We load up on the Cafe La Llave (INTENSITY 11!!!) espresso and decaf when the price drops. If one of the better Nespresso capsules is a 10, then I'd rate the Cafe La Llave's around 7-8. Crema is decent and definitely tastes better than a French Press or a moka, but a bit short of a good cafe espresso. The price quality trade-off is definitely worth it.
On an interesting note, we also bought a few of the stainless refillable capsules (and sticker lids) and use those often (with pre-ground Cafe Bustelo). The quality on those is closer to a 5-6 some days -- only a notch or two above a strong Americano, but again, trade-offs -- no landfill or recycling to worry about and the cost per cup is almost negligible.
Matthew - Thanks for your review, that helped me make a decision to try it. I was thinking of trying it since it is half price compared to the original Nespresso capsules.
Matthew - Thanks for your review, that helped me make a decision to try it. I was thinking of trying it since it is half price compared to the original Nespresso capsules. - mantis
@mantis I went for the deal too and I swear the 3 Don Francisco's are even a bit better than the Cafe La Llave capsules. Hoping you got a good batch as well!
Also a few details I forgot to mention in my first comment:
- never had a capsule jam or fail, but you do have to lever them in with care
- recyclable: the Don Francisco company offers free return mailing labels (have to print) and they claim to clean and recycle the capsules 🤷🏼♂️ https://donfranciscos.com/pages/coffee-pod-recycling
Comments & Reviews (4)
On an interesting note, we also bought a few of the stainless refillable capsules (and sticker lids) and use those often (with pre-ground Cafe Bustelo). The quality on those is closer to a 5-6 some days -- only a notch or two above a strong Americano, but again, trade-offs -- no landfill or recycling to worry about and the cost per cup is almost negligible.
Also a few details I forgot to mention in my first comment:
- never had a capsule jam or fail, but you do have to lever them in with care
- recyclable: the Don Francisco company offers free return mailing labels (have to print) and they claim to clean and recycle the capsules 🤷🏼♂️ https://donfranciscos.com/pages/coffee-pod-recycling
Thank you!