Can A Nespresso Capsule Be Brewed Twice?

There are limited resources when it comes to purchasing Nespresso capsules — and that's especially true if you wake up in the morning only to find you've used the last of your supply. Apart from picking up a pack of Starbucks by Nespresso capsules from your closest Target, or driving to a Nespresso boutique store, you're really short of options for a day of restock. So, should you open the lid to your espresso machine and find an already used capsule left inside, it's understandable if you, in all of your caffeine-less desperation, begin to question whether or not you can brew that same pod over again. But, while the answer is yes, the honest truth is you'd have to be really desperate to do so.

By design, Nespresso pods are only intended to be used once — with 95% of the extraction pulled from the grinds in the first go. So, whether you're trying to save money by extending the use of your pods, be more sustainable through the practice or reusing and therefore reducing, or you're simply out of luck and out of capsules, you're going to be really disappointed by the coffee that comes from an already used Nespresso pod. Significantly weaker in caffeine content, and with a diluted amount of aroma and flavor, a reused pod won't provide nearly the same level of taste or boost of energy you look for from your morning brew. You might even be better off just not drinking any coffee at all.

Re-brewing the same Nespresso pod should be an absolute last resort, and the thought alone should be enough to convince you to set up a recurring order of your go-to pods. You can do this either via Amazon, which offers the option for monthly deliveries, or directly through the Nespresso website, where you can make further customizations to your order and schedule. Knowing that it's not up to you to remember to re-purchase your pods when you're running low, you'll never have to worry about ever going without them. Even so, there are ways to get more out of your Nespresso pods — ones that don't involve drinking bad coffee.

An easy way to do that is with one of the Nespresso capsules designed to brew more than one cup of coffee at once. A single, Vertuo Carafe Pour-Over Style pod, for example, will brew 18 ounces of coffee in one go — a little over two cups. Switching to these pods over, say, a supply of Original or Vertuo ones, could easily extend the shelf life of your Nespresso stock by double. Standard Vertuo pods can also be found in other, larger-form serving sizings, such as Gran Lungo and Alto Onice pods. However, if you don't mind the taste of weaker coffee, you could also play around with the settings on your machine to make a larger, personalized brew.