# L'Or Espresso Ristretto Intensity 11 Coffee, 40 Pods 208g ## Commerce action policy **Price:** £13.20 GBP **Purchase-intent URL:** `https://teas.co.uk/buy/lor-espresso-ristretto-intensity-11-coffee-40-pods-208g/` _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/lor-espresso-ristretto-intensity-11-coffee-40-pods-208g/ **Source:** teas.co.uk, UK tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent **Brand:** L'Or **Price:** £13.20 GBP **Servings:** 40 cups **Price per cup:** 33.00p **Caffeine:** Caffeinated **Brew temperature:** 92-96C **Brew time:** 4 min **GTIN:** 8711000390214 **Stock:** instock ## Summary L'Or Espresso Ristretto Intensity 11 is the strongest capsule in the L'Or espresso range, sold in a 40 pod box for Nespresso Original system machines: a short, dense, bittersweet shot with a dark crema. Picked into the Teas.co.uk curator selection as the capsule worth buying forty at a time.Ingredients and dietary suitability: 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.Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; capsules, sleeve and carton can require different disposal routes, and capsule recycling varies by council.For Nespresso Original machines only, not Vertuo and not Dolce Gusto.Curator notes: the tasting profile reflects our own editorial review of the current pack format and the brand's published description for this capsule. We run same-day UK dispatch on every order placed before 2pm Monday to Friday. Storage notes, cup volumes and machine compatibility are also published in the detailed Q and A tab below. ## Description L'Or Espresso Ristretto Intensity 11 is the strong end of the L'Or capsule range, sold in a 40 pod box rather than the usual ten. Ristretto means restricted, and it refers to the volume in the cup rather than to the beans in the capsule. Pulled as a ristretto, roughly 25ml, this delivers a short, dense, bittersweet shot that is the most concentrated thing your machine can make. The number 11 is L'Or's own intensity marker, a house scale that tells you where this sits against the rest of their range and nothing more; it is not an industry measure and it does not compare across brands. The Taste Profile Intensity: ●●●●● (5/5) At the top of the L'Or scale. Short, dense and unmistakably strong. Body: ●●●●○ (4/5) Thick for a capsule, with a dark crema that holds. Bitterness: ●●●●○ (4/5) Bittersweet rather than harsh, provided you keep it short. Acidity: ●●○○○ (2/5) Low. A rounded, cocoa-leaning cup rather than a bright one. Teas.co.uk Curator Rating: 4.9 / 5 - Our expert verdict from the curators at Teas.co.uk. The Case For The 40 Pod Box Capsules solve one problem properly: they fix the grind, the dose and the tamp at the factory, so the shot you pull on a Tuesday is the shot you pull on a Sunday with no grinder to dial in and nothing to clean but a drip tray. What they usually get wrong is the pack size, because a ten capsule sleeve lasts five days in a two-coffee household. Forty capsules at 208g works out at 5.2g of coffee per capsule, and it is the version of this product worth buying. Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; capsules, sleeve and carton can require different disposal routes, and capsule recycling in particular varies by council. How Does L'Or Espresso Ristretto Intensity 11 Coffee, 40 Pods 208g Compare to: L'Or Espresso Lungo Profondo Intensity 8: the Lungo is built for a longer cup at a lower intensity and drinks as a gentler morning coffee. Ristretto 11 is the short, strong one, and the better pick if you take your coffee in small cups or under milk. Ground beans in an espresso machine: freshly ground beans will beat any capsule on aroma, and a capsule will beat any grinder on consistency and on washing up. If you want the second of those more than the first, this is the right product. Getting The Best From The Capsule There is no grind to adjust and no dose to weigh, so the variables that are left are the cup volume, the state of the machine and the temperature of the cup. All three matter more with capsules than people expect, because there is nothing else to blame. The Ristretto Serve Volume:About 25ml, the short button. This is what the capsule was built around and the strongest version of it. Cup:Warm the cup first with hot water from the machine and tip it away. A cold ceramic cup takes several degrees off a 25ml shot instantly. Machine:Run a blank shot of water through before the