CNN Says Plastic-Free Is Coffee’s New Status Symbol, at a Price

Plastic-free is turning into the selling point for expensive coffee gear, CNN reports, with Keurig, Lavazza and Caraway all releasing machines or pods in recent months that cut plastic out of the cup or the brew path.

The three examples will be familiar if you’ve been following along. Lavazza’s $129 Tablì, which reached the US in June, uses tablets of compressed coffee instead of plastic-and-aluminum capsules. Keurig’s Alta, out in October, runs on compostable AltaRounds that won’t fit older brewers, and the bundle with glassware and pods is $499. Caraway’s $495 10-cup drip maker is built from stainless steel and glass, so no plastic touches the grounds. Per CNN, the Caraway is sold out until January, and Keurig and Lavazza both say their launches sold out quickly too.

As for demand, CNN cites a 2025 poll by the environmental group 5 Gyres finding that nine in 10 Americans worry about microplastics, plus studies showing pods shed them, while noting that more research is needed on what harm they actually do. Peter Giuliano of the Specialty Coffee Association told the outlet part of the pull is simply that metal and glass feel more upscale than plastic.

Not everyone is impressed. 5 Gyres pointed out to CNN that the Keurig and Lavazza products still come in plastic packaging, and CNN notes both of those machines contain some plastic themselves. The piece also recalls Keurig’s $10 million settlement in 2022 over marketing K-Cups as recyclable, which the company settled without admitting wrongdoing.

Our take: a $500 machine is a pricey way to use less plastic. If that’s the goal, a stainless reusable pod in the brewer you already own does most of the job; our reusable K-Cup picks are a good start. If the Alta has your eye anyway, our AltaRounds explainer covers what it takes and what it doesn’t.