Single-serve coffee container

A single-serve coffee container is a method for coffee brewing that prepares only enough coffee for a single portion.

A Nespresso-compatible coffee cup by Lidl

Used Nespresso coffee capsules, showing the puncture holes in the top and bottom for mixing the product with water

A Senseo ESE coffee pod, upside down

Used Lavazza BLUE coffee capsules, showing the puncture holes

Single-serve coffee containers can both reduce the time needed to brew coffee and simplify the brewing process by eliminating the need to measure out portions, flavorings, and additives from large bulk containers. They can also help to keep the unused product fresher by individually packaging portions separately without exposing the entire supply batch to air and light. Paper coffee pods can be functionally identical to plastic and metal coffee capsules, if the paper pods are individually sealed in separate bags. At the same time, the disposable single-use products add to the global waste production.

Variations

Several different systems exist:

• Coffee pods are pre-packaged ground coffee beans in their own filter.
• A coffee capsule differs from a coffee pod in that the coffee is packed in a plastic or aluminum package instead of a paper filter, and it is usually designed for use with a single brand or system and is therefore not interchangeable with other systems. A patent on the Nespresso system expired at the end of 2012, and there are now rival capsules available for the Nespresso system.[1]
• A variation, coffee bags, were developed to provide the convenience of instant coffee but maintain the flavor of brewed coffee. Modeled after tea bags, they consist of a gauze bag containing a mixture of instant coffee and finely ground roast coffee, which is to be steeped in hot water for approximately three minutes.[2]

• 
  Photo of coffee bag manufactured by Folgers
• 
  A paper coffee bag by an unknown manufacturer - E.S.E. (Easy Serving Espresso Pod)

Comparison of systems

The plastic and metal coffee capsules typically are used in a non-removable receptacle on the brewing device. The capsules have an outer ring or rim that stays dry during use, allowing for removal and disposal after use without getting the user's hands wet or sticky. Handling of a used moist coffee pod is not necessary if the brewing device has a removable filter tray. This tray is removed after brewing and inverted to eject the used coffee pod.

Coffee pods, bags, and capsules can be sized for individual or multi-serving portions. In food service businesses, pods and capsules used with automatic brewing can help to provide consistency of product strength and flavor for customers.

Paper coffee pods such as those used in Easy Serving Espresso Pod or Senseo machines have the benefit of being a fully biodegradable product that can decompose naturally, while plastic and metal capsules such as those used in Keurig or Nespresso machines either aren't recyclable, or require additional processing to separate the plastic/metal container from the organic waste products.

Many capsule machines specifically warn the user to not disassemble the machine or put their fingers inside the capsule receptacle, as the devices commonly use sharp razor-edge tubes or prongs for piercing the coffee capsule during use.

Different single-cup systems are not interchangeable; some systems force machine owners to buy capsules from a single company (usually the patent owner), locking the machine owner into a single source of coffee. Coffee pods are made by a variety of manufacturers and are interchangeable between brand of pod and model of pod brewer most of the time.

