RECAPSReusable Coffee Filter Capsules Compatible with Nespresso Original 3PCS Refillable Coffee Pods Permanent Coffee Filter Stainless Steel 120PCS Aluminum Foil Lids Coffee Tamper

This makes good espresso for cheap and environment friendly. Perfect for my morning latte, ok for an espresso shot.Make sure it’s compatible with your machine. It works great with my Essenza but I know some for whom it’s damaged the puncture spikes inside.Fill with ground coffee labelled specifically as "fine" or for espresso, not for drip coffee. I recommend the Illy classic or Lavazza. I tried with my own whole beans but my grinder makes ground not fine enough and not consistent in size.Don't tamper the coffee or just lightly rest the tamper on top or the coffee won't brew. You can also tap the pod on the table like a tequila shot and that will be enough.The downsides are that it is not fully reusable as you need a new aluminum lid for each brew, and the elastic bands seals keep breaking and I can't find replacement ones from Recap. They are necessary or the water pressure doesn't build up and it leaks.

These pods have opened up a great new hobby for me, along with a way to have more great espresso at lower cost and less plastic to recycle. (Sure it takes some time to grind beans and seal my own pods but I have learned a lot about espresso, blends, and what I like). I have experimented by blending different types of beans and roasts and have moved the flavor from just a strong cup of arabica to a blend that includes 20% - 30% robusta beans for added crema and caffeine, for an espresso that is quite rewarding. This latest purchase was for 3 additional pods that permit me to make an extra day or two supply at one time. These pods are very good quality, the seals fit and stick very well and they work great in my DeLonghi Inissia. There is a learning curve but I am very pleased with the outcome. RECAPS should offer additional pods for people that have purchased the original set and want more pods but don't need the scoop, tamper, instructions, etc.

The media could not be loaded. I use a very good grinder (Krups) and grind the Lavazza beans till I have a nice fine powder. I fill it per the instructions, I even played around with it, 1/2 full, 3/4 full and 100% full. No matter what I do, more than 1/2 the coffee (water) ends up in the tray that is meant to catch the caps when you lift the handle. At first I thought my Nespresso machine was broken and leaked water all over the counter top, until I realized the reason why I am getting so little pour into my cup was because more than 1/2 the water never made it into the cup but in stead ended up in the tray. In my opinion this is because of bad design or bad manufacturing. They must know this because why else would they provide two different type (color) rubber bands that you have to place around the capsule to prevent it from leaking water. They must have had many complaints about this and their solution is to add a rubber band - which for the record does not work. Watch my video which I have attached. I mean really, why can a company such as Lavazza manufacture a plastic capsule that works beautiful and never leaks, but this stainless steel cap leaks! Unacceptable. The leaking has nothing to do with how fine your coffee is grinded or how full you fill the cap, it is just plain bad design or manufacturing. If caps typically leak and need rubber bands to stop them from leaking all caps, no matter the manufacturer would have had the same problem.

I did a lot of research before I decided on this product. I bit the bullet and bought the 3 pack and after some trial and error I have no complaints and love this product. It may sound obvious, but the grind is key to pulling a good quality espresso with sufficient crema. I found my grinder was not grinding it fine enough which resulted in a watery espresso shot. I’m in search of a better burr grinder, but in the meantime I have found “LAVAZZA CAFE ESPRESSO” coffee grounds to be the best. By using these refillable pods, I feel I leave less of a footprint on the environment. I realize that Nespresso offers a recycling program since their pods are made out of aluminum, but the cost of buying the pods at .$70-$1.10 a piece can really add up quick.

The refillable caps are decent. The quality appears really good. The process of filling them is super simple. I have yet to figure out a good grind on my espresso beans to get a better crema. So far there is crema, but it is a bit on weak side. I'm also getting a bit of coffee ground into the coffee. I think I will have to try to go to a finer grind to get a better result. We will see. Getting the foils off after brewing is a bit of a pain. They come off, but it's difficult to get your nails under the glue strip to pull up the foil top. Otherwise it works and it is well worth the trouble of refilling. You really cannot beat the final cost when compared to the original capsules from Nespresso. I haven't figured out the cost of coffee yet on the original capsules, but it has to be insanely high per pound of coffee.