{
  "id": "single-serve-beyond-capsules",
  "url": "https://coffearium.org/entries/single-serve-beyond-capsules/",
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "title": "Single-serve beyond capsules",
  "summary": "The other ways to brew one cup from a pre-measured dose – paper espresso pods, soft pads for pad machines, drip bags hung on the cup and coffee bags steeped like tea – how each is built and what the few studies measured.",
  "domain": "extraction",
  "kind": "Method",
  "stage": "brew",
  "topics": [
    "equipment"
  ],
  "topicSections": {},
  "lang": "en",
  "status": "verified",
  "reviewer": "Coffearium verification pass",
  "lastVerified": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z",
  "literatureSearched": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z",
  "updated": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z",
  "added": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z",
  "brief": [
    "An E.S.E. (Easy Serving Espresso) pod is ground coffee pressed between two layers of filter paper, about 7 g by the consortium’s account; one weighed 44 mm pod held 7.23 g.<sup><a href=\"#src-s2\">2</a>,<a href=\"#src-s1\">1</a></sup>",
    "Soft pads are filter-paper pouches brewed in a holder; one patent describes a pouch about 74 mm wide, another gives 0.7 bar as an example water supply pressure.<sup><a href=\"#src-s5\">5</a>,<a href=\"#src-s6\">6</a></sup>",
    "Drip bags hook over the cup rim and are filled by pouring; coffee bags are steeped in the cup like tea bags.<sup><a href=\"#src-s8\">8</a>,<a href=\"#src-s9\">9</a></sup>",
    "In 30 Dutch pad samples, pad coffee held 0.76 mg/L of the diterpene cafestol, as much as filtered coffee in that study; unfiltered coffee held 72.5 mg/L.<sup><a href=\"#src-s7\">7</a></sup>",
    "A 2021 carbon footprint study found 18.5 g CO₂e for a 40 mL pod cup, against 10 g for a capsule cup; packaging was the largest share.<sup><a href=\"#src-s1\">1</a></sup>"
  ],
  "quickFacts": [
    {
      "label": "Formats",
      "value": "Paper espresso pod, soft pad, drip bag, coffee bag"
    },
    {
      "label": "E.S.E. pod",
      "value": "≈7 g of pressed coffee in filter paper (consortium); one 44 mm pod weighed 7.23 g"
    },
    {
      "label": "Soft pad",
      "value": "Filter-paper pouch ≈74 mm, coffee bed ≈61 mm (one patent)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Drip bag",
      "value": "Filter bag with hook parts over the cup rim; water poured in"
    },
    {
      "label": "Coffee bag",
      "value": "Sealed paper bag held in hot water, 50 or 60 s in one patent"
    },
    {
      "label": "Extraction data",
      "value": "Few; none consulted for drip bags or coffee bags"
    }
  ],
  "aka": [
    "Coffee pods",
    "Coffee pads",
    "E.S.E. pods"
  ],
  "linkTerms": [
    "E.S.E.",
    "ESE pod",
    "Easy Serving Espresso",
    "paper pod",
    "coffee pod",
    "coffee pad",
    "soft pad",
    "pad machine",
    "drip bag",
    "drip coffee bag",
    "coffee bag",
    "steeped coffee bag"
  ],
  "related": [
    "coffee-capsules",
    "how-capsules-are-made",
    "capsules-and-the-environment",
    "brew-methods",
    "espresso",
    "packaging",
    "coffee-oil",
    "brew-temperature",
    "pour-over-technique",
    "carbon-footprint-of-coffee",
    "extraction-yield-and-tds"
  ],
  "contested": [
    "Cafestol in paper-filtered coffee: a 2006 Dutch study found 0.76 mg/L in filtered coffee and in pad coffee;<sup><a href=\"#src-s7\">7</a></sup> a 2025 Swedish study found a median of about 12 mg/L (range 4–24) in home-brewed paper-filtered drip coffee.<sup><a href=\"#src-s15\">15</a></sup> Coffees, brewers and laboratories differed."
  ],
  "corrections": [
    {
      "date": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z",
      "change": "0.7 bar in the soft-pad patent narrowed to the example pressure of the hot water fed to the holder inlet.",
      "reason": "US 9,714,136 gives it as the supply pressure at the lid's water inlet, not a brewing pressure."
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z",
      "change": "The 44 mm pod size narrowed to the pods of one study; the E.S.E. 7 g figure attributed to the consortium.",
      "reason": "Cibelli et al. describe the pods they used; the consortium page gives no diameter."
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z",
      "change": "Revocation of EP 0 904 717 dated (30 August 2006) and sourced.",
      "reason": "EPO Board of Appeal decision T 0452/05 revoked the patent."
