9 Biodegradable K-Cusp To Enjoy Your Coffee Without Guilt

You may not know this, but drinking coffee with regular pods is actually one of the biggest sources of single-use plastic products. Millions of them are ending up at landfills every day, making the pollution challenge the world is facing even harder to tackle.

If you still don’t believe that a simple product like that can be so dangerous to the environment, the information below will point out how harmful regular coffee pods are and what you can do with biodegradable K-cups.

Are Regular K-cups Eco-friendly?

Unfortunately, the answer is no with those plastic K-cups that you usually find on the market. With millions of them being checked away each day, it’s impossible to deny that K-cups are one of the biggest sources of single-use plastic waste.

If you find it hard to imagine how huge this amount is, there is a study that claims the daily use of K-cups of humans can cover the surface of the Earth 10 times. It is a shocking thing to think of, right?

But it doesn’t stop there as these pods don’t break down easily, and even when they do, there are still a lot of harmful chemicals left behind. So what’s the best solution here?

The rule of sustainability is to reduce, reuse, and recycle. And if you still have to throw waste away, it’d be better for the environment if this waste is compostable. Like other products, manufacturers have started to make biodegradable K-cups that you can use for this purpose. Even though most of them are not compatible with garden compost bins, they can still be composted at commercial facilities.

How To Choose Biodegradable K-cups

If you are ready to switch to more eco-friendly coffee pods but don’t know exactly where to start, consider these things before making a purchase.

Price

As many of us have a habit of drinking a cup of coffee every morning before rushing to work, the price of those coffee pods is actually more important than you might think. The cost of K-cups will add up quickly, especially when you have some family members also enjoying this leisure.

To save as much money as possible, you should buy the large pack that comes with many pods. Many companies also offer the option of a subscription that will send a specific amount of coffee to your house in each period of time (usually 1 or 2 months.) This is a great way to cut down the cost as long as you like the product.

Freshness

If the seal of the pods hasn’t been tightened, the final freshness of the blend will be ruined. Make sure to check the overall packaging of the K-cups when you receive it and make a return request if needed.

Flavor

Biodegradable K-cups are not different from regular plastic pods in terms of flavors. They all provide various flavors, from light roast to medium roast, decaf, and strong. Don’t worry about this as environmentally friendly companies still give you a huge variety of options, so all of us can enjoy their favorite flavor like usual.

Compatibility

This is extremely important. Make sure that the coffee pods you intend to buy are compatible with the brewers you are using at home. Some of them can be used with multiple machines, while others only work with a single type of brewer like Keurig 2.0.

Best Biodegradable K-cups Reviews

SF Bay Coffee Breakfast Blend 80 Ct Medium Roast Compostable Coffee Pods Coffee K-cups

This is a coffee company under the Rogers family that, according to its stated mission, uses rich-flavor Arabica beans to produce perfect coffee blends.

It offers 6 flavors, including Breakfast Blend, Donut Shop, Organic Rainforest, Colombian Supremo, Jamaican Blue Mountain, and Kona Blend, in which the Breakfast Blend is the most popular.

San Francisco Bay also allows you to choose between 12, 36, or 80 counts, for both one-time purchases and subscription. You can use these K-cups with almost every single-serve brewer, including the Keurig 2.0, making them a great option for convenient and delicious cups of coffee.

But you must keep in mind that these biodegradable K-cups can’t be composted in your garden pile. Instead, you must dispose of them into commercially composting facilities.

On top of that, although San Francisco Bay offers a wide range of flavors, they seem to be a little weak for many people. But this is totally up to you as not everyone loves extremely strong coffee, and these pods still taste good after all.

Cameron’s Coffee Single Serve Pods, Kona Blend

Even though Cameron’s Coffee has a huge variety of flavors you can choose from, the Kona Blend is what makes these pods stand out from other competitors.

To be called true Kona Blend, the coffee must be made from the best coffee beans from Hawaii, and that’s also how these Cameron’s Coffee pods are made. As a result, you will enjoy a distinct taste that other regions can hardly offer.

You are free to choose between 12 to 128 counts, and all the pods are biodegradable. They use real coffee filters, not the plastic ones you often see on inexpensive products. But they should only be disposed to industrial composting facilities, which don’t exist in some communities.

This Kona Blend is strongly flavorful with a smooth and rich taste while the Hawaiian coffee beans give it a hint of chocolate nuts and undertones, producing high-quality cups of coffee for your morning rush.

The best part about this blend is that Cameron’s Coffee has tried to cut down the sugar in it and use the chocolate undertones to sweeten it instead. However, these K-cups are only compatible with Keurig 2.0.

