A complete guide to compatible coffee capsules and which machines they fit

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 R5,46 . .	view
CAFFITALY®	BUY		ORIGINALS: Soft plastic COMPATIBLES: Soft and hard plastic	ORIGINALS: R10,00 COMPATIBLES: From R5,75	view
ESPRESTO® K-FEE®	BUY		ORIGINALS: Soft plastic COMPATIBLES: Soft and hard plastic	ORIGINALS: R6,20 - R7,40 COMPATIBLES: From R5,75	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 systems 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 R5,40 per pod (R87.50 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 R5,75 per pod (R69 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 R5,75 per pod (R69 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).

1. Kenwood
2. Delonghi
3. Illy
4. Breville
5. Segafredo
6. Guzzini
7. Dualit
8. Briel
9. Gaggia
10. Innova
11. Capresso Espresso Pro 122
12. Krups
13. Magimix
14. Morphy Richards 47507
15. Nuova Simonelli
16. La Pavoni
17. Rancilio
18. Saeco
19. Salton
20. Starbucks
21. Wega