The best reusable Nespresso pods (and ones to avoid) 

Wow. Thanks for the info. I might be late to the party meaning I just got my first Nespresso machine but I’m blown away by how easy you made this informative video. 👍🏽👍🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽

For the vertuo pods I find blending a course grind with a fine grind works well. I use about 50% dark roast medium grind and 50% medium roast espresso grind. The course grains of coffee seem to trap the finer grains and prevent them from leaking out from the pod. I also use a flat butter knife to swage over the edge of the foil so that the sealing surface near the rim is smooth and results in a better seal. One thing I've noticed is that it is best to eject the pods from your vertuo right after use. If you leave them in there you risk them getting stuck. This happens more often when you reuse pods as I believe Nespresso applies some sort of coating to make sure the pods don't stick. This coating doesn't last and you will eventually get stuck pods which can result in frustration and potential damage to your machine. The vertuo makes amazing coffee and you can enjoy it at a much lower price point.

Two things to add to this video: First, I bought and tested about a dozen kits to come up with my favorites. The opinions are entirely my own and, frankly, I don't know how to pronounce "Aieve" and "Triplot" (sorry to the companies!). Also, I didn't have success with non-foil lid kits but am happy to try another one that worked for someone else. Second, really fill up the pods with coffee for the best results. On the Vertuo test, the crema was thin because I didn't add enough coffee. On the Original pod, I filled and tamped twice (the second tamp didn't make the edits) to get 5g. Nespresso pods don't have much coffee to begin with, so really fill them up for full flavor.

I'm looking forward to reusing all the Vertuo pods for making good decaf coffee (yep, heresy!! :) ) The Nescafe Vertuo decaf blend has almost zero depth and is also almost tasteless. We have found a really good (non-Nescafe) blend that I would really like to try in a reusable pod for everyday use.

This was really helpful and informative. Thank you for sharing!

Thank you so much - I am not the espresso aficionado my husband is. I am a tightwad who will buy him an espresso machine for his birthday. This helps me compromise our values. 🙂

Great video. It is so outrageous how expensive Nespresso pods are.

You can grind the grains a tad thinner than what you have shown. It may get you a better foam and more dense coffee. The coffee coming out from the Breville Vertuo Machine, looked a little too watery than it should be. Also there are other brands of foils that come with a tool to actually press them down precisely with little effort and you would not need to fold them by hand. Other than that, good video. Thank you for sharing.

So can I just clarify - you're re-using existing Nespresso pods?

I bought a Nespresso Vertuo Plus Premium and this guy tells the truth of which is the best way to refill those pods. I have both the silicone lids and the sticker lids and the sticker lids work way better and doesn't give you any red lights. Those silicone lids don't work and my machine crashed on me using them.

Fantastic video! Very helpful! Thank you

Do the Aieve reusable pods work on the Vertuo Next?

It's anecdotal , but I've read many times that the stainless pods are too heavy and overheat , destroying machines . The machine isn't made to turn that heavy of pod . Nespresso won't cover it under the warranty .

I'm ready to go back to my Keurig machine; these pods are ridiculously expensive which I did not know when I bought my machine...

Do you have to buy specific beans if you want to make an espresso shot as opposed to a cup of coffee using the refillable pod?

Can you do the same for the pods used with the Nespresso Zenius Pro - I’m struggling to buy pods even direct from Nespresso!

I tried that Vertuo metal capsule and it was useless - coffee came out like water. I just use the foil lids on original capsules now and have done for over a year.

I've used nothing but the silicone lids with various ground store bought ground coffees and not had a problem. Only time jammed up is when I've over filled the pod and the machine turns red and doesn't' run. But then I've just opened it and reset the silicone lid. That said I want to make pods I can transport easily so looking at the sticker solution. This one looks simple enough, but there's another with a screw down feature that sort of seals the lid, which may be worth looking at.

Thank you for the video. Where can I just buy the wooden holder for the pod at?

Do you just wash them by hand? And you say make them about a week in advance, max?

my Virtuo seems to read the fakelid & not allow me to use???

The lids work great but if you don’t put them on correctly they will lift up in the machine then you got coffee grind everywhere. I do weigh them because if you put too much, they will open up inside there and once again coffee grind everywhere. I got it down to a science . 5 ounce pods & double espresso - put 8 grams of ground coffee in the empty pod. Weigh the pod after filling them, it should weigh no more than 10.5 grams. 7.7 ounce pods- put 10.5 grams of ground coffee in the empty pod This pod should weigh no more than 13.5 grams after filling the pod. That being said I’m really sick of this way of doing it and I’m looking for alternatives. 😊

Do you think using the foil lid refillable pods contributes to an increase in frequency of descale light? Lately I’ve been using refillable pods with the foil stickers and my descale light has been on 4 times now. I just can’t figure it out and this is the most often I’ve used the foil sticker reusable pods.

Does this work on the vertuo pop+ machines. Thanks.

How many times can you re-use the same pod, from your experience? Thanks!

What's a non-plastic refillable pod for a VertuoPlus machine? I'm looking at picking one up!

I bought the Nessus foil seals. I find the refill process easy, but I am having a leak issue. At the end of a brew cycle, if I check the used pod waste box, there is about a 1/4" of coffee on the bottom. In comparison, when brewing a Nespresso pod, they do not leak. I checked the seal, and there doesn't seem to be any opening. I think the Nessus foil holes are ripping open more than the Nespresso pods, causing leakage????? Does anyone have any solutions on how to fix this issue? Thank you in advance for anyone's feedback.

What did you say at 0:52? Why to use within a week?

Are the reusable pods also an option for the Nespresso VertuoPlus machine?

Thanks for the vid! I have a pixie (original nespresso pods) and bought the triplot set. I'm having the issue that very little liquid is coming out, way less than usual with a store-bought pod. Seems not to matter how much coffee I put in the pod (I thought I packed it too tightly at first, but I'm having this issue still with a very loose fill). Any thoughts?

How many times can u reuse the pod?

Hi, I have a question. While brewing the coffee grinds do not flow into the mug along with the brewed coffee? Specially in case of the pods being reused. Does the machine have a filter inside? A response will be highly appreciated as I plan to buy a Vertuo Plus soon. Thanks !!!!

Vertuo is a complete rip-off. Normal pod is around 14p and tastes fine. Vertuo of the exact same thing costs around 88p. It's just pure greed that they won't allow other suppliers to used the new patented pods. My Vertuo now just sits in the corner doing nothing and I'm back on my old machine.

You are clearly putting the silicone lid on UPSIDE DOWN! The white design side goes UP. Maybe that's why they didn't work for you. They worked great for me, until the bar codes on the pods started fading, perhaps from going through the dishwasher. Then, my entire machine died. Coincidence? Dunno.

are you kidding me, no one is going to go to all that trouble, only hippies who don't work and time to bludge, oh my GOD! The reusable stainless steel are good, but the pther, get real.

I really don't get this.. sure, to save money and maybe the environment, of course this is a good deal. But the reason to get a pod machine in the first place is to save time, right? And not have to deal with weighing, scooping, tampering and all the other pottering of manual espresso making. But this takes forever! Why not get a real espresso maker instead? Totally befuddled...