Nearly every coffee connoisseur who has dabbled in single-serve coffee pods has to face one glaring reality: the brewing method burns through so much plastic for just a single cup of coffee.
Some eventually find themselves shifting back to larger pots or switching to more environmentally sound reusable options that, while easier on the Earth, can also be a pain to clean. But still, the convenience of disposable coffee plastic pods, more commonly known as “K-cups,” is a major draw for many consumers.
Frescopod, a new company out of New York, aims to couple the convenience of disposable plastic pods with environmentally conscious, reusable filters. The startup does so with a new system that takes the best from each, leaving you to enjoy your brew without guilt or cleanup.
Frescopod Coffee Pods: How It All Works
Frescopod makes this leap with its biodegradable, single-use filter pouches that utilize reusable stainless-steel rings to fit into single-use coffee makers. The steel rings close to form a collar and lid around the filter pouches that allow them to fit into brewers like traditional coffee pods. After brewing, instead of rinsing out a plastic coffee pod, opening the ring allows the filter pouch to fall away, then be discarded just like their plastic counterparts.
By keeping used coffee grounds in an easily discarded pouch that won’t linger around in the environment for the next millennium, Frescopod says they have made drinking coffee more sustainable and eco-friendly than ever.
The Frescopod system looks a lot like a small coffee maker. It’s basically a small box that comes in black or white and serves as a station to hold filters, rings, and coffee. It has a small drawer for unused grounds and a loading station on top where the coffee aficionado scoops coffee into each pouch before use.
After brewing a cup, the user stores the rings on small grommets on the side.
Compatibility and Cost
Frescopod rings are compatible with K-Cup 1.0 or 2.0 brewers, but the company has plans to expand to other models.
Pre-orders for the Frescopod coffee pods will be available on Kickstarter beginning on Earth Day – April 22. For $39, supporters will get a Frescopod station, a ring, and 100 filters.
Frescopod founder Yianna Mamtsaderis says he hopes his device will help eliminate a billion plastic, single-use coffee pods by 2024 and as many as 3 to 5 billion by 2026.
Learn more at TheFrescopod.com
