I’m back on coffee.
After weaning myself off it completely and staying “clean” for over a decade, I just couldn’t say no when my sons offered, “Can I make you a coffee, Mum?” Little buggers, I love them so much that even such a small gesture can make my heart race. Or it could be the caffeine.
Last month, Big Boy came home with a Nespresso machine, and that was the nail in the coffin…
Did I mention that he graduated with a Bachelor of Computer Science from Sydney Uni at the end of last year? One of the first bits of work he picked up (at the moment, he’s juggling three part-time jobs) was with EcoCaffe – the Australian distributors for the Ethical Coffee Company.
These guys make environmentally friendly coffee pods. Whereas regular Nespresso pods can take hundreds of years to break down, the EcoCaffe ones are made from vegetable matter and starch, and will completely biodegrade within 180 days. You can watch a video of the pods decomposing here. We’ve been throwing our used pods straight into the compost bin…
Naturally, we had to buy an assortment of different blends to try. Big Boy prefers the stronger brews, Small Man has one standard Espresso a day, and I’m quite taken with the Arabica…
I’m told that everything about the product – even the packaging – is environmentally friendly. According to the EcoCaffe FAQs, the pods are biodegradable to the strictest European standards…
Very importantly, the coffee is sublime. It’s really, really good. Each Arabica pod produces a smooth and flavoursome 40ml brew without a hint of bitterness…
I won’t be picking up barista work anytime soon, but I do like having a frothy topped coffee in my little Russian glass first thing in the morning…
If you do decide to try these, let me give you some tips from our short but slightly manic experience. Firstly, don’t buy too many packets at the one time – the pods have a 12 month recommended use by from date of production (which makes perfect sense when you think about it).
Secondly, because the pods are made from vegetable matter, they’re not quite as resilient as the metal ones, so it’s best to let the Nespresso machine cool down a little between shots – if it’s too hot, the pod can distort and then it won’t “pop”.
Finally, don’t be tempted to use the short shot pods on the long shot setting – they have a range specifically designed for the latter. We insert the pods and then give them a very gentle push on the base to make sure they’re sitting in the machine properly.
So…I’m allowing myself just one caffeinated shot per day – any subsequent ones need to be decaf. I’m hoping I can toe that line, I’m quite weak where good coffee is concerned! (Edit: it didn’t work out. I’m back on decaf full time now).
PS. Whilst Big Boy has done some work for these guys, I’m getting absolutely nothing for writing this post. Actually, that’s not strictly true. He did make me a cup of coffee. ♥
. . . . .
EcoCaffe (Australian website)
Ethical Coffee Company (International website)
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
That is very good news, will pass it on to my daughter who has a Nespresso machine. I’m old school, with only myself in the house who drinks coffee. I use my little coffee cone and find the coffee delicious. I save the froth as a treat when I’m out with a friend or when we are traveling. I, too, stopped drinking it for quite a few years, just lost my taste for it. But now, it may be a sad indictment on my life, but that one cup of caffeine in the morning is a real highlight of my day!! Enjoy Celia!
Ardys, I do understand completely – I get a great thrill first thing in the morning when I get my coffee. I can’t make it too early though, as the machine is quite noisy! :)
Celia … I am totally with you! I bought a Nespresso machine about 3 years ago, and now I love having my morning cuppa in the sanctuary of my own home … love the idea of the pods that you mention and will definitely be looking into those. Be warned though, that once you start being able to make and have your own delicious cuppa at home, it is hard to stop at just one! Enjoy xo
Gina, the EcoCaffe coffee is soooo good. We tried ordinary Nespresso pods and I found them bitter by comparison. I’m TRYING to be good, but as you say, it’s very tempting! :)
We love our Nespresso machine. I will look out for those pods. I don’t think I could ever give up coffee. I can’t wait to get back to Bagni Di Lucca so I can dash across the bridge every morning for a fabulous coffee made by Annalisa.
