I’m a coffee lover and for me, nothing quite beats a barista style cup in the comfort of my kitchen from one of the best coffee machines. Day to day, I use a cafetière with ground coffee, but the one thing that puts me off switching to a machine? The plastic and waste involved. Of course, you can opt for a bean to cup machine that grinds whole coffee beans into a puck to be brewed. But the best models can fetch more than £500, whereas the price and convenience of a pod machine is unmatched.
Like many, I’ve been trying to reduce my exposure to microplastics by switching to metal food containers, using a coffee cup for takeaway coffees and buying plastic-free tea bags. According to Stanford University, studies have linked exposure to microplastics to biological changes like inflammation, impaired immune system, cell damage. Traditional pod machines, however, sometimes use plastic casing, potentially increasing the exposure to microplastics in the brewing process. Disposing of coffee pods can be tricky too, as they can’t be placed in your household recycling and require special recycling bags.
As the conversation around sustainability becomes louder, brands are listening and bringing out models that work in the same way pod machines do, but are free of plastic and aluminium pod casing. I tested out two market leaders in this new category, the Lavazza tabli coffee machine and CoffeeB’s cosmos machine to see if they are worth buying. Read on for my review.
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Lavazza tabli
Why we love it
- Makes delicious coffee with a good crema
- More coffee size and temperature options available in the app
- Very easy to use
Take note
- Bulkier than CoffeeB's cosmos machine
The new tabli machine from Lavazza, in its words, is a revolutionary coffee system. And I would pretty much agree. Instead of plastic and aluminium containing pods, it uses coffee tabs that are tightly pressed so don’t require a casing, very much like CoffeeB’s balls. It should be noted the machine still has plastic parts, such as the water tank, so there is still some exposure in the brewing process, albeit less than using a plastic pod.
Available in black, white and brown, the machine itself is sleek, elegant and almost futuristic looking. It arrives in one part so I found the setup easier than with CoffeeB – you just need to clean the water tank and cycle water through it before starting.
Unlike CoffeeB, the machine offers a single and double shot options as well as a lungo if you prefer longer drinks. For the latter you’ll need to remove the drip tray to fit your cup underneath. For those familiar with Lavazza coffee, you will be able to seamlessly switch to the tabs as the blend reflects its existing ground and pod range, with rosso, decaf, oro, and espresso varieties available.
To brew a drink, simply place a tab on the container, slide the head down and select your coffee of choice. I was really impressed with the full bodied, Italian-tasting coffee that was consistently topped with a thick crema.
The machine also has an app that allows you to connect it to your Google home or Alexa system, so you can use your voice to signal it to start brewing. For the price, it’s offers some pretty cool smart features. You can set up a coffee just how you like it, for example you can adjust the size beyond the button options and make it extra hot, and this saves in the app. You can also how many coffee you’ve consumed over weeks, months and years – though sometimes ignorance is bliss.
Like the CoffeeB machine it automatically switches off after two minutes and from a sustainability standpoint the used tabs can be completely composted in your organic waste bin.
Key specifications
Buy now £133, Johnlewis.com
CoffeeB cosmos machine
Why we love it
- Compact, sleek design
- Coffee brews very quickly
- Affordable coffee balls
Take note
- Coffee is a little weak
Swiss-designed, the CoffeeB cosmos machine is a sleek addition to any kitchen. As my worktop limited on space, I appreciated its small footprint and neutral design that’s in keeping with my other kitchen appliances. The coffee machine uses CoffeeB’s own coffee balls, which somewhat limits you as it doesn’t work for different brands of coffee. That said, CoffeeB has a variety of coffee balls, from the intensities of espresso and ristretto, to lungo forte and one infused with caramel notes. You can also experiment to find your favourite with its selection pack, which works out at a very reasonable around 47p per coffee, slightly cheaper than Lavazza’s tabs which are 49p each.
Relying on a visual step-by-step guide, the setup was a little confusing, but once you get to grips with it’s a very simple design. After assembling, it couldn’t have been easier to use: simply fill the water tank and add your coffee balls into their slots. There’s a small lever on the left to open the hole for the coffee ball to go into and a larger one on the right that lowers the ball down. You can then select a shorter or larger size, and the coffee brews at a click of a button, dispensing a creamy coffee in your cup within a minute.
I tested a range of different coffee balls, and there was consistently an excellent crema atop of each drink thanks to the 19-bar high-pressure extraction chamber, the same as the popular Philips pod machine that our tester highly rated. That said, I found the coffee taste overall a little lacklustre, and found myself using two balls for one cup to give it enough oomph. Nonetheless the quality of the coffee was excellent, never burnt or bitter but smooth and silky.
The machine’s sustainability is great, as the balls are completely compostable and it will automatically shut off after one minute of inactivity to save energy. However like the Lavazza tabli, the machine does have some plastic components. The upkeep is simple, a light comes on when you need to empty the used ball container and when to add water, and I can already see it's designed to last.
Key specifications
Buy now £149.99, Amazon.co.uk
Lavazza tablì vs CoffeeB cosmos machine: which is better?
Swiss design and an eco-friendly concept makes the CoffeeB cosmos an eye-catching worktop addition, but in the end I preferred Lavazza’s tabli. While CoffeeB’s compostable coffee balls deliver a silky brew, the flavour lacked the punch I wanted, often requiring two balls per cup. The tabli solves this with its single and double-shot settings, producing a noticeably richer, more authentic Italian espresso topped with a thick crema.
Combined with an easier setup and seamless transition to Lavazza’s familiar blend range, the tabli offers superior taste, versatility, and some cool smart features. Which ever model you choose however, I think both offer a great solution for reducing plastic waste.
How I tested
I put away my trusty cafetière and spent at least a week with both plastic-free pod machines, making multiple coffees a day, and considered the following:
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Alice Reynolds is a writer at IndyBest so has reviewed a wide range of products from supermarket dark chocolate to wellness drinks, sports supplements and more, so she knows something worth buying when she sees it. She is passionate about health and wellness and has consciously trying to reduce her use of plastic at home, making her ideal to test the coffee machines.
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