Pod coffee makers are contentious, but I love them. I’m a big fan of getting caffeine into my system as quickly as possible upon waking up. While I can understand the ritual and ceremony behind crafting a fancy cappuccino or pulling the perfect espresso shot, my morning self simply cannot be bothered. If you, too, believe in the power of the pod, there are tons of pod coffee maker deals for Black Friday.
The Bruvi BV-01 is my favorite pod-style coffee maker. It’s cute as a button, with clean and simple lines and an aesthetically pleasing design that should match any kitchen decor. I like the large touchscreen interface and the built-in wastebasket. My favorite part, though, is that the proprietary B-Pods are biodegradable and designed to break down in a landfill. I don’t have to worry about specialty recycling or sending the pods off somewhere to be processed. And yes, the resulting beverage is good, too, be it coffee, tea, or “espresso.” (Sale price with coupon.)
Ninja DualBrew Pro for $150 ($90 off)
Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Ninja
DualBrew Pro Specialty Coffee System
Sometimes a pod will do, and sometimes you want a whole pot of coffee. Rather than sacrifice double the counter space, consider the Ninja DualBrew Pro. This pod coffee maker can be used with K-Cups or coffee grounds that you supply, and in addition to brewing individual cups of coffee, you can also make entire carafes. There’s a built-in milk frother, though you’ll need to warm the milk separately, and you can also brew directly over ice if you prefer your coffee cold. While the machine is on the large side, I like that you can reposition the water reservoir to make it fit your countertop more efficiently.
Keurig K-Café Smart Single Serve Coffee Maker for $150 ($50 off)
Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Keurig
K-Café Smart Single Serve Coffee Maker
This is the pod coffee maker I find myself reaching for most often. My entire family loves it, partially thanks to the built-in milk steamer that can warm and whip up milk for specialty beverages like lattes. I can make my nearly black coffee, and my little sister can make her fancy syrupy-sweet foamy whatsits, with no specialty tools or time spent setting anything up. It’s easy to use, with on-board controls that let you choose a capacity and a strength, and a large reservoir that you won’t need to refill often. The brewer will intelligently identify compatible K-Cups and suggest recipes in the optional app, but I personally found the app pretty annoying. Thankfully, it isn’t necessary to get the most out of this machine.
Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ with Aeroccino Milk Frother for $129 ($50 off)
Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Nespresso
Vertuo Pop+ Brewer and Aeroccino 3 Frother Bundle
Technically, Nespresso brewers don’t reach high enough pressure levels to brew true espresso. But the many different espresso pod varieties result in an espresso-like beverage with more bite and body than drip coffee. There are also pods for plain ol’ coffee, and I liked them both. I’m personally not partial to flavored brews, but my co-testers were fans of Nespresso’s almond, caramel, and mocha Vertuo varieties. I think this pod coffee machine could be more user-friendly—it took me a second to figure out how to insert a pod—but I like that the capsules are recyclable, and that the machine collects its own waste. This deal comes bundled with an Aeroccino milk frother that can help elevate your morning drink of choice. I’d be remiss not to mention the rainbow of color options for this machine, most of which are on sale for Black Friday.
I was really annoyed when I realized that Nespresso sent me this brewer in black. Champagne problems, I know—but this brewer comes in so many delightful colors, from deep red and orange to pastel lavender and pink. It looks cute on your countertop with its little rounded figure and relatively short stature. The Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ can handle all Vertuo coffee pods. The pods are aluminum and can be recycled by ordering free recycling bags or taking them to a drop-off location. To brew, simply open the machine by twisting the lock on the lid, choose a capsule, and press the button. You can physically move the adjustable drip tray between two ladder-like rungs on the front of the machine. There’s also a companion app that gives you maintenance alerts, video walk-throughs, and easy pod reordering.
Closing and locking the machine, or pressing the coffee button while the machine is locked, will start a heating cycle that takes about 30 seconds. The machine automatically recognizes the capsule you insert, and it extracts brew size based on the capsule as well. For example, espresso capsules will brew 1.35 ounces, double espresso capsules brew 2.7 ounces, and coffee capsules brew 8 ounces. This is different from other machines where you select the capacity you want. In the app you can make minor tweaks, such as making espresso shots shorter or longer. You can press the coffee button to end brewing early (a very handy trick if you accidentally use a 6-ounce mug for an 8-ounce brew, which I may or may not have done.) The machine has a waste basket that’ll automatically collect spent capsules. I’m not a huge fan of Nespresso’s flavored coffee and espresso capsules, simply because I would rather make traditional coffee and then add any whimsical flavorings later to suit my tastes. But if you prefer your coffee with a side of caramel or gingerbread or almond or some other decadent altering, there are many flavored options for you.