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z",
      "change": "Unsourced sentence on cafestol in paper-filtered coffee replaced by the 2025 Swedish values and listed as contested beside the 2006 Dutch values.",
      "reason": "Orrje et al. 2025 found a median of about 12 mg/L in paper-filtered drip coffee, far above the 0.76 mg/L of Boekschoten et al. 2006."
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z",
      "change": "Drip-bag hook parts and fabric filters narrowed; soft pads no longer called low-pressure.",
      "reason": "US 10,246,252 names paper or plastic sheet for the hooks and lists fabrics among possible filter materials; no source called pad brewing low-pressure."
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "s1",
      "title": "Carbon footprint of different coffee brewing methods",
      "authors": "Cibelli, M.; Cimini, A.; Moresi, M.",
      "year": 2021,
      "publisher": "Chemical Engineering Transactions 87, 373–378",
      "url": "https://aidic.it/cet/21/87/063.pdf",
      "doi": "10.3303/CET2187063",
      "tier": "A",
      "quote": "Package B was a heat-sealable paper filter (0.180±0.002 g) gathering 7.23±0.02 g of ground coffee.",
      "quotes": [
        {
          "text": "Easy Serving Espresso pods (Package B)",
          "for": "pod format; the same sentence gives 44 mm (split by a line-break hyphen in the PDF)"
        },
        {
          "text": "The resulting coffee pad was wrapped in a PE-Al-PET pouch (1.51±0.01 g).",
          "for": "pouch around each pod"
        },
        {
          "text": "the average serving time was 30 s or 25 s, respectively",
          "for": "serving time of the pod machine"
        },
        {
          "text": "The production of one 40-mL coffee cup with the induction Moka pot gave rise to as low as 8 g CO2e, these emissions being about 18% or 56% lower than those resulting from the use of a coffee capsule (10 g CO2e) or pod (18.5 g CO2e) coffee machine.",
          "for": "carbon footprint per 40 mL cup"
        },
        {
          "text": "the primary hotspot was the production of packaging materials (51.6 vs. 55.3%)",
          "for": "packaging as main hotspot"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "claim": "finding",
        "context": "Carbon footprint (cradle to grave without coffee production, roasting and grinding) of one 40 mL cup; one pod machine, one capsule machine, one induction moka pot; Italy; masses measured.",
        "checked": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "accessed": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "s2",
      "title": "The E.S.E. standard",
      "authors": "E.S.E. Consortium",
      "publisher": "E.S.E. Consortium (website)",
      "url": "http://www.eseconsortium.com/eng/",
      "tier": "B",
      "tierNote": "Description of its own standard by the body that maintains it; the full specification text was not consulted, so it is cited as B",
      "quote": "pressed and hermetically sealed between two fine layers of filter paper",
      "quotes": [
        {
          "text": "it consists of about 7 grammes of coffee and 0.2 grammes of paper",
          "for": "dose and paper per serving"
        },
        {
          "text": "an extraction chamber with a specially designed geometrical shape",
          "for": "machine requirement"
        },
        {
          "text": "such as the temperature and the pressure of the water used",
          "for": "machine parameters checked"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "claim": "description",
        "context": "Consortium web page summarising the E.S.E. standard for pods and machines; no numbers for dimensions, temperature or pressure.",
        "checked": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "accessed": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "s3",
      "title": "Espresso coffee machine for brewing coffee from coffee pods (European Patent EP 0 041 657 B1)",
      "authors": "Illy, E. (proprietor ILLYCAFFE S.p.A.)",
      "year": 1985,
      "publisher": "European Patent Office; Italian priority 10 June 1980, filed 28 May 1981, granted 16 January 1985",
      "url": "https://data.epo.org/publication-server/rest/v1.2/patents/EP0041657NWB1/document.html",
      "tier": "A",
      "tierNote": "A for how the machine and pods are built and for the dates; never for performance",
      "quote": "which may be compressed and is contained in a water-permeable cover.",
      "quotes": [
        {
          "text": "Such pods are known from the prior art and are essentially small quantities of powdered or granulated coffee bean material,",
          "for": "pods described as known before 1980"
        },
        {
          "text": "In the present instance this cover is a tape 2 of filter cloth, filter paper or the like,",
          "for": "filter-paper cover"
        },
        {
          "text": "passing a substantially higher quantity of hot water, e.g. about 120 cm3,",
