Nespresso capsules are great because they’re a super fast and super convenient way to make espresso. But one huge downside of the capsules is their exorbitant cost. So how many times can you use a Nespresso capsule?
How many times can Nespresso capsules be reused?
For best results, Nespresso capsules should only be used once. They’re designed to be single use, and you’ll get good tasting coffee that way.
Can you run a Nespresso pod twice?
People do say that you can use a spent Nespresso capsule twice. The rationale behind that claim is that the second shot will be a little watered down, but still drinkable.
This post from Delishably goes even as far as to claim that the resulting coffee or espresso is good enough to reuse pods every time and effectively cut the cost of your coffee pods in half.
I’ll have to disagree there.
Even if we remove coffee pods from the equation, coffee grounds can only be used once. Running Nespresso pods twice will result in brown water rather than coffee, and it will hardly be drinkable.
Of course you may not notice if you add lots of milk and sugar, but then what’s the point?
When you brew coffee – regardless of whether it’s from a coffee pod or coffee grounds – water dissolves soluble compuonds from the grounds.
As you can imagine, once the compounds are dissolved, they are no longer in the coffee!
So any subsequent brews using the same coffee will not taste half as good.
The right way to reuse Nespresso capsules
So now that we’ve established that Nespresso capsules can’t be used twice, there is a DIY hack for reusing Nespresso capsules.
Please bear in mind that using this hack will void your warranty, so you’ve been warned.
Once you have brewed one cup with the capsule, remove it and peel or cut off the foil.
Empty out the spent coffee grounds and rinse the capsule well. Air dry or use a towel to get it nice and dry.
Grind some coffee beans to espresso consistency: very fine, and fill the capsule almost up to the brim. This won’t be much coffee: just about 8-10 grams.
Take some foil and cut a circular shape out of it a little larger than the opening of the capsule.
Place the foil over the capsule and fold the edges down to make it fit. It won’t really stick, but it should fit.
Carefully place the capsule in your machine and close the lid.
Brew as you would.
If you can get this to work correctly, you can hypothetically use a single pod as many times as you like, as the aluminum part of the pod does not get damanged at all during the brew.
Can this damage your machine?
Yes.
Nespresso machines are designed to use a specific kind of pod, and if you use hacked pods, you may find that the resulting coffee does not turn out quite as good, or the pod gets stuck in your machine, or grounds get stuck in the machine.
Using hacked capsules is generally a bad idea, but some folks have tried it and had success with it.
Then again, you’re voiding your warranty if you use any non-Nespresso capsule, but those are at least made to more rigorous standards than you can jerry rig in your kitchen.
Refillable Nespresso Capsules
Another option is to use refillable Nespresso capsules. Please bear in mind that these work best with OriginalLine machines, not the newer VertuoLine series.
The VertuoLine brewers are a much more closed ecosystem and that’s just the nature of these Nespresso machines, sadly.
Refillable capsules are really easy to use. Essentially, they use the same principle as the foil method described above, except that they come with a better means of sealing the pod.
Aside from that, everything else will be the same.
- 【Special Designed for Nespresso Originalline】These refillable capsules are specially designed for Nespresso OriginalLine Machines. Includes Nespresso U;Pixie;Le Cube;Maestria;Lattissima;Inissia;Concept and Essenza Mini; CitiZ (Not Fit for D110,Essenza Mini D30 and Prodigio Krups);Not Fit for :Nespresso Vertuo,Vertuo Plus,Next Virtuo,Delonghi En,Krup U,Breville,Mi-Scishare,Breville,Illy.
- 【Money Saver &Customized coffee flavors】 Compared with ordinary capsules,the reusable capsules not only allows to customize your own coffee taste, but also save your wallets and reduce environmental pollution.
- 【Truly Pre-filled Powders and Store for Fresh】Triplot Reusable Pods are specially designed a storage board with 6pcs silicone holders to truly realize pre-filled coffee powder.After pre-filled 6pcs capsules, you can put capsules back to the storage board,it will keep your pre-filled coffee fresh for 7 days! Allowing more convenient for daily use.
- 【Easy to Operate】Put the capsule into the spoon handle,scoop a spoonful of coffee powders,press the powders tightly by spoon,paste on the lids and take out the reusable capsule,put back to the storage board for later use. Easy and convenient.
- 【What You Will Get】:6pcs Capsules, 100pcs Foil lids, 1pc refilling tool ,1pc Small Tamper, 1pc storage board with 6pcs silicone holders so that users could pre-fill and store for later use
- EASY & ECONOMICAL - Now you will be able to easily make your favorite Espresso, Cappucino, Latte or Americana and will never be limited to a brands single use coffee blends, enjoy your favorite coffee with the Nespresso Machine you Love!
- PERFECT ALTERNATIVE THAT SAVES YOU MONEY - The best choice to costly pods and to brew in seconds. Easily pack 5 to 6 grams of your favorite fine ground espresso to the rim, using the included scoop, lightly tamp grounds and snap on lid. After only a few trial brews you will be making multiple cups of Nespresso hassle free.
- PRECISELY COMPATIBLE - with all Nespresso Original Line Models - Essenza, U, Milk, Citiz, Citiz- Milk, Gran Maestra, Maestria, Pixie, Lattissima, Lattissima +, Concept, Le Cube, & Inissia. Stainless steel micro mesh filter allow the refillable Nespresso capsules to be washed in the dishwasher multiple times with no wear and tear and be refillable time after time
- GREAT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT - Ideal responsible alternative way to enjoy Nespresso Machines - This product is BPA free and 100% non-toxic. Reduces your carbon footprint!
- EXTENDED LIFETIME & 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE - We stand by you making your satisfaction our top priority. Made from durable food grade BPA free material that allows for extended lifetime of pods. Nespresso is a Registered Trademark of Nestlé Nespresso SA. ABG is not affiliated with Nespresso or its brands. Machine or coffee not included
Related
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Conclusion
So what does all this mean? How many times can you reuse a Nespresso capsule? I still say zero times. The capsules are meant to be used once and then thrown away or preferably sent back to Nespresso for recycling.
Finally, in all honesty, if you’re going through all the trouble of peeling and resealing a pod, why not just use a regular espresso machine where you properly tamp and brew a shot of espresso?
Last update on 2024-04-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
