Refill Used Nespresso Capsules the Right Way

ever wonder how to refill a Nespresso capsule without sacrificing quality? here is how.

it takes a little bit of practice. but is easy to do.

materials needed:
used Nespresso capsule
thin aluminium foil
espresso coffee
Nespresso machine
scissors *


* use and old pair of scissors because cutting aluminium foil makes them really blunt.

Step 1: Clean the Used Capsule

take the capsule, use a paring knife and clean out the coffee grounds.

wash/ rinse the capsule and let dry.

Step 2: Fill With Espresso Ground Coffee

pick your favorite roast coffee. it has to be made for espresso machines. I have used Illy, Kimbo, and LavAzza with success.

pack it into the capsule tightly.

Step 3: Clean Rim

this is a pesky, but necessary step because the Nespresso machines have tight tolerances.

if you do a sloppy job, it will leak.

Step 4: Place Foil Over Capsule

use a circle of foil 46mm diameter.

I have used heavy duty aluminium foil with poor outcomes. try using cheap light duty aluminium foil. better yet, chocolate wrapper aluminum foil works best.

the aluminum foil is an important detail because you want the pressure in the capsule to build up and rip the aluminum foil.

Step 5: Crimp Foil

place capsule onto center of foil. turn over slightly to verify this. crimp down securely as shown.

use you fingernail to crimp to the underside of the rim. there edge of the foil should NOT touch the cone portion of the capsule body.

if the foil is too large, you won't have the proper seal and hot water will leak around the capsule.

Step 6: Brew

load into your Nespresso gently

Step 7: Brew Either Small or Large Cup

note the dark espresso followed by a good amount of crema.

the refilled capsule makes a full shot.

Step 8: Post Brewing Analysis

note that the aluminum perforated nicely. this foil slipped a bit on the insertion.

the foil size is crucial.

the coffee is packed very tightly with very little give when pressed.

the back gets punctured by 3 pins in my machine. this capsule has been used several times already.

clean out the capsule and reuse.

Step 9: Cost Analysis

I use about 8 grams of coffee.

a can of espresso ground cost average of $10 for 250 grams.

that's 31 capsules of coffee per can. cost of 30 cents per capsule.

this is a savings of 30 cents per capsule compared yo the nespresso capsule.

experiment with different brands.


enjoy