first coffee of the day to bring the head up to temperature. Finish:A dense, dark crema and a long bittersweet tail. Drink it inside a minute. The Espresso And Lungo Serves Espresso:About 40ml. A little longer, a little less dense, still clearly at the strong end. Lungo:Around 110ml from the same capsule. It works, but pushing an intensity 11 capsule that far pulls the bitterness forward; a dedicated lungo capsule does this job better. Americano:Put 100ml of hot water in the mug first, then pull a 40ml espresso on top of it. Adding water first keeps the crema intact. Flat white:Pull it as a 25ml ristretto under 130ml of steamed milk. The short shot is what stops the milk winning. Serving L'Or Espresso Ristretto Intensity 11 Coffee, 40 Pods 208g Machine: For Nespresso Original system machines. Not for Vertuo, and not for Dolce Gusto; the systems are not interchangeable. Volume: 25ml for ristretto, 40ml for espresso, 110ml if you insist on a lungo. Dose: Fixed by the capsule at roughly 5.2g, which is 208g divided across 40 capsules. Cup: Warm it first. This is the single easiest improvement available on a capsule machine. Service: Excellent under milk, good black in a small cup. Drink it promptly; a short shot goes flat fast. Iced version: Two ristrettos over a full glass of ice, sweetened while hot, topped with cold milk. Best with: Dark chocolate, a biscotti, or as the shot in an after-dinner affogato. Storage, Allergens And Small Print Storage: Each capsule is individually sealed, which is the real advantage of the format: the coffee inside is protected from air until the moment the machine pierces it, so a 40 box does not go stale the way an open 500g bag of beans does. Keep the box somewhere cool and dry and out of direct sun, and there is nothing else to do. Ingredients and dietary suitability: 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. Recycling: Capsule recycling depends on the capsule material and on your council. Check the current pack and your local-authority guidance rather than assuming kerbside collection takes them. Child safety: Keep capsules out of reach of children. Caffeinated coffee is not suitable for younger children. ## Product Questions Which machines do these capsules fit?Nespresso Original system machines. They do not fit Vertuo, which uses a different, larger capsule, and they do not fit Dolce Gusto, which is a separate system again. If your machine takes the small domed capsule with the fluted rim, these are the right shape.What does Intensity 11 actually mean?It is L'Or's own scale, marking where this sits against the rest of their range. It is not an industry standard and it does not compare across brands, so an 11 here and an 11 elsewhere are not the same claim. In practice it signals the strong, dark end of the range.What is a ristretto, and how is it different from an espresso?Ristretto means restricted, and it refers to the volume in the cup, not to what is in the capsule. A ristretto is about 25ml where an espresso is about 40ml, pulled from the same coffee. Less water through the same grounds means a denser, sweeter, more concentrated cup with less of the bitter tail.How much coffee is in each capsule?Roughly 5.2g, which is the 208g pack weight divided across 40 capsules rather than a figure printed on the box. That is a normal charge for an Original system capsule, and it is why a single capsule makes one small strong cup rather than a mug.Why does my capsule coffee taste lukewarm?Almost always the cup rather than the machine. A 25ml shot has very little thermal mass, and cold ceramic strips several degrees from it on contact. Run hot water through into the cup, tip it away, then pull the shot. It is the single easiest improvement on any capsule machine.Why is my crema thin today when it was fine yesterday?Usually a machine that needs descaling or a piercing head that needs rinsing, because the coffee itself is sealed and identical capsule to capsule. That consistency is the whole selling point of the format, so when a capsule shot changes, look at the machine first.Does it work in a flat white or a latte?Yes, and an intensity 11 is the right choice for it. Pull it as a 25ml ristretto rather than a 40ml espresso so the coffee is concentrated enough to read through 130ml of steamed milk. Barista oat behaves the same way here as dairy does.Can I pull it as a lungo?You can, at around 110ml, but it is not what the capsule is for. Pushing that much