Swiss retailer Migros has launched a new line of round coffee capsules under its own brand Café Royal, which make the aluminum or plastic capsule redundant. The coffee balls are composed of compressed coffee coated with a thin envelope made from seaweed.
The protective layer not only gives the coffee ball stability but also forms an "ideal oxygen barrier that protects against loss of aroma, as is the case with aluminum", according to the company. The balls can be thrown in the compost or even in the garden, within a few weeks, the coffee ball decomposes into humus.
The new brewing technology is the result of five years of research carried out by the Migros subsidiary Delica. The innovative and patented single-serve system, named CoffeeB, comes with a coffee maker, which works like a capsule machine but does without any plastic or aluminum casing. The machine consists largely of recycled materials, is energy-efficient, switches off automatically after one minute, and thanks to its modular construction, it can be repaired at one of the company’s service centres in the event of a defect.
The beans come from sustainable cultivation and are either Rainforest Alliance or certified organic and Fairtrade. All packaging is recyclable. The Café Royal CoffeeB line includes various flavours and different degrees of strength.