Lavazza's shiny pod coffee machine, the Tablí, solves the biggest problem with single-serve coffee: excess waste. Now available via John Lewis for £133 (down from £199.99) this machine is the first of its kind on the UK market to feature no casing and no waste – just 100% coffee within a clever pressed tab.
I tried this machine out at Lavazza's pop-up in central London to see this new technology for myself. I went in sceptical but came away impressed by every detail I learned about this new coffee system.
If you're a lover of the best pod coffee machines but keen to cut out the waste that comes with the process, I think the Tablí is bound to impress. Here's why.
Available in black, brown or white this sleek machine is tailor-made for Lavazza's clever new no-waste pods. If you want to stock up on pods, Lavazza is running a fabulous bundle deal that features four signature blends and the machine for £150.
As Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor, I've reviewed a lot of pod coffee machines over the last five years. One complaint consumers often have about this type of machine altogether is the hassle of getting rid of empty pods.
While there's more availability to recycle them now (thanks to schemes like Podback), Lavazza's aim was in creating this machine was taking the responsibility out of the hands of the customer and instead making something that doesn't have any waste parts to be discarded of at all.
That's where the star of the show, the clever Tablí tabs, come in. Each one is made with 100% pure coffee, according to the brand, and yet has somehow been formulated into a slim, robust puck that acts like a normal pod once its inside your machine.
Once your coffee has dispensed, what you'll have left at the end of the process is just coffee grounds – no other waste. These can be disposed of via your usual food waste bin, compost bin or onto your plants that love coffee grounds to promote their growth.
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I think this genuinely faff-free process will be of huge appeal to anyone who is looking to upgrade their existing pod machine. I've tried a few Lavazza machines before – I think the Desea might be the perfect entry-level coffee machine – and the coffee quality itself is stand out too.
These new pods – or tabs as you should really call them – are presented in gorgeous new packaging (which you can see via the Lavazza website), with an array of blends available.
Of course, given that this is a system that hasn't been done before, if you do decide to invest you'll be locked into this specific system. Lavazza's subscription system is pretty inviting, with options that vary depending on how much coffee you drink, but it's not as easy as just picking up any old Nespresso-compatible pods in the supermarket.
If you're a person who cares about cutting down on pod waste however, or would value the 100% coffee taste that comes with these clever tabs, then a subscription might be a small price to pay for an upgraded everyday experience.
The tagline for the Tablí is 'the future is 100% coffee'. And given how well thought out and executed the system seems to be, it's easy to imagine this being a much-imitated new machine. Could you be swayed to switch to the Tablí?