Caps’Me Says Its Steel Capsule Lasts 1,000 Refills and Fills in Seconds

French company Caps’Me has a stainless steel coffee capsule it says can be refilled and reused more than 1,000 times, Packaging Europe reports. It fits Nespresso Original, Nescafé Dolce Gusto and Senseo machines, and takes any ground coffee you like.

The pitch is speed. Hand-filling reusable pods is slow and messy, which is why most people give up on them. Caps’Me says its patented shaker system refills a capsule in a few seconds. Co-founder Jean de Boisredon told the trade outlet that people already own the machine and the capsule is the problem.

The company’s numbers are bold, and they’re the company’s numbers, not independent testing. Per Packaging Europe, Caps’Me claims one capsule replaces more than 1,000 single-use pods, produces over eight times less waste, and roughly halves the cost per cup, worth about €250 a year for an average household depending on the coffee. It says more than 100 million capsules have been reused so far. The capsules are sold at over 1,500 locations in France, and the company wants a retail partner in every European country. No price was given.

Our take: there’s nothing here for US shoppers yet, and nothing for Vertuo or Keurig owners at all. The steel and fast-refill idea is still the right one. Reusable pods mostly fail on hassle, not on taste. If you run an Original machine and want to cut waste now, our guide to Nespresso-compatible pods is a good start. Keurig owners can look at our best reusable K-Cups.