          "for": "water for a weak coffee"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "claim": "description",
        "context": "European patent specification for a pod espresso machine with two pumps (espresso about 40 cm³, weak coffee about 120 cm³ through the same pod).",
        "checked": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "accessed": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "s4",
      "title": "Package of ground coffee of the prefilled tablet type and espresso coffee machine using such a package (US Patent 5,776,527)",
      "authors": "Blanc, J. P. (assignee Compagnie Méditerranéenne des Cafés SA)",
      "year": 1998,
      "publisher": "United States Patent and Trademark Office; French priority 6 September 1993, international (PCT) filing 5 September 1994, granted 7 July 1998",
      "url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US5776527",
      "tier": "A",
      "tierNote": "A for how the package and machine are built and for the dates; never for performance",
      "quote": "the tablet, the small quantity or the prefilled bag 1 is constituted by filter paper 3 which encloses the ground coffee 4",
      "quotes": [
        {
          "text": "the tablet or the like 1 forming a sealing edge 5 about its periphery",
          "for": "sealed edge of the pod"
        },
        {
          "text": "Similarly, the rings are made of cardboard.",
          "for": "cardboard rings on the sealing edge"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "claim": "description",
        "context": "US patent for a filter-paper coffee tablet with a stiffened sealing edge and an espresso machine that clamps it.",
        "checked": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "accessed": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "s5",
      "title": "Assembly for use in a coffee machine for preparing coffee, container and pouch of said assembly (European Patent EP 0 904 717 B1)",
      "authors": "Dijs, D. A. J. (proprietor Sara Lee/DE N.V.)",
      "year": 2001,
      "publisher": "European Patent Office; priority 30 September 1997, filed 30 September 1998, granted 11 July 2001 (revoked on appeal, 30 August 2006)",
      "url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/EP0904717B1/en",
      "tier": "A",
      "tierNote": "A for how the pad and holder are built and for the dates; never for performance",
      "quote": "the diameter of the pouch is also approximately equal to 74 mm",
      "quotes": [
        {
          "text": "pill-shaped pouch manufactured from filtering paper and filled with ground coffee",
          "for": "pad as a filter-paper pouch"
        },
        {
          "text": "the diameter of a coffee bed formed in the pouch is in that case approximately equal to 61 mm",
          "for": "diameter of the coffee bed"
        },
        {
          "text": "hot water is fed under pressure to a top side of the container",
          "for": "water fed under pressure"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "claim": "description",
        "context": "European patent for a pad holder (container) with grooves in its bottom and a filter-paper pouch of ground coffee; revoked on appeal in 2006 (T 0452/05); no pressure value or dose given.",
        "checked": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "accessed": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "s6",
      "title": "Pad and assembly of a holder and such a pad (US Patent 9,714,136 B2)",
      "authors": "Koeling, H. C.; Brouwer, G. F. (assignee Koninklijke Douwe Egberts B.V.)",
      "year": 2017,
      "publisher": "United States Patent and Trademark Office; priority 28 April 2004, filed 28 August 2012, granted 25 July 2017",
      "url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US9714136",
      "tier": "A",
      "tierNote": "A for how the pad and holder are built and for the dates; never for performance",
      "quote": "The pressure may for instance be 0.7 bar.",
      "quotes": [
        {
          "text": "The pad is provided with a preferably flexible bottom sheet 4 and a preferably flexible top sheet 6.",
          "for": "two flexible sheets"
        },
        {
          "text": "In the bottom 18, at least one outflow opening 22 is provided.",
          "for": "outflow opening in the holder"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "claim": "description",
        "context": "US patent for a soft pad and its holder; 0.7 bar is an example pressure of the hot water fed to the lid's water inlet, not a measured brewing pressure.",
        "checked": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "accessed": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "s7",
      "title": "Negligible amounts of cholesterol-raising diterpenes in coffee made with coffee pads in comparison with unfiltered coffee (Verwaarloosbare hoeveelheden cholesterolverhogende diterpenen in koffie bereid met koffiepads, vergeleken met ongefilterde koffie)",
      "authors": "Boekschoten, M. V.; van Cruchten, S. T. J.; Kosmeijer-Schuil, J. G.; Katan, M. B.",
