Paper coffee pods are the easiest way to enjoy a café-style espresso at home or in the office: no grinding, no dosing, no plastic to throw away. When buying online, though, the same questions always come up: will they fit my machine? what is the difference between the blends? how many should I buy? This guide answers them once and for all.

What ESE means

ESE stands for Easy Serving Espresso, a standard created so that pods work in machines of different brands. An ESE pod is ground coffee pressed between two sheets of filter paper, with a diameter of 44 mm. If your machine shows the ESE symbol or says “44 mm pods”, ESE pods will fit, whatever the coffee brand.

Don’t confuse pods with capsules: capsules are rigid containers (plastic, aluminium or compostable material) designed for one specific system. If you have a capsule machine, read our guide to compatible capsules.

How much coffee is in a pod

An ESE pod usually contains between 7 and 8 grams of coffee, the dose for one espresso. Our Arancio pods contain 7.5 g, while Oro and extrabar/Blu go up to 7.8 g: a few tenths of a gram more make a difference in the cup, with a fuller body and a longer-lasting crema.

How to choose the blend

The blend is what really sets one pod apart from another. Here is how ours differ:

Nera – the boldest: full body, dense crema, long finish. For lovers of strong, Neapolitan-style coffee. Nera blend pods
Arancio – full-bodied with a bold taste, the classic flavour of Neapolitan coffee, with a lively aromatic profile. Arancio blend pods
Blu (extrabar) – our best seller: balanced, creamy and round, “just like at the bar”. If you don’t know where to start, start here. Extrabar/Blu blend pods
Oro – the finest of the range, with the highest share of Arabica: velvety and delicate, for refined palates. Oro blend pods

Fancy something different after lunch? Our flavoured pods (hazelnut, pistachio, ginseng, decaf, barley and many more) are perfect for a change.

Which pack size is best

Pods keep well for a long time, so it makes sense to think about how much you drink. With an average of 3 coffees a day:

Pack	Lasts about	Best for
50 pods	2–3 weeks	trying a blend
150 pods	7 weeks	families, regular use
300 pods	3 months	those who have found their blend
600–1200 pods	6 months or more	offices, B&Bs, small businesses

The more pods you choose, the less you pay per cup: every product page lists the pack sizes with the price per pod and the discount compared with the basic pack.

Our tip: if you don’t know our blends yet, get two 50-pod packs of different blends (for example Blu and Arancio) and find out which one you prefer. Then move on to the larger packs.

See all pods

The right machine for pods

If you don’t have a pod machine yet, you only need a few features: ESE 44 mm compatibility, adequate pressure (espresso machines work at around 15 bar) and a water tank that is easy to fill. In our shop you’ll find the Didiesse Kremia, sold together with 150 pods, and the compact Didiesse Frog.

Three tips for a better espresso

Warm up the machine: let it reach temperature and run a little water through before the first coffee.
Use good water: water low in limescale improves the taste and extends the life of the machine.
Store your pods properly: away from light, heat and humidity, in their closed packaging. You’ll find all the details in our guide on how to store coffee.

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