L'Or Espresso Colombia Intensity 8, Aluminium Coffee, 10 Capsules
Colombia is the name L'Or has given this capsule. It is not a claim we will make on the brand's behalf, and what the current carton says about where the coffee grew belongs to that carton. What can be said is where it sits in the range: L'Or splits its capsules into numbered blends and named origins, and this one is filed with the origins, which is the brand signalling character rather than consistency. The cup is upper middle rather than dark, with real presence and a lively edge through the middle instead of the flat heaviness a lot of capsules settle for, medium body and low bitterness for the format. It suits a short black at eleven in the morning and it survives a small milk drink, though a full mug of latte will bury it. Original line machines only, the classic cone shape, so check the worktop before the shelf.
L'Or Espresso Colombia Intensity 8, in brief.
L'Or Espresso Colombia Intensity 8 is the Colombia-named entry in L'Or's aluminium capsule range, ten capsules in a 52g carton for Nespresso Original-line machines, picked into the Teas.co.uk selection as the ten-capsule box for trying a coffee rather than committing to forty.
One capsule per cup, 5.2g of coffee in an aluminium shell, ten cups from the carton. Intensity 8 is the brand's own scale, not a caffeine figure. Espresso button, about 40ml, into a cup warmed first with a blank shot. Original-line machines only; a Vertuo takes a different capsule.
L'Or Espresso Colombia Intensity 8 is a carton of ten aluminium coffee capsules for machines in the Nespresso Original line: 52g of coffee in total, which is 5.2g in each capsule. You drop one in, press the button and the machine does the rest. There is nothing to weigh, nothing to tamp and nothing to clean but the drip tray.
Two things get misread on a supermarket shelf. The first is the machine: these are Original-line capsules, the classic cone shape, and they will not work in a Nespresso Vertuo machine, which takes a different disc entirely. Check your worktop before buying a box of anything. The second is the number. Intensity 8 is L'Or's own scale, roughly one to twelve, and it describes how strong and how roasty the cup reads, not how much caffeine is in it. One brand's intensity number cannot be compared with another's, and none of them is a caffeine measurement.
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. Common questions are answered in the detailed Q and A tab below.
Curator’s notes
Read the full write-up
Colombia is what L'Or calls this one, and it sits in the origins part of the range rather than among the blends. What the current UK carton states about where the coffee was grown, and whether it is entirely from one country, belongs to that carton.
The Story Behind The Carton
L'Or's capsule range is organised the way most capsule ranges now are: a spine of espresso blends numbered by intensity, and a smaller set named after origins for people who want a specific character rather than a specific strength. This is one of the named ones. The naming is the brand's, and so is the number on the front.
What we are not going to do is invent a farm, an altitude or a varietal for it. Those are pack claims, and pack runs change. If the current UK carton carries an origin statement, a certification mark or a roast description, that carton is where to read it. What we can tell you without guessing is the shape of the thing: ten aluminium capsules, 5.2g of coffee in each, 52g in the box, for Original-line machines, and sized to be the carton you buy to try a coffee rather than commit to forty.
Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes.
Our Commitment To The Planet
- The carton that arrives is the current UK retail pack rather than a grey import on a different specification.
- The capsule body is aluminium rather than plastic, which is the more recyclable of the two materials in principle. In practice it depends entirely on whether your local authority or the brand's own return scheme will take it, and that varies by postcode.
- The grounds inside a spent capsule compost once the capsule is opened out. Whether that is worth the effort is a fair question, and we will not pretend it is effortless.
Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference L'Or Espresso Colombia Intensity 8, Aluminium Coffee, 10 Capsules, please cite teas.co.uk.
The story behind L'Or
Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes.
Our commitment to the planet
Sourcing and packaging details are printed on the current UK pack; the brand page carries the fuller story.
The taste profile
How does it compare
A capsule fixes the dose, the grind and the tamp at the factory, and the machine fixes the pressure and the temperature. That leaves you with roughly three decisions, and all three change the cup more than people expect.
The Short Black
The Milk Drink
Made with this tea
The Espresso, Done Properly
Two steps most people skip, and the reason their capsule coffee disappoints them.
- 1 Colombia capsule
- A little hot water, for warming the cup
- A small, thick-walled cup
- Run a blank shot of hot water into the cup with no capsule in, then tip it out.
- Drop the capsule in and pull about 40ml on the espresso button.
- Look at the crema: fine, even and hazel is right.
- Drink it now, not in five minutes. The crema is already going.
What you'll end up with: A short black with real presence and low bitterness, several degrees hotter than the same shot into a cold cup.
The Flat White That Does Not Vanish
Intensity 8 holds up at flat-white strength. Get the milk temperature right and it stays sweet.
- 1 Colombia capsule
- 120ml whole or oat milk
- A thermometer, if you have one
- Pull one espresso into a warmed cup.
- Heat the milk to about 60 to 65 degrees, no hotter.
