I’ve been getting a number of emails asking about Nespresso’s Decaf capsules. So I decide to put all the questions together in this post to help everyone out. If you have a question that hasn’t been answered, feel free to contact me by clicking here.
How Can I Tell Which Nespresso Capsule Is Decaf?

Very simple, On Nespresso Decaf pods, you’ll notice there’s a red dot at the bottom where the capsules get punctured. The box of the capsules will have the same red dot and will be labelled Decaffeinato.
What About Nespresso Vertuo Decaf Pods?

Since Vertuo’s pods look different than OriginalLine’s, their Decaf mark is different, too. As you’ll notice from the picture, this Melozio pod has a red ring around the pod, which indicates it is Decaf. Vertuo’s decaf pods are also called Decaffeinato.
What Does Decaffeinato in Nespresso Pods Mean?
That means decaffeinated. So any pod that has ‘Decaffeinato’ on its box means it is decaf.
What Color Are The Nespresso Decaf Capsules?

Right now, Nespresso offers four of its original blends in the form of Decaf. The Arpreggio, Ristretto, Volluto, Vivalto Lungo and Intenso. Each of these blends has a different intensity that ranges from 9 to 4. They’re the same color as the original blends: purple, gold, blue and red. So how do you tell if they’re decaf?… read the next question.
Nespresso OriginalLine Decaf Pods
Nespresso Vertuo Decaf Pods
What Is the Green Dot On Nespresso Pods?

You might have noticed some Nespesso OriginalLine or vertuo pod that have a green dot on them. These are pods made by Starbucks for Nespresso.
The greed dot does not mean anything in particular, it’s just a branding color. They even use the green dot on their decaf pods. However, the package of the Decaf pods will have a red line, and the pods will be labelled DECAF around the green dot.
How Much Caffeine Do Nespresso’s Decaf Capsules Have?
While decaf coffee is supposed to have no caffeine at all, truth is still has some traces of it. The average Nespresso capsules has about 60mg to 70mg of caffeine in it, while the Decaf has 1mg or less. This very tiny amount has very little to no effect on the body. So you can enjoy your decaf without any worries of caffeine kicking in.
Nespresso Pods Colors Meaning
Whether it’s OriginalLine or Vertuo, Nespresso pods are available in all kinds of colors. What do these colors means? And are they the same in each line of machines?
Colors are used to identify the blend and the name of the capsule. For example: Purple is Altissio Vertuo pod or Arpeggio OriginalLine, both of them are Intensity 9 Espresso pods.
Voltesso Vertuo pod and Volluto Originalline are both Golden yellow pods espresso pods of level 4 intensity.
Barista Creations pods for both Vertuo and OriginalLine are in brown hues, to match the color of milk coffee drinks.
So this can give you an indication that the color somewhat matches the intensity of the pod. Darker pods are usually high intensity pods, medium intensity is usually in medium hues like green, blue or pink. Except for limited edition pods or World Exploration OriginalLine pods which usually have unique designs.