Last Updated on September 13, 2021 by John Moretti
Nothing can make anyone happier than a good iced coffee during any part of the day. But, of course, thanks to Nespresso, you can now enjoy your own glass of iced coffee without having to go through a coffee shop. That said, here are some of my favorite Nespresso pods when preparing iced coffee:
- Best Overall: Nespresso Freddo Intenso
- Best For Light Coffee: Starbucks Blonde Roast
- Best For Sweet Iced Coffee (VertuoLine): Nespresso Caramel Cookie
- Best For Iced Americano (VertuoLine): Nespresso Altissio
- Best For That Intense Iced Coffee: Starbucks Caffe Verona
Best Overall: Nespresso Freddo Intenso
- What I like: Specifically made and designed for iced coffee. Gives you the intensity that you may want from your iced coffee. Gives you a bold and intense flavor that you don’t always get from iced coffee.
- What I don’t like: Can be difficult to find.
Iced coffee should be a refreshing experience if you want to start your day with coffee over ice, especially when the summer sun is already high and up. In that case, Nespresso’s Freddo Intenso is the best at giving you that refreshing iced coffee that you may want to drink not only to keep yourself cool during a hot day but also to make sure that you are awake and happy.
I really liked Freddo Intenso because it was specifically made to go well over coffee regardless of how you want to use it. So you can make an iced americano or a good iced latte with a shot of this capsule. And that’s because it comes with bold and strong flavors that stand alone as they are or go well with milk or even chocolate.
Of course, the name says it all as Freddo Intenso is an intense cup that may not seem evident when you mix your shot with milk for that latte or cappuccino. In that regard, you will be able to wake yourself up early in the morning, especially when you are in for a hot summer day full of activities or work.
Best For Light Coffee: Starbucks Blonde Roast
- What I like: Gives you that Starbucks iced coffee experience. Comes with the right light and smooth flavor for that velvety iced coffee. Best when mixed with milk for that creamy iced latte.
- What I don’t like: Lacks an intense kick.
Nothing spells iced coffee better than a good cup of iced Starbucks. Of course, thanks to Starbucks Blonde Roast, you will be able to enjoy your own cup of iced Starbucks coffee without having to go to an actual Starbucks store. It’s a great way for you to mix up your own iced latte or macchiato right in the comforts of your own home.
I like about Blonde Roast because it hits the right notes when it comes to how light and mellow it is, as Starbucks really intended it to be their lightest coffee roast. This makes it a good choice for those who prefer their iced coffee as mellow and as light as the iced flavors that come with their coffee. This is why I believe this should be one of the more ideal pods that iced coffee lovers should go for.
Then again, you should expect this roast to be on the lighter side in terms of its intensity due to the very fact that it only has an intensity level of 6. Still, that should be enough for those who really want a quick afternoon coffee break to finish the day on a good note.
Best For Sweet Iced Coffee: Nespresso Caramel Cookie
- What I like: Comes naturally sweet and without that much of that lingering bitterness. A perfectly balanced medium roast that blends well with milk.
- What I don’t like: Not the best for those who want a good caffeine kick.
For most people, a good cup of iced coffee is a sweet cup. So, if that is your preference, you might want to try Nespresso’s Caramel Cookie, which hits all of the right notes in terms of that sweetness you are looking for in your iced coffee.
Despite its name, you should know that Caramel Cookie doesn’t have any added caramel or sugar. Instead, it simply relies on a good combination of different medium roasted beans to give you a good and sweet pod with beans that have caramel notes. As such, the sweetness naturally comes from the beans themselves.
I prefer mixing my Caramel Cookie with milk for that latte and without any added sugar because I already found it sweet enough. But then again, if you really like the sweet stuff, you are free to add caramel syrup to truly give you that amazing sweet iced coffee experience.
Best For Iced Americano: Nespresso Altissio
- What I like: Full-bodied and creamy taste that gives you a good iced americano or even a latte. Environmentally friendly packaging and origin. Just the right intensity.
- What I don’t like: Lacks the sweetness that you may want from your iced coffee.
If you want to make a good iced americano from your Nespresso shots, you should go for Altissio because this coffee pod gives you a good espresso shot that is great when mixed with water and ice give you a full-bodied yet still smooth americano.
Although it is a bit on the darker side of the medium roast spectrum, Altissio gives you a very creamy cup that goes well with milk if you want to make an iced latte or cappuccino. But because I like its full-bodied flavor and subtle boldness, I prefer pouring it over ice and water for that americano. That’s when its fullness really comes out, especially if you want to refresh yourself in the middle of the day.
