Compare coffee pods in New Zealand at Canstar Blue. Nespresso, Starbucks, L’Or and Nescafé were compared on Overall Satisfaction, Aroma, Packaging, Taste, Texture/Consistency, Variety/Range and Value for Money.
See our Ratings Methodology.
Nespresso is the favourite coffee of more people than just George Clooney! The coffee pods are the No.1 choice of Kiwi coffee lovers, who have awarded Nespresso Canstar’s 2025 Award for Most Satisfied Customers | Coffee Pods.
Our review compares coffee pods on customer satisfaction, so you can discover what other Kiwis think about our compared coffee pod brands before you go ahead and make a purchase. Think of it like asking hundreds of your closest friends and family which coffee pod brand they think is best.
Canstar Blue surveyed 306 Kiwis who had bought coffee pods to use at home in the past three months and asked for their feedback on the coffee they bought.
Respondents rate their satisfaction with their coffee pods brands from zero to ten, where zero is extremely dissatisfied and ten is extremely satisfied. Brand satisfaction was rated by respondents on the following criteria:
The winning brand is the one that receives the highest Overall Satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall Satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
Find more information on our Most Satisfied Customer methodology.
Nespresso pioneered the pod coffee machine, and remains a global leader in great-tasting pod coffee capsules, endorsed by Hollywood stars such as George Clooney. Nespresso’s pursuit of coffee excellence is reflected in the near-perfect set of scores it receives from Kiwi coffee drinkers in our award ratings. It scores 5 Stars in every ratings category except one, earning its lowest score – still a great 4-Star seal of approval – for Value for Money. However, this is understandable, due to Nespresso’s exclusivity and higher price points.
Nespresso’s coffee pod range offers a huge selection of different flavours and styles. It often features seasonal and limited editions, and pods come packaged in distinctive capsule designs. However, Nespresso capsules are not available through supermarkets and are only sold through Nespresso directly, either online or in Nespresso Boutiques.
Starbucks is second on our awards table with a 4-Star rating for Overall Satisfaction. Its customers award it top ratings, 5 Stars, across three categories and further 4-Star ratings for Value for Money and Variety/Range. Starbucks’ lowest rating is for Aroma.
Starbucks has to be the best-known global coffeeshop brand. Although it sells whole beans in its stores, Starbucks’ products available in supermarkets are limited to an instant coffee and a range of coffee capsules for use in Nespresso machines.
L’Or earns a clean sweep of excellent 4-Star ratings across all categories except one: the always important category of Value for Money, for which it has a top 5-Star rating.
L’Or is a coffee brand that is owned by Jacobs Douwe Egberts, one of the world’s largest coffee companies, which also owns the Moccona brand. In New Zealand, L’Or sells a range of coffee capsules featuring different intensity roasts and flavours for use in Nespresso coffee machines.
Nescafé’s coffee capsules are a great alternative to the exclusive Nespresso brand. While the capsules don’t score as highly as Nespresso pods, they still achieve a great mix of 3- and 4-Star ratings, indicating Nescafé coffee pod drinkers are more than happy with their purchases.
Nescafé is a brand synonymous with coffee. As well as coffee pods, its range of products includes instant coffees, flavoured instant coffees and flavoured latte and cappuccino drink powders, which are all available on supermarket shelves.
Not all brands in the market qualify for our ratings (based on minimum survey sample size), but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth considering. Here are more brands to check out before making a purchase decision.
AvalancheAvalanche is a Kiwi owned and operated coffee brand that was founded just over 20 years ago. It sells a range of fresh coffee beans and grinds, in addition to coffee capsules, for use in Nespresso machines, and instant coffee. Like the big international brands, it also sells its own range of flavoured milky coffee powders.
Jed’s Coffee CoJed’s Coffee Co is a homegrown brand that has expanded its range considerably over the past few years, since it became part of the Dutch company Jacobs Douwe Egberts.
Just like Jed’s whole beans, its pod coffees come in four strength levels: ranging from 3 (Strong), for a full, rich roast, to X (Extreme) for coffee that really packs a punch!
Established in Wellington in 1990, L’affare is another home-grown coffee success story. The brand operates its own cafes in Wellington and Auckland, and supplies coffee and coffee equipment to the wider hospitality industry.
L’affare’s range of coffees includes capsules and a wide selection of locally roasted whole and ground coffee, including Fairtrade and organic beans.