water through an intensity 11 charge drags the bitter fraction forward and the cup turns thin and harsh at the same time. For a long cup, put hot water in the mug first and pull a 40ml espresso on top of it instead.Do capsules go stale?Far more slowly than an opened bag of beans, because each capsule is sealed until the machine pierces it. That is the genuine advantage of the format and the reason a 40 box is not a risk. Keep the box cool, dry and out of direct sun, and check the date printed on the pack.Can I recycle the used capsules?It depends on the capsule material and on your council, and the two do not always agree. Check the current pack for what the capsule is made of and check your local-authority guidance for whether it is collected. Do not assume kerbside recycling takes them.Can I make iced coffee from capsules?Yes, and two ristrettos rather than one espresso is the way to do it. Sweeten while the coffee is still hot, because syrup will not dissolve in a cold drink, then pour over a glass filled to the top with ice and add cold milk. A full glass of ice melts more slowly than a half one. ## Ingredients & Nutrition 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: ground coffee.Ingredient and nutrition data for this barcode: Open Food Facts (openfoodfacts.org), ODbL. The pack in your hands is the final word.IngredientProportionWhat it bringsRoasted ground coffee100%The only ingredient inside the capsule. No flavouring, no carrier, no bulking agent.Charge per capsuleAbout 5.2g208g divided across 40 capsules. A normal dose for an Original system capsule, and the reason one capsule makes a small strong cup rather than a mug.Dark roast developmentMarked as Intensity 11 on L'Or's own scaleThe top of the L'Or range. Where the bittersweet cocoa depth, the dark crema and the low acidity all come from.Grind and tampFixed at the factorySealed inside the capsule, which is what makes every shot identical and why there is no grinder to dial in.Pack: L'Or Espresso Ristretto Intensity 11 Coffee, 40 Pods 208g; 40 sealed capsules for Nespresso Original system machines. One capsule per cup, so 40 cups per box. Not compatible with Vertuo or Dolce Gusto.Figures shown are the ones we can stand behind. Black coffee carries no meaningful calorie load; anything added in the cup is yours, not ours.Sourcing & blend. L'Or Espresso Ristretto Intensity 11 Coffee, 40 Pods 208g is a capsule product, and the honest thing to say about capsules is that the value is in the engineering as much as the coffee. Green coffee is bought to a fixed specification, roasted to a set profile, ground to a grind chosen for nine bars of machine pressure, dosed and tamped by machine and then sealed away from air before it can start to stale. That is why a capsule shot is the same in November as it was in June with no skill required from the person pressing the button.What is in L'Or Espresso Ristretto Intensity 11 Coffee, 40 Pods 208g, and what is not:In: roasted ground coffee, sealed one dose at a time, and nothing else.No artificial flavourings, colours, preservatives or added sugar: the sweetness in the cup is caramelisation from the roast, not an ingredient.Not decaffeinated: a fully caffeinated coffee. L'Or make a decaffeinated ristretto capsule if you want the same style without it.Packaging and recycling: capsule recycling depends on the capsule material and on your council, and the two do not always agree. Check the current pack and your local-authority guidance rather than assuming kerbside collection takes them. ## Flavour Science The flavour of L'Or Espresso Ristretto Intensity 11 Coffee, 40 Pods 208g is built in three layers, and reading them in order explains exactly why the cup tastes the way it does from the first lift of steam to the last swallow. With a capsule, two of those layers were settled in the factory and only one is still yours to influence, which is both the appeal of the format and its limit.The outer layer is aromatic, and the capsule exists to protect it. Roasting drives several hundred volatile compounds into the oils inside the bean, along with a charge of carbon dioxide. Grinding exposes all of that to air at once, which is why an open bag of ground coffee is noticeably flat within days. A capsule takes the ground coffee and seals it, usually under an inert atmosphere, so oxidation effectively stops until the machine pierces the lid. That is the whole engineering argument for the