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The Pros and Cons of Using Coffee Pods

October 12, 2016

使用咖啡胶囊的利弊

2016 年 10 月 12 日

Cons

And then there are some disadvantages to relying on coffee pods. But, as you’ll see, many of them are subjective, in that they depend on each individual, and will not affect all in the same way.

弊端

依赖咖啡胶囊也存在一些弊端。不过，正如你将看到的，其中许多弊端带有主观性，由于它们因人而异，不会对所有人产生一样的影响。

1. Some varieties are non-recyclable or difficult to recycle

In the beginning of this post, I was telling you that coffee pods are quite controversial. One of the reasons for it stems from an environmental perspective. Most types of coffee pods are difficult, and in some cases, impossible to recycle.

The main culprits there are coffee capsules, which are made from plastic or aluminum, or a mixture of both. Recycling them properly and effectively would mean separating the plastic, aluminum, and organic matter, and disposing of them properly. That in itself requires special recycling systems and resources not available in many countries.

Some brands, like Nespresso, have taken on the task of recycling their own capsules, and they’ve made it somewhat convenient by offering pre-paid envelopes that you can ship to their recycling center once the envelope is full, it takes a while to fill an envelope so it’s going to take a while before you can send it back to them.

Companies like Philips have machines that use single-serve coffee bags which are recyclable. However, the problem still exists and evolved cities like Hamburg have even gone so far as to prohibit the use of coffee pods.

1.部分品种不可回收或难以回收
在文章开头，我就提到咖啡胶囊颇具争议。缘由之一源于环保角度。大多数类型的咖啡胶囊很难回收，在某些情况下，甚至根本无法回收。
主要 “罪魁祸首” 是咖啡胶囊，它们由塑料、铝或者两者的混合物制成。要对它们进行妥善且有效的回收，就意味着要分离塑料、铝和有机物，再进行恰当处理。这本身就需要特殊的回收系统与资源，而许多国家并不具备这些条件。
像雀巢奈斯派索（Nespresso）这样的一些品牌，已经承担起回收自家胶囊的任务，它们还提供了预付费信封，等信封装满后，你就可以寄到它们的回收中心，这算是提供了些许便利；只是装满一个信封需要些时间，所以要过一阵子才能寄回给它们。
像飞利浦（Philips）这样的公司，其生产的咖啡机使用可回收的单次冲泡咖啡包。不过，问题依旧存在，像德国汉堡这样的发达城市，甚至已经禁止使用咖啡胶囊。

Refillable Nespresso pod. Source: Ezy Coffee Pods 可重复填充的雀巢奈斯派索咖啡胶囊。图源：Ezy Coffee Pods

2. They are not identical to the classic espresso

While it emulates the taste and flavors very well, pod-coffee will never be the same as an espresso prepared by hand, especially not one prepared by a professional barista.

With regular espresso, you have a much wider choice when it comes to the variables that go into its making, such as coffee bean type, coarseness of the grind, water quantity and temperature, machine pressure, and much more.

This is a disadvantage, but only if you’re really particular about how you like your coffee. I’d still advise everyone to try it before forming an opinion, and then deciding if it’s to their taste.

2.与经典意式浓缩咖啡口感不同

虽说咖啡胶囊能很好地模拟意式浓缩咖啡的味道，但它永远无法与手工制作的意式浓缩咖啡相媲美，尤其是专业咖啡师制作的那种。

制作普通意式浓缩咖啡时，在诸多制作变量上，你有更广泛的选择，列如咖啡豆的种类、研磨的粗细程度、水量与水温、咖啡机压力等等。

这算是个缺点，但仅针对那些对咖啡口味极为挑剔的人而言。我还是提议大家在形成见解前先尝试一下，再判断是否合自己口味。

3. Some types only fit a certain brand or system (capsules)

You have to be careful before buying your single-serve coffee machine because systems vary, and some only work with a particular-size capsule or pod, and use various technologies to do so.

From this point of view, it might be more logical to find out which types (brands) of coffee pods you like, and then buying the machine for them. Or you can do your research in parallel. Well-equipped showrooms should offer tasting sessions, allowing you to see and taste the results before deciding to buy.

Another simpler approach would be to choose a machine that uses regular 44mm capsules, and then experiment with brands that make this type. Please note that the common capsule size may vary depending on your own country, so find out what that is before moving forward.

