Ginseng coffee, orzo and hot chocolate capsules: the drinks beyond coffee

A coffee machine for the people who do not drink coffee

In many homes the coffee machine also has to serve people who do not drink espresso: children, anyone avoiding caffeine, and those who prefer something sweet in the afternoon.

That is why a separate family of capsules exists alongside coffee: ginseng coffee, orzo (roasted barley), hot chocolate and flavoured drinks such as biscuit, hazelnut or pistachio. They are prepared in the same machine, but what is inside is very different from ground coffee.

Here we explain what they contain, how they taste, how to prepare them and which systems carry them. Teas and herbal infusions in capsules deserve a separate article.

If you are still choosing a machine, our comparison of capsule systems gives the full picture. Here we assume the machine is already there.

Ginseng coffee: sweet, amaro and lactose-free

Ginseng coffee is the best known capsule drink and also the most misunderstood. It is not coffee with a root inside: it is a soluble preparation based on sugar, milk powder, instant coffee and a small share of ginseng extract, with vegetable fat for the creamy texture.

Two things follow. First, it contains caffeine, because the instant coffee is really there, even if less than in an espresso; it is not a caffeine-free drink. Second, the taste is sweet and round, with a slightly earthy note from the ginseng, and the cup is closer to a creamy milky coffee than to an espresso.

The amaro version, literally "bitter", is meant for people who find the classic recipe too sweet. It does not mean bitter like an espresso: it generally means no added sugar, while milk and instant coffee remain. Some brands call it "zero". The result is a drier drink in which the ginseng comes through more clearly.

The traditional recipe contains milk, and therefore lactose. Our own Maracatú line has sweet ginseng, the amaro and a lactose-free version for Nespresso®, Dolce Gusto® and A Modo Mio®. Caffè Borbone also offers every variant, as do Dolce Vita and Pop Caffè.

About ginseng itself we make no promises: it is a root used for centuries in the East Asian tradition, and only a little of it reaches the cup. Anyone following a treatment or living with a specific condition can ask their doctor whether it is suitable.

Orzo: the Italian caffeine-free drink

Orzo is the Italian drink for anyone who wants the coffee ritual without caffeine. It is made from roasted barley and, in capsules, from soluble barley: in most of the versions we offer there is a single ingredient, one hundred percent barley, with no sugar and no milk.

The taste is toasted, with a cereal sweetness and a finish of malt and bread crust. It has neither the acidity of coffee nor its pronounced bitterness, and it appeals even to people who do not like coffee.

In Italy roasted barley spread when coffee was scarce, and after the war it became part of children's breakfast, dissolved in milk. At the bar you order it in a small or a large cup, and the same logic applies to the capsule.

By its nature it contains no caffeine: it is the simplest choice for the evening and for anyone who has to limit stimulants. In our guide on caffeine and sleep we explain how to spread cups across the day; orzo is the most natural way to end the evening with a warm cup.

One note: barley is a cereal that contains gluten. Anyone who has to avoid it should keep this in mind and always read the label.

Hot chocolate and flavoured drinks: biscuit, hazelnut, mokaccino

Capsule hot chocolate is a cocoa drink with sugar, milk powder and a thickener that gives it body, which is why it comes out dense, closer to Italian hot chocolate than to cocoa stirred into milk. Some versions are darker and more intense, others softer and milkier.

Cocoa naturally contains a small amount of stimulating substances, in any case far less than coffee.

The flavoured drinks follow the same logic as ginseng: a soluble base of sugar, milk and vegetable fat, often with instant coffee, plus a leading flavour. In the catalogue you will find biscuit, with the spiced note of cinnamon biscuits, hazelnut (the nocciolino), pistachio in cappuccino style, caramel, and mokaccino, a blend of coffee and cocoa.

Many of them contain instant coffee, and therefore caffeine, and almost all contain milk: they are dessert or afternoon-break drinks, not caffeine-free alternatives.

The brand that has made these recipes its speciality is Dolce Vita, with dozens of flavours across hot chocolates, flavoured coffees and milk drinks; the same product families also exist under the Maracatú, Borbone and Pop Caffè names.

How to prepare them: cup, brew length and which systems have them

Inside these capsules there is no ground coffee but a soluble powder: the machine does not extract, it dissolves. Two habits therefore change. The first concerns water: ginseng and flavoured drinks are brewed long, into a cappuccino cup, on many machines with the lungo button. If the drink seems too thin, shorten the brew next time; if too thick, lengthen it.

Hot chocolate follows the opposite rule: less water, a denser cup. Orzo can be made short in an espresso cup or long in a large cup, as at the bar.

The second habit is cleaning. Milk powder and sugar leave residue in the circuit: after one of these drinks, run a little plain water through the machine so the next coffee does not pick up stray flavours.

As for systems, Nespresso® compatible capsules include ginseng, orzo, hot chocolate and flavoured drinks from several brands; likewise Dolce Gusto®, where the choice is among the widest, and for A Modo Mio®. Owners of Caffitaly®, Bialetti or Lavazza Espresso Point machines will find ginseng and orzo; Caffitaly® and Bialetti also have hot chocolate and hazelnut.

Who they suit and when in the day

In the morning, ginseng coffee, sweet or amaro, is breakfast in a cup for anyone who wants something creamy with a little caffeine; the lactose-free version serves those who avoid milk.

After lunch remains espresso territory. In the afternoon the flavoured drinks and hot chocolate come in: a snack, a break with a pastry, a cup for a guest who does not take coffee.

After dinner the simplest choice is orzo, caffeine-free by nature and suitable for children too. Hot chocolate can close a winter dinner, sweetness permitting.

If you are not sure which drinks exist for your machine, or would like to put together a small mixed stock for a family of different tastes, contact us: the Maracatú team is always available to help you choose the capsules compatible with your machine.