      "year": 2006,
      "publisher": "Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde 150(52), 2873–2875",
      "url": "https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/verwaarloosbare-hoeveelheden-cholesterolverhogende-diterpenen-in-/",
      "tier": "A",
      "tierNote": "Short original report with a structured abstract (design, methods, results) in a peer-reviewed journal, indexed in PubMed; the Wageningen record files it as Comment/Letter to the editor; cited as A for its own measurements",
      "quote": "Unfiltered coffee contained 72.5 mg/l cafestol (95% CI: 48.5-96.4) and 71.5 mg/l kahweol (95% CI: 45.0-98.1).",
      "quotes": [
        {
          "text": "Filtered coffee contained 0.76 mg/l cafestol (95% CI: 0.63-0.88) and 0.81 mg/l kahweol (95% CI: 0.63-0.99).",
          "for": "filtered coffee"
        },
        {
          "text": "of diterpenes comparable to those of filtered coffee.",
          "for": "pad coffee comparable to filtered coffee"
        }
      ],
      "abstractOnly": true,
      "scope": {
        "claim": "finding",
        "context": "30 samples of coffee pads bought in three supermarkets in each of five Dutch cities, brewed in a pad machine; gas chromatography; abstract only.",
        "checked": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "accessed": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "s8",
      "title": "Drip bag (US Patent 10,246,252 B2)",
      "authors": "Saitoh, M.; Miyawaki, A. (assignee Ohki Co., Ltd.)",
      "year": 2019,
      "publisher": "United States Patent and Trademark Office; Japanese priority 11 December 2012, filed 11 December 2013, granted 2 April 2019",
      "url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US10246252",
      "tier": "A",
      "tierNote": "A for how the bag is built and for the dates; never for performance",
      "quote": "the hook parts 11 are hooked on a cup 200 as shown in FIG. 3A.",
      "quotes": [
        {
          "text": "the water permeable filtering sheet 20 is provided in advance with the opening guide line 4 such as perforations as an opening line for ease of opening.",
          "for": "perforated opening line"
        },
        {
          "text": "now available is a drip bag in a simple structure that can be manufactured at low costs.",
          "for": "drip bags already on the market"
        },
        {
          "text": "It is thus facilitated to pour hot water into the bag body 2.",
          "for": "hot water poured into the bag"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "claim": "description",
        "context": "US patent for a single-cup drip bag with hook parts; names earlier Japanese patents for paper-plate hooks.",
        "checked": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "accessed": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "s9",
      "title": "Coffee bag (US Patent 3,607,302)",
      "authors": "Beck, R. C.",
      "year": 1971,
      "publisher": "United States Patent Office; filed 16 December 1969, granted 21 September 1971",
      "url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US3607302A/en",
      "tier": "A",
      "tierNote": "A for how the bag is built and for the dates; never for performance",
      "quote": "a porous paper envelop containing a premeasured amount of ground coffee beans",
      "quotes": [
        {
          "text": "the filled bag is held in a cup of boiling or very hot water for a period of 50 or 60 seconds",
          "for": "steeping time in the patent"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "claim": "description",
        "context": "US patent for a paper coffee bag dipped in a cup of hot water; steeping time is the inventor's instruction, not a measurement.",
        "checked": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "accessed": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "s10",
      "title": "Coffee bags (US Patent 4,746,519)",
      "year": 1988,
      "publisher": "United States Patent and Trademark Office; filed 22 December 1986, published 24 May 1988",
      "url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US4746519",
      "tier": "A",
      "tierNote": "A for how the bag is built and for the dates; never for performance",
      "quote": "fabricated out of two sheets of water permeable paper material 18 heat sealed around its perimeter 20",
      "quotes": [
        {
          "text": "a portion of very fine ground coffee 12 for making an individual cup of coffee 14",
          "for": "one portion of fine ground coffee per cup"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "claim": "description",
        "context": "US patent for heat-sealed paper coffee bags, including a cylindrical variant, steeped in a cup of hot water.",
        "checked": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "accessed": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "s11",
      "title": "Espresso coffee (EC) by POD: study of thermal profile during extraction process and influence of water temperature on chemical–physical and sensorial properties",