With plain old coffee and espresso capsules, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the body and mouthfeel of the drinks. Technically, these espresso pods are not making espresso. But it’s a darn close espresso-like beverage, and you can get it without needing an entire separate machine with a tamping weight and a portafilter and a pressure gauge. And the coffee is on par or slightly better than other machines I’ve tried, with a nice acidic bite that isn’t too watered down. If convenience is what you seek, this do-it-all machine is worth a look.
I was sent the bundle that comes with an optional milk frother. I like having the option, but be aware that it will take up another wall outlet. But the Aeroccino was easy to use—pour in your milk of choice and press the button. It’ll heat and froth your milk automatically—it takes about a minute and it’s whisper-quiet. Every Nespresso capsule I’ve tried has featured a thick layer of crema, and having whipped, thick milk on top of it made my average cup of coffee a more elevated experience.
Alongside grinding and dosing by weight, the steam wand likewise allows for a bit of added control, with settings from mild to strong. “Strong” means strong, for big cappuccino froth: Heed the warning and keep your milk level low in the frothing cup, or you’ll probably have cleanup. But especially, the steam wand offers an automatic shutoff at your desired temp, so you don’t accidentally burn off milk sugars. In practice, it’ll probably stop a few degrees lower than you set it, so plan accordingly.
Jump into the custom settings and you can also add a pre-infusion—a lower-pressure water infusion, for more gentle soaking of the grounds. And of course you can adjust the temperature of your water to account for lighter or darker roasts. It’s all pretty easy to do. More espresso machines should do these things. All of these things. But few do.
A Fine Grind
So far, so good. So how’s the espresso that results? This depends in no small part on the grinder, of course.
I have put the Meraki’s pentagonal conical burr grinder through the paces, on light, medium, and dark roasts. And it does give the Baratza Encore ESP a run for its money, according to taste tests, coffee extraction testing, and particle size analysis I conducted using a device called the DiFluid Omni.
Omni via Matthew Korfhage
Omni via Matthew Korfhage
At the finest grinds, the built-in Meraki grinder actually came in a bit more tightly dialed than the ESP, with fewer large particles that might indicate clotting and cause channeling. It also fared well with light-roast grinds that often overtax integrated grinders. And according to particle size analysis, it maintained good consistency. (This said, I tend to increase dose on light roasts, rather than grind so finely I feel like I’m playing the choking game with my espresso machine.)
Which is all to say, the Meraki’s built-in grinder handily rivals the Breville Oracle Jet’s grinder in raw specs, putting this machine in rarefied air when it comes to espresso machines with built-in grinders. This is true especially because the grinder is stepless, meaning you don’t have large gaps between grinder settings.
Another potential fun feature is an RFID scanner that allows you to scan a coffee roaster’s bag and load up the ideal grind settings for each bean. This said, only one US roaster, Dark Horse, is listed on Meraki’s site as of now. So this feature remains mostly theoretical.
Caveats and Quibbles
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
This all said, the grinder settings do seem to “float” a bit as the machine operates, perhaps because of vibration or perhaps just while grinding. The Meraki’s grinder may migrate a full setting between one day’s grind and the next—meaning that if you don’t pay attention, tomorrow’s shot may not be the same as today’s. I also have minor quibbles with the tamper and puck leveler, whose tops have a tendency to unscrew while you’re preparing your portafilter.
xBloom’s new coffee machine uses the company’s coffee pods to automate pour over coffee. The built-in grinder, brewer, and scale combined with its app lets it make specialty coffee at the touch of a button. But it also has semi-auto and fully manual modes for those that enjoy the process. The app even has a neat recipe sharing section.
Buying an AeroPress used to be easy; for years, there was only one model. Thanks to its ingenious design—a syringelike plunger that pushes coffee in the brewing chamber through a small paper filter—it made fantastic coffee, offered all sorts of room for experimentation, and was easy to clean. In 2019, some 14 years after the debut of the first AeroPress, the company introduced the travel-friendly Go. This minimally miniaturized version of the original design was particularly nice for using on trips, since it meant an end to relying on crummy K-Cups in hotel rooms.
