I guess nowadays most of us either have a capsule coffee machine of some sort at home or are considering buying one. Single-serve coffee machines are easy to use and claim to produce quality coffee in less than a minute. There is a large amount of different types of capsules to choose from and you do not have to worry about proportions of milk, coffee and sugar, since the capsule already contains all you need for a single cup of your favourite drink. However, whether or not there are any noticeable differences in the taste between capsule coffee and standard brewed coffee, there might be some health differences.
We all know about health benefits of coffee: research has shown that moderate consumption of coffee (i.e. 3–5 cups of coffee a day) decreases risk of heart failure and stroke. For many people coffee is also associated with morning routines – it helps us to wake up and prepare for the day. These beneficial effects are due to antioxidants and caffeine contained in coffee beans. Standard drip coffee tends to be the most caffeine rich, since the amount of caffeine released depends on the brew cycle: the longer the cycle, the more caffeine is released. However, pod coffee may contain large amounts of caffeine as well, since the grounds are condensed directly beneath the water source. The key factors affecting the caffeine content of coffee are (according to Healthline):
- Roasting (lighter roasts have more caffeine than darker roasts)
- Type of coffee (brewed coffee, espresso, instant coffee and decaf coffee)
- Type of coffee beans (the amount of caffeine varies depending on the type of beans)
Another important compound of coffee which may affect our health are diterpenes, substances found in the coffee oil. There is evidence that this compound can increase the bad kind of cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol). In standard brewed coffee the levels of diterpenes are low, since these compounds are largely retained in the paper filter. Usually pods are lined with a paper filter, which means that they have the same benefits as other types of filtered coffee.
It seems like the main concern related to pod coffee is plastic used in pod packaging. There are different opinions about health risks posed by plastic, but there is no clear evidence that coffee capsules containing plastic might be dangerous to use.