“Plant-based“ means that our coffee capsules are made from the by-product of the sugar industry, namely sugar cane and sugar beets. Importantly, they are NOT a PRIMARY FOOD SOURCE, like some other similar products made from other beets or corn.

They are “compostable“, meaning that the capsules are industrially compostable in a controlled facility.

The capsule material is 100% non-plastic (not from fossil fuels), 100% non-aluminium (non metallic), 100% non-toxic emissions in their production. So, 100% sustainable!. Specifically, our coffee capsules are made from the waste production of the sugar industry, specifically sugar cane and sugar beets.

Yes, all of our plant-based compostable capsules are fully compatible with the original line Nespresso™ machines for the home. However, they cannot be used in built-in machines like Miele, Gaggia, Saeco and Siemens, nor in machines with a capsule holder. They are not suitable for the Vertuo system either.

*Disclaimer: All Jones Brothers Coffee Capsules are compatible with the original line Nespresso™ capsule machines. But in no way is Jones Brothers Coffee affiliated to or licensed by Nespresso™. Nespresso™ is owned by Société de produits de Nestlé SA.

Simply put - No. From the minute our coffee beans are roasted, to when it is ground and packed into our capsules, it hardly comes into contact with oxygen, the so-called “coffee-killer”. Our coffee beans are roasted and packed in an oxygen-free environment. Then at the capsule-filling plant, we use a system called ‘nitrogen flushing’ to make sure that no oxygen can get close to our beloved coffee after it’s ground. After the coffee is packed inside the capsules, it is protected from oxygen by what we call our “Stay Fresh Technology”, a complete barrier to oxygen.

All of this effort is to ensure that the final coffee in your cup is as fresh and delicious as it can possibly be.

This is a technology in the material of the capsule that keeps the coffee inside the capsule fresher by creating a complete barrier to oxygen entering the capsule after it is sealed. Oxygen ‘kills’ coffee so we need to ‘protect’ our precious ground coffee. Fresh coffee just tastes better, right!

For the moment, we recommend disposing of our capsules in the regular bin. This is because there is currently no infrastructure in place in Europe to direct PLA materials from consumers homes to industrial composting facilities.

The ‘Green Ring’ describes the circular process of production, use and disposal of our industrially compostable plant-based capsules. The process itself starts when suppliers grow the sugar plants that are used to form the base material of the CAPSULE (Poly Lactic Acid - PLA). The sugar is collected and converted into PLA. This works through a process called microbial fermentation. The PLA is made into pellets, and is then ready to be moulded into a coffee capsule. The capsules are then filled with one of our Organic and Fairtrade coffee blends and packaged in sustainably sourced boxes.

In that sense, the lifecycle of one of our coffee capsules is circular: it starts life in a field, and ends in one too!

1. Our capsules are made from plants!
2. All of our coffees are fully certified and sustainable.
3. We use 70% less packaging than before, which is better for the environment and better for everyone.

We believe that everyone should contribute to preserving our planet. These industrailly compostable capsules are a start.

A Rainforest Alliance certification is good because it promotes better farm management, not only for agriculture, but also for farmers - that in turn gives more efficient production and better sustainability. It also audits the Roastery to ensure good production management and tracability of the product all the way from crop to cup. We like it because we think it is fair and it focusses on improving quality, not just about manipulating the market price like other better known certifications. Read more about Rainforest Alliance [here]

Well, after we have stopped crying, we will gladly either exchange what you bought for another variety, just tell us why you didn’t like it, or we’ll send you a refund, no questions asked.

First, tell your friends, then like or share us on Facebook, or send your best buddies a bag of coffee as a gift! Go order beans or capsules.

Try our blog at www.jonesbrotherscoffee.com/en/blog. It's really good and full of interesting stuff to read!

Er... no it’s not from Arabia, although a lot of people do think that! It describes a particular variety of coffee bean which is generally grown higher above sea level, mostly above 1800ft, where the altitude, the climate and the ground conditions work in harmony to create a better quality, smoother tasting bean. That’s why we like it. It is more expensive than its lowland cousin, the Robusta bean, which sits in the shade a bit more, all bitter and sad... and not tasting that great.

So check all your coffee in the future and ask only for 100% Arabica coffee!

It’s a good question, but we think we are going to let our Founder, Richard Jones answer this one:

"Imagine an espresso shot as a filter coffee under a microscope - everything is hugely magnified… the body is thicker and heavier, and all the flavours, all the acids and sugars are now much much more intense. The job of our Roastmaster is to find the most sympathetic roast profile to the bean and to the espresso too. Alternatively, with a filter brewed coffee – it works from mere gravity rather than high pressured water – so the coffee has a lighter, less syrupy feel to it and the flavours are much less magnified – so I have to find a roast profile that can really showcase all the coffee's flavour in a filter brew..."

It generally refers to how the beans have been roasted, to what temperature and over what time. The longer the time and the higher the temperature, the darker the bean and the stronger, more acidic the taste you get at the end. We all like our coffees different ways, so the roast strength is a good indicator of where to start when thinking about what to buy.

All Roastmasters will tell you the same thing: a lifetime of coffee passion and obsession that verges on being weird! You asked!