Jul 05, 2010

Capsules - espresso the easy way

by
Caffitaly coffee capsules Caffitaly coffee capsules Kaffekapsler.no / Photo: Tomas Moss

Coffee capsules are small, one-dose containers for preparing coffee. Capsules come in different shapes and materials.

Among the most famous are the capsules from French coffee maker Nespresso. They have an almost monopolistic position in the market.

However, there are alternatives. And if you're looking for a capsule machine, please read on. You might want to consider other options.

Among the best alternatives to the 'Nespresso' system, is the 'Caffitaly' system. Caffitaly was invented by the Italian espresso machine company Gaggia some years ago. It features plastic capsules with an alumininum lid.

Benefits of the Caffitaly system

In my opinion, there are several advantages of choosing the Caffitaly system over other systems:

  • Each capsule contains eight grams of coffee (most others have five grams)
  • An open system, not tied to a single company
  • There are several companies producing capsules, among them Chicco d'Oro, Cagliari, Bewley's, Löfbergs Lila and Tchibo.
  • Same goes for machines: More and more companies are producing Caffitaly compatible machines
  • You can use capsules with coffee, tea, milk and hot chocolate in the same machine.

Ease of use

The process of using the capsules is really simple.

First, you choose the coffee you want to use.

espresso-capsule-before-use

Put the capsule into the machine and close the lid. When you close the machine, the lid and the bottom of the capsule is punctured, letting the water flow through.

espresso-capsule-in-machine

Brew your coffee.

espresso-capsule-brewing-1

Open the lid and remove the used capsule. Some machines do this automatically and disposes them in a special container.

espresso-capsule-used

As you can see, there's a hole made in the capsule top:

capsule-used

As well as in the bottom:

espresso-capsule-used-under

Enjoy the coffee :)

enjoy-coffee

All in all, I find the Caffitaly capsule system to be both flexible and easy to use. And not to forget: The coffee produced is great tasting. I've had people visiting my office who where amazed by the quality of the coffee.

I use a regular espresso machine with a grinder at home, but for my office, I prefer a capsule machine. It saves time, is clean and simple, and the coffee tastes great.

Kristoffer Sandven

Kristoffer Sandven is the founder and author of The People Mag, Shuttertips.net, JoomlaBlogger.net and more. His daily work involved web development, SEO, Photography and selling coffee online.

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