Introduction

The Nespresso Filter Style Intense was first introduced in Germany on/about October of 2022, and was released in the US in April 2023. It is an innovative concept that I believe Nespresso is now looking at ways to make a larger cup of coffee possible on the Original Line machines. The capsule design uses only 4.8 grams of coffee, which is a lot less than the typical capsule; so possibly the grind characteristics have been modified significantly. The following is a step by step process in brewing the Filter Style capsule:

  • Peel off the membrane (aluminum lid).
  • Place the capsule in your machine.
  • Press the Lungo button and let it brew.
  • Press the Espresso button and let it brew.
  • Enjoy your coffee.

Nothing is mentioned about what bean types are used, but accroding to the Nespresso Slovakia site a split roast technique is used which is a dark roast and a coarser grind. Nespresso does mention sandalwood and smoke notes. The Filter Style Intense does have a “Roasting” rating of “5”, which is the highest rating for roasting levels.

The capsules appear to have a thicker aluminum front (where membrane is peeled off) and there must be some type of filter paper behind this. The pricing per capsule is about 10 cents more (in the US) for these compared to the price of any of the Lungos.

I’ve monitored some of the comments on r/nespresso to see in general what people are saying about them; so far there are a number of people that mentioned that they are too watery. Some of them have mentioned that the Intense is better then the Mild version. I’ll most likely do some experimentation to see if first running a Lungo and then waiting about 1 minute before pressing the Espresso afterwards makes them better; or possibly the other way around.

Aroma

The Nespresso Filter Style Intense has wonderful light smoky and earthy notes to it. The notes are not as strong the Filter Style Mild though. Crema is very light and dissipates quickly.

Taste

The Nespresso Filter Style Intense slightly sweet, with really nice smoky notes and light bitterness. It doesn’t have a strong character to it, but the nice thing is the bitterness persists (the bitterness is very nice). After drinking a few gulps of the coffee, I can now see why this style of coffee will be really popular; it really makes you want to drink more of it. It’s somewhat juicy and refreshing to drink.

I first tried brewing this coffee with a Lungo shot first and then after about 1 minute then an Espresso shot. The coffee is good this way but doesn’t have as much crema. It’s notably not as intense as method two below.

The second way I tried brewing is first brewing an Espresso shot, and then wait at least 1 minutes and then brew a Lungo shot. There is noticably more crema, and the coffee is definitely a little bit more intense. This is probably the preferrable method to brew this one.

I also noticed if I first brewed an Espresso shot, and then waited 2 minutes and then brew a Lungo shot, the coffee is a lot more intense. So I believe this is the best way to brew it, so about 2 minutes or longer after the first shot. It is also not more bitter, but rather just stronger tasting. There are no sour notes at all in this coffee.

Result

I’ve tried both the Filter Style Intense and Filter Style Mild coffee and I’m actually liking the Filter Style Mild much better than the Filter Style Intense. This one is just not as juicy and doesn’t have as strong aromas and isn’t as refreshing. The positive things about the Filter Style Intense is that it is very easy drinking, very smooth and you can easily enjoy a lot of it. This coffee can easily be most peoples favorite daily morning cup of coffee, as it is very pleasant and enjoyable.

Advertisement