The coffee industry is not exactly famous for sustainability. This is not only about the exploitation of nature and suppliers, but also about the huge amounts of waste caused by the “innovative” disposable capsules. We have taken the decision to reduce our waste and here I would like to tell you about our solutions to brew coffee in a more sustainable way.
Refillable stainless steel capsules
When my husband and I moved into our first flat together – a seemingly eternity ago – we bought a Nespresso machine. We both like to drink a cup of coffee in the morning, and then max another one during the day, so a small machine seemed to make the most sense for us.
However, some time ago we started to question the disposable capsules. Although there is a recycling model, this did not seem very convenient to us. I didn’t want to switch to filter coffee because I had already got used to the delicious crema and didn’t want to miss it any more. So I started doing some research and came across refillable capsules made of stainless steel. At first I was a bit sceptical, but I ordered them anyway and since then we have banned the disposable capsules from our kitchen!
As you would expect, the coffee stands and falls with the coffee powder you use, so don’t skimp on that! It is also important to press the coffee powder in the capsules firmly with the pestle so that the coffee is well-compressed, otherwise there will be no crema.
The only disadvantage of refillable capsules is that you might run into a problem if you want to make many cups in a row, because then you have to empty and clean the capsules in between, but for these cases a traditional filter coffee machine makes more sense anyway. And what about the large selection of flavoured coffee capsules? You have to do without those, of course. However, you can usually buy coffee with different flavours in coffee roasting shops – so just give it a try.
The stainless steel filter for the filter coffee machine
During our last visit to my parents, we took home a small filter coffee machine from my student days. Now that we had already switched to refillable capsules for our Nespresso machine, we wanted the same for the filter machine. And guess what, there are also stainless steel coffee filters! Of course, we immediately ordered and tried it out and are very happy with it. No more disposable filters, the only waste in our morning coffee is the coffee powder. Now, if you make sure to buy fair trade and sustainable coffee, you can enjoy your coffee with a clear conscience.
So what do you think, also want to start brewing coffee in a more sustainable way?
If you want to discover other sustainable products we like to use? Check out the posts here.
