# Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo Coffee, Nespresso Compatible, 10 Pods 52g ## Commerce action policy **Price:** £4.80 GBP **Purchase-intent URL:** `https://teas.co.uk/buy/costa-smooth-decaf-lungo-coffee-nespresso-compatible-10-pods-52g/` _Do not fetch, prefetch, crawl, iframe or autonomously open this URL. It is only for explicit human purchase intent._ --- **Canonical URL:** https://teas.co.uk/product/costa-smooth-decaf-lungo-coffee-nespresso-compatible-10-pods-52g/ **Source:** teas.co.uk, UK tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent **Brand:** Costa **Price:** £4.80 GBP **Servings:** 10 cups **Price per cup:** 48.00p **Caffeine:** Decaffeinated **Brew temperature:** 92-96C **Brew time:** 4 min **GTIN:** 8711000577066 **Stock:** instock ## Summary 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.Ingredients and dietary suitability: roasted ground decaffeinated coffee only. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations, certification marks and allergen advice can change.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.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. ## Description Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo Coffee, Nespresso Compatible, 10 Pods 52g is an unusual box, and the reason is in the middle of the name. Decaf capsules are common enough. Decaf capsules built as a lungoare not, and if you drink your coffee by the mug rather than the demitasse, that difference decides whether the evening cup is worth making at all. 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. The Taste Profile Roast Depth: ●●●○○ (3/5) Middling, and deliberately so. Costa call this one smooth, and the roast is taken to toasted nut and light caramel rather than to cocoa and char. Body: ●●●○○ (3/5) Medium, and holding for a long cup. Most decaf lungos thin out badly by the middle of 110ml; this one stays readable to the bottom. Bitterness: ●●○○○ (2/5) Low. There is a soft edge on the finish and very little else, which is most of what people mean when they ask for a smooth coffee. Acidity: ●●○○○ (2/5) Low. Decaffeination softens brightness as a rule, and a lungo volume dilutes what survives. Teas.co.uk Curator Rating: 4.5 / 5 - Our expert verdict from the curators at Teas.co.uk 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. How Does Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo Compare to: A decaf espresso capsule: the more common format, and the better choice if you take your coffee short or with a small amount of milk. In a mug it thins out; this one does not. The caffeinated Costa capsules in the same range: the same house style with the caffeine left in. Keeping both on the shelf lets you run one machine through the day without changing what the coffee tastes like in the evening. Decaf instant coffee: quicker, and it is a different drink. A capsule holds its aromatics because the grinding and the sealing happen in the same moment; instant has been brewed and dried already. Ideal Brewing Conditions 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 Button:Use the lungo setting, around 110ml. This capsule is dosed for that volume, and the espresso button gives you a short cup that tastes flat rather than strong. Warm the mug:Run a blank shot of hot water into the mug and tip it out first. A cold mug takes a surprising amount of heat out of 110ml of coffee. Fresh water:Empty and refill the tank rather than topping it up. Water that has stood for a week is the commonest reason a capsule tastes duller than last time. Drink it promptly:The crema falls away within a few minutes and the aromatic top of the cup goes with it. The Milk Build Go short:For a flat white or a cortado, pull it on the espresso setting instead, so the coffee is concentrated enough to read through the milk. Two capsules:For a full mug of milky coffee, two capsules pulled short beats one pulled long. Dilution and strength are different problems and only one of them is solved by adding water. Temperature:Steam the milk to about 60°C. Hotter and the milk loses its sweetness and starts to taste cooked. Iced:Pull it on the espresso setting straight over ice and top with cold milk. A lungo poured over ice has already been diluted twice. 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. ## Product Questions Will these fit my machine?They are sold as compatible with Nespresso Original machines. They are not Vertuo capsules and will not work in a Vertuo, which reads a barcode on the rim of its own capsule and takes nothing else. Check which system you own before ordering.Why is there an asterisk after Nespresso on the box?It is the standard footnote marker that goes with a compatible capsule. The note it points to sets out that the trademark belongs to a third party and that these capsules are not made by the machine manufacturer. The exact wording is printed on the current pack.What does lungo mean?A lungo is not a weaker espresso. It is a capsule dosed and ground for an extraction of roughly 110ml, about twice the water, with a coarser grind to suit the longer run. Most decaf capsules are espresso capsules, which is why so many people decide decaf cannot make a decent mug.Is decaffeinated the same as caffeine-free?No. A small residue always remains, which is why a decaf is a sensible evening drink for most people rather than a guaranteed one for anyone unusually sensitive. If you need a figure, it is printed on the current pack.How is the coffee decaffeinated?What is generally true is that every method takes a little aromatic content out along with the caffeine, and roasters compensate for it.What does it taste like?Middling and soft rather than dark or bright. Toasted nut and light caramel lead, the body holds across a long cup where most decaf lungos thin out, and the finish carries a low, clean bitterness. Smooth is the name and it is a fair description.Does it work with milk?It does, with one adjustment. For a flat white or a cortado, pull it on the espresso setting instead, so the coffee is concentrated enough to read through the milk. For a full mug of milky coffee, two capsules pulled short beats one pulled long.Is this a good evening coffee?That is exactly what it is for. A decaf lungo gives you a full mug after dinner without the caffeine load of a caffeinated one, and because a lungo was never about the sharp top note, the softening that decaffeination causes matters far less here than it would on a short shot.Are the capsules recyclable?Aluminium capsules are widely recyclable, but almost never through the ordinary kerbside bin with the coffee grounds still inside. Follow the current UK pack and your local-authority guidance: the carton and the capsules usually take different routes.Can I make