CAFFITALY®

|
BUY |
 |
ORIGINALS:
Soft plastic
|
COMPATIBLES:
Soft and hard plastic
|
|
ORIGINALS:
R10,00
|
COMPATIBLES:
From R5,40
|
|
view |
ESPRESTO® K-FEE®

|
BUY |
 |
ORIGINALS:
Soft plastic
|
COMPATIBLES:
Soft and hard plastic
|
|
ORIGINALS:
R6,20 - R7,40
|
COMPATIBLES:
From R5,40
|
|
view |
LAVAZZA® BLUE®

|
BUY |
 |
ORIGINALS:
Soft plastic
|
COMPATIBLES:
Soft plastic
|
|
ORIGINALS:
R6,50 - R7,40
|
COMPATIBLES:
From R5,58
|
|
view |
LAVAZZA®
MODO MIO®

|
BUY |
 |
ORIGINALS:
Soft plastic
|
COMPATIBLES:
Soft plastic
|
|
ORIGINALS:
UNAVAILABLE
|
COMPATIBLES:
From R5,80
|
|
view |
MILEX CAFÉ BARISTA /
ESPRESSO CAP

|
BUY |
 |
ORIGINALS:
Hard plastic
|
COMPATIBLES:
Hard plastic
|
|
ORIGINALS:
UNAVAILABLE
|
COMPATIBLES:
From R4,98
|
|
view |
EASY SERVING
ESPRESSO 44mm

|
BUY |
 |
ORIGINALS:
Tamped soft pod and paper
|
COMPATIBLES:
Tamped soft pod and paper
|
|
ORIGINALS:
UNAVAILABLE
|
COMPATIBLES:
From R4,98
|
|
view |
NESPRESSO & COMPATIBLE

Nespresso, even though not the first capsule on the market, has been one of the most successful to date. In more recent times the sister system, the Nescafé Dolce Gusto, has stolen some market share. The two system should not be confused with each other, capsules are not interchangeable. However, there is a lot of machines on the market which can use original or compatible Nespresso pods.
Capsule Shape
Strong V-Shape, approximately 37mm diameter, 30mm high.
Capsule Features
Some are made from aluminium, but majority, especially compatibles are made from food grade plastic with aluminium lids, 100% safe to use in your machine,
read more.
Look out for…
Keywords such as Nespresso or Caffeluxe compatible, compatible with market leading machines
Pricing
Original Nespresso capsules go from R6,50 up to R10 per capsule. Compatibles are available from only R3,49 per pod, mostly when buying in bulk (50, 100, or 200 packs at a time). Always calculate the price per capsule to compare items with each other (Price / Quantity = price per pod).
These capsules fit in…
Nespresso® U, U Milk®, Inissia®, Pixie®, Pixie Clips®, Lattissima®, Lattissima Touch®, Lattissima Plus and Pro®, Essenza®, Essenza® Mini, CitiZ®, Kmix®, Maestria® and Gran Maestria, Le Cube®, Creatista®, KitchenAid®, Prodigio®, Essenza® (Manufactured by Krups, and De Longhi) Caffeluxe Duo, Verona, Sienna, Torino, Milano, Piccolo Cafelaane, MyCoffee by Cino, Russell Hobbs Novella, Russell Hobbs Vivace, Ethical coffee WARM-INOX MACHINE, Platinum by Cino, Vida e Caffe, Vittora and many more.
Find capsules here
NESCAFÉ DOLCE GUSTO & COMPATIBLE

Please remember: Nestle owns both Nescafé and Nespresso, however, these two systems should not get confused. The Nescafé Dolce Gusto system requires much bigger capsules.
Capsule Shape
Strong U-Shape, approximately 54mm diameter, 36mm high
Capsule Features
Originals and compatible ones are all made out of plastic and have a spout/nozzle at the bottom of the capsule, and come with plastic lids
Look out for…
Keywords such as Nescafe, Dolce Gusto, Nescafe Dolce Gusto compatible (NOT NESPRESSO! Just saying)
Pricing
There is a lot of different flavours available for the Nescafé Dolce Gusto Range. Originals range from R5,60 per pod (R89,99 for 16) to R6,20 per pod (R98,99 for 16), but caution, for some drinks you need to use 2 pods,
so your drink ends up costing you close to R12. Compatibles are available from R4,70 per pod (R75 for a pack of 16).
These capsules fit in…
Nescafe Dolce Gusto® Circolo®, Jovia®, MiniMe®, Genio®, Esperta®
Krups Piccolo®, Krups Melody 2®, Krups Creativa®, Krups Fontana®, Krups Melody 3®, Krups Oblo®, Krups Drop®, De Longhi Stelia®
Caffeluxe Duo
Find capsules here
CAFFITALY & COMPATIBLE