Tayst Decaf Coffee Pods 100% Compostable Keurig K-Cup compatible

A list of coffee pods is not complete until it has at least a decaf flavor in it. If you love the taste of a cup of coffee but prefer not to consume any caffeine, these Tayst Decaf K-cups are for you.

Even though Tayst provides no subscription option, there is a pack of 240 counts available, which should be enough for several months.

All the containers of these pods are completely biodegradable with no plastic waste. They have even been certified as environmentally friendly by Rainforest Alliance – an organization that provides certifications on sustainable products.

On top of the decaf option, Tayst also offers many other flavors, including a variety pack that comes with a mix of everything. This is a great way to discover your next favorite blend in an eco-friendly way. Just remember that they only work with Keurig 2.0.

The Organic Coffee Co. Gorilla Decaf

This is another great decaffeinated blend, but this time around, it comes from The Organic Coffee company – another company under the Rogers family. You have two options, 12 or 36 counts, on each purchase, which consists of water processed, medium-light decaf coffee.

These K-cups are compatible with single-serve brewers, including Keurig 2.0 – a handy feature for coffee lovers. The pods are 100% compostable thanks to the paper lid, mesh filter, and other parts that are made from plant-based materials.

This blend uses only Arabica coffee beans and is certified as an organic product by USDA. Even though it’s a decaf version, the flavor is not too weak with delicious taste. It has a light, smooth roast with no bitterness.

Faro Roasting House Single Serve Compostable, Variety Pack

If you want to try new blends beside your favorite one, check out this variety pack from Faro Roasting House.

Each pack like this comes with 60 counts and 12 flavors, giving you various distinctive and interesting tastes. From the Colombian Dark blend that has an intense taste to the French flavor with its fruity aftertaste, this pack is certainly a unique drinking experience for each morning.

These single-serve pods are biodegradable, but this doesn’t mean you can put them on your garden compost bin. They are supposed to be composted only at commercial facilities.

The Faro Roasting House K-cups are compatible with Keurig brewers, even though you may face problems with older machines.

GloryBrew Compostable Coffee Pods for Keurig K Cup Brewers

GloryBrew takes sustainability very seriously as it has managed to achieve certifications from both Biodegradable Products Institute and Rainforest Alliance. With bio-based materials, all the pods are fully compostable and give nutrients back into the oil when they break down. GloryBrew claims that this process takes as little as 8 weeks.

With the carefully selected coffee beans, it isn’t a surprise that you can enjoy a cup of coffee with premium aroma and flavor with GloryBrew.

Ethical Bean Fair Trade Organic Coffee Pods

As the name suggests, this company surely makes serious commitments to the cause of protecting the environment with eco-friendly products. The pods are made from compostable materials, which has been certified as being organic and fair trade.

Each pack contains 6 to 72 pods that you can choose from 4 different flavors: Classic, Lush, French Toast, and SuperDark.

Another great point of these sustainable products is the ability to trace them as each bag is equipped with a unique QR code that you can use the mobile from Ethical Bean Coffee to know where the beans come from. But at the same time, we also wish that the company could use less packaging or pack a larger quantity into each bag.

These pods will work great with your Keurig machine and make smooth, dark coffee with no bitterness. If you prefer strong coffee, this is our recommendation.

OneCoffee Organic Breakfast Blend Single Serve Coffee 100% Compostable K-Cup

The coffee used to make these K-cups have been certified by USDA Organic with South American beans. As a result, you can have a strong cup of coffee with a vibrant flavor without being overwhelming.

These pods will leave a smooth and well-balanced taste on your mouth. However, many customers still wish they could have a bit more of “richness.”

Just make sure that you have a Keurig 2.0 machine as the OneCoffee Organic pods are not compatible with Keurig Vue, Tassimo, or other types of single-serve brewers.

Oakland Coffee Works Fourth Wave Blend Organic Coffee

With certifications from BPI and Vincotte, this is another excellent choice if you want your coffee pods to also be compostable and reduce the amount of plastic going into the environment.

However, Oakland Coffee has explicitly said that these pods are not compatible with home composting, and you should take them to commercial facilities instead.

You will be pleasantly surprised when finding out that these K-cups work great without sugar or cream. And it’s always a great sign of quality when coffee can stand on its own like that.

Wrapping Up

As you can see, biodegradable K-cups will make no big change in the way you enjoy your coffee. You can use your brewer and enjoy your favorite flavor while also lending a hand to reduce the plastic introduced into the environment.