Deb, I believe they ship all over Aus and they’re quick – we got our order within a couple of days. As you can imagine, living in Sydney’s Inner West, I’m *still* fussy about coffee even after not drinking it for a decade! ;-)
I would do just about anything for a good cup of coffee, but have no experience with the Pods at all.. great that they can go in the compost!.. c
Celi, the pods are a new “enthusiasm” here – I love that it’s something I can share with the boys, but it’s driving Pete a bit mad – he can’t stand coffee and the house smells of it now! ;-)
Congratulations on your sons degree Celia, that is marvellous, you must be so proud :).
I will be interested to hear how you go with the coffee. I also gave up tea and coffee for over 10 years. Admittedly I was not a big drinker of either but I did love a short black especially after lunch or dinner in a restaurant, just felt it was the perfect finish. A couple of years ago I was reading in Vogue about Sofia Coppola having tea at one of London’s top hotels and just like that I wanted a cup of tea – weird I know :). Tea worked well and after a few months I started back on coffee but it just didn’t agree with me. I would have a short black and an hour later just “not feel right”, slightly sick, tried other styles of coffe but the same results so no more coffee for me and I do still miss those short blacks but at least I have tea! Hope your return to coffee works better for you :)
Carolyn, isn’t that funny – my experience with tea was the same – one day I read in an IMK post about someone making ice tea with Earl Grey and suddenly I was desperate to have some. And like you, after a few months on tea, here I am back on coffee. I think a lot of coffee shop short blacks are just tooo strong, apparently they put the equivalent of two or three shots into each cup. These ones have been just right, but I only have a very little one…so far! :)
I must pass this post onto my son, so he can consider using these enviro friendly pods. He makes me a good coffee when I stay with him. Welcome back to the land of caffeine.
Francesca, the coffee is really, really good. It surprised me just how good it was! Yes, yes, land of caffeine, goodbye sleep.. ;-)
I meant to write onto, not into my son! My typos are getting worse. Heat stress!
I didn’t even see it, but now I’ve fixed it for you. :) I’m sorry it’s so hot!
I read through the post and all the while thinking, ‘environmentally safe sounds good, but what about the coffee?’ :)
I’m glad to know the most important bit tasted that good.
It tasted soooo good Maureen! I was willing to make concessions given the eco side of things, but it wasn’t necessary because the coffee was divine.
Oh interesting Celia. We use a Nespresso machine at work and I really look forward to morning coffee. I do take the used pods back to Nespresso in the city when I buy our supplies and my understanding is that they are recycled. However, I’m very keen to give these Eco-pods a try – seems like a good way to go. I’m so pleased for Big Boy that he’s graduated – especially in such a brainy subject! I’m awed. And we’ll done you and Pete too, as well as Small Man – you’re an awesome support team for each other.
Thanks Jan, we’re very proud of him! I’m glad you can get your pods recycled, that’s a lot better than landfill! The nice thing about biodegradable is that it doesn’t use any extra energy – recycling uses a lot. When I worked at Reverse Garbage (goodness, it was a long time ago now!), they always drew a distinction between reuse and recycle – reuse didn’t require energy to create a new product, so it was always the preferred option.
Ny niece has one of these machines in Brazil, I doubt she can find these environmental-friendly pods, but I will ask her about it
we loved the coffee while we stayed in her home, but here we go for our regular Breville espresso maker, and Phil is the barista in charge. I just walk around the kitchen complaining “where is my coffee? where is my coffee?” if he takes too long to prepare it. Yes, I am an angel.
Ha! Yes, the demanding crazy woman who magically metamorphs into an angel as soon as she’s had her first espresso…hahaha
Supposed to be on a blog-break, but :) ! Huge congrats to the Big Boy on his degree – so glad there is a Bachelor of Computer Science now [shows how much I know] – both mine graduated Bachelor of Science [IT] ! Two grandchildren almost ‘cooked’: never thought of the exact name :) !! Am ‘showing off’ I know but my older SIL is head of IT for Westpac so this hits right home – certain that your older son has a wonderful career ahead of him! Have thought about the Nespresso machine for ages: your blog has certainly helped me firm my mind: am very ‘green’ and had no idea such capsules were available. Thanks!!
Eha, the coffee is delicious, that’s the best bit! And the Nespresso machine is surprisingly easy to use! Thank you for your kind words, we’re very proud of Big Boy!