For a while, it was just those two. Then the dam broke—the result of both a 2021 investment in AeroPress by Tiny Capital and fans’ insistent clamoring for more AeroPresses—and the company released a few new versions of its brewer. Unfortunately, while the Original and Go had a “lightning strikes twice” vibe, the new crop is more of a mixed bag. Somehow, after all this time, what’s come out still feels rushed. We’ve been using the Original and Go for years and started testing the new gear as soon as it came out. While it’s not as universally appealing, there are features that fans may want to consider and some to avoid. If you already have an AeroPress, that’s almost certainly everything you need. But if you’re buying a new one, here’s some advice on which version to get.
Updated July 2024: We’ve added the AeroPress Go Plus and the latest version of the Clear, and we’ve updated links and prices throughout.
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Best for Home or Office
If you’re a longtime AeroPress owner, chances are this is the one you’ve got. Not much of a looker in its cloudy gray color, but it’s an exceedingly high performer and has been a favorite of baristas and home brewers since it came out. Part of the reason is that it allows you to control so many of the brewing variables: water temperature, amount of coffee, grind size, and bloom and brew times. Even when you don’t make a perfect cup, it’s usually still pretty good. The compact size means it barely takes up more space than a mug in your kitchen, and it’s fairly easy to take on a trip. Plasticky? Yes, but also durable enough that I no longer remember how long I’ve owned mine. I have an Original and a Go, and I tend to use the former at home and take the Go on the road. If I worked in an office, I would keep an Original there. Compared to the other models, it’s probably the most versatile, ready to accommodate your inner nerd when you want to take a deep dive. Even if this were still the only one in existence, we’d be just as fanatical about it.
Best for Frequent Fliers
It never really dawned on me that the Original could be improved, and in a way the Go is just a slightly smaller version, yet the changes are ingenious, allowing for it to nestle inside a mug, along with a scoop, stirrer, and little compactlike clamshell that holds filters. Pack it all up and toss it in the bottom of your suitcase for your next flight, or put it in your backpack and head for the hills. (Campers love these.) You can, of course, bring whole beans and a hand grinder, but that seems like overkill to me. Grind what you need before heading for the great outdoors or, if your adventure is more urban, find a coffee shop at your destination, meet some locals, buy a bag, ask them to “grind it for AeroPress,” and ask if they have any brewing suggestions—I bet they will. Before you skip town, buy a bag of beans to grind at home and call it both a souvenir and self-care reward. The 8-ounce Go (9/10 WIRED Recommends) is obviously for the travelers out there, but if you’re not too finicky, it’s close enough to the 10-ounce Original that owning both feels redundant. I travel a lot, so if I had to pare it down, this would be The One.
Aeropress also recently released an update called the Go Plus ($80), but this one’s a bit of a dud. While the original Go is a tiny marvel, ready to make your morning cup in your kitchen or be packed into its mug and tossed in your backpack or carry-on bag, the Go Plus seems to be more angled toward commuters, with all of its brewing parts and accessories packed inside an insulated metal travel mug. Two big problems drag it down. First, the magnetic slider on its cup lid makes drinking from it surprisingly unpleasant, as it’ll likely be touching your nose as you drink, leaving you stuck in a weird nether space between making a seal and not making one; it is neither sip nor suck. Worse, unlike the Original, Clear, and Go, you can’t brew it into a mug with an inside diameter smaller than three inches … which is to say, most mugs. It’s also hard to puzzle out exactly whom it’s for. Compared with the Go, it feels a little too heavy to bring along in your luggage, and if you’re supposed to drink it in a car, do you just leave the brewing parts at home? At that point, you could use a normal AeroPress and just pour it into a travel mug that you like.
Best for Gifting
While there isn’t a huge difference between the new Clears and the Original, these are our new favorites. The completely clear version is excellent for seeing what’s going on inside the brewing chamber and is … clearly … better looking than the cloudy, opaque Original, which could be considered our budget pick now. The many color options make it a little harder to see what’s going on in there, and while we tend to be more functionally focused with our reviews, having something cheery-looking that doesn’t remind you of lab equipment or plumbing will certainly open doors to new users. If you already own an AeroPress, there’s no reason to upgrade, but if you’re just starting out, this is the place.