System	Owned by	Year invented	Machine manufacturers	Capsule / pod manufacturers	Markets	Type	Notes
Espresso Point MAXI	Lavazza	1992	The ECL (Espresso e Cappuccino Lavazza) branded as 1x	Lavazza	Worldwide	Capsule	The ECL used a bi-dose capsule system and had a double dispensing head that could brew two coffees at the same time.
Espresso Point	Lavazza	1983	Uno Per branded as 1x	Lavazza	Worldwide	Capsule	The single-dose capsule machine by Uno Per (Gattinara), acquired by Lavazza in 1989
Espressotoria	Vittoria Coffee			Own brand	Worldwide	Capsule	Australian coffee brand that produces its own pods for its Espressotoria machines[3] as well as Nespresso-compatible pods.
A Modo Mio	Lavazza	2007	Saeco (Philips) branded as Lavazza/Gaggia, Electrolux	Lavazza	Worldwide	Capsule	Lavazza vertical
BLUE	Lavazza	2003	?	Lavazza	Worldwide	Capsule	BLUE stands for "Best Lavazza Ultimate Espresso” - mostly used in business and vending machines
Bialetti Diva	Bialetti	2013	Bialetti	Caff dÕItalia	Worldwide	Capsule	—
Bodecker Brewer	Bodecker Brewed	2005	TBD	Bodecker Brewed	Canada	Capsule	—
Caffitaly (Caffita)	Caffita System SPA	2004	Various inc. Princess of Netherlands, Tchibo, Gaggia until recently	Various, inc. Dualit, Gaggia, Ecaffe, CBTL, Gloria Jeans, MAP, Woolworths	Central Europe, Northern Europe, Brazil, Australia	Capsule	Physically compatible with K-Fee machines/pods
Delta Q	Delta Cafés	2007	Flama, branded Delta Cafés, Brasilia S.p.A, Casa Bugatti	Delta Cafés, Tetley	Canada, Portugal, Spain, Luxembourg, Brazil, Angola	Capsule	—
Dolce Gusto	Nestle	2008	Krups, Delonghi, branded Nescafe.	Nescafe (Nestle)	Worldwide	Capsule	Nestle vertical. Also brews cold beverages. Limited Edition machine designs also available. Rewards program.Capsule recycling programs exist in some countries.
Easy Serving Espresso Pod (ESE)	Italian ESE Consortium for Development	1998 (standard) and previous	Various including Delonghi, Dualit, FrancisFrancis, Handpresso, Kitchenaid, Krups and Saeco	Various	Worldwide	Pod	Open, generic standard not tied to particular vendors, pods fit most traditional espresso machines. Not all pods are 44 mm (the standard diameter).
Flavia Beverage Systems	Mars, Inc.	1984	Flavia (Mars)	Flavia (Mars)	United States, United Kingdom	Capsule	The "fresh pack" (the capsule) is the brewing vessel, so that the drink is not tainted by previous user. Controlled by Mars.
Folgers	Folgers	1953	None needed	The J.M. Smucker Co.	United States	Bag	Folgers coffee singles,[2] instant coffee
iperEspresso	Illy	2007	FrancisFrancis (Illy), Gaggia[4] (Saeco), Cuisinart[5]	Illy	Worldwide	Capsule	Recyclable[6]
K-Cup (Keurig)	Green Mountain Coffee Roasters	1992	Many: Keurig, Breville, Cuisinart, Insignia, etc.	Many, including Green Mountain	United States, Canada	Capsule	My K-Cup available as a reusable filter for using any filter coffee prior to the Keurig 2.0 system.
Compostable K-Cup	OneCoffee	2017	Many: Keurig, Cuisinart, BUNN etc.	Many, including OneCoffee and Club Coffee	United States, Canada	Capsule	A soft-bottomed pod compatible with any Keurig machine, including 2.0.
K-Fee	KRÜGER Group	2010	Aldi Expressi, K Systems GMBH Preferenza	K-Fee, Paulig Cupsolo, Starbucks Verismo	United States, Europe, Australia	Capsule	Physically compatible with CaffeItaly machines/pods
Nespresso (Original Line)	Nestle	1976	Eugster/Frismag branded as Krups, Magimix, Siemens; Delonghi make Latissima model	Nespresso	Worldwide	Capsule (Pod in bars[7])	In 1976, Eric Favre, an employee of Nestlé, invented, patented and introduced the Nespresso system[8][9] Nestle-controlled system
Nespresso VertuoLine	Nestle	2014	?	Nespresso	United States, Canada, France, United Kingdom, Australia	Capsule	Nestle-controlled system
Coffee Pods	None	2001 (Senseo patent)	Bunn, Philips, Melitta, Grindmaster, Cuisinart, CafeXpress, etc.	Douwe Egberts, Café Liégeois, Reunion Island, Wolfgang Puck, Melitta, Fratello Coffee Roasters, etc.	Worldwide	Pod	Not owned by a specific corporation. Many more manufacturers of pods and brewers exist. Also biodegradable.
T-Discs (Tassimo)	Kraft	2004	Bosch branded as TASSIMO	Various subsidiaries of Kraft. (see T-Discs)	United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe	Capsule	—

Environmental impact

Environmental activists have said that single-use coffee pods are harmful, as they are often composed of a mix of plastic, aluminium, and organic material (the used coffee) which makes them difficult to recycle. In early 2016 the German city of Hamburg banned coffee capsules from state-run buildings on environmental grounds.[10][11] There are some capsules that are plant-based and that can be compostable as bio-waste.[12][13]

See also

• Coffee service
• Coffee wars

References

1. Nespresso compatible pods for coffee, Best Nespresso Machine, retrieved 13 December 2019
2. "Classic Roast Singles – Folgers Coffee". Retrieved 14 April 2017.
3. FAQ, Vittoria Coffee
4. "Gaggia for illy plus single serve". gaggia-usa.com.
5. "Buona Tazza™ Collection Side-by-side comparison". Cuisinart.com. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
6. "Introducing the iperEspresso Capsule Recycle Program". Illy.com. Retrieved 2014-07-05.
7. Commercial Coffee Capsule Range (Nespresso Pro Spain)
8. Societé (in French), CH: Monodor, archived from the original on May 3, 2008
9. History, Monodor
10. "Is there a serious problem with coffee capsules?". 19 February 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2017 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
11. "Is Tassimo being phased out or going out of business?". 21 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
12. "Plant based capsules challenge Nespresso®". 24 February 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
13. "Keurig Vs Nespresso". 24 February 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2017.