Reuse your nespresso capsules simple and easy and cheap

I´m sure others have figured this solution out but nobody posted
it here but i wanted to share it.

I got tired of the blends nespresso offers and gave it a go to try to refill them with other blends,
and well yes im a cheap bastard also since they do cost much x capsule.

I tend to use the capsules 2 or 3 times since they poke new holes in the back but most times i seem to manage put it in so it uses the same holes again without even trying to do that.

Step 1: Preparation

Take the capsule and carve off the metallic film following the inner ring and then empty and rinse it.

Comments

[Lyn1312]

Aluminium is not a good idea. Lots of studies now associate it with Alzheimer's. just saying.....

[capuchin44]

Thanks for the instructable! This actually works quite well for my purposes. I'm a sucker for my neighborhood coffee roasters so being able to fill my own pods is a godsend. Plus it saves me part of the US .60 or so (pods + freight) that I would normally be paying for a single nespresso pod.

I found I needed to try a few times before getting it right. What worked for me was gettng a really fine grind (I went to almost to turkish level fineness on the burr grinder) and not tamping too much. Tamping caused the machine (Citiz) to back up and shoot out water, or rumble and struggle to push out a thick short bitter shot. I found if I fill the pod just above its horizon and then give a light thumb push to get the grounds level I was able to get a good extraction and have the foil puncture properly. Sweet smooth espresso daily!

[tcacestmoi]

In fact the address is correct,

Try again, and disover the really new way to get something very usefull.

regards.

[tcacestmoi]

The address :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUCU2u8JkSM

[tgilbert1]

Can I just say (nicely of course) that those people posting on here about other ways to make coffee are really just making a nuisance of themselves.

This is a very good thread about how to keep the cost of your nespresso pods manageable, but polluted by a whole lot of nonsense about other ways to make coffee or why you'd want to buy one of these machines. It's not a debating society. People aren't going to throw their machines away in favour of method X.

Thanks for the tip about refilling. Will try that. Was really looking for info about cheaper ways to buy the capsules other than from Nestle.

[wazza16467]

I managed to find a new company on the web.
www.coffeecapsuledelights.com

They have terrific coffee and amazing flavours. They are fully Nespresso compatible.

[rancidbry]

This company looks amazing, but shipping is $17 from Australia to the US. That makes it a deal breaker for me. I'll totally order from them when they start distributing to the US.

Thanks for pointing them out!

[Ohio Joni]

um.. that would be Googled, not goodles. So thrilled, I can't type! :)

[Ohio Joni]

Ha!! I just goodles Nespresso pods and your entry came up. Thought, hmmm..... would that work? Concerns: would it muck up my machine? Back flow? Got up from my computer 3 minutes ago and gave it a try. Pulled a (still warm) pod from my Nespresso 'Cube' machine, pierced the foil and peeled it off. Scraped out the grounds and packed in some Starbucks (something I keep in stock cuz my sister thinks that stuff actually tastes good), placed it into the machine (feeling some trepidation).... pushed the button and Ha!!! It worked!!! Happy girl here. Now just need to get some fresh, good Joe to fill the old pods with. Thanks for the post Zalbo! Will still buy the Nespresso - gotta have my ROMA fix now and then, but will definitely use this method often.

[araya888]

i love re-use. try nexpod, coffeeduck, but work a little. my citiz is new. i've been told nespresso they changed maker's inner.
amazing, origic capsule can be used in all, but reusable caps cant.
share EMOHOME
http://youtu.be/TqjdDfB-qRc
it is the best i ever used. re-use 8 times or so. They attach me another 100 filter papers, silicone sealing rings with cups together. maybe you can try if you are reusable one as me. :)

[fboros]

tried it though it worked (to some extent) the coffe didn't have the same punch as the original.

[tcacestmoi]

Just the best and ecologic method there : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUCU2u8JkSM

Regards

[adalal52]

Tried to look up the address. the video is not available.

To anyone reading this.. I have an Alessi Nespresso machiner, discontinued.. Trying to find which refillable pods I need to buy to make this work.. Any suggestions?