Illy coffee pods (tea bag type). Source: Illy 意利咖啡包（茶包型）。图源：意利（Illy）

3.部分类型仅适配特定品牌或系统（咖啡胶囊）

购买单杯咖啡机前，你得仔细考量，由于系统各不一样，有些咖啡机仅适用于特定尺寸的胶囊，还运用了各类技术来实现这一点。

从这个角度看，先确定自己喜爱哪种（品牌的）咖啡胶囊，再购买适配的咖啡机，可能更合理。或者也可以同时做调研。设备齐全的展示厅应该会提供品鉴环节，让你在决定购买前，先看到并品尝制作出来的咖啡。

还有个更简单的办法，就是选一台使用常规 44 毫米胶囊的咖啡机，然后试用生产这种胶囊的各类品牌。请注意，常见的胶囊尺寸可能因国家而异，所以在行动前，先弄清楚本国的尺寸标准。

4. They discourage cafes from training baristas to prepare manual espresso drinks

This is a disadvantage to you, the consumer, only adjacently. But for a die-hard coffee aficionado, it might become harder and harder to find locales that prepare espresso and espresso-based drinks in the classic manual way.

Even from an objective point of view, coffee making is an art because it is a part of many cultures, and serves as a powerful social symbol. It gathers people to socialize, it is a sign of hospitality, it presides over meetings, and so on.

4.会让咖啡馆减少培训咖啡师制作手工意式浓缩咖啡饮品

对消费者来说，这只是个间接的弊端。但对于咖啡死忠粉而言，要找到用经典手工方式制作意式浓缩咖啡及其衍生饮品的地方，可能会越来越难。

即便从客观角度讲，咖啡制作也是一门艺术，由于它是众多文化的一部分，还是一种强有力的社交象征。它把人们聚在一起社交，是热烈好客的标志，还在各类会议场合中充当主角，等等。

5. They can be high cost

How much this applies to you as a disadvantage also depends on how you usually take your coffee. It’s true that on a per-capsule level, one coffee can end up costing about as much as coffee you drink in an establishment (still, cheaper than a full-size, full-option Starbucks).

If you’re used to paying less for coffee, using coffee pods won’t seem very cheap, especially when you have to buy a special machine for them. If, however, you often drink coffee out or get out of the house precisely to get good coffee, the investment can be cushioned after a while – you’ll cover the costs and save time.

5.成本可能较高

这对你来说算不算劣势，同样取决于你平时喝咖啡的习惯。的确，按单个胶囊来算，一杯咖啡的成本，可能和你在店里喝到的咖啡差不多（不过，还是比全尺寸、全配置的星巴克咖啡便宜 ）。

如果你习惯买便宜咖啡，那使用咖啡胶囊就显得不便宜了，特别是还得专门买一台咖啡机。不过，要是你常在外喝咖啡，或者专门出门去喝好咖啡，

Source: Unsplash via Pexels 图源：Unsplash，经 Pexels 授权

6. They don't offer the same variety as regular espresso makers

I’ve mentioned it before, and this one is pretty intuitive – that coffee pods cannot replicate the variety of coffee beans out there. Coffee beans are grown in several countries around the world, come in many varieties, are roasted in different ways, and are processed by hundreds, perhaps thousands of manufacturers.

Then, there’s the myriad of ways to prepare coffee, the different methods, and techniques, the special talents, and skills a barista can acquire.

With coffee pods, what you see is what you get. As I was saying before, even with brands struggling to increase the variety of their products, there’s still no competition in matters of flavor and taste. You are limited to brands that touch the capsule market and will be missing out on small manufacturers, special blends, artisanal coffee, etc.

6.提供的咖啡种类不如普通意式浓缩咖啡机丰富

我之前提到过，这点很直观 —— 咖啡胶囊无法复制市面上多种多样的咖啡豆。咖啡豆在全球多个国家种植，品种繁多，烘焙方式各异，还有成百上千，甚至数千家制造商参与加工制作。

此外，咖啡的制作方式、方法与技巧众多，咖啡师还能习得特殊技能。

用咖啡胶囊的话，所见即所得。就像我之前说的，即便各品牌努力增加产品种类，在风味口感上，依旧没什么竞争力。你只能选择涉足胶囊市场的品牌，会错过小众制造商、特色拼配咖啡、手工咖啡等等。

Source: Pixabay 图源：Pixabay

7. They aren't as fresh as they claim to be

Coffee pods, bags, and capsules contain pre-ground coffee. That in itself proves that the coffee won’t be as fresh as when it’s prepared from beans that you grind on the spot. Moreover, capsules have a long shelf life, which means that the coffee you drink today might have been ground and packaged months, perhaps a year prior.