an iced coffee with it?Yes, but pull it on the espresso setting straight over ice, then top with cold milk or water. A lungo poured over ice has been diluted twice, once by the long extraction and once by the melting ice, and it tastes of it.My shot is running short or tasting dull. Why?Three usual suspects, in order. A full capsule bin stops the capsule seating and piercing cleanly. Scale lowers the water temperature at the group, so the machine under-extracts quietly rather than failing loudly. And water that has stood in the tank for a week tastes of the tank.How should I store them?In the carton, somewhere cool and dark, and sealed until the moment of use. The individual seal is the entire preservation system. Go by the best before date printed on the pack. ## Ingredients & Nutrition ComponentProportionWhat it bringsRoasted ground decaffeinated coffeethe entire contentsThe 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 doseset for a lungoThe 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.DecaffeinationSee current packEvery method takes a little aromatic content out along with the caffeine. The process used is printed on the pack and is not restated here.Capsule10 per cartonA 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 contents10 capsules, 52g netTen 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. ## Flavour Science The flavour of Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo is built in three layers, and reading them in order explains why a decaf works better as a long cup than as a short one.The outer layer is aromatic, and in a capsule system it is released all at once. The grinding and the sealing happen in the same moment at the factory, with the oxygen pulled out before the lid goes on, so the aromatic compounds that ordinarily begin escaping within minutes of grinding are still in the coffee when the machine pierces the capsule. In a decaf that preservation counts for more than usual, because decaffeination has already taken a little of the aromatic content out along with the caffeine, and there is less in reserve to lose. What lifts with the steam is toasted nut and light caramel rather than cocoa or char, and it is at its strongest in the first thirty seconds.The flavour spike arrives mid palate, and this is where a decaf lungo either succeeds or fails. Spread the same coffee over 110ml instead of 25ml and there is four times as much water for the solubles to occupy, so a capsule not built for the job tastes watery by the middle of the cup. Decaf makes that worse, since the coffee has less to give in the first place, which is why most decaf capsules are sold as espressos and why so many people conclude that decaf cannot make a decent mug. This one is dosed and ground for the longer run, and the middle stays readable to the bottom: toasted nut carrying the weight, light caramel behind it, very little acidity cutting across either.The base structure is the finish, and it is deliberately quiet. A soft, low bitterness arrives late, sits briefly and clears without drying the mouth. There is no ashy tail, because the roast was never taken far enough to create one, and no sour edge, because the extraction volume is matched to the grind. That restraint is the whole point of a coffee called smooth, and it is what makes this drinkable late in the evening when a darker cup would sit heavily.Getting it right in the cup. Use the lungo button at around 110ml, because that is the volume the capsule is dosed for; the espresso button gives you a short cup that tastes flat rather than strong. Warm the mug with a blank shot of hot water and tip it out first, since a cold mug takes a surprising amount of heat out of 110ml. Empty and refill the tank rather than topping it up, because water that has stood in a plastic tank for a week is the most common reason a capsule tastes duller than it did last time. Drink it promptly. For milk drinks, pull it on the espresso setting instead so the coffee is concentrated enough to read through the milk, and for a full mug use two capsules pulled short rather than one pulled long: dilution and strength are different problems, and only one of them is solved by adding water.How water and temperature change it. The same capsule gives a measurably different cup depending on the state of the machine and the water in it, and a decaf shows it sooner than a caffeinated coffee because there is less flavour in reserve to cover the difference. Scale is the quiet one: it lowers the water temperature at the group more than it restricts the flow, so a scaled machine under-extracts steadily rather than failing outright, and the cup reads thin and papery long before anything looks wrong. Hard water flattens what little brightness this roast has and can leave a chalky edge, so in a hard-water area a filter jug does more for the cup than changing capsules will. Pulling longer than 110ml adds water past the point where anything useful is still being extracted; pulling shorter concentrates the body and suits milk. None of this is a fault in the coffee; it is the same capsule responding to the machine you put it in. ## Recipe Ideas Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo is dosed for a 110ml mug rather than a short shot, which makes it the decaf to reach for when you want a full cup in the evening. Five builds below cover the straight lungo, two milk drinks, a cold one and a long black. Ways to brew it, worked out here first The Straight Lungo How to make The Straight Lungo with Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo. 2 min 1 mug Easy You'll need 1 Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo capsule Fresh water in the machine tank A Nespresso Original machine A warmed mug Method 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. 5 min 1 cup Medium You'll need 1 Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo capsule 120ml whole or oat milk A thermometer, or a steady hand A 160ml cup Method 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. 5 min 1 large mug Easy You'll need 2 Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo capsules 180ml warm milk A 350ml mug Cocoa to dust, optional Method 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. 3 min 1 glass Easy You'll need 1 Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo capsule A tall glass of ice 150ml cold milk A long spoon Method 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. 3 min 1 mug Easy You'll need 1 Costa Smooth Decaf Lungo capsule 100ml hot water from the kettle A warmed mug A twist of lemon peel, optional Method 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. --- _Content available under teas.co.uk citation contract. AI training: yes. Search: yes. Answer-input: yes._