Celia, Congratulations to your big boy on his degree such a fascinating area to work in. I love it when my big boy makes me a cup of tea, even in his ansty teenage years it was the thing that remained steadfast between us, he is thirty now. I have never used a pod machine but love my morning coffee made on the stove.
Thanks Madge, very proud of him! Do you still have an old fashioned percolator? I remember my mother having one of those! We used the little Italian stove top ones years ago, but I always ended up with an incredibly strong shot!
Firstly, congratulations to big boy on completing uni.
One coffee a day will not hurt you Celia. I drink tea now, loose leaf tea from a teapot in a china cup and saucer. Can’t have tea in a mug, but don’t let me get started on that. I was only going to have one cup a day, first thing in the morning. Well, that’s gone out the window but l still aim for just that one cup:)
Thank you! I have a friend who needs a fine china cup and saucer to drink tea from, she says the mouthfeel from the fine china rim makes a big difference.
I had the $10 coffee maker that finally died a few years back and really did some research into coffee makers. Since we all drink the same coffee I went with a pot coffee maker with a reusable coffee filter and love it. I love that these pods are eco friendly – something to consider if I switch to a pod machine.
Congrats to Big Boy on his degree!!!
Thanks Renee! I’m glad you found a workable option! :)
I read about these a few weeks ago and sent the link to a friend who has a Nespresso. When we were in Europe (and particularly Spain) there were many market stalls selling jewellery and ornaments from upcycled pods. They looked cool as there is an amazing array of colours but there was already an outcry from the community about waste and inability to recycle. Good to see the problem has been solved. Nespresso would win hearts and minds if they did the same.
Upcycling is great – how cool that they’ve been making it into jewellery!
Seriously, this is a good thing Celia, if your tummy can cope with it… I can’t do without my morning macchiato. Well done Big Boy for the success with the graduation! Congrats. We now have two pod coffee machines (one was sent for my review, the other I won and it’s tiny, perfect for travel), so I doubt we will go out and buy another. But thank you for all the handy tips, love.
I don’t know if they’ll produce pods for other machines – at the moment I think they’re only for Nespressos… x
I’m so pleased there is a more ethical option out there for pod users.
The amount of coffee I drink (2-3 strong ones per day), the resources and the exploitation that goes into my thrice-daily habit have been getting to me. I finally faced up to it and did my research. Am I glad I did!
For those of us still preparing our brews traditionally, Australia grows some truly wonderful coffee – much of it from Byron Bay and surrounds, as well as further north. I settled for some Red Door beans – Australian owned and grown in the Byron Bay hinterland, pesticide-free, child labour and Third World exploitation-free, organic fertilisers only used, handpicked and sun-dried (ie: less machinery used) and ground the day it was sent to me – in a fully recyclable, coffee-specific, plastic-free bag and minimal packaging. All I need changed is the plastic sticky tape in favour of paper tape, then I can compost the lot!
And yes – the coffee is the best I have ever tasted.
Oh good for you, Jacqueline! Well researched and great to have a completely conscience-appeasing cup of coffee! :)
So glad to see recyclable pods available. I’ve been told that if Nespresso users take their used pods back to the store they are recycled by the business (or did I make that up?), but I wonder how many people really bother to do that. Much better to make them eco-friendly from the get-go.
Amanda, as I mentioned above, it’s much better to have something that breaks down or can be reused rather than recycled – recycling takes energy which in turn usually requires fossil fuels! (That was the big message from Reverse Garbage when I worked there!) :)
So good to hear! We don’t drink much coffee and I’ve deliberated and made an un eco friendly decision by opting to use pods. I was sick of wasting a full pack of coffee as we have so little it was past it when needed. Do you know if they have decaf? Will check out, definitely. And well done big boy!
Maree, they do have decaf! I’ve just had one this afternoon! :) I think the pods only work with Nespresso machines, not other pod machines…
That is awesome. I love my cup of coffee in the morning (and i mean love), but have been having a little break from it to give my liver a rest after Christmas ( and your choc jaffa drink, which i made omg). Your son is doing good work for the world, so give him a hug from me xo
Sara, I’m so glad you liked the jaffa cream – it’s a bit deadly though, isn’t it? ;-)
Yes it is 😊
That is good to know… We love our nesters machine… in fact I may just have a decaf now :) Liz xx
Liz, they do a very decent decaff! And it’s nice not to have to put the pods in the bin. We don’t drink a lot of coffee really, but I can imagine how much landfill folks with serious coffee addictions must end up with!