L’OrL’Or is a coffee brand that is owned by Jacobs Douwe Egberts, one of the world’s largest coffee companies, which also owns the Moccona brand, as well as Jed’s and Hummingbird. In New Zealand, L’Or sells a range of different intensity roast and flavoured coffee capsule for use in Nespresso coffee machines.
MocconaA brand owned by Jacobs Douwe Egberts, Moccona has a range that comprises primarily of instant coffees, flavoured instant coffees and flavoured latte and cappuccino drink mixes. It also sells a limited selection of coffee capsules for use in Nespresso coffee machines
Robert Harris is one of the oldest coffee brands in New Zealand. It was founded over 70 years ago and has grown to include over 30 cafe franchises across the country.
The range of Robert Harris coffees includes single-origin beans, instant coffee, fresh ground coffee, infused ground coffee and coffee pods.
WoolworthsThe supermarket chain’s own brand coffee includes a range of fresh and ground coffee beans of different intensity roasts, as well as instant coffees, flavoured milky coffee powders and coffee capsules, all at budget-friendly prices.
Coffee tastes are very personal. Some like their coffee milky and sweet, others short, black and bitter. But whether you’re a latte or an instant lover, one thing is paramount, the flavour of the coffee.
And over a third of respondents in our survey cite taste as the most important factor when rating their choice of coffee pod. Aroma is always important when it comes to coffee, too, cited by 19%, just above Value for Money (17%). Although doesn’t all coffee smell great?
Here’s the full rundown of what the consumers in our survey say are the main things they consider when rating their coffee picks:
Espresso is simply a shot of coffee, with no extra water added. To make an espresso, shoot boiling water under high pressure through finely-ground coffee beans and then pour into a tiny cup. The strong coffees are the purest coffee experience you can get, and while not for everyone, they can be a truly singular experience when you find a good brew.
This is simply a shot of espresso coffee with extra added hot water. The coffee style is said to originate from US soldiers in Italy during WWII.
A long black is made by pouring a double shot of espresso over hot water. This method retains the coffee’s crema (distinctive creamy head), which is lost if you add hot water to an espresso.
Lungo is Italian for long, and a Lungo is a shot of espresso that’s been pulled for longer – had more water pushed through the coffee grounds over a longer time period. It results in a more dilute, milder tasting coffee, yet with more caffeine and a slightly more bitter taste.
Possibly the most popular coffee in New Zealand. A flat white is made by pouring velvety steamed milk over a shot of espresso, with minimal froth.
Popular worldwide, though less so here thanks to our preference for flat whites, lattes consist of steamed milk and a small layer of milk froth. It’s like a flat white, only with a little more volume on top.
The frothiest and foamiest of the milky coffee triumvirate, the cappuccino is possibly the most popular type of coffee in the world. A cappuccino consists of three layers: equal parts espresso, steamed milk and foam.
Here in NZ, we tend to use a double-shot of espresso as the basis of all our coffee beverages. So our cappuccinos tend to have a little more kick than cappuccinos elsewhere.
A macchiato is a shot of espresso that is topped off with foamed milk dashed directly into the cup. Although it’s similar to a cappuccino, it’s usually stronger, as there’s no hot milk added. And it’s also smaller, usually served in an espresso-sized cup.
A mochaccino is just a latte with added chocolate powder or syrup, sometimes topped with whipped cream. If anything, this is a good entry-level coffee – existing in the world between children’s hot chocolates and adult café lattes.
About the author of this pageBruce Pitchers is Canstar NZ’s Content Manager. An experienced finance reporter, he has three decades’ experience as a journalist and has worked for major media companies in Australia, the UK and NZ, including ACP, Are Media, Bauer Media Group, Fairfax, Pacific Magazines, News Corp and TVNZ. As a freelancer, he has worked for The Australian Financial Review, the NZ Financial Markets Authority and major banks and investment companies on both sides of the Tasman.
In his role at Canstar, he has been a regular commentator in the NZ media, including on the Driven, Stuff and One Roof websites, the NZ Herald, Radio NZ, and Newstalk ZB.
Away from Canstar, Bruce creates puzzles for magazines and newspapers, including Woman’s Day and New Idea. He is also the co-author of the murder-mystery puzzle book 5 Minute Murder.
Stick to one coffee brand: 41%
Buy fair trade coffee: 8%
Buy organic coffee: 6%
Canstar Blue surveyed 2508 New Zealand consumers across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Pureprofile. The outcomes reported are the results from customers who who had bought coffee beans to brew at home in the past three months. In this case, 306 New Zealanders. Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criterion.
The past winners from Canstar Blue’s Coffee Pod ratings:
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