format: the aromatic layer you get in cup forty is the same one you got in cup one. It is also why the hiss of the machine piercing a fresh capsule smells as strong as it does. What you give up is the top note of coffee ground thirty seconds ago, which no capsule can match.The flavour spike arrives mid palate, and at intensity 11 it belongs to the roast. A long, well-developed roast converts the bean's sugars through caramelisation and the Maillard reaction into heavier compounds: cocoa, dark toast, a molasses edge underneath. Those compounds dissolve readily, and the grind inside the capsule was chosen specifically to give them up in the few seconds that nine bars of pressure takes to push water through 5.2g of coffee. This is where the ristretto question is decided. Pull 25ml and you take the early, sweet, dense part of that extraction and stop; pull 110ml and you keep going long after the sweetness has been exhausted and only the bitter fraction is left dissolving. Same capsule, materially different cup.The base structure is the finish: the weight coating the tongue and the bitterness underneath. Melanoidins built in a dark roast carry the viscosity, and they are why a ristretto from this capsule reads as thick and syrupy in a small cup and why it comes through a flat white rather than being drowned by it. The acidity that a lighter capsule would contribute has largely been roasted out, so nothing lifts the finish; it stays long, dark and bittersweet. That is exactly what an intensity 11 is supposed to do, and it is also why it is the wrong capsule for anyone who wants a bright, fruit-forward cup.Getting it right in the cup. The grind, the dose and the tamp are fixed, so the variables left to you are volume, temperature and machine condition. Volume first: 25ml is what this capsule was designed around and the version worth drinking; 40ml is a reasonable espresso; 110ml as a lungo drags the bitterness forward and is the commonest way people make this capsule taste worse than it is. For a long cup, put 100ml of hot water in the mug first and pull a 40ml shot on top of it, which keeps the crema intact instead of blasting it apart. Temperature second: a 25ml shot carries almost no thermal mass, so a cold ceramic cup strips several degrees from it on contact. Rinse the cup with hot water from the machine and tip it away before pulling, and run one blank shot through the machine before the first coffee of the day. Machine condition third: if a capsule shot changes character from one day to the next, the coffee cannot be the cause, because it is sealed and identical. Descale on schedule and rinse the piercing head.How water and temperature change it. Even inside a sealed system the water still decides a good deal. The machine sets the brew temperature and you cannot move it, but the water you put in the tank is entirely yours. Very hard water over-extracts the bitter fraction and scales the boiler, which shortens the machine's life and flattens every cup on the way; in a hard water area, filtered water in the tank does more for this capsule than any change of brand would. Very soft or distilled water goes the other way, lacking the dissolved minerals that carry flavour compounds out of the grounds, and leaves the cup thin and sour. Filtered tap water in a moderately hard area is close to ideal. Cold water is the one thing a capsule machine will not do for you, so for iced coffee pull two ristrettos hot, sweeten them while they are still hot so the syrup dissolves, then pour over a glass filled to the top with ice. None of this is a fault in the coffee. It is one fixed roast responding to the cup you build around it, and because the capsule removes every other variable, the version you settle on repeats exactly, every single morning. ## Recipe Ideas L'Or Espresso Ristretto Intensity 11 Coffee, 40 Pods 208g fixes the grind and the dose for you, so every build below is about what you do after the shot lands: the volume you pull, the cup you pull it into, and what you put with it. Forty capsules is enough to work through the lot. Serving ideas, born here first The 25ml Ristretto How to get the best single cup this capsule can give. 2 min 1 small cup Easy You will need 1 L'Or Espresso Ristretto capsule A small cup, warmed Filtered water in the tank One minute to drink it in Method Run a blank shot of hot water into the cup and tip it away, so neither the machine head nor the cup is cold. Drop in