Best for (Really) Big Boys
AeroPress fans have been clamoring for a bigger version of the classic brewer for years, mostly because the Original’s 10-ounce capacity means making coffee for more than one person can be a pain in the butt. Those fans got their wish with a model that’s twice the size of the original. But bigger does not seem to be better. In fact, bigger seems a little more dangerous. While the Original, Clear, and Go all use the same size cap and filter, each piece of the XL is larger. It has its own filters, and you brew into the carafe it comes with, because the XL’s larger diameter makes it too big to brew directly into most mugs. It also gains a lot of height. With the plunger extended and connected to the barrel, and all of that sitting on the carafe, it’s 19 inches high. In our testing, 5’3″ Seattle barista Reyna Callejo from Olympia Coffee Roasting Company stood on a stool to get it to work, a balancing act involving hot liquids you likely will not want to be doing before your morning coffee, or ever, really. Using the inverted method also feels more perilous—that’s half a liter of hot water you’re perching high above your countertop, legs, and private parts. If you really love AeroPress, want an extra cup’s worth every time you brew, and aren’t put off by the potential perils, go for it, but most of us who crave more coffee would likely be better off with a different kind of brewer.
Put a Lid on It?
This accessory—which attaches to all AeroPress models except the XL—is designed to keep your brewing dripless, which it does if things are working right. A ketchup-bottle-style pressure-actuated valve allows the inverted-averse to experiment with grind sizes and brewing times with no drip. Your coffee won’t go anywhere until you press the plunger. It also is supposed to create an “espresso-style crema” with dark roast, which turns out to be vaguely sudsy bubbles, not the delicious, dense, caffeinated foamy goodness you might hope for. It’s sort of like the peach fuzz on a teenage boy’s upper lip compared to a legit bushy mustache. In fact, I did not notice much in the way of positive change that the cap had on the coffee it made. That flow control works great, though. Good luck cleanly ejecting the puck into the compost bin; without some peculiar futzing that I—and a lot of people online—never figured out, the filter and a layer of grounds tend to detach from the rest of the puck and get stuck in the cap. I had fun looking through the Amazon reviews, many of which complained about leaking, but laughed out loud at the one that hit home the most: “I don’t think it does anything.”
Filtered Results
This reusable stainless filter allows AeroPress users to avoid using and pitching the paper filters. Cutting down on paper waste is a noble intention, but I was fairly unimpressed with the results. Most notably, the end product is much sludgier than what AeroPress users are used to. Even for me, a French-press fan who doesn’t mind some sediment in the bottom of my cup, this seemed like a lot. Unless you use a Flow Control cap, the stainless filter also lets coffee drip through much faster than a paper filter does. Amazingly, water poured from a tap through an empty (no grounds) AeroPress with the stainless filter and stock cap will fill then overfill the vessel beneath it, not the brewing chamber. With a paper filter and the same cap, the brewing chamber fills, then takes well over a minute to empty out. Similarly, when you’re brewing coffee and depress the plunger, it sinks so fast and easily that keeping steady pressure on it is tricky. Finally, among all of our daily environmental sins, pitching a compostable 2.5-inch-wide paper disc (which can be used for multiple brewings) barely makes a blip compared with, say, that plastic- or plastic-lined bag your coffee comes in. As with the Flow Control cap, there’s probably a tiny niche of people who will make regular use of this, but I think most of us will drop 15 bucks on it, struggle with it a few times, then forget about it in the utensil drawer.
My Own AeroPress Setup
Most of us will be completely happy with just one AeroPress. Through work, I happen to own two, which is mostly redundant. If I had to whittle it down to just one, I’d take the Go. If I traveled less, I’d be fine with the Original and just take that on trips—it does just fine.
The rest of my home setup includes an Oxo scale for weighing coffee beans by the gram. The current version of the scale is this Stainless Steel Food Scale ($56), a great all-rounder in the kitchen. WIRED reviewer Michael Calore likes Oxo’s Precision Scale ($56) that features a built-in timer, which is useful with more complicated AeroPress or pour-over brews.
My grinder is a Baratza Encore ($150), which I love for the quality of the grind, overall value, and durability. It’s also repairable, a spot where many other manufacturers fall short.
While I love the look of gooseneck kettles, I find them finicky and slow-pouring when I’m not using them for coffee. Instead, I’ve been using the Cuisinart CPK-17 ($100) for four years, and it’s still chugging away fine. It’s a reviewers’ darling, with six preset temperatures and a “keep warm” button to hold it at that temperature for 30 minutes.
