Lots of the info in this post is already out there on the site, but I´ve kept it fairly basic anyway. Apologies if you´ve seen this method of recycling pods before!
One neat alternative to Nespresso is the range of Nespresso-compatible pods from Caffe Vergnano, which are (conveniently) available from the supermarket chain REWE here in Germany. These are €2,90 per box of 10, 29 cents a shot, as opposed to 34-37 cents per Nespresso shot.
But, being the cheap @rse that I am I thought there must be a way to recycle them. I´ve had best results using Lavazza Crema e Gusto espresso grind. With a rinsed-out Vergnano capsule and a small square of foil I bring the cost down to 7 cents a cup - and yes, I weighed out the exact amount of coffee used. What a saddo.
So anyway, here´s how it is done.
One Nespresso machine with a few rinsed-out capsules, a foil square, and the Vergnano box in the background.
I keep the coffee in an airtight Tupperware box in the fridge for freshness. The old wine cork is used as a mini tamper for the grounds.
You must use espresso-specific ground coffee, filter grounds will NOT work.
Here we are, filling the capsule with a small teaspoon prior to tamping/cleaning the edges.
Capsule ready for foil, edge clean.
Make sure the whole circumference of the capsule has a good covering of foil.
Capsule ready, sorry for the blurry photo.
Make sure the capsule is in the right ´slot´in your machine, sometimes the sit a little high on first insersion and need a tiny nudge downwards (not too much, or the bloody thing falls into the tray beneath)
Coming through. Faceplate of the machine needs a clean! Apologies!
And the final lungo. A couple of points:
1) Here I´m using REWE own brand espresso coffee, which isn´t as good as Lavazza Crema e Gusto, so I would recommend going with a proper Italian espresso first.
2) There is usually a bit of water that comes out of the spout before the coffee starts to flow, I normally catch this with a second cup and then introduce my coffee cup into the ´flow´.
3) One disclaimer, do this at your own risk. I worked out that at our current rate of consumption the machine will have paid for itself in 4 months, and we will have an ongoing savin of ~€40/month.
4) Yes, it is a bit of fiddle to rinse and reuse. But hey, loads of people roll their own fags - and this, for me at least, is miles easier!
