A revolution... or a gilded cage?
Twenty years ago, drinking espresso at home was a luxury. Coffee at home meant an old filter machine and a lukewarm brew you drank without giving it much thought. Then a Swiss brand came along with a tempting promise: quality espresso at home, quick and easy.
As a Swiss roastery, we probably have a special relationship with that brand. It's deeply rooted in Swiss culture and has shaped the way people there drink coffee.
But today, with hindsight, it's time to ask the question: are capsules really the best way to enjoy coffee?
At Chronic., we don't think so. Not for taste, not for the experience and not for the planet.
A locked-in system that costs you dearly
Have you noticed how capsule machines are often sold off cheap, or even thrown in free when you buy a pack of capsules? It looks like a great deal, but it's actually a well-oiled strategy: they give you the machine, then sell you the capsules at a premium.
The result? You're stuck in a closed system:
- You can only use the brand's capsules (or near enough).
- Every cup costs you up to 5 times more than quality whole-bean coffee.
- No freedom to adjust the grind or extraction, or to try other coffees.
Yes, it's convenient. But is it really good value? For the price of a kilo of capsule coffee, you could treat yourself to craft-roasted specialty coffee that tastes far better and more authentic.
Standardised coffee with no freshness or personality
Have you ever seen a roast date on a box of capsules?
No? That figures. Freshness isn't a priority. Freshly roasted, freshly ground coffee develops a unique aromatic complexity. Coffee ground six months ago and vacuum-sealed in a capsule? It has already lost more than 60% of its aromas before it's even brewed.
Capsule coffee is designed to be consistent, not good. It's often roasted very dark to hide defects, stored under modified atmosphere and calibrated to please as many people as possible.
So yes, it's consistent. But is that really what drinking coffee is about? Where's the experience, the discovery, the pleasure of exploring different flavours, origins and roast profiles?
An environmental disaster, nicely packaged
Capsule brands love to reassure us:
- “Our capsules are recyclable!” (Well, in theory.)
- “We use less coffee per cup!” (Which really means every gram is optimised to put in as little as possible.)
- “Our capsules are biodegradable!” (But they take months to break down.)
The real problem isn't the capsule itself, it's the way we consume. We drink too much coffee, too quickly, without thinking about the impact.
If we really want to talk about the environment:
- A bean-to-cup or espresso machine with a grinder lasts 10 to 15 years, compared with 3 to 5 years for a capsule machine.
- Well-chosen whole-bean coffee, carefully brewed, creates less waste than a mountain of aluminium and plastic capsules.
- The packaging of some whole-bean coffees, such as Chronic.'s, is certified compostable, a far cry from the complicated recycling of capsules.
Real sustainability isn't about sealing mediocre coffee in a capsule. It's about drinking coffee that has flavour and meaning.
In 2025, capsules are old news
Twenty years ago, having a capsule machine on your worktop was modern. A gem of technology that showed you knew how to appreciate an espresso.
In 2025? Old news.
Coffee lovers are looking for authenticity, quality and respect for the product. They want to choose their beans, grind to order and enjoy a proper extraction.
Drinking capsule coffee is a bit like listening to a heavily compressed MP3 on a cheap speaker. It makes a noise, but it's nothing like hi-fi.
Conclusion: it's time to say no to capsules
Capsule coffee helped us rediscover espresso at home. But now that we know what really good coffee is, it's time to move on.
Good coffee is:
- Whole bean, freshly ground
- Eco-friendly with no needless waste
- Much cheaper
- A real pleasure, not just a habit
Fancy rediscovering what coffee really tastes like? Discover our coffee beans.