With an intensity of 9, Altissio hits the right spot because it isn’t that intense and isn’t on the mild side as well. For me, somewhere between 8 and 10 is just simply perfect for your everyday coffee fix, especially if you are not looking to take on plenty of tasks.
Best For That Intense Iced Coffee: Starbucks Caffe Verona
- What I like: Dark and bold flavors that still stand out even when mixed with milk and ice. Somewhat on the intense side of things.
- What I don’t like: Can be too intense for some people.
If you want that intense iced coffee, you may want to try out the Starbucks Caffe Verona pod, which gives you an intensity level of 10. While 10 isn’t necessarily the most intense, it tends to hit the right spots for those who want their coffee to be strong and bold, as this pod should be good enough to wake your senses up early in the day.
When mixed with iced and milk, I found this shot to still stand out with its dark and bold taste. I don’t necessarily like my coffee sweet but, even with a few drops of caramel, the coffee flavor still stands out well enough. This makes it a good choice for those who really want to enjoy that coffee taste that doesn’t get diluted by ice and milk.
Of course, because of how bold it is, it might not be well-suited for those who want their coffee smooth, mellow, and light, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying this pod out because I promise you that it really tastes really well but not overly too strong and bold.
What To Look For When Buying A Nespresso Pod For Iced Coffee
Machine compatibility
The first thing you need to look at when choosing a good coffee pod for your Nespresso machine is whether or not the pod is actually compatible with your machine. No matter how good that pod might be for iced coffee, it would be rendered useless if you can’t even use it for your machine. But the good news is that Nespresso coffee pods will always have a label as to which machine they are compatible with.
Intensity level
When it comes to iced coffee, one of the things that people often forget is that the intensity level still plays an important role. You don’t drink coffee simply for the fun of it because some people actually want to drink their iced coffee to stay awake and make sure they have enough energy for the day. As such, it is always better to go with something that has the right kind of intensity, depending on what you are looking for from your iced coffee. The higher the intensity level, the higher the caffeine content.
Roast
One of the things that I believe is very important when it comes to iced coffee is the type of roast. That’s because iced coffee dilutes the original shot of espresso with milk, water, and ice, and that is why you need to make sure you pick the right roast when it comes to your iced coffee, or else you won’t end up with a cup that actually tastes like coffee. Lighter roasts tend to be for those who don’t like the taste of coffee because of how the milk and ice tend to dilute it too much. But, on the other hand, I would prefer medium and darker roasts because the coffee boldness still stands out despite getting mixed with ice and milk.
FAQs
What Makes A Good Nespresso Pod For Iced Coffee?
If you want the truth, any Nespresso pod can stand out when you want to make iced coffee, as any good pod should be versatile enough for many different purposes. However, I prefer my iced coffee to still have that coffee flavor and effect because you have to understand that ice and milk tend to dilute the taste of that espresso shot. So, if you go with pods that are darker in terms of their roast level, you will still taste the espresso’s bitter boldness even when you mix your coffee with ice, milk, and even sugar.
How Do You Prepare A Good Cup Of Nespresso Iced Coffee?
Simply prepare your usual way of extracting the pod from its contents using your Nespresso machine. Pour your espresso shot in a glass full of ice cubes and crushed ice to allow the espresso to cool down. Once the espresso has cooled down a bit, that is the time when you may want to pour water into it for that americano or to pour milk for that latte. Complete the iced latte by frothing your milk and pouring it on top of the layer of milk for that creamy and delicious latte.
Does Iced Coffee Need To Be Strong?
This is more of a personal preference because iced coffee doesn’t need to be strong but can be strong if you really want to get that caffeine intensity. You can get your iced coffee from stronger pods that tend to be higher up on the intensity level, especially if you want to refresh yourself during a hot day while making sure you stay awake. Of course, if you simply want that refreshing coffee taste without the jitters, you can enjoy your coffee with a mild and medium caffeine intensity as the mildness of a light or medium roast tends to go well with the creaminess of the milk.
Does Your Nespresso Iced Coffee Need To Be Sweet?
No, there is no need for your Nespresso iced coffee to be sweet, especially when you consider that some Nespresso pods are naturally sweet already and that milk already makes your coffee sweeter than it should be. However, most people tend to prefer their iced coffee with sugar or caramel because the sweetness goes well with the refreshing coolness of the drink.