      "authors": "Albanese, D.; Di Matteo, M.; Poiana, M.; Spagna Musso, S.",
      "year": 2009,
      "publisher": "Food Research International 42, 727–732",
      "url": "https://www.iris.unisa.it/handle/11386/2262535",
      "doi": "10.1016/j.foodres.2009.02.027",
      "tier": "A",
      "quote": "In addition the Tm recorded for each extraction temperature was significantly lower than those set up by the controller.",
      "quotes": [],
      "abstractOnly": true,
      "scope": {
        "claim": "finding",
        "context": "Espresso from five pods (arabica, robusta and three blends) at controller set points of 90, 100 and 110 °C; lab study, Italy; abstract only.",
        "checked": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "accessed": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "s12",
      "title": "Life Cycle Assessment of Compostable Coffee Pods: A US University Based Case Study",
      "authors": "Kooduvalli, K.; Vaidya, U. K.; Ozcan, S.",
      "year": 2020,
      "publisher": "Scientific Reports 10, 9158",
      "url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7280196",
      "doi": "10.1038/s41598-020-65058-1",
      "tier": "A",
      "quote": "Injection-molded polypropylene (PP) coffee pods were used in this study",
      "quotes": [
        {
          "text": "The functional unit is pod packaging that serves an 8 oz. (236.6 ml) serving of coffee",
          "for": "functional unit"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "claim": "description",
        "context": "LCA of pod packaging only (coffee and machine use left out) for one 236.6 mL serving; plastic and PLA-based compostable pods; US university.",
        "checked": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "accessed": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "s13",
      "title": "The Brew – Extracting for Excellence",
      "authors": "Mestdagh, F.; Glabasnia, A.; Giuliano, P.",
      "year": 2017,
      "publisher": "In: Folmer, B. (ed.), The Craft and Science of Coffee, Academic Press, ch. 15, pp. 355–380",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-803520-7.00015-3",
      "doi": "10.1016/B978-0-12-803520-7.00015-3",
      "tier": "B",
      "quote": "Almost all parameters are fixed allowing also very unexperienced users to obtain a very good cup of coffee.",
      "quotes": [
        {
          "text": "In contrast, filter paper is very efficiently absorbing oil and the corresponding brews are low in fat content.",
          "for": "paper retains coffee oil"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "claim": "description",
        "context": "Textbook chapter on brewing; general statement about pod and capsule espresso systems, no study data.",
        "checked": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "accessed": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "s14",
      "title": "Decision T 0452/05 (Coffee pads) of 30 August 2006 on European patent 0 904 717",
      "authors": "EPO Technical Board of Appeal 3.2.04",
      "year": 2006,
      "publisher": "European Patent Office, Boards of Appeal",
      "url": "https://legacy.epo.org/boards-of-appeal/decisions/pdf/t050452eu1.pdf",
      "tier": "A",
      "tierNote": "Official decision of the patent office; cited only for the legal status of the patent",
      "quote": "The European patent is revoked.",
      "quotes": [],
      "scope": {
        "claim": "description",
        "context": "Order of the appeal decision on EP 0 904 717 (proprietor Sara Lee/DE N.V.), 30 August 2006.",
        "checked": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "accessed": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "s15",
      "title": "Cafestol and kahweol concentrations in workplace machine coffee compared with conventional brewing methods",
      "authors": "Orrje, E.; Fristedt, R.; Rosqvist, F.; Landberg, R.; Iggman, D.",
      "year": 2025,
      "publisher": "Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases 35, 103933",
      "url": "https://research.chalmers.se/publication/545621/file/545621_Fulltext.pdf",
      "doi": "10.1016/j.numecd.2025.103933",
      "tier": "A",
      "quote": "12 (4–24) mg/L and 8 (3–19) mg/l for home-brewed, paper-filtered coffees",
      "quotes": [],
      "scope": {
        "claim": "finding",
        "context": "Home drip brews of five medium to dark roast arabica brands (≈7 g per 1 dL) through two kinds of paper filter; Sweden; medians and ranges.",