[wfelix]

that's interesting, but, we can find on the market "rechargeable" capsule, with a proper cover, to use your blend. Like these: http://trevoimport.mercadoshops.com.br/capsula-nespresso-recarregavel-refil-novidade_iZ25XvZiXpZ1XfZ65373324-25-1-O.jpgxIM.jpg
or these:
http://cafezinhodobrasil.mercadoshops.com.br/capsulas-recarregaveis-nexpod-p-nespresso_iZ11XvZiXpZ2XfZ59645294-84122236794-5.jpgxIM.jpg

Your method is cheap, but is very "uggly", and sinse the machine make holes on the botton of capsule, i dont think uou can reuse the same capsule more than 2 or 3 times...

The rechargeables are easy to find here in Brazil:
http://cafezinhodobrasil.mercadoshops.com.br/capsulas-recarregaveis-nexpod-p-nespresso_11xJM

BUT, I still preffer the original blends.

[vinothek]

This is a typical philippine bricolage and philippine mentality. That's why in this country everything is second hand, second choice, second quality, second etc. etc. If you have no money to buy the best coffee, drink warm water, it's cheaper and easier to prepare. Merry Christmas from Switzerland!

[nealwm]

I have a nespresso machine I got at a thrift store for under $5.00 and although it makes good coffee it just takes forever to get the cup filled. Is there any way of increasing the output pressure or water amount? I have descaled the machine several times to no improvement and was not sure if this is normal for the machine or not.

[zalbo]

i´m pretty sure some of the early ones had lifetime guarantee try calling them and give them your serial number and see if it falls under that guarantee or perhaps have a extended one.

[wheatenmama]

(I have a Nespresso DeLonghi, maybe this will work for yours too.) To my knowledge, there is no way to change the pressure but you can adjust the water level.

First, make sure the coffee outlet is not melted closed or clogged at the tip. I had that problem (I assume it was melted from the milk frother) and it was causing coffee and water to flush back into the capsule container. It also caused the coffee to come out very slow. You should not have any water in the capsule container. I scraped it out and it fixed that problem. On my model, to adjust the water level, you hold the button for the size of drink you want (I have four choices on mine) and release at the desired level. The Delonghi has a built in memory and will "remember" that is how much water you want the next time you push the same button. I discovered that resetting the unit to factory settings actually adjusted the water levels to the proper levels for each drink. On my unit, you reset to factory settings by holding the standby button (red button) for five seconds. After that all of the buttons for the drinks will flash and you know it is reset. Good luck!

[zalbo]

Well i´d say there was a reason for the low price try and see if it still covered by waranty since iirc mine is under som weird lifetime waranty that they then stopped offering but i got mine almost 4 years or more ago.

[xiaobao12]

I tried this today but when I put the resealed capsule in the machine, it struggled; the foil didn't even get punctured.

did i put too much espresso or is my foil too thick?

thanks.

[Not Popping]

For the foil to be effectively punctured, the capsule should be completely and firmly filled so that the foil is adequatedly supported against the puncturing probes.

If you look at the original capsules, the coffee is not ground to a very fine powder.

Fine powder provides little resistence and allows the foil enough slack to avoid getting punctured.

[xiaobao12]

not popping,

thanks for your reply. i appreciate it.

what can i do to get the coffee to not be a very fine powder? i have a spice grinder that i use to grind the beans.

should i pack it as much as possible and then put the foil on?

[zalbo]

Wel i normally buy grounded coffe but the key to this find the right amount you pack in the capsule i took me a few tries.
A good tip is to open a unused capsule to see the coffe quality /ground and also give you and idea on how hard it´s packed .

Hope the answer was even remotely usefull

[zalbo]

most lilkely to much coffe or you pressed the coffe to hard.

about the thickness of the foil i have no clue since i use what i have and the brand varies depending on where i shop, but i dont think that should matter that much

[xiaobao12]

thanks zalbo. i'm going to try it without any coffee and see if at least the foil gets punctured..

[Great Wight Ninja]

You should also check to see that you aren't using heavy duty foil. Not having tried this at all, I can not say for sure, but that may not puncture as easily as "regular" foil or (if it exists) light foil.

Since I am going on speculative reasoning, it may also be your machine is not as strong as zalbo's, but that seem unlikely to me.

Simply a question: I know part of what makes it expresso and not coffee is the use of pressure in the brewing process, is the foil part of ensuring that or is it simply to prevent the grounds fresh when it is transported to you? You MAY (not sure on this) be able to do it without the foil. That would all depentd whether there is still a seal formed with the capsule.

[Kiteman]

I'm a coffee-lover, but I've never seen the point of these capsule machines.  What's wrong with a cafetier or a stove-top espresso maker?

