How Nespresso Pods Brew A Cleaner Pour Thanks To One Subtle Engineering Detail

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When you walk into any store looking for a capsule coffee maker, you'll often be given just two choices: Nespresso or Keurig. Both have fans who have their own reasons to love their choices, but if you're still on the fence, Team Nespresso has one tiny detail that could tip the scale in their favor — if you know about it, that is. Try and crack open a Nespresso Original pod, and you'll find at the bottom of the pod a very thin paper filter. It's a very small detail that seems almost inconsequential, but it's actually thanks to this component that Nespresso can give you a smoother, more balanced extract than competitors.

This paper filter functions quite similarly to a puck screen in a traditional espresso machine. When the machine punches three holes through the bottom of the capsule and injects the high-pressure jets through the pod, the paper filter acts as a "traffic controller" to direct and disperse the power of the jets evenly through the coffee grounds. The result is a significantly "cleaner" extract with far more balanced flavors than if you were to brew from a filterless capsule (ahem, like a Keurig). This small detail makes such a difference that if you pick a Nespresso Vertuo, you'll still find the same paper filter stuck to the bottom of the capsule, such is the importance of this small detail to getting a nice cup of coffee.

A Keurig K-Cup coffee pod is designed totally differently from a Nespresso pod. Pop one open and you'll find the coffee grounds resting inside what looks like a paper basket. Keurig calls it a filter, too, but it does a totally different job than Nespresso's filter. The abaca filter is simply there to contain the grounds, as well as keep them from leaking into the final brew. Interestingly, though, while disposable K-Cups typically don't come with a "water distributing screen", we've spotted many reusable K-Cups with this feature. These stainless steel Reusable K Cups Coffee Pods for Keurig 1.0, for instance, have a mesh filter on top to help control the hot water jets that are used to brew your coffee. If you have a Keurig 2.0 brewer, these plastic Reusable K Cups for Keurig Coffee Makers have a plastic perforated basket at the top with a pretty similar job.

So not only are you saving quite a few bucks switching over to reusable pods, you might get better-tasting coffee, too. Does it work as great as the paper filter in a Nespresso? Well, we don't have a definitive answer for that, but if you somehow have both machines handy (or you can visit either brand's flagship stores to taste-test), feel free to be the judge!