Caffitaly, originally machines from Italy, are very popular in the whole of Europe, especially in Germany, and also had success in North America. The Caffitaly system has also been around South Africa, but few places sell the capsules that fit the machines. It looks identical to the K-fee system capsules, but is
not compatible with K-fee machines.
Capsule Shape
Soft U-Shape, approximately 45mm diameter, 25mm high
Capsule Features
Originals are soft plastic capsules and lids, compatibles usually harder plastic
Look out for…
Keywords such as Caffitaly, or Caffitaly compatible
Pricing
Caffitaly is quite a premium system. Originals go for R10.00 per pod (R119 for 12), but you can find compatibles for R5,40 per pod (R66 for 12).
These capsules fit in…
Caffitaly S04®, S06HS Nautilus®, S03®, S05®, Amante®, Gaggia Evolution®, K111 D Gaggia®, S11HS Nautilus®, S16 Diadema®, S08 Venus®, S07 Murex®, S15 Amphora®, S21 Clio®
Bellini "Map" coffee capsule machine
Cafè Expresso by Pingo Doce
Caffisimo by Tchibo
CBTL Chicco d'Oro Dallmayr Dualit Piccolina Fagor by Stratco
Find capsules here
ESPRESTO K-FEE & COMPATIBLE

K-fee originates from Switzerland, and is sold throughout the world under different brand names. In South Africa they called it Espresto. Any Espresto capsule will fit into a K-fee machine, and the other way around. Look out for the K-fee Logo on your machine.
Capsule Shape
Looks identical to Caffitaly capsules but are not interchangeable. Soft U-Shape, approximately 45mm diameter, 25mm high.
Capsule Features
Originals are soft plastic capsules and lids, compatibles usually have a harder shell
Look out for…
Keywords such as K-fee, Espresto, Preferenza, Wave compatible
Pricing
Original Espresto capsules retail for R7.40 per pod (R119 for 16), so compatible capsules are a real saver with only R5,40 per pod (R66 for 12).
These capsules fit in…
Espresto Wave, Espresto Preferenza, Kfee
Find capsules here
LAVAZZA BLUE & COMPATIBLE

Lavazza, one of the originals and oldest, has three main types of machines: Blue, A Modo Mio, and Espresso Point. These systems are not compatible with each other, and require three different type pods. Here is what you need to look out for Lavazza Blue.
Capsule Shape
Tub shaped soft plastic capsule and lid, approximately 47mm diameter, 27mm high.
Capsule Features
Capsules both original and compatible ones are soft plastic capsule and lid.
Look out for…
Keywords such as Lavazza Blue, Blue, Lavazza Blue compatible
Pricing
Original Lavazza Blue capsules in South Africa are hard to find these days, usually go for R6,50 per pod (R650 for 100). But don’t stress, compatible ones are available from only R5,58 per pod to buy online (R279 for 50).
These capsules fit in…
Lavazza LB 800, LB 850, LB 1000, Lavazza in black and compact, LB 2000, LB 2100, LB 2200, LB 2300, Guzzini, LB 2500 Plus, Panafe CA 100-L CP E, Panafe CA 100-L CP V, LB Compact, LB 4100, LB 1010, LB 2312, LB 4700, LB 5010, LB Brio, LB Colibri, Ciro Solo
Find capsules here
LAVAZZA A MODO MIO & COMPATIBLE

The A Modo Mio system is very different to the Blue and Point. The pods are much shallower, and the branding on the machines is different as well.
Capsule Shape
Shallow soft plastic capsule and lid, approximately 47mm diameter, 17mm high.
Capsule Features
Capsules both original and compatibles are made from soft plastic for both capsule and lid.
Look out for…
Keywords such as Lavazza A Modo Mio, A Modo Mio, Lavazza A Modo Mio compatible
Pricing
Originals are impossible to find these days on the South African market. You can get compatibles for R5,80 per pod (R279 for 48).
These capsules fit in…
Saeco Piccina, Electrolux Favola, Saeco Extra, Electrolux Espria, Saeco Minu, Espressgo, Electrolux Magia, Minu Caffe Latte, Lavazza Simpla, Electrolux Favola Easy, Electrolux Favola Plus, Electrolux Favola Cappuccino, Electrolux Espira Plus, Lavazza Jolie, Electrolux Fantasia
Find capsules here
MILEX CAFÉ BARISTA

The Milex machines were originally brought into South Africa by Home Mark, but were then discontinued, leaving a lot of customers with machines, but no capsules.
Capsule Shape
Hard white plastic tub with different colour lids.
Capsule Features
Capsules both original and compatible ones are hard plastic capsule and lid
Look out for…
Keywords such as Milex, Home Mark, Espresso Cap, Café Barista
Pricing
Compatible capsules are available at R4,98 per pod (R249 for 50) but better stock up once you find them, as you never one if you could get again!
These capsules fit in…
Milex Café Barista
Find capsules here
EASY SERVING ESPRESSO 44mm
The ESE system is one of the oldest, best quality espressos you can get, plus environmentally friendly. It is an open source created by Illy. Almost every coffee machine manufacture has got a coffee machine that can take or can be modified to take ESE pods.
Capsule Shape
Looks like a firmly tamped teabag filled with espresso ground coffee, 44m diameter.
Capsule Features
Coffee inside two layers of filter paper material. Not to be confused with Senseo pod, as Senseo is a un-tamped soft pod
Look out for…
Keywords such as ESE, Easy serving Espresso, Soft pod, Paper pod, Hard pod
Pricing
Compatible capsules are available at R4,98 per pod (R249 for 50)
These capsules fit in…
- Kenwood
- Delonghi
- Illy
- Breville
- Segafredo
- Guzzini
- Dualit
- Briel
- Gaggia
- Innova
- Capresso Espresso Pro 122
- Krups
- Magimix
- Morphy Richards 47507
- Nuova Simonelli
- La Pavoni
- Rancilio
- Saeco
- Salton
- Starbucks
- Wega
Find capsules here