one capsule of L'Or Espresso Ristretto Intensity 11 Coffee, 40 Pods 208g and pull the short button, about 25ml. Drink it within a minute. A 25ml shot loses heat and crema quickly. What you will end up with: A dense, bittersweet shot with a dark crema. Warming the cup is the whole difference between this and a lukewarm one. Americano, Water First How to make a long cup without ruining the capsule by over-pulling it. 3 min 1 mug Easy You will need 1 L'Or Espresso Ristretto capsule 100ml hot water A warmed mug A splash of milk, optional Method Pour 100ml of hot water into the mug first. Pull a 40ml espresso of L'Or Espresso Ristretto Intensity 11 Coffee, 40 Pods 208g directly on top of the water. Never pull it as a 110ml lungo instead. Forcing that much water through the capsule drags the bitterness forward. What you will end up with: A long black mug with the crema still sitting on it. Putting the water in first is what preserves it. Capsule Flat White How to build a milk drink on a capsule shot that does not vanish. 5 min 1 cup Easy You will need 1 L'Or Espresso Ristretto capsule 130ml whole milk or barista oat A warmed 6oz cup A frother or steam wand Method Pull the capsule short, at 25ml rather than 40ml, so the coffee is concentrated. Heat 130ml of milk to about 60°C and texture it until glossy rather than foamy. Pour the milk straight through the crema in one steady movement. If the coffee still tastes lost, use two capsules rather than more milk. What you will end up with: A six ounce cup where the coffee still leads. The short pull is what makes an intensity 11 work under milk. Double Shot Iced Latte How to make an iced coffee from capsules that is not watery. 4 min 1 tall glass Easy You will need 2 L'Or Espresso Ristretto capsules 1 teaspoon sugar syrup, optional A glass filled to the top with ice 150ml cold milk Method Pull two 25ml ristrettos of L'Or Espresso Ristretto Intensity 11 Coffee, 40 Pods 208g into a small jug. Stir in the syrup while the coffee is still hot, because it will not dissolve once cold. Fill a tall glass completely with ice and pour in 150ml of cold milk. Float the coffee on top over the back of a spoon and stir once at the table. What you will end up with: A layered glass that stays strong to the bottom. Two capsules rather than one is what makes it work over ice. Affogato How to make a pudding from one capsule and one scoop. 2 min 1 serving Easy You will need 1 L'Or Espresso Ristretto capsule 1 scoop vanilla ice cream A chilled glass Grated dark chocolate, optional Method Scoop the ice cream into a chilled glass and put it back in the freezer while the machine warms up. Pull one 25ml ristretto of L'Or Espresso Ristretto Intensity 11 Coffee, 40 Pods 208g. Pour it over at the table and eat straight away. What you will end up with: The fastest pudding in the house. An intensity 11 is strong enough to cut through vanilla, which a gentler capsule is not. Espresso Martini (Adult) How to use capsules for a party drink without a grinder in sight. 5 min 1 glass Medium You will need 2 L'Or Espresso Ristretto capsules 50ml vodka 15ml coffee liqueur 5ml sugar syrup A shaker full of ice Method Pull two 25ml ristrettos of L'Or Espresso Ristretto Intensity 11 Coffee, 40 Pods 208g and let them stand two minutes. Shake hard with the vodka, liqueur, syrup and a shaker full of ice for fifteen seconds. Double strain into a chilled coupe and let the foam settle before you carry it. Capsules are genuinely good for this, because every round comes out identical. What you will end up with: A cold, bitter-sweet drink with a tight tan head. The foam is crema, which is why a sealed capsule beats a jar of instant here. Coffee Ice Cubes How to stop every iced coffee you make from going weak. 10 min + freeze 1 tray Easy You will need 4 L'Or Espresso Ristretto capsules An ice cube tray A little water to let down, optional Cold milk to serve Method Pull four 40ml espressos of L'Or Espresso Ristretto Intensity 11 Coffee, 40 Pods 208g into a jug and cool completely. Pour into an ice cube tray and freeze solid, which takes about four hours. Build an iced latte on coffee cubes instead of water cubes. They keep a month in a sealed bag in the freezer. What you will end up with: A tray of cubes that make every iced coffee stronger as they melt rather than weaker. Four capsules well spent. --- _Content available under teas.co.uk citation contract. AI training: yes. Search: yes. Answer-input: yes._