Best eco-friendly coffee pods 2022: Compostable and recyclable capsules

What you need to power through Monday is something versatile and well-balanced that gives you a caffeine kick in the morning and feels like a warm embrace in the afternoon. That’s exactly what Volcano Balance is all about: ethically sourced, biodegradable, vegan-friendly and, equally important, great as both an espresso and a lungo.

Pods are made from 100 per cent compostable, GMO-free, bio-based material derived from sugarcane so you can rest assured you’re going to get your daily caffeine intake while saving the world. It takes just 90 days for the coffee pods to biodegrade.

£6.50 for 10 pods.

If you’re stuck in back-to-back meetings, Ozone brings its award-winning coffee from its Shoreditch shop directly to your desk.

The box contains responsibly sourced, naturally processed single-origin coffee from Brazil, selected for the perfect coffee capsule experience. With a medium-roast and flavors of creamy milk chocolate, almonds and roasted hazelnut, the compostable coffee pods brew a full-bodied espresso that is perfectly enjoyed black or with plant-based milk.

Letterbox friendly, recyclable packaging, and suitable for use with any Nespresso compatible capsule pod machines.

£6.50 for 10 pods.

I rely heavily on coffee on Wednesday mornings for my mid-week dose of liquid strength. If you do, too, the Lavazza Espresso Passionale needs to be part of your life.

Although not delicate, complex, or with fancy aftertaste notes, the Lavazza Passionale is exactly what you need in the morning before opening up your inbox – bold, strong shot of espresso will be just the ticket to make you a functioning member of society. Add a splash of almond milk, and the world is yours.

Each Lavazza capsule box has a helpful intensity rating and a specific guide for how long to extract the shot.

Just a heads up: Lavazza has its own design of machine, with a different shaped capsule to classic Nespresso.

£4.99 for 16 pods.

HALO is in a league of its own for both taste and eco-friendliness. Drinking a cup is a rollercoaster of flavors that are so dissonant that they actually make sense together and you’re left wondering: how did I live without this brand for so long?

On Thursday morning, I opened a pack of Nespresso-compatible HALO Noir coffee pods with notes of chocolate, caramel, citrus, berries, and molasses.

As I unpacked the home-compostable faux-plastic packaging, the sweet aromas of chocolate and berries fill the kitchen. The coffee is not only extra tasty, but HALO is incredibly dedicated to making everything biodegradable and plastic-free.

All pods are entirely vegan and made from a waste sugar cane and paper blend. Even the ink is made from a vegetable base.

£7 for 10 pods.

Happy Friday, we’ve made it. I recommend a cup of specialty lungo black coffee to celebrate. Colonna Coffee, roasted in Bath, makes compostable capsules with intoxicating aromas. This is the champagne of coffee pods: you’ll feel posh right after and for the rest of the day. I tried El Porvenir Lungo for a sweet and zingy taste.

The information on the box highlights that the capsules are nitrogen flushed for optimum freshness.

Branded as exclusive selected coffee, Colonna is truly exceptional but it comes with a price tag. Of the ones I’ve tested, this is the most expensive line of pods but if you’re a strictly black coffee drinker like me, this is a range you’ll want to look into.

£24 for 10 capsules.

The Roar Gill Bold Blend ticks all the boxes taste-wise and it uses 100 per cent compostable corn-starch-based bioplastic for its pods. We call that a win-win.

What’s more, it pays its suppliers and farmers more than the FairTrade price and it sources its coffee organically and sustainably.

The coffee is creamy, intense, and delicious. I used the Bold Blend on Friday night to prepare the most exquisite espresso martinis and my evening became an instant hit.

£22 for 60 pods.

Kiss the Hippo is the only brand so far that is actually carbon negative, going above and beyond to earn that sustainability label.

For every subscription, they even plant trees in the likes of Colombia to Madagascar, Zambia and California as part of a reforestation project in partnership with On a Mission.

The Organic Classic Blend is a darker and more intense in flavor to cure your Saturday morning hangover. It’s all organic-certified, ethically-sourced, 100 per cent compostable, and plastic-free.

Coffee tastes all the better when you know you are a powerful force for good.

£22 for 60 pods.

This coffee is easy like Sunday morning.

Very lightly roasted, and inspired by the Oslo coffee scene, Norlo capsules are 100 per cent compostable, FairTrade, organic and plastic-free. Rather than packaged in boxes, the pods are split into smaller bags of 5 and those bags are flushed with nitrogen for extra freshness.

Wear the cosiest jumper, wrap yourself in the thickest blanket and enjoy the smooth and full-bodied notes of jasmine, bergamot, chocolate with hints of blueberries and stone fruits.

For a smooth and long-lasting cream, Norlo gives its best when served black.

£10.99 for 10 pods.

Fireheart Coffee is a miracle. Founded in April 2020 during the national lockdown, the label brings you fresh seasonal coffee and makes it accessible to everyday drinkers.

The plastic-free, compostable pods come in colourful, recyclable packaging and, for just £19.95, you can get 40 high-quality, super tasty coffee pods delivered straight to your door.

Hand-roasted in Muswell Hill, the pods are designed to recreate barista-style coffee at home. The coffee is selected and sourced on a seasonal basis with a fully traceable supply chain. Every cup is like a Sunday stroll in leafy North London.

£19.95 for 40 pods.

Cru Kafe is well known among ethically-sourced pod coffee connoisseurs – and reason being is that they’ve been selling organic and FairTrade coffee since 2013.

We tried the Organic Intense Roast on a late Monday afternoon at the office, and we immediately found it to be the perfect starting point for anyone looking to begin their java adventures. The lungo is smooth, full-bodied and clean.

In addition to recyclable pod and packaging, Cru Coffee doesn’t allow pesticides or fertilizers to touch its beans. A superb taste and a low environmental footprint.

£20.70 for 60 pods.