That aside, this is a very useful project for those who like a gadget-filled kitchen.

Well done.

[turkeylurkey]

I am disabled and cannot lift anything as heavy as a caraf. Able-bodied people often miss the unlikely reason for a choice.

[Kiteman]

Since making that post, my wife has bought me a single-cup coffee machine that uses either loose ground coffee, or you can drop in one of a range of capsules.

Have a look.

[baneat]

My cafetiere takes 3 minutes to brew with, my Senseo thingy does it in one.

Better for a small qty of a coffee.

[Plasmana]

If you are in a hurry to get to work and don't have time to clean up a little mess, you will want one. lol :P

My parents uses one of those "capsule machines" because they don't have much time to do what they want, I have 3 little brothers and sisters, so it can get pretty hectic sometime.. :S

[Euphy]

Bear in mind that cafetiers and stove-top espresso makers are both kitchen gadgets too - and ones (in my experience) that almost never get used because I think they're a pain to wash and dry, or a pain to use and ground coffee doesn't keep fresh for long. The pod-based systems are literally service and maintenence-free and the pods keep fresh for months as opposed to days.  That's why I got one anyway, and because the machine was so compact.  I have a little kitchen, and no room (or money) for a good burr grinder and standard espresso machine. I am a convert, I admit!

Nespresso do have a recycling program for the pods, but only in switzerland I think!

[frollard]

I love my keurig machine...single cup means it only boils a small amount of water at a time - as I only drink one at a time - always perfectly fresh.

I also have the reusable filter cup - so I don't have to refill the disposable ones.  I primarily use it for tea.

[derte84]

 I'm from Italy and here coffee is quite a religion. I can say that nespresso make one of the best coffe you can have (at home) and is quite comparable to bar espresso (<- this is the point).

And everyone that try it think the same...

This instructable is soo good because I want to try with my favorite coffee blend made by ILLY (illy espresso)

[ambart]

I just bought a Nespresso machine for my husband for Christmas, but have not tried it yet (it is a Christmas gift). I was wondering about the pods. Does ILLY make pods for Nespresso machines? Which pod is the best for Nespresso machines? I understand Nespresso has several different ones. I have only tried the medium and I was not enamoured of it. I am in Italy a lot and I have tried many bar coffees and even in Italy I must say, the coffee varies from bar to bar. There are times when the coffee is out of this world, but then there are times when it is average at best (for Italy, that is). Here in U.S. espresso is not made well anywhere and so you get a version of it. Starbucks, which people here rave over, is terrible coffee. Anyway, I hope to here from you about this because it is important to get the opinion of one whose religion is coffee (lol).
Grazie mille

[hendrojo]

Actually, Illy is made by Nestlé too, but sold separately, under the company's Food Services Division. So more or less, they are the same powder. You can make different blends, however.

[Esmagamus]

Coffee is a religion in Portugal too. I dare to say that the day this country runs out of coffee, everyone's dead.

I've heard a lot about the excellent coffee of Nespresso machines, but you do have to give Saeco some credit. I've never had coffee that good since my Rio Profi stopped working.

I did have to adjust the machine at least every month, but it was worth the time for me. Nespresso wins in that: it's quite a no-brainer.

[zalbo]

i bought that machine beacuse i have had about 5 different types of espresso machines that all have been excellent at start and then start getting worse after a couple of years it almost always seemed to be the same problem the steam thingymabob that was the cause.

and the stovetop ones well i dont like to wait for my coffe and i have the attention span of a goldfish so i tend to forget it there and it boils over:)

this nespresso mache cost me less then 200$ and is half the size of a "normal" one and has been on my kitchen counter switched on for 2.5 years now and not a single malfunction only downside is the exspensive coffe.

[earnst2w8]

 we've also got a Nespresso machine :P  And we've also got the steam thingymabob :P failiure :D  But now we use milk, wich we shook ( i dont know how you call it ) ourselfs 

[huntra]

I read this a couple of weeks ago and it seemed interesting, if a tad dubious. I just ran out of pods and I couldn't wait for coffee, so I tried it out. It works shockingly well. I am an absolute coffee snob and I only purchased the Nespresso machine because I got it practically free from Sur Le Table's back stock. I used Stumptown's Holler Mountain blend and the trick is to grind it *far* finer than you would for a regular espresso machine. It's not as good as the shots from the La Marzocco machines in their café's, but for the cost and convenience, I am quite pleased. Thank you for this useful post.