CAPMESSO 2.5OZ Reusable Vertuoline Capsules

Since there are nearly 2,000 reviews of this product, I suspect that this review will never be read by anyone. This gives me complete freedom to write whatever I want! Just kidding...Bottom line first: After 1 year of heavy use, these capsules are still working great. I have never had any problems with them. They make using a Vertuoline cheap. The coffee is quite good, not great, but good enough. Fin.I've been using both the 8oz and the 2.5oz capsules for about 1 year now with my Breville VertuoPlus Nespresso machine. The build quality and durability is excellent. They still look new today, and they get heavy use: often 3 times per day each. The quality of the coffee is good. I am not an espresso connoisseur, but I feel that the "espresso" produced by Nespresso machines is not up to the standards of fine espresso. However, since I am a cappuccino/latte/cafe au lait drinker, I am very happy with the quality, and I would say that the my VertuoPlus and these capsules make enjoyable coffee drinks (I use an Aeroccino frother) at low cost in the comfort of my home. And to be fair, I don't think that anyone who is an espresso connoisseur would say that Nespresso machines make "cafe quality" espresso.Here are some simple calculations: Good coffee at a good price is about $7 per pound (Lavazza whole bean espresso at Costco). Each capsule holds about 8 grams (interesting: both the "small" and "big" capsules hold the same amount!). There are about 453.6 grams per pound. So each pound of coffee can make about 56 capsules of coffee (assuming minimal waste), and each capsule costs about $0.125, or 12 1/2 cents per capsule--pretty good!With the "old" Nespresso capsules, it's hard to find them for less than $0.25 or $0.33 per capsule, so these Capmesso capsules are a bargain. And since the VertuoLine capsules are so expensive, buying these stainless capsules is a no-brainer...unless you think about getting the sticky tops that can make the Nespresso capsules reusable, too. Those sticky tops can go for as low as $0.12 or $0.13 (let's call it 12 1/2 cents to keep things simple) per top here on Amazon. So buying one of the Capmessos for $25, you need to make 200 capsules of coffee to break even on the stainless steel Capmessos vs. using the sticky tops. For me, this takes about 3-4 months. Again: a no-brainer.Let's summarize approximate costs per capsule:Capmesso stainless steel: 12 1/2 cents per capsuleSticky top with reused Nespresso capsule: 25 cents per capsule (including coffee)"Old" Nespresso capsules: 25-33 cents per capsuleWhat about convenience? Everything that follows below is from personal experience, since I have used all of these methods. The Capmesso stainless steel capsules are the most painful to use, since you have to wash both the top and the bottom. It's not too bad, but if you are very lazy, you might hate this part--scoop out coffee grains into a trash can, then use a sponge to wash the top and bottom of the capsule. If you use the sticky tops, the authentic Nespresso capsules are easier to clean than the bottom part of the Capmesso capsules because they are wider, and you only have to clean the bottom, since the top is thrown out after every brew. Finally, the "old" Nespresso capsules don't need any cleaning at all...but wait! The "old" machines require a clean-up of the compartment that holds used capsules. Admittedly, this is pretty easy, but it still has to be done every few days. I put a paper towel inside the VertuoPlus used capsule receptacle, and it nicely absorbs any mess from used capsules, so there is minimal clean-up required on the VertuoPlus machine. That gives me an idea...maybe I'll try the same thing in my "old" Nespresso machine, too!Last overall comment: There is a wide range of reviews here on this product. When you have thousands of people using the same thing, there will of course be a variety of outcomes. Some people are not happy with anything. Some people love almost everything. There are defective products. I would simply look at the fact that thousands of people have bought this and that the majority have been happy with it. That tells you it's a pretty good product. It is not perfect--few things are.While I might apologize for the length of this review in normal circumstances, since no one is likely to ever read it, I don't have to! Cheers.

Edit: I messaged the seller last week about the product causing a solid red ring on my Nespresso machine. No response so am returning this product.Dropping my rating from 3 stars to 1 star.I purchased this product to use with my VertuoPlus Deluxe machine, which is listed as a compatible device on the product page. I received the product yesterday and tested it out this morning.The small instruction paper says to fill the capsule, tamp down, and then add more. This is about how much coffee I use in my standard coffee machine to produce a quarter of a pot or around 4 cups. I decided to test first with a single scoop of their small plastic scoop, which I calculated to be about a quarter of their recommendation to fill it. That produced a weak looking cup of coffee, which you will see in the first picture.I rinsed and dried the capsule and this time filled it as suggested. This time the second cup was darker. It is also shown in the first attached picture.PROBLEM: the machine stopped just before finishing the second cup. A red ring appeared on my machine and the lid would not open. The only way to get the lid to open was to unplug and restart the machine. This seemed to finish the cycle and I could open the lid again.I have contacted the manufacturer/seller for help. If their response addresses the red ring issue I will try again and update this review. If I do not receive a satisfactory response I will return the product this week.

I have 4 of the 2.5 oz and one 8 oz. CAPMESSO reusable capsules (and a Delonghi Vertuo machine) and have been really pleased with the quality of the capsule and the taste of the coffee (We use Lavazza Espresso whole bean 100 arabica). Recently had an issue as one of the bar code disks had worn itself to the point of not working and when I replaced it with one of the extra disks in the package, it still didn’t work. I emailed the CAPMESSO folks and their service people worked with me and corrected the problem! Very good service!

Great for using your favorite coffee in the Nespresso machine, although it does not make it with the same creamy consistency as the pods do (if that's important to you). The sustainability factor is a huge plus.Because it is a different product, we do find that we have to run the cleaning cycle on the Nespresso machine almost daily so it doesn't clog up. It helps to not fill the pods to full capacity (which is part of the instructions)