Skip to content

What Do The Lines Mean On Dolce Gusto Pods? Find Out Here!

What Do The Lines Mean On Dolce Gusto Pods?

Our Guide To Using The Lines On Dolce Gusto Coffee Pods

If you’ve just invested in a pod coffee machine, you might find the coffee-making process a little overwhelming, to begin with, due to all the different kinds of coffee pods on the market. 

When buying your first Dolce Gusto® coffee pods you might notice that most of the coffee pod varieties have lines on them, this indicates the amount of ground coffee inside of the pod and can be matched up to the automatic coffee machine when brewing a cup of coffee.

We’ve composed a small guide below which will take you through how to make a cup of coffee with your Dolce Gusto® coffee pods, how expensive coffee pods are, which types of pods there are and some benefits of them. 

How To Use The Lines On Dolce Gusto Coffee Pods 

As we mentioned above, the lines on your coffee pod choices relate to the strength inside your pods for coffee brewing, they also help you to set the bars on your automatic machine to get the right amount of strength and water in your cuppa. 

To set the bars on your machine according to the hot drinks you simply have to either turn the dial on your coffee maker clockwise or ant-clockwise for it to match the bars written on your popular coffee pod, this might be adjusted with a lever too. 

If you are looking for a comparison of Tassimo Vs Nespresso Vs Dolce Gusto Pods, check this article!

How To Use a Dolce Gusto Pod Coffee Machine

Dolce Gusto coffee machines are simple to operate but do vary according to the type of machine that you buy, we’ve listed some simple instructions to use a Genio 2 Krups® Coffee Machine below but these apply similarly to other machines too. 

  1. Step one – First of all switch the machine on and put the power button on till it starts blinking red and waits another 30 seconds till it starts to turn green. After it turns on then adjust your drip tray to the type of coffee for brewing you want.
  2. Step two – Now open the lock handle, pull out the capsule, insert the capsule and close the handle again. Then use the lever to illuminate the right amount of bars on the machine according to the caffeinated coffee pods you use. 
  3. Step three – When setting makes sure you move the lever left or right to choose whether you want hot or cold beverages, you can stop extraction on the machine by moving the lever to the middle. Once your coffee has finished preparation make sure you do not lift the locking handle till the power button stops blinking. 
  4. Step four – Take your cups of coffee from the drip tray and put the used capsule in the bin, rinse the holder then place it back in the machine and enjoy your drink.

How Expensive Is It To Run a Pod Dolce Gusto Machine? 

Dolce Gusto coffee pod packs tend to cost around 2.99 for a pack of eight, but this can differ if your pack includes milk pods too, some can go all the way up to 7.99 for a pack of 30. On average this works out about 30p per milk pod, so it might be best to use fresh milk and only by the coffee pods to save on some money. 

Prices vary according to the flavour of your dolce gusto pod too, for example, galaxy hot chocolate pods are around £3.80 for a pack of eight while their cappuccino pods are £3.50.

What Type Of Dolce Gusto Coffee Pods Are There?

Dolce Gusto types of coffee pods come in a huge variety you can make over 30 different types of coffee pods with the machine, making it much better than a single-use coffee machine. 

We’ve listed the popular different kinds of Dolce Gusto coffee pods you can use in your machine below. 

  • Cafe au lait Intenso.
  • Special Americano intenso. 
  • Flat white. 
  • Special cafe au lait. 
  • Special Americano. 
  • Starbucks toffee nut latte. 
  • Special flat white. 
  • Starbucks americano. 
  • Special cappuccino. 
  • Skinny latte macchiato. 
  • Latte macchiato is unsweetened. 
  • Special choccoino. 
  • Cafe au lait magnum. 
  • Americano. 
  • Plant-based flat white, oat and almond. 
  • Mexico chiapas americanos. 
  • Cold-brew coffee. 
  • Starbucks Colombia.

Are Dolce Gusto Types Of Coffee Pods Worth It?

If you find Dolce Gusto type of coffee machines a little complicated to work for your morning coffee experience, you might be wondering if these normal coffee machine types and caffeinated coffee pods are worth it. If you are looking for more information on coffee machines for your home, this is the article to read.

We’ve listed a few of the advantages of using a Dolce Gusto coffee maker down below. 

  • The flavour is better – Cups of coffee from a coffee machine taste much better than making standard instant coffee, these are coffee fresh sealed pods and give the same taste as takeaway coffees.
  • Simple – Any type of coffee machine is made to be simple and easy to use for producing the best-quality coffee, you don’t have to be expert coffee creators to use the machine.
  • Can save money – Pods are an expensive type of coffee but still can save you money on coffee if you are used to taking out cups of coffee from your local takeaway and the quality of coffee is still great.  
  • You get the art of coffee experience – From the brewing process to the foam on top of the coffee, you can make a skinny latter or double espresso all from the comfort of your own home for an excellent coffee experience. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Lines On Dolce Gusto Coffee Pods

Do dolce gusto coffee pods contain milk? 

No, most dolce gusto pods will have some separate pods for milk which are combined, you can however just add fresh milk if needed, some mixes do contain dried milk powder such as the hot chocolates.

Do more bars on my pod mean coffee is stronger?

Yes, the more bars on your coffee blends means that the coffee capsule will be stronger and have more grams of coffee, make sure you enter the right amount of bars according to your box of coffee pod on your machine as this controls how much water goes with the pods of coffee. 

How do I maintain my dolce gusto coffee machine? 

General cleaning and descaling will help to maintain your coffee machine, you should make sure the water tank and spout of your machine are clean too.

Why is the light on my Dolce gusto machine flashing yellow? 

This means your devices for brewing coffee needs descaling, as soon as you have unblocked and descaled it, it will turn back to green again.

Last Words 

To conclude, the lines on pods with coffee relate to the strength of the grounded coffee beans inside of them, dark roast coffee pods often have more lines, you have to make sure your machine is matching these lines to brew the right tasting coffee which can be adjusted by the dial or lever on your machine. 

Lucy Harper

Lucy Harper

Lucy Harper is the founder and owner of our coffee content site. With a lifelong passion for coffee, Lucy has dedicated herself to sharing her knowledge and expertise with others. Her goal is to help coffee lovers of all levels to explore the world of coffee and discover the joy of the perfect cup. When she's not writing about coffee, Lucy can often be found in her kitchen experimenting with new brewing techniques and coffee recipes.