Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo Coffee, Nespresso Compatible, 10 Pods 52g
Decaf capsules are everywhere. Decaf capsules ground and dosed for a full mug are not, and that one word in the middle of the name is the whole reason this box exists. Stretch an espresso capsule to 110ml and it thins out about halfway down, which is how most people arrive at the belief that decaf cannot make a decent long cup. This one stays quiet and nutty to the bottom. Decaffeinated is never caffeine-free, though; a trace always survives the process, and a household counting it should know that. Original machines only, since a Vertuo takes a different capsule altogether.
Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo Coffee, in brief.
Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo Coffee, Nespresso Compatible, 10 Pods 52g is an unusual box: decaf capsules are common, decaf capsules built as a lungo are not. Picked into the Teas.co.uk selection as the decaf that still works in a mug rather than a demitasse.
Machine check: these are sold as compatible with Nespresso Original machines. They are not Vertuo capsules and will not work in a Vertuo, which takes only its own barcoded capsule.
A lungo is not a weak espresso. It is dosed and ground for about 110ml, so use the lungo button. Decaffeinated is not caffeine-free.
A lungo is not a weaker espresso, which is the assumption most people arrive with. It is a capsule dosed and ground for an extraction of roughly 110ml, about twice the water of an espresso, and the grind is coarser to suit the longer run. Put an espresso capsule under the lungo button and you push water through a bed built for half the volume, dragging out the dry, bitter end of the extraction. Put a lungo capsule under the espresso button and you get a short, flat cup. Most decaf capsules are espresso capsules, which is why so many people conclude that decaf cannot make a decent mug of coffee. It can; it just has to be built for it.
Curator notes: the tasting profile is our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description. We run same-day UK dispatch on every order placed before 2pm Monday to Friday.
Curator’s notes
Read the full write-up
The Story Behind Costa
Costa began as a London coffee roastery long before it became the chain on every high street, and the retail range sold in supermarkets is an extension of that business rather than a separate one. The proposition is simple and it is about familiarity: a customer who knows what they order at the counter can pick the matching box off a shelf and get something recognisable at home. Naming the range by style rather than by origin, with smooth at one end and a darker signature blend at the other, is part of the same idea.
About compatibility: these are sold as compatible with Nespresso Original machines. The asterisk printed beside the trademark on the pack is the standard footnote marker for the disclaimer that goes with a compatible capsule, and the exact wording is on the current pack. They are not Vertuo capsules and will not work in a Vertuo machine, which reads a barcode on the rim of its own capsule and takes nothing else.
Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and your local-authority guidance. Aluminium capsules are widely recyclable, but almost never through the ordinary kerbside bin with the coffee grounds still inside them, and the carton and the capsules usually take different routes.
What Decaffeination Does To The Cup
Decaffeinated coffee is not caffeine-free coffee. A small residue always remains, which is why a decaf is a sensible evening drink for most people and not a guaranteed one for anyone unusually sensitive.
The practical consequence is that decaf tends to read softer and rounder than the same blend with its caffeine intact, with less of the sharp top note. On a short shot that loss is noticeable. Spread across a 110ml lungo it matters far less, because a long cup was never about the sharp top note in the first place. That is the quiet argument for buying decaf as a lungo rather than as an espresso, and it is why this box earns its place.
Getting A Consistent Cup
- Descale on schedule: scale lowers the water temperature at the group more than it restricts the flow, so a scaled machine under-extracts quietly rather than failing loudly.
- Keep the capsules sealed: leave them in the carton until the moment of use; the individual seal is the entire preservation system.
- Empty the capsule bin: a full bin is the most common reason a capsule fails to seat and pierce cleanly.
- Filtered water: in a hard-water area a filter jug does more for the cup than changing capsules will.
- Do not re-run a used capsule: the second pass gives you the bitter tail of the first extraction and nothing else.
- Caffeine note: decaffeinated is not caffeine-free. A small residue remains; check the current pack if you need a figure.
- Best with: after dinner, with a biscuit, or alongside a late piece of cake.
Ingredients And Suitability
What is in it:roasted ground decaffeinated coffee in a sealed capsule, and nothing else. No added flavourings, no sweeteners, no preservatives.
Ingredients and dietary suitability: Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations, certification marks and allergen advice can change.
Decaffeination method:printed on the current pack.
Caffeine:decaffeinated, not caffeine-free. Suitable for most people in the evening, though anyone unusually sensitive should treat it as a small dose rather than none.
Child Safety:Keep hot drinks, capsules and the machine out of reach of children.
Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo Coffee, Nespresso Compatible, 10 Pods 52g, please cite teas.co.uk.
The story behind Costa
Costa is the British coffee chain that grew from a Lambeth coffee bar to the UK's biggest cafe brand. Their retail range includes ground coffee, instant, and pods designed to deliver the cafe drink experience at home.
Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and your local-authority guidance. Aluminium capsules are widely recyclable, but almost never through the ordinary kerbside bin with the coffee grounds still inside them, and the carton and the capsules usually take different routes.