        "checked": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "accessed": "2026-10-27T00:00:00.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "markdown": "## One cup from a ready dose\n\nSingle-serve formats hold one measured dose of ground coffee, ready to brew. Capsules are the best-known kind and have their own entry. This entry covers four formats that use paper or fabric filters instead of a sealed capsule.<sup><a href=\"#src-s2\">2</a>,<a href=\"#src-s5\">5</a>,<a href=\"#src-s8\">8</a>,<a href=\"#src-s9\">9</a></sup>\n\n- A **paper espresso pod** is a flat disc of pressed coffee sealed in filter paper. It is brewed in an espresso machine.<sup><a href=\"#src-s2\">2</a></sup>\n- A **soft pad** is a larger, flexible paper pouch. It is brewed in a pad machine, with hot water fed under pressure.<sup><a href=\"#src-s5\">5</a>,<a href=\"#src-s6\">6</a></sup>\n- A **drip bag** is a small filter bag that hangs on the rim of the cup. Hot water is poured into it.<sup><a href=\"#src-s8\">8</a></sup>\n- A **coffee bag** is steeped in the cup like a tea bag.<sup><a href=\"#src-s9\">9</a></sup>\n\nSoluble coffee, which dissolves without any filter, is a separate topic.\n\n<figure class=\"iso-fig iso-fig--below\">\n<div data-figure=\"single-serve-beyond-capsules-formats\"></div>\n<p class=\"fig-legend-head\">Four single-serve formats</p>\n<ol class=\"fig-legend\">\n<li data-n=\"1\"><span><b>Sealed paper rim.</b> Two layers of filter paper sealed around the pod.<sup><a href=\"#src-s2\">2</a>,<a href=\"#src-s4\">4</a></sup></span></li>\n<li data-n=\"2\"><span><b>Pressed coffee.</b> About 7 g in an E.S.E. pod; the pods in one study were 44 mm across.<sup><a href=\"#src-s2\">2</a>,<a href=\"#src-s1\">1</a></sup></span></li>\n<li data-n=\"3\"><span><b>Soft pad.</b> Filter-paper pouch about 74 mm across.<sup><a href=\"#src-s5\">5</a></sup></span></li>\n<li data-n=\"4\"><span><b>Pad holder.</b> Holds the pad under the water inlet.<sup><a href=\"#src-s5\">5</a>,<a href=\"#src-s6\">6</a></sup></span></li>\n<li data-n=\"5\"><span><b>Outflow opening.</b> In the bottom of the holder.<sup><a href=\"#src-s6\">6</a></sup></span></li>\n<li data-n=\"6\"><span><b>Filter bag.</b> Opened along a perforated line.<sup><a href=\"#src-s8\">8</a></sup></span></li>\n<li data-n=\"7\"><span><b>Hook parts.</b> Hold the bag on the cup rim.<sup><a href=\"#src-s8\">8</a></sup></span></li>\n<li data-n=\"8\"><span><b>Coffee bag.</b> Sealed paper bag steeped in hot water.<sup><a href=\"#src-s9\">9</a>,<a href=\"#src-s10\">10</a></sup></span></li>\n</ol>\n<figcaption>How the four formats are built, from their patents and the E.S.E. Consortium. Pod and pad drawn in their stated proportions; cups, bags and holder are schematic. Point at a number or a line of the legend to highlight the part. Schematic, not to scale.</figcaption>\n</figure>\n\n## Paper pods for espresso\n\nThe best-known paper pod follows the E.S.E. standard. E.S.E. stands for Easy Serving Espresso. According to the consortium that maintains it, each pod holds about 7 g of coffee pressed between two layers of filter paper.<sup><a href=\"#src-s2\">2</a></sup> One study used such pods, 44 mm across, and weighed 7.23 g of coffee in 0.180 g of paper.<sup><a href=\"#src-s1\">1</a></sup>\n\nThe pod goes into the machine's filter holder in place of loose grounds. The consortium specifies a brewing chamber shaped to fit the pod.<sup><a href=\"#src-s2\">2</a></sup> A coffee science textbook describes pod and capsule espresso as systems in which almost every parameter is fixed in advance.<sup><a href=\"#src-s13\">13</a></sup>\n\nPods are older than the standard. A 1980 patent application for a pod espresso machine calls such pods already known.<sup><a href=\"#src-s3\">3</a></sup>\n\n## Soft pads and pad machines\n\nA soft pad is a flat pouch of filter paper filled with ground coffee.<sup><a href=\"#src-s5\">5</a></sup> It is wider and looser than an espresso pod. A 1997 patent application describes a pouch about 74 mm across.<sup><a href=\"#src-s5\">5</a></sup>\n\nThe pad lies in a holder in the machine. Hot water is pressed onto it from above and runs out through an opening in the bottom of the holder.<sup><a href=\"#src-s5\">5</a>,<a href=\"#src-s6\">6</a></sup> A later patent gives 0.7 bar as an example pressure of the hot water fed to the holder’s inlet.<sup><a href=\"#src-s6\">6</a></sup>\n\n## Drip bags and coffee bags\n\nA drip bag turns a cup into a small pour-over brewer. The filter bag holds a dose of ground coffee. It is torn open along a perforated line, and hook parts, punched from a thin plate such as paper or plastic sheet, hold it on the rim of the cup.<sup><a href=\"#src-s8\">8</a></sup> Hot water is poured into the open bag and drains through it into the cup.<sup><a href=\"#src-s8\">8</a></sup>\n\nA coffee bag works by immersion. A porous paper bag with a measured dose is held in a cup of hot water.<sup><a href=\"#src-s9\">9</a></sup> A 1969 patent application tells the user to dip it up and down for 50 or 60 seconds.<sup><a href=\"#src-s9\">9</a></sup> That is the inventor's instruction, not a measured brewing time.\n\nPods of injection-moulded polypropylene with a filter inside also exist.<sup><a href=\"#src-s12\">12</a></sup> They work like capsules and are covered in Coffee capsules.\n\n<!-- deep-dive -->\n\n## What the E.S.E. standard specifies\n\nThe E.S.E. standard covers both the pods and the machines. The consortium’s own summary describes pre-packed doses of ground coffee, pressed and sealed between two layers of filter paper.