I make a fairly disgusting cup of coffee – it smells divine but the taste disappoints – which is probably why I don’t drink too much. Every now and then I consider buying a machine but the inability to recycle the pods has always put me off. Damn, now I won’t have that excuse.
Hahaha…you’ll need coffee to sober up after those delicious gins! ;-)
Oh Celia, you have posted this at a crucial time for us. First of all my congrats to Big Boy! I last taught computing 15 years ago, I think my knowledge would now be referred to as Ancient History.
Secondly our coffee machine died at the end of last year. Currently we are making do with the dripolator and plunger but we are actively on the market. I had been put off the Nespresso because of the pods, this will definitely make me reconsider.
Rose, have a look at their website to make sure the machine you’re considering is compatible to their pods (most of the Nespressos are, I believe).
Oh Celia, I am so so so so so pleased to hear that these pods are bio degradable!!!
I could not, for the life of me, understand how we would, these days of global environmental consciousness, even develop, let alone produce pods that did not disintegrate.
This news has restored a little of my faith in human intelligence….& I will be sure to spread the great news.
Thanks heaps :)) xx
Roni, thank you for your enthusiasm, I thought it was huge deal as well! :)
http://www.ecocaffe.com.au/
We are old school here, just a French press. We had a Kuerig for several years before it broke and decided to stick to the French press. Grounds go in the compost now. Machines don’t seem to last long anymore. We had several brands that were environmentally friendly as well. None of it matters much to me though, I can’t stand coffee! I am one of those people that loves the smell, hates the taste. That being said, add a lot of Bailey’s Irish cream to coffee and then I really like it!
Gretchen, you’re like my Pete – he can’t stand coffee either. The fact that the house now regularly smells like coffee is driving him a bit mad.. ;-)
Celia, I’m not much of a coffee drinker, but I do enjoy the occasional cup of organic fair trade certified decaf made with the pour-over filter method. I’ve never tried one of these fancy-schmancy machines, but if I did I’d definitely want to order eco-friendly pods. I just couldn’t believe it when those machines came out — all those little plastic cups living forever in the landfills! Sheesh! This is such a good idea!
Jean, it really is, isn’t it! The pod machines are really very easy to use too!
Hi Celia, just to let you know I have posted my IMK for January. Happy New Year to you. Emma xx
Thanks Emma, it’s on the list! :)
When I saw this in my RSS Feed I started to righteously bristle. Coffee pods have to be one of the worst environmental pollutants in history but my inner savage beast was soothed when I saw “biodegradable in 180 days”… anger cooling… getting off my box, around…about…now! ;) I used to work as a cook back in the day. One of those late night cooks who crawl into bed at 3am and in order to keep me firing on all cylinders I drank coffee…LOTS of coffee. The owner of the establishment that I worked in knew the value of buzzing employees and made the coffee free so I would drink about 8 cups over a shift and continued on during the day but my “regular coffee” would be in a huge mug. I drank it black and strong and after a year of this I started to twitch regularly and was having heart palpitations. I gave up coffee and went back to my tea addiction. Can’t be giving up caffeine, that 3 day headache is worse than childbirth! What a wonderful son to reintroduce you to a past, and most passionate love and good on you for choosing an ethical choice (and on your son for working for them :) ).
Now lovely Fran, would I post anything that would make you cross? Not on purpose at least, I promise.. ;-) I had a similar problem with coffee – I moved into an Italian neighbourhood and started drinking tiny espressos with the old Italian ladies and I was up to eight a day before I knew it. And the twitching and the heart palps and then I gave up cold turkey – I couldn’t see straight for two weeks. I lost 30% productivity and slept 2 hours more a night. Now I just need to make sure it doesn’t escalate to that again! :D
Coffee is nefarious stuff…it sneaks up on you ;)
Thank you for the post and information about Nespresso. I have been considering the purchase of one for several years but not taken the plunge yet, environmentally friendly might do the trick. My husband and son are big coffee drinkers, I usually start the day with tea and then move to coffee in the mid-morning.