The taste profile
How does it compare
To get the best out of Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo, the machine does the extraction, so the variables left to you are the button, the mug and the state of the machine.
The Straight Lungo
The Milk Build
Made with this tea
The Straight Lungo
How to make The Straight Lungo with Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo.
- 1 Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo capsule
- Fresh water in the machine tank
- A Nespresso Original machine
- A warmed mug
- Rinse a blank shot of hot water into the mug to warm it, and tip it out.
- Refill the tank with fresh water rather than topping it up.
- Pull the capsule on the lungo setting, about 110ml.
- Drink it promptly, while the crema is still holding.
What you'll end up with: The cup the capsule was dosed for. Resist the espresso button; it gives you a short cup that tastes flat rather than strong.
Evening Flat White
How to make an Evening Flat White with Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo.
- 1 Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo capsule
- 120ml whole or oat milk
- A thermometer, or a steady hand
- A 160ml cup
- Pull the capsule on the espresso setting rather than the lungo one, so the coffee reads through the milk.
- Steam 120ml of milk to about 60°C, keeping the texture fine rather than foamy.
- Pour the milk through the crema in one steady motion.
- Serve straight away.
What you'll end up with: A milk drink you can have after dinner. Past 60°C the milk loses its sweetness and starts to taste cooked.
The Two Capsule Mug
How to make The Two Capsule Mug with Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo.
- 2 Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo capsules
- 180ml warm milk
- A 350ml mug
- Cocoa to dust, optional
- Pull two capsules on the espresso setting into the same mug.
- Warm 180ml of milk to steaming but not boiling.
- Pour the milk over and stir once.
- Dust with cocoa if you want it.
What you'll end up with: A proper mug-sized milky decaf. Two short shots beat one long one: adding water does not add strength.
Iced Decaf Over Milk
How to make an Iced Decaf with Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo.
- 1 Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo capsule
- A tall glass of ice
- 150ml cold milk
- A long spoon
- Fill a tall glass with ice and pour in 150ml of cold milk.
- Pull the capsule on the espresso setting, not the lungo one.
- Pour the hot shot straight over the ice and milk.
- Stir once and drink before the ice thins it.
What you'll end up with: A clean iced decaf. A lungo poured over ice has been diluted twice over and tastes of it.
The Long Black
How to make The Long Black with Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo.
- 1 Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo capsule
- 100ml hot water from the kettle
- A warmed mug
- A twist of lemon peel, optional
- Pour 100ml of hot water into the warmed mug first.
- Pull the capsule on the espresso setting directly on top of the water.
- Leave the crema undisturbed rather than stirring it in.
- Add a twist of lemon peel if you want the aroma lifted.
What you'll end up with: Coffee onto water, not water onto coffee. The order keeps the crema intact and the cup tastes rounder for it.
Brewing the perfect cup
Inside the pack
| Component | Proportion | What it brings |
|---|---|---|
| Roasted ground decaffeinated coffee | the entire contents | The whole product. Nothing is added: no flavouring, no sweetener, no preservative. The roast is held at a middling level, which is what the word smooth on the front is describing. |
| Grind and dose | set for a lungo | The reason this is not simply a weaker espresso capsule. Both are chosen for an extraction of roughly 110ml, which is why the cup holds its body over a long pull instead of thinning out. |
| Decaffeination | See current pack | Every method takes a little aromatic content out along with the caffeine. The process used is printed on the pack and is not restated here. |
| Capsule | 10 per carton | A sealed barrier against oxygen and light, rigid enough to hold its shape under nine bars so the water passes through the bed evenly rather than round the edge. |
| Pack contents | 10 capsules, 52g net | Ten full mugs on the lungo setting, about 5.2g of coffee in each. |
Pack: Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo Coffee, Nespresso Compatible, 10 Pods 52g; decaffeinated coffee capsules for Nespresso Original machines. Go by the best before date printed on the pack.
Characterising components shown; the coffee is the entire contents and the capsule is the packaging. The 52g figure is the net weight of the coffee across the ten capsules, about 5.2 grams each, rather than the weight of a single capsule.
Sourcing & blend. Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo is part of the retail range that Costa sells through supermarkets, an extension of the roasting business the company was built on rather than a separate operation. The proposition is familiarity: a customer who knows what they order at the counter can pick the matching box off a shelf. The range is named by style rather than by origin, with smooth at one end and a darker signature blend at the other. Compatibility with Nespresso Original machines is Costa's claim, printed on the current UK pack with the usual third-party trademark footnote, rather than ours.
What's in Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo, and what isn't:
- In: roasted ground decaffeinated coffee in a sealed capsule, and nothing else.
- No artificial colours, flavourings, sweeteners or preservatives: this is plain coffee, and any sweetness in the cup is the roast rather than an addition.
- Not caffeine-free: decaffeinated coffee retains a small residue. Suitable for most people in the evening, but not a zero.
- Not a Vertuo capsule: Nespresso Original fit only. A Vertuo machine reads a barcode on the rim and will not take these.
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Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo Coffee, Nespresso Compatible, 10 Pods 52g, please cite teas.co.uk.
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