K Cup Alternatives?

After I wrote my recent post on K Cups  and how they continue to fill up our landfills, I found myself wanting to research more eco-friendly alternatives to this recent office addition. One of the benefits of the Keurig coffee system is that there are so many varieties of coffees and teas available, so potential alternatives would need to provide a similar benefit.

1. The old-fashioned office coffee pot

Cost per cup: about $.10

Advantages:

* Hundreds of choices of beans from all over the world

* Grinding your own beans will give fresher coffee

* Waste is all/mostly recyclable or biodegradable

* Tea bags made of unbleached, recyclable materials can be purchased for tea options

Disadvantages:

* Frequently having to brew a new/fresh pot

* Constant electricity usage from keeping the coffee warm

* Requires more maintenance to clean than a single-cup system

2. Coffee pods (brands include Senseo, Home Cafe, Melitta)

Cost per cup: about $0.30

Advantages:

* Quickly produce a single serving of fresh coffee

* Offers coffee and tea options – over 250 options available

* Coffee pod brewers are frequently less expensive than Keurig machines

* Coffee pods cost less than K Cups

* Coffee pods are made from biodegradable materials

* Option to purchase a refillable pod holder to further reduce waste and customize your brew with your own ground coffee

Disadvantages:

* Coffee pods are packaged in plastic cellophane wrappers.

* Your office may need to purchase a new coffee machine capable of brewing coffee pods

3. Coffee packets (Flavia)

Cost per cup: about $0.35

Advantages:

* Quickly produce a single serving of fresh coffee

* Offers coffee and tea options

* Filterpack technology uses 25% less coffee beans to make the same strength drink as a drip coffee machine

Disadvantages:

* Only 14 coffee and tea options are currently available

* Coffee is packaged in plastic packets that are not recyclable or biodegradable

 

Of course there are other options available, but these are the three best alternatives to the K Cups that I have found. I have tried all of these options, save for the coffee pods, and have found the freshly brewed coffee to best the best over all. If you have a large office this may not be feasible, but in a small office, it may be the most environmentally friendly and economical solution.