You can argue that it’s the same with using regular pre-ground coffee, and you’d be right. At least with capsules, the coffee is packaged individually. Again, how you see this aspect depends on how you usually prefer your coffee.

7.并不像宣称的那样新鲜

咖啡胶囊、咖啡包和咖啡囊里装的都是预先研磨好的咖啡粉。这本身就说明，这种咖啡不会像用现磨咖啡豆制作出来的那么新鲜。而且，咖啡胶囊保质期长，这意味着你今天喝到的咖啡，可能几个月前，甚至一年前就已经研磨包装好了。

你可能会说，普通预磨咖啡也是如此，这话没错。但至少胶囊咖啡是独立包装的。同样，你如何看待这一点，取决于你平时偏好的喝咖啡方式。

8. There is a single brew setting for all types of beverages

What is a convenience on one side, becomes a disadvantage on the other. Because they’re designed to work fast and simple, the great majority of single-serve coffee makers one feature one single setting.

The real drawback is that whether you want to drink an espresso or a latte macchiato, the machine will use the same extraction method, the same pressure, and the same water temperature. What’s more, with many machines, including most popular ones like Nescafe, or Nespresso, you also have to figure out when to stop the machine from pushing water through the capsule, and avoid making your coffee too strong or too diluted.

For specialties like latte or cappuccino, the capsules already contain milk powder for the foamy froth. It’s good, but it’s not the same as freshly frothed milk.

8.所有饮品均采用单一冲泡设置

一方面是便利，另一方面却成了劣势。由于设计初衷是快速简便，绝大多数单杯咖啡机都只有一个单一设置。

真正的缺点在于，无论你是想喝意式浓缩咖啡，还是拿铁玛奇朵，咖啡机都会用同样的萃取方法、同样的压力和同样的水温。而且，许多咖啡机，包括像雀巢（Nescafe）、雀巢奈斯派索这类热门品牌，你还得自己判断什么时候停止让咖啡机往胶囊里注水，以免咖啡太浓或太淡。

对于拿铁、卡布奇诺这类特色咖啡，胶囊里已经含有用于打出奶泡的奶粉。虽说还不错，但和新鲜打发的牛奶还是不一样。

Source: Ponce Photography via Pixabay 图源：Ponce Photography，经 Pixabay 授权

Take it or leave it

This is about all that you can learn about coffee pods in one go. These characteristics will help you determine whether pod coffee is for you, or if you still prefer more traditional methods like using the kettle, percolator, drip-style, or espresso maker.

Remember, these are the most important aspects you need to keep in mind: time availability, quality expectations, need for variety, convenience, and your honest level of passion for coffee.

If you’re in a hurry and need pretty good cup of coffee a pod espresso machine like the Nespresso OriginalLine pod machine serves a purpose.

I’d love to hear whether you still have any questions about coffee pods. Do you like them, or not? If so, how did you decide on a favorite brand?

接受还是拒绝

一下子能了解到的关于咖啡胶囊的信息大致就这么多了。这些特点能帮你判断咖啡胶囊是否适合自己，还是说你依旧更喜爱用壶、渗滤式咖啡机、滴漏式咖啡机或者意式浓缩咖啡机这类更传统的方式。

记住，以下是你需要牢记的几个关键方面：时间是否充裕、对品质的期望、对咖啡种类的需求、便利性，以及你对咖啡由衷的热爱程度。

要是你赶时间，又想快速喝上一杯不错的咖啡，像雀巢奈斯派索 OriginalLine 胶囊咖啡机这类产品就能派上用场。

要是你对咖啡胶囊还有疑问，我很乐意听听。你喜爱咖啡胶囊吗？如果喜爱，又是如何选定心仪品牌的呢？

参考：
https://www.dailycoffee.co/the-pros-and-cons-of-using-coffee-pods/

参考译文及笔记：英语老师弗雷德人工手打

转发请标注英文作者，中文翻译者及出处。

英语老师弗雷德践行英语教与学三十年，曾在中国，美国，加拿大多地中小学校任教：上传英语学习笔记，下载文化交际热点；左顾娱乐百相人生，右盼生活五味杂陈。只发布原创首发头条，敬请支持关注！