- Pour it in steadily, keeping the foam thin rather than stiff.
- If it reads quiet, use two capsules next time instead of more milk.
What you'll end up with: A flat white where you can still taste the coffee, with milk that tastes sweet rather than scalded.
The Americano, Not The Stretched Shot
The right way to get a long cup out of a capsule, and why the lungo button is not it.
- 1 Colombia capsule
- 120 to 150ml hot water
- A mug
- Put the hot water in the mug first.
- Pull a 40ml espresso straight into it, which keeps the crema on top.
- Do not use the lungo button instead; that pulls twice the water through the same grounds.
- Adjust the water down if it reads thin, rather than pulling a longer shot.
What you'll end up with: A long black that tastes of properly extracted coffee diluted, rather than of coffee pushed too far.
Iced Latte, Sugar Dissolved First
The order matters. Sugar will not dissolve in a cold drink, however long you stir.
- 1 Colombia capsule
- 1 teaspoon sugar, optional
- A glass filled to the top with ice
- 150ml cold milk
- Pull the espresso straight onto the sugar in a small jug.
- Stir until the sugar has completely gone while it is still hot.
- Fill a glass to the top with ice and pour the cold milk in.
- Pour the sweetened espresso over the back of a spoon so it layers.
What you'll end up with: A layered iced latte that is properly sweet all the way down rather than gritty at the bottom.
Affogato
Pudding and coffee in one bowl, in under two minutes, with nothing to wash up.
- 1 Colombia capsule
- 2 scoops vanilla ice cream
- A cold bowl
- Put two scoops of ice cream in a bowl straight from the freezer.
- Pull a 40ml espresso.
- Pour it over the ice cream at the table, not in the kitchen.
- Eat it immediately, while both temperatures still exist.
What you'll end up with: The most reliable pudding a coffee machine can make, and the low bitterness here suits it better than a very dark capsule would.
Shakerato
Espresso, ice and thirty seconds of shaking, which turns the crema into foam.
- 2 Colombia capsules
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- A handful of ice cubes
- A cocktail shaker or a jar with a lid
- Pull two espressos onto the sugar and stir until it dissolves.
- Pour into a shaker with a good handful of ice.
- Shake hard for about thirty seconds, until the outside frosts.
- Strain into a chilled glass, leaving the ice behind.
What you'll end up with: A cold coffee with a thick foam head and no dilution, which is what people are actually after when they order an iced espresso.
Brewing the perfect cup
What’s in it, what to know
Inside the pack
| Ingredient | Proportion | What it brings |
|---|---|---|
| Roast and ground coffee | 100% | The whole of the capsule. Ground fine for pressure extraction, which is a different grind from anything you would put in a cafetiere. |
| Dose per capsule | 5.2g | 52g across ten capsules. Dose, grind and tamp are all fixed at the factory, which is the entire proposition of the format. |
| Intensity | 8 of 12 | The brand's own scale for strength and roast character. Not a caffeine figure, and not comparable with another brand's number. |
| Capsule body | Aluminium | An aluminium shell rather than a plastic one. The recycling route and any return scheme are stated on the carton and vary by local authority. |
Ingredients and allergens. The published ingredient list for this barcode names none of the 14 major allergens. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.
Ingredients, as published for this barcode: Roast and ground coffee.
Ingredient and nutrition data for this barcode: Open Food Facts (openfoodfacts.org), ODbL. The pack in your hands is the final word.
Pack: L'Or Espresso Colombia Intensity 8, Aluminium Coffee, 10 Capsules; GTIN 8711000362679; ten individually sealed aluminium capsules in a 52g carton, 5.2g of coffee each, ten cups per carton, for Nespresso Original-line machines. Caffeinated. Best before the date printed on the carton.
Characterising components shown. The ten-cup yield is arithmetic on the pack, not a pack claim.
Sourcing & blend. L'Or Espresso Colombia Intensity 8, Aluminium Coffee, 10 Capsules comes from L'Or, whose capsule range is built the way most capsule ranges now are: a spine of espresso blends numbered by intensity, plus a smaller set named after origins for drinkers who want a particular character rather than a particular strength. This carton is one of the named ones, in the smallest box the range comes in. The carton you receive is the current UK retail pack.
What is in L'Or Espresso Colombia Intensity 8, Aluminium Coffee, 10 Capsules, and what is not:
- In: roast and ground coffee, sealed inside an aluminium capsule, and nothing else.
- No artificial colours, preservatives or added sugar: this is a plain coffee capsule, not a flavoured one and not a milk-drink capsule with powder in it.
- Not instant: nothing here dissolves. The machine pushes hot water through real grounds under pressure and the grounds stay in the capsule.
- Not a Vertuo capsule: this is the Original-line cone. A Vertuo machine will not take it.
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Source: Teas.co.uk, the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. If you reference L'Or Espresso Colombia Intensity 8, Aluminium Coffee, 10 Capsules, please cite teas.co.uk.
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