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Stiftung Warentest Even cheap coffee capsules are usually good
Coffee ghosts divide their spirits: while some swear by the special aroma and practical handling, others reject the small portions of financial and environmental aspects. Now Stiftung Warentest has examined 14 capsule brands in more detail. The result: in addition to the expensive frontrunner "Nespresso" also cheaper products performed well.
Stiftung Warentest examines 14 brands
"Nespresso - what else?" Asks the actor George Clooney in the well-known commercial of the Swiss food company Nestlé. But are the small portions of coffee that can be bought in numerous "Nespresso boutiques" really the non plus ultra on the capsule market? Answer is now a recent investigation of the Stiftung Warentest, in which 14 brands were taken under closer scrutiny.
Coffee capsules score rather well in a test. Picture: lenzi63 - fotolia Capsules from Aldi Süd score "good" in the test
As the Foundation reports, the testers had examined the freshly brewed coffee in terms of appearance, smell, taste and mouthfeel, as well as looking for errors such as e.g. respected a taste for damp cardboard. It turned out that the "Vivalto Lungo" by Nespresso (37 cents apiece) actually did the best - but other brands were also able to keep up with the good result. Thus, six other products achieved the grade "good", including e.g. Dallmayr Capsa Lungo Belluno (30 cents) and the capsules from Aldi Süd (17 cents apiece). The other seven brands received a "satisfactory" according to the Foundation.
In addition to the aluminum packages, the Stiftung Warentest also tested the associated special machines. Again, cut the relatively expensive model "De'Longhi Nespresso U EN 110" for 106 euros from the best. Nevertheless, according to the Foundation, even for less than 70 euros, a good machine such as "Delica Cremesso Compact One".
Convenient handling and stylish image make the charm
But what fascinates so many people about the small coffee portions? "It's easy to prepare, you always have the right dose, and you have a stylish image," says Silke Schwartau, nutrition expert at the Hamburg consumer center, to the news agency "dpa". The argument that for singles with low coffee consumption capsules are the better choice, hold the expert, however, not stand up. "You can also buy normal coffee powder in small packages, dosed well and store for a long time."
5000 tons of garbage through aluminum capsules a year
The main criticism of the capsules is the waste that arises through them. Because according to the Stiftung Warentest would be caused by the nearly three billion coffee capsules that are sold in the year, about 5000 tons of waste. In most cases, the capsules are made of aluminum or plastic, with each serving of coffee being covered by at least two layers of material. Some capsules would even be in an extra bag and are therefore packed three times in total, informs the Foundation on.
"In addition, power consumption in production is very high," explains expert Schwartau. However, most of the products could be recycled and should be disposed of in the yellow bag or the yellow bin - despite possible coffee residues in the packaging.
Original capsules often too expensive
In addition to the environmental aspect, many opponents criticize the costs, because "calculated on a kilogram, the price of the capsules is very high," said Schwartau. According to the Foundation, the test also showed that the tested products cost on average between 17 and 38 cents per piece. "The price varies, so much is tricked with the amount of capsules," adds the nutrition expert.
Owners of a Nespresso machine, for which the original capsules are too expensive, can also resort to the cheaper products. Because according to Dr. Birgit Rehlender from Stiftung Warentest found four out of the six imitations tested to be compatible with machines for the Nespresso system. "Some imitation capsules make Nespresso also tasteful competition, but only two reached a good test quality rating," said the study director. (No)