<sup><a href=\"#src-s2\">2</a></sup> It gives about 7 g of coffee and 0.2 g of paper per serving.<sup><a href=\"#src-s2\">2</a></sup> A 2021 study measured 7.23 ± 0.02 g of coffee and 0.180 ± 0.002 g of paper in a 44 mm pod.<sup><a href=\"#src-s1\">1</a></sup>\n\nFor machines, the summary names an extraction chamber of a specially designed shape. It also names water temperature and pressure as parameters that are checked before the trademark is granted.<sup><a href=\"#src-s2\">2</a></sup> The summary gives no figures for either. The full specification was not consulted for this entry. Its dimensions, tolerances, temperature and pressure limits are therefore not reported here.\n\nIn the 2021 study, each pod was wrapped in a laminated pouch of polyethylene, aluminium and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) weighing 1.51 g.<sup><a href=\"#src-s1\">1</a></sup> The paper filter itself is thus a small part of the packaging of each dose.\n\n## How the formats are built\n\nPatents show how the formats are built and when each design was filed. They do not show how well any of them brews. The patents below were consulted for this entry; none is the first of its kind.\n\n| Year (filed or priority) | Document | Format | What it describes |\n|---|---|---|---|\n| 1969 | US 3,607,302<sup><a href=\"#src-s9\">9</a></sup> | Coffee bag | Porous paper envelope with a measured dose, dipped in a cup of very hot water for 50 or 60 s |\n| 1980 | EP 0 041 657 B1<sup><a href=\"#src-s3\">3</a></sup> | Paper pod | Espresso machine for pods; the pods, \"known from the prior art\", hold coffee that may be compressed in a cover of filter paper or cloth; about 40 cm³ of water for an espresso, about 120 cm³ for a weak coffee from the same pod |\n| 1986 | US 4,746,519<sup><a href=\"#src-s10\">10</a></sup> | Coffee bag | Two sheets of water-permeable paper heat-sealed around a portion of very fine ground coffee |\n| 1993 | US 5,776,527<sup><a href=\"#src-s4\">4</a></sup> | Paper pod | Filter-paper tablet with a sealing edge stiffened by cardboard rings, clamped in the brewing chamber |\n| 1997 | EP 0 904 717 B1<sup><a href=\"#src-s5\">5</a></sup> | Soft pad | Pouch about 74 mm across with a coffee bed about 61 mm across, in a holder with grooves in its bottom; patent revoked on appeal in 2006<sup><a href=\"#src-s14\">14</a></sup> |\n| 2004 | US 9,714,136 B2<sup><a href=\"#src-s6\">6</a></sup> | Soft pad | Flexible top and bottom sheets sealed at the edge; holder with outflow opening; 0.7 bar given as an example pressure of the water fed to the inlet |\n| 2012 | US 10,246,252 B2<sup><a href=\"#src-s8\">8</a></sup> | Drip bag | Filter bag with hook parts for the cup rim and a perforated opening line; filter materials named include papers and woven or nonwoven fabrics |\n\nThe 2012 drip-bag patent cites earlier Japanese patent literature on drip bags with paper-plate hook members.<sup><a href=\"#src-s8\">8</a></sup> It describes simple drip bags as already on the market.<sup><a href=\"#src-s8\">8</a></sup>\n\n## Reference values\n\nThe values below are what the consulted sources report. Several come from patents and describe designs, not measured brews.\n\n| Parameter | Value | Format | Source |\n|---|---|---|---|\n| Coffee per pod | ≈7 g (consortium summary); 7.23 ± 0.02 g (measured) | E.S.E. pod | <sup><a href=\"#src-s2\">2</a>,<a href=\"#src-s1\">1</a></sup> |\n| Paper per pod | ≈0.2 g (consortium summary); 0.180 ± 0.002 g (measured) | E.S.E. pod | <sup><a href=\"#src-s2\">2</a>,<a href=\"#src-s1\">1</a></sup> |\n| Pod diameter | 44 mm | E.S.E. pod | <sup><a href=\"#src-s1\">1</a></sup> |\n| Cup volume, serving time | 40 mL; 30 s on average | Pod machine in one LCA | <sup><a href=\"#src-s1\">1</a></sup> |\n| Water per gram of coffee | ≈5.5 mL/g (our calculation: 40 mL ÷ 7.23 g) | Pod machine in one LCA | <sup><a href=\"#src-s1\">1</a></sup> |\n| Controller set points tested | 90, 100, 110 °C; measured brew temperatures significantly lower | Espresso pods | <sup><a href=\"#src-s11\">11</a></sup> |\n| Pouch and coffee-bed diameter | ≈74 mm and ≈61 mm | Soft pad (patent) | <sup><a href=\"#src-s5\">5</a></sup> |\n| Water pressure at the holder inlet | 0.7 bar given as an example | Soft pad (patent) | <sup><a href=\"#src-s6\">6</a></sup> |\n| Cafestol in the cup | 0.76 mg/L (95% CI 0.69–0.82) | Soft pad, 30 samples | <sup><a href=\"#src-s7\">7</a></sup> |\n| Steeping time | 50 or 60 s (inventor’s instruction) | Coffee bag (patent) | <sup><a href=\"#src-s9\">9</a></sup> |\n\nThe water-per-gram figure assumes that the 40 mL cup is the beverage volume and that all of it passed through the pod. The study does not report extraction yield or TDS, so the strength of the cup is not known.<sup><a href=\"#src-s1\">1</a></sup>\n\n## Paper filters and coffee oil\n\nAll four formats brew through paper or fabric. A coffee science textbook states that filter paper absorbs oil very efficiently, so paper-filtered brews are low in fat.<sup><a href=\"#src-s13\">13</a></sup>\n\nA 2006 Dutch study tested this for soft pads. It bought 30 samples of pads in five cities and brewed them in a pad machine.