If you want espresso-style coffee at home without actually becoming a barista, then a Nespresso machine is hard to beat. Pop in a capsule, press a button, and within 30 seconds, you’ll have a delicious shot of coffee. Despite the abundance of more affordable competitor brands on the market, Nespresso still reigns supreme when it comes to capsule sales. That success does not necessarily have to do with the quality of the coffee but rather how the capsules work.
In his deep dive into the company’s technology, coffee expert James Hoffman explains that Nespresso brand capsules include a unique silicone gasket that sits under the lip of the capsule. This helps it form a tight seal with the specific shape of the capsule holder on any Nespresso original line machine. While Nespresso lost the patent on the capsule itself in 2012 — leading to the influx of competitor brands — they retain the exclusive right to feature this simple but essential bit of tech.
How Nepsresso coffee is brewed
This tight seal is vital if you want to produce espresso-style coffee. Drip coffee uses gravity for an extended brewing process, where hot water moves slowly through the coffee grounds. Espresso, on the other hand, is made by forcing hot water through coffee grounds at high pressure, for a stronger flavor and much quicker brewing process. In order for this pressure to build up in the machine, a tight seal is essential. That’s why you might notice that if you use a non-Nespresso brand capsule in a Nespresso machine, it might leak water and produce a weaker tasting brew.
The foil lid of the capsule, though not unique to Nespresso, also plays a part in this process. The brewing starts with the machine piercing holes in the round end of the capsule, allowing hot water to enter. The water pressure builds inside the capsule until the foil, which is thinner than the rest of the pod, ruptures to release your perfect coffee shot. Voila, a Nespresso-brewed cup is born.