Congratulations to your son, computer sciene is a great major and field. Our son graduated over a year ago and had a smiliar set of part time jobs until he found a full time one last September. It’s a difficult time out there for our young people.
Liz, thank you! We’re very proud of him! It is a tough job market out there, I’m glad your son has found full time work! All the best to him!
Big boy is a doll! Congratulations to him on getting his degree & it’s certainly in an area that has a lot of potential. I’m still with my standard coffee pot (after all my problems finding one that worked & kept the coffee hot I have to hang on to this one for as long as I can).
But just one (okay, maybe 1 1/2 cups) of coffee a day for me. Years (decades?) ago when I was a retail buyer, vendors would come in all day for appointments and every single one would bring me a cup of coffee. I guess by the end of the day I was wide awake enough to listen to their sales pitches but oh, trying to stop drinking all that coffee was very hard to do even though it was miserable cafeteria coffee. But it’s funny, same as you, I stopped & didn’t have coffee for years until I was at a restaurant and the coffee just smelled sooo good. I’d rather one good cup of coffee than 8 poor ones.
Di, it’s funny how easy it was to decide to stop (ok the actual stopping was hard) and how easy it was to decide to start again. I’ve always adored the smell of coffee, but it drives Pete bonkers! :)
A huge congrats to Big Boy on completing his computer science degree. That’s a great achievement. I can’t believe you quit coffee for 10 years! These pods sound fantastic – love how they’re bio-degradable and how you can toss them in your compost bin xx
Charlie, they’re the bee’s knees. It’s amazing how the casing is made from vegetable starch! :) (Hope the rain has stopped, love!)
Congratulations to your Big Boy Celia, that’s a great achievement! I’m thrilled to hear there is a biodegradable coffee pod alternative – I think my Mum was trying to empty and reuse them but she would love to have something compostable. Do you buy from the website, or do they sell at retailers also?
Beck, we’ve been ordering direct! they have a wide range of blends!
fantastic, I’ll have to let my Nespresso owning Mum and sister know!
Fantastic news for Big Boy Celia! What a stellar effort and what a clever clogs indeed :)
What a wonderful idea to have the biodegradable pods. Packaging can be such a huge issue, especially portion sized packaging. As a non coffee drinker, the only temptation to get a pod machine is that Dilmah have tea capsules in my beloved Earl Grey, but at home the tea bags are more than fine and I can compost them right away anyway :) Enjoy your coffee sweetheart, we all need an innocent vice or two to keep us sane xox
Thanks lovely! We’re very proud of Big Boy! And I never knew they did tea capsules! :)
Did you know that normal coffee pods are actually 100% recyclable? The only pod recycling plant in the Southern Hemisphere is located near to where I live, in Nowra, NSW. So if for some reason you find that you don’t enjoy the biodegradable pods, you can go back to using the regular ones, with a clear conscience :-) http://www.sellparker.com.au/mrs/news/coffee-pods-reborn-west-nowra-south-coast-register
Oh that’s good to know, thank you! I’m really enjoying the Eco ones though – the coffee is gorgeous! :)
I have a real problem with Nestle and their supposed recycling of their pods – they have collection schemes all around the world but they do not recycle them. Good to know that there is an alternative. I got rid of my Dolce Gusto machine as I couldn’t stand the unsustainable nature of N’s business practices.
Sally, this is our first Nescaffe machine – it’s nice to be able to have an ecofriendly version from the very start! :)
I did wonder because I saw coffee in front of you and then I thought no, she doesn’t drink coffee but as James Bond says “never say never’. I am an occasional coffee drinker, not thought of getting a machine as it would only be for me and my worktops are crowded out as it is, but if I had room I would follow your advice!
I have weakened. I’m terribly suggestible, especially when my sons are doing the suggestion! And I never thought I’d have a coffee machine either – you know how full our benches are – at first I told Big Boy he had to keep it in his room..hahaha!