One little thing I’ve come to appreciate is working on a silicone mat while I brew. AeroPress fails are rites of passage, mostly because they can make a spectacular mess. I use a Silpat mat from my baking drawer, which provides a solid, nonslip base and helps keep disaster at bay.
The JURA ENA 8, a high-technology compact machine, now features a two-cup function to brew two cups of coffee or espresso at the same time – and an Extra Shot option to supercharge a cappuccino, flat white or latte macchiato for an extra boost.
Innovative Features for the Perfect Brew
The JURA ENA 8 is packed with features designed to enhance your coffee experience. One of the key highlights is its two-cup function, which allows you to brew two cups of coffee or espresso simultaneously. This is perfect for busy mornings or entertaining guests. Additionally, the machine includes an Extra Shot option, giving you the ability to add an extra boost to your cappuccinos, flat whites, or latte macchiatos.
The Professional Aroma Grinder is another standout feature. It ensures a consistent grind, improving the coffee’s aroma by 12.2% compared to conventional grinders. This focus on quality means every cup of coffee is freshly ground and bursting with flavor.
User-Friendly Interface
Ease of use is a major consideration for any coffee machine, and the JURA ENA 8 does not disappoint. Its touchscreen display is intuitive and straightforward, allowing you to prepare any of the 15 specialty drinks with a single touch. Whether you prefer an espresso, a cappuccino, or something more unique, the machine makes it simple to customize your beverage.
Moreover, the JURA ENA 8 includes an innovative fine foam technology that creates light, airy milk foam, ideal for trendy milk-based drinks. Cleaning the milk system is also hassle-free, with a cleaning function that can be activated at the touch of a button, ensuring the highest standards of hygiene.
The JURA ENA 8 is a brilliant combination of state-of-the-art technologies guaranteeing the ultimate coffee experience – always freshly ground, not capsuled. With the easy-to-use touchscreen display and intuitive operation, 15 specialties can each be prepared at a single touch. JURA’s innovative fine foam technology creates beautifully light milk foam for trend specialties.
Smart Connectivity
In today’s digital age, having a smart coffee machine can significantly enhance your daily routine. The JURA ENA 8 comes with integrated Wi-Fi technology and is compatible with the JURA Operating Experience (J.O.E.®). This app allows you to operate the machine from your smartphone or tablet, offering a range of convenient features.
With J.O.E., you can personalize your favorite beverages, initiate brewing remotely, and access maintenance instructions and videos. This connectivity ensures that your coffee machine is always in top condition and that your coffee preferences are tailored to your liking.
Stylish and Compact Design
While functionality is crucial, the design of the JURA ENA 8 is equally impressive. Its Full Metropolitan Black finish gives it a sophisticated look that fits seamlessly into any kitchen decor. The minimalist design features clean lines and high-quality materials, including a chrome-plated cup tray and a crystal-clear diamond-look water tank.
Despite its compact footprint, the ENA 8 does not compromise on performance. It is designed to fit comfortably in smaller spaces, making it an ideal choice for urban living or anyone with limited counter space.
Conclusion
The JURA ENA 8 in Full Metropolitan Black is a well-rounded coffee machine that combines innovative features, user-friendly operation, and stylish design. Whether you’re a casual coffee drinker or a dedicated home barista, this machine offers the tools to brew high-quality coffee with ease. With prices ranging from $999 to $4,999, JURA’s assortment of automatic coffee machines ensures there’s an option for every budget and preference. For more information, visit JURA’s website.
Yet this machine’s unforgivable sin is the lack of dishwasher-friendliness. It comes with a veritable stack of parts, yet none can go in the dishwasher. Of course a thermal carafe can’t go in there, but being able to throw the filter basket, either of the metal filters, and the showerhead in the dee-dub sure would go a long way to tamping down the resentment.
Looking at the Numbers
With testing going up and down, I was happy to bring the Café to the lab at Olympia Coffee Roasters in Seattle, where I was eager to get co-owner and award-winning barista Sam Schroeder’s take. Sam noted that combo brewers are simple, but unfortunately if one or the other breaks—the grinder or the brewer—that makes the whole machine useless.
He immediately went ratio hunting, first weighing out the amount of water it ran through in a coffee-less cycle, followed by the amount of dry grounds it made for the same cycle, and determined it was a 1 to 16 grounds-to-water ratio. That was perfect, actually—exactly what it says to use on the bag of Little Buddy beans we were brewing.
