It is only as a working mum that I started drinking coffee actively, with certain times of my life going up to 5 a day (not espresso however, but things like cappucinos and other sweet things covered with milk foam). During my maternity leave however I started increasing my consumption of decaf, switching from one type of capsules to another, but not reducing my waste whatsoever. No need to talk about the goods and bads of (not) drinking coffee: drinking decaf works as perfect placebo and makes me as awake as regular coffee, I guess the flavour triggers me.
Following the journey of my dear friend Vincent, I took his advice and bought myself some re-usable coffee pods. I will not extend my disappointment at the dropshipping concept again; let's focus on the capsules themselves.
I ordered 2 capsules, and the set arrived also with a metal press, a plastic dosing spoon and a little brush. While the first items make total sense to me, I seriously have no idea what the brush is for, except maybe cleaning the coffee residues when the capsule is full. I don't know.
Compared to other brands, the cover of the capsule can just be un-clicked (others use a screwing system) and clicked, meaning that the capsule should not be totally full (otherwise it will either not close, or it will just pop open in your machine - allowing your husband to declare loudly "I already hate it!" on first use).
There is surely a need for a few test runs to get the right technique but also the right quantity of coffee powder to use. From the pics below, the first picture is the one I tried to make, the second one is what a regular Nespresso capsule should give you. Rest assured: I did not drink the piss I prepared, and waited instead until it reached the right colour and concentration of coffee.
The process is however simple: open - put powder in - press - close - start machine - wait until the capsule cools down - wash under water - repeat. Chose also properly fine, grinded coffee (like espresso powder for example) and test the pressing a few times. There are a few tutorials available on YouTube to solve some issues (e.g. too much water / not enough going through).
So far I have been pretty happy about them, both in terms of quality and waste I am avoiding. Price-wise there is still some time to go until it pays back properly. I paid 45 EUR + shippinh for 2 capsules (damned, you dropshipping) - a box of 10 Nespresso capsules will cost you max. 6 EUR for 10 capsules. At least 100 coffees later (not counting the cost of the grinded powder itself) I should more or less be fine. With 2 coffees per day at least, let's give myself 2 or 3 months to finally consider the investment worth it. Let's ad 2-3 months for the production and travel emissions, and maybe I will finally be at peace.