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Most milk pods arrive already sweetened, which means the maker has chosen the sweetness of your coffee for you. This box leaves that decision to you, and with no sugar in the way, the coffee becomes the loudest thing in the cup.
The two words on the box
Both words in the name do a job. Skinny means the milk in the milk pod is skimmed rather than whole, which gives a lighter body and a foam that fades a little sooner, since it is the fat in whole milk that gives a cappuccino its weight. Unsweetened means the milk pod has not been sweetened, so what you get is espresso and milk with no sweetness layered on top.
The practical upside is control. A sweetened pod fixes the sugar level for you; this one lets you add a spoonful at the table, a little syrup, or nothing at all. Both words are the maker's wording on the box; for the figures that sit behind them, turn the carton over and read its nutrition table.
What happens to the taste without sugar
Sweetness masks bitterness, so taking the sugar away exposes the espresso. The coffee is clearly forward, and the aroma belongs almost entirely to it, because skimmed milk carries little scent of its own. The result smells of espresso, not of pudding, and the foam cap keeps that scent sitting on top, so the first sip through it tastes more strongly of coffee than the rest.
It also rewards drinking straight away. With so little fat to hold the aroma, a cup left standing loses more of its character than a sweetened whole-milk cappuccino would. The finish is short and clean and the body is light. For a daily cappuccino drinker who has given up on sugary milk pods, it is one of very few options that fits.
Building it, and fixing thin foam
Each cup is two pods: the milk pod first, to build the foam, then the espresso pod, which runs down through the cap. The water levels printed on the two pods differ, and following them rather than overriding them is the surest route to a proper head. Sixteen pods make eight cappuccinos, so compare boxes by servings, not by the number of pods.
If the foam still comes out thin, limescale is the likely cause. Foaming the milk pod depends on the machine's pressure and flow, and a furred-up brewer delivers less of both, so descale it as the maker's instructions say. The pods fit Nescafé Dolce Gusto machines only, not a Nespresso or a Tassimo, and nothing from those systems fits a Dolce Gusto.
The packs we stock
- Nescafe Dolce Gusto 16 x Cappuccino Skinny & Unsweetened Coffee (8 Servings) (barcode 7613031587377)
What to eat with it
- Maryland Cookies Double Chocolate, 200g: An unsweetened cup leaves room for a properly sweet cookie, and double chocolate suits a coffee-forward cappuccino.
- McVitie's Hobnobs Milk Choc Jumbo Pack Biscuits, 431g: A milk chocolate Hobnob supplies the sweetness the cup leaves out and is sturdy enough for a quick dunk.
- Border Lemon Drizzle Melts Organic Biscuits, 150g: Lemon drizzle brings a bright, sweet note to set against a coffee-forward cup with no sweetness added.
Elsewhere in the Nescafé range
- Nescafe Azera Americano Decaff Instant Coffee, 90g
- Nescafe Azera Americano Instant Coffee, 140g
- Nescafe Azera Americano Intense Instant Coffee with Finely Ground Beans, 140g
- Nescafe Azera Decaf Americano Instant Coffee with Finely Ground Beans, 135g
- Nescafe Cappuccino Decaf Unsweetened Taste Instant Coffee Sachets, 7 Sachets 105g
- Nescafe Cappuccino Instant Coffee, 7 Sachets
The full range is on the Nescafé brand page.
FAQ
What does skinny mean on a cappuccino? The milk is skimmed rather than whole, which gives a lighter body and a foam that fades slightly sooner.
What does unsweetened mean here? The milk pod has not been sweetened, so the drink is only as sweet as you choose to make it.
How many cappuccinos does the box make? Eight. Each one uses a milk pod and an espresso pod, so sixteen pods give eight cups.
Which pod goes in first? The milk pod, then the espresso pod on top, each to its own printed water level.
Why is my foam thin? Most often limescale in the machine, which cuts the pressure and flow the milk pod needs. Descale it and try again.
Curator's note: Drink it the moment it finishes, before the foam starts to settle, and taste it before you reach for the sugar. You may find you do not want any. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.
In short: Nescafé Dolce Gusto Cappuccino Skinny & Unsweetened: The Plain Cappuccino
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Brand | Nescafé |
| Packs we stock | Nescafe Dolce Gusto 16 x Cappuccino Skinny & Unsweetened Coffee (8 Servings) |
| Category | Coffee Sachets & Mixes |
| Caffeine | caffeinated |
| Sweetness | Unsweetened; add your own to taste |
| Servings | Eight cups from sixteen pods |
| Best with | A double chocolate cookie |
More from the tea wiki
- Nescafé: The Instant Coffee Benchmark
- Tea vs Coffee: Taste, Caffeine and Switching
- Caffeine in Tea
- Tea vs Coffee
- Tea for Coffee Drinkers: Where to Start
- Chai vs Coffee
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