Using a spectrometer and a coffee-nerd app, Sam verified that it hit its marks with a total dissolved solids score of 1.4, meaning it was the right strength, and the extraction percentage was 19.26, meaning the coffee was balanced. More importantly, it tasted great. A lot of home brewers can’t get the water hot enough, or give the grounds too much or too little time in contact with water. Here, you can press a button and it does well.
Unfortunately, things started to quickly go downhill. For batch two, it ground 88 grams of coffee instead of 85, an unavoidable flaw with a grinder like this that works based on the amount of time the burrs are spinning, not the weight of the beans it grinds. With batch three, it ran out of beans in the middle of the brew cycle and kept going like nothing was wrong. We lost a bunch of coffee and had to start over, a big downer. When I checked in with a company rep about this, they said it should automatically stop, but that they had realized it wasn’t sensitive enough and were going to update the software, and hopefully that would fix it.
We also tried the single-cup brewing, which really did not work well. The basket is peculiarly small and metal mesh filter only; using a paper filter really isn’t an option. The small filter basket isn’t even mentioned in some of the literature, making us wonder if it was added on at the last minute. The first cup came out poorly. Subsequent efforts were better, but Sam noted it doesn’t compare to full-pot quality. To put it bluntly, Sam said, “This isn’t a single-cup brewer. I’m not sure it’s able to be good.”
We were all still impressed with the Café’s full and even half-full carafe brewing capabilities. We liked playing around with the temperature, a rare ability in a coffee machine and a coffee nerd’s delight, and found that while there were only six grind settings, they were enough for a drip machine. We also found its styling to be what you might call “divisive.” No one could go as far as calling the Café “good looking.” That, combined with its size, reminded me of something you might see on a countertop in McMansion Hell. (If you have never visited that website, you’re welcome.)
If you like coffee, don’t mind an initial bit of tinkering, and want that push-button ability of having a grinder built into your coffee machine, this could work well. It offers fun features to take advantage of, but the app could be souped up a bit. Asking a few questions following a brew—whether the coffee is too strong, weak, sour, or bitter—then making or suggesting changes for the next batch would be incredibly helpful. (Midea’s forthcoming Barista Brew is supposed to do something like that.) In fact, I was feeling kindly about it, until I remembered the lack of dishwasher-able parts and my lack of an aircraft runway to store it. A six it is, then.
Phil Drapeau, senior vice president of Future Coffee Systems at Keurig, says partnering with Delica was a way to accelerate the timeline on research Keurig has been doing for years. “I think at this point it’s been for four to five years that we’ve been working on this process,” Drapeau says. “Working with Delica really allowed us to focus on adapting the technology for the North American consumer, to accelerate and drive development.”
Environmental Benefits
Photograph: Keurig
Standard, non-compostable K-Cups are tossed out, which creates an environmental problem. But the benefits of the K-Round aren’t just in removing a potential pollutant from the environment, or the carbon footprint of plastic manufacturing. There are some real benefits from cultivating the seaweed or algae needed to make the new K-Rounds, according to Eleftheria Roumeli, assistant professor at the University of Washington’s Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute.
“The algae is photosynthetic, so it’s uptaking CO2,” Roumeli says. “That’s why there’s so much incentive right now. The US government alone has given I don’t know how many millions of dollars for algae cultivation, because it’s such a great carbon sequestration mechanism.” The natural process of cultivating algae for purposes like the K-Round increases the amount of carbon captured from the atmosphere. “It’s a really great option, because the algae is a natural carbohydrate that when it decomposes in the environment, there is no problem. Scientifically, it’s not novel, but practically, it’s kind of important that we do it.”
There could be problems down the road if people end up dumping too many K-Rounds or coffee grounds into a specific area, like a backyard. Roumeli says that just like using too much fertilizer or bio char, accumulating too much in one area could disturb ecosystems. But this would still be better than the current situation.
“Definitely the benefits are absolutely outweighing the negatives,” Roumeli says. “One of the best things is that you have something that is now renewable in your lifetime.” However, she warns that companies need to do studies before deciding where they will cultivate algae, as it needs to be in harmony with the local environment.
Keurig says it will be releasing both products to broader audiences after fine-tuning them with some customer feedback. The Keurig Alta and the K-Rounds will enter into a beta test this fall, which you can sign up for here.
