Carte Noire Intense Espresso No. 8 Soft Pods, Senseo Compatible — Pack of 60

Yes. soft pods Carte Noire pods large format filter paper soft pod machines like Senseo (Philips): Senseo Original and Original Plus, Select, Switch, Maestro, Viva Café, Quadrante, Latte Duo, as well as other soft pod coffee makers of the same format.

They fit into the 1-cup (one pod) or 2-cup (two pods) pod holder. They are not compatible with capsule machines (Nespresso, Dolce Gusto, Tassimo, Lavazza, Delta Q, illy Iperespresso) nor with the 44 mm ESE portafilters of espresso machines: the soft pod is significantly wider and is not compressed for high pressure.

Not in the strictest sense. A soft pod machine operates at low pressure, far from the 9 bars of an espresso machine: it produces a long coffee with a thin crema, not a strong espresso with its thick crema. The name Espresso Intense here refers to the profile —a darker roast, dense body, and cocoa notes—which, in a Senseo, yields the most robust coffee in the Carte Noire.

To get closer to a strong coffee, use the intense on your machine (less water for the same pod). For a true espresso, you need an espresso machine and 44mm ESE pods or capsules.

Three intensities of the same 100% Arabica roasted in France:

• Classic Balanced No. 5 — intensity 5/10, medium roast. Round cup, low acidity, notes of toasted cereals and dried fruit.
• Full-bodied & Aromatic No. 7 — intensity 7/10, darker roast. More body, notes of cocoa and wood, controlled bitterness.
• Espresso Intense N°8 (this product) — intensity 8/10, medium to dark roast. The most full-bodied of the three: a rich, velvety cup with a long finish.

All three are prepared in the same way: No. 5 in the morning or during the day, No. 7 and No. 8 after meals or for lovers of strong coffee.

Two filter paper formats that are not interchangeable:

• Soft pod (this product) — large disc of filter paper, approximately 7 g of loosely packed ground coffee, for low-pressure machines such as Senseo. Result: a long , full-bodied coffee with a light crema.
• ESE (Easy Serving Espresso) pod — small 44 mm pod , packed coffee, for the portafilter of a high-pressure espresso machine . Result: a tight espresso with crema.

If your machine is a Senseo or a soft pod coffee maker, this is the product you need. For an espresso machine with an ESE filter holder, see our ESE pods.

The pod is made of filter paper and ground coffee, without an aluminum or plastic casing. The manufacturer states that it is compostable in industrial composting facilities (EN 13432 standard): it can be disposed of with organic waste if your municipality collects it, otherwise with regular household garbage. The coffee grounds it contains can enrich home compost (nitrogen) or be used as fertilizer in the garden.

The outer packaging (bag and cardboard box, depending on the packaging) should be recycled according to standard packaging sorting procedures. Once opened, reseal the package tightly and store it in a dry place, away from light and heat: filter paper offers less protection for the aromas than an airtight capsule.

Carte Noire is a French brand created in 1978 by René Monnier , already founder of Grand'Mère coffees, with a positioning that was unprecedented at the time: a high-end pure Arabica coffee in mass distribution, in a flexible package with a freshness valve

The brand passed through the hands of Jacobs Suchard (1982), then Kraft and Mondelēz, before being acquired in February 2016 by the Italian group Lavazza, which retained the historic factory in Lavérune (Hérault) and the roasting operations in France. The product range now includes whole bean coffee, ground coffee, instant coffee, Nespresso-compatible capsules, and Senseo-compatible soft pods.