What Nespresso Boutiques Offer That You Won't Find Online

With availability via Amazon and the official Nespresso website — both offering shipping options that will get your pods to your door within days — it's hard to imagine why someone might choose to visit a Nespresso boutique over ordering their coffee pods online from the comfort of their own home. Especially since, if you're ever really in a jam, you can restock on the Starbucks by Nespresso capsules at Target while you're doing the rest of your shopping.

Nespresso's boutique stores have grown immensely since the brand opened its very first location. But with more than 800 locations spread across 500 different cities around the globe, most of those locations are still only found in larger cities, meaning they aren't necessarily accessible to every single Nespresso customer. So why do some people find themselves driving hours or taking time out of their travel itineraries just to go in and visit one? The answer is much more simple than you might expect.

"Today's consumers are looking for more meaningful connections. They are looking for more meaningful experiences," said Alfonso Gonzalez Loeschen, the CEO of Nespresso North America, about the brand's expansion across the U.S. in an interview with Food Dive. While that might be partially true, what's really drawing customers into the boutiques is what they offer: An opportunity to actually try a pod before ordering an entire 10 pack of them.

There's really nothing worse than spending your good, hard earned money on a pack of Nespresso pods only for them to turn out disappointing. All of this could be avoided if you simply got the chance to taste the pods before you bought them. Even if the pods aren't necessarily bad, some of them might just not be to your taste, and it takes both time and money for Nespresso newbies to discover what capsules they like. But, that's what the Nespresso boutique offers.

Apart from the various master classes the boutique hosts, the free recycling center, and the cafe and lounge, every Nespresso boutique has what it calls a "taste and discovery" area, where customers can sample different coffee capsules. While customers have had mixed experiences depending on the location, store employees will be there to give you recommendations based on your tasting preferences. If you're interested in sampling a pod, simply ask and let them know what you think.

From there, they can further guide you in finding a specific pod you like, which you can then purchase in store. Many customers say that, after visiting the boutique once, they never felt the need to go back because they'd found the pods they enjoyed and continued to order online thereafter. But it could be still worth visiting if you happen to be in the area just to avoid the shipping fees, or to sample any new, seasonal pods that might be on offer.