<sup><a href=\"#src-s7\">7</a></sup> Pad coffee held 0.76 mg/L of cafestol, one of the two coffee diterpenes; filtered coffee held the same amount.<sup><a href=\"#src-s7\">7</a></sup> Unfiltered coffee held 72.5 mg/L.<sup><a href=\"#src-s7\">7</a></sup> Only the abstract was consulted.\n\n<figure>\n<div data-figure=\"single-serve-beyond-capsules-cafestol\"></div>\n<figcaption>Cafestol in coffee from pads, filtered coffee and unfiltered coffee, means with 95% confidence intervals in one 2006 study.<sup><a href=\"#src-s7\">7</a></sup> The pad and filtered bars are barely visible at this scale.</figcaption>\n</figure>\n\nValues for paper-filtered coffee differ between studies. In a 2025 Swedish study, home-brewed drip coffee of five brands through two kinds of paper filter held a median of about 12 mg/L of cafestol (range 4–24 mg/L).<sup><a href=\"#src-s15\">15</a></sup> That is more than ten times the filtered value of the 2006 study; the two studies used different coffees, brewers and laboratories. Brew methods gives the 2025 values for other brewers. No study consulted for this entry measured diterpenes from espresso pods, drip bags or coffee bags.\n\n## Measured brewing\n\nFew studies have measured these formats as brewers. In a 2009 study, espresso was made from five pods at controller set points of 90, 100 and 110 °C.<sup><a href=\"#src-s11\">11</a></sup> The temperatures measured during extraction were significantly lower than the set points.<sup><a href=\"#src-s11\">11</a></sup> At 110 °C, solids and caffeine indicated over-extraction, according to the abstract.<sup><a href=\"#src-s11\">11</a></sup>\n\nNo study consulted for this entry measured extraction yield, TDS or flow from soft pads, drip bags or coffee bags. Studies of capsules exist and are covered in Coffee capsules. Their results cannot be assumed to hold for paper formats, which have no sealed body.\n\n## Packaging and environment\n\nA 2021 study compared the carbon footprint of a 40 mL cup from an E.S.E. pod machine, a capsule machine and an induction moka pot.<sup><a href=\"#src-s1\">1</a></sup> It left out growing, roasting and grinding the coffee. The pod cup came to 18.5 g CO₂e, the capsule cup to 10 g and the moka pot cup to 8 g.<sup><a href=\"#src-s1\">1</a></sup> Making the packaging was the largest share, 51.6% for the pod.<sup><a href=\"#src-s1\">1</a></sup> The comparison rests on one machine of each kind.\n\nA 2020 study assessed plastic and compostable pods of this kind, counting the packaging only.<sup><a href=\"#src-s12\">12</a></sup> The entry Capsules and the environment covers such assessments, and Packaging covers the EU rules. No life cycle assessment consulted for this entry covered drip bags or coffee bags.\n\n## Open questions\n\n- **Extraction from paper formats.** No study consulted for this entry measured extraction yield or strength for soft pads, drip bags or coffee bags. How pressing the coffee in an E.S.E. pod changes flow and extraction compared with loose grounds is also not reported in the sources consulted.\n- **The E.S.E. specification in full.** Its numeric limits for pods and machines were not available in the sources consulted.\n- **Fabric filters.** The drip-bag patent lists woven and nonwoven fabrics among possible filter materials.<sup><a href=\"#src-s8\">8</a></sup> No study consulted for this entry measured what such filters retain or release into hot coffee.\n\n## Key studies\n\n<div class=\"study\">\n<p><strong>Cibelli et al., 2021 – Moka, capsule and pod.</strong> Weighed the packaging and coffee of an E.S.E. pod and a capsule and measured the energy use of each machine. The pod cup had the highest footprint of the three methods, mostly from packaging.</p>\n<p class=\"meta\">Chemical Engineering Transactions 87, 373–378 · <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.3303/CET2187063\">doi:10.3303/CET2187063</a></p>\n</div>\n\n<div class=\"study\">\n<p><strong>Boekschoten et al., 2006 – Diterpenes in pad coffee.</strong> Bought 30 samples of coffee pads in five Dutch cities and measured cafestol and kahweol in the brewed coffee. Pad coffee held as little as filtered coffee and about a hundredth of what unfiltered coffee held.</p>\n<p class=\"meta\">Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde 150(52), 2873–2875 · <a href=\"https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/verwaarloosbare-hoeveelheden-cholesterolverhogende-diterpenen-in-/\">Wageningen University record</a></p>\n</div>\n\n<div class=\"study\">\n<p><strong>Albanese et al., 2009 – Espresso from pods.</strong> Brewed espresso from five pods at three set temperatures and logged the temperature during extraction. It stayed below the set point, and the highest setting gave signs of over-extraction.</p>\n<p class=\"meta\">Food Research International 42, 727–732 · <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2009.02.027\">doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2009.02.027</a></p>\n</div>"
}