Coffee Machine Ditches Plastic Pods, Uses Compressed ‘Coffee Balls’ Instead

Swiss grocery retailer Migros has launched a system that uses compressed spheres of ground coffee beans to brew your morning cuppa. The system, called CoffeeB, looks like your typical single-use coffee machine: a modern, narrow design with a water tank in the back and a few basic buttons toward the front. But unlike other single-use machines, the CoffeeB lets you pop a little ball of pressed coffee into a hole at the top—no bulky coffee pods required.

Each coffee ball is coated with a thin, seaweed-derived protective layer to protect its shape, flavor, and aroma. (The coating is flavorless and colorless so as not to affect the actual coffee-drinking experience.) Once a coffee ball is inserted into the CoffeeB, the machine pokes holes through the ball, allowing hot water to pass through. The end experience is similar to that of any other single-use machine: dispose of the leftover coffee grounds and repeat.

The CoffeeB’s biggest draw is that it eliminates the need for plastic pods, which make up a majority of the pods used in Keurig, Nespresso, and similar machines. Though each of these major brands is compatible with reusable, refillable pods, these eliminate the convenience that makes the pop-and-go coffee machines so appealing in the first place. “Recyclable” plastic pods can’t be relied on to actually find a second life, since only a fraction of plastic waste tossed into the recycling bin is actually recycled. Compostable options aren’t actually as good for the environment as they sound, either; most must be processed at an industrial composting facility, which is tougher to access than one’s own garden (or trash can).

Plain coffee grounds, on the other hand, can simply be tossed into the garbage or added to soil to find a second purpose as plant fertilizer. While it’ll take some user reviews to determine whether the CoffeeB’s product compares with those of other single-use machines, the system’s premise is encouraging. Both the machine and the coffee balls—which come in cardboard-wrapped packs of nine—are priced competitively, and the latter come in different roasts as well as a decaf option. Could this be our path away from plastic pods?