Coffee capsule
1 water inlet chamber, is pierced in the machine when inserting / clamping
2 water distribution channel with slots to the chamber with the preparation medium
3 chamber for the preparation medium (coffee grounds, milk powder, sugar, flavorings)
4 filter base made of fleece
5 labyrinth
6 outlet pierced in the machine when inserting / clamping
Coffee capsules are single- use products for use in portion coffee machines . As a rule, it is a portion packaging with the amount of coffee powder for a single cup. The market launch and dissemination was criticized by environmental and consumer protection associations from the start.
history
According to its own information, Nestlé developed the Nespresso system from 1970 onwards , which was patented in 1976 and launched on the market in 1986. From 1991 the system was further developed with the machine manufacturer Krups , but it was not widely used until the 2000s.
The company Douwe Egberts brought in 2005 together with the company Brown the Tassimo system on the market. Also in 2005, Nestlé launched another system called Nescafé Dolce Gusto . Other systems are Caffita from Gaggia and Ècaffè, and Cafissimo from Tchibo .
The Bremen company Velibre presented a system for biodegradable coffee capsules in 2017.
Coffee pods
In 1972 the company developed illycaffè SpA the first Easy Serving Espresso Pod ( English Light-Serving Espresso sleeve) and in 1989 the ESE standard . In 2001 the Dutch companies Philips and Jacobs Douwe Egberts brought the jointly developed Senseo system onto the market.
criticism
Compared to conventional coffee filters made of paper, several different materials such as plastics and metals (often aluminum) are used for coffee capsules and combined in such a way that they are difficult to recycle and the consumption of raw materials per cup is significantly higher. In 2014, the annual amount of waste from coffee capsules in Germany alone was estimated at 4,000 - 4,500 tons. Critics are therefore calling for a deposit to be introduced on coffee capsules.
In January 2016, the city of Hamburg issued a guideline according to which tax money can no longer be used for the purchase of coffee capsules.
From an economic point of view, the manufacturers of their patented coffee capsules use the so-called lock-in effect because their capsules only fit one specific coffee machine . The purchase of this coffee machine forces the consumer to buy the capsules that always come with it. He is therefore tied to a specific system, and switching is usually not worthwhile because of the associated switching costs .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Helen Hoffmann: Problem with plastic waste: paper bags are no better either. In: Der Spiegel . January 12, 2018, accessed February 3, 2019 .
- ↑ Alice Rawsthorn: The Pod People . In: The New York Times . November 4, 2007, ISSN 0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed April 4, 2016]).
- ↑ Nestlé: The Scandals of the Past Years - News | STERN.de. In: stern.de. Retrieved April 4, 2016 .
- ↑ Alexander Dallmus, Bayerischer Rundfunk: Coffee, Coffee, Coffee: How environmentally friendly are coffee capsules? | BR.de. In: www.br.de. August 5, 2014, accessed April 4, 2016 .
- ^ Georg Küffner: Nespresso & Co. Coffee cult and capsule criticism . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . June 10, 2011, ISSN 0174-4909 ( faz.net [accessed April 4, 2016]).
- ↑ FOCUS Online: The problem of aluminum capsules. In: FOCUS Online. Retrieved April 4, 2016 .
- ↑ Birger Nicolai: We produce 4,000 tons of coffee capsule waste . In: Welt Online . January 8, 2014 ( welt.de [accessed April 4, 2016]).
- ↑ dpa: Survey: Majority in favor of a deposit on coffee capsules. In: swp.de. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016 ; Retrieved April 4, 2016 .
- ↑ Nespresso and Co .: Hamburg bans capsule coffee - economy | STERN.de. In: stern.de. Retrieved April 4, 2016 .
- ↑ Christoph Kapalschinski: Nespresso & Co .: Hamburg prohibits capsule coffee. In: www.handelsblatt.com. January 19, 2016, accessed April 4, 2016 .