4 Ways to Use Coffee Pods Without Machine or Coffee Maker

Coffee pods should be paired with a coffee machine but you can still brew with coffee pods without a machine or a regular coffee maker. In this article, we guide you through 4 easy ways to use coffee pods without a coffee maker or any special equipment.

If your coffee pod machine is broken but you have a regular coffee maker, you may want to read our guide on how to use coffee pods in a regular coffee maker such as a French press, AeroPress, or a Pour-over cone.

1. How to Use Coffee Pods in Drip Coffee Bags

What are coffee bags? Coffee bags are small filter bags that have two “hanging ear” hooks that slide over the rim of a coffee mug to open the bag and float it inside the mug. Filter bags may be single-use or reusable. A coffee sock is a reusable fabric bag.

How to use Coffee pods in drip coffee bags.

Materials: a drip coffee bag, hot water, coffee pods, a gooseneck kettle, a coffee mug, a teaspoon

Instructions:

1. Preheat your mug with hot water
2. Open a drip coffee bag and hook each ear over the opposite side of the mug so that the bag is hanging inside the mug
3. Open a coffee pod and add the grounds into the coffee bag
4. Add one cup of near-boiling water to the kettle
5. Use a gooseneck kettle to add hot water over the grounds in the coffee bag for 30 seconds. Use a circular or back and forth motion when pouring the water while maintaining a flatbed of grounds
6. Stop pouring and allow the coffee to bloom (release carbon dioxide) for about 45 seconds
7. Add more water for about one minute and gently agitate the grounds with a spoon to enhance extraction
8. Add the remaining water
9. Discard the disposable coffee bag with the grounds. For a reusable bag, discard the grounds and rinse the bag in a sink. Hang it for airdrying
10. Enjoy your Java

2. Making Coffee by Dipping the Coffee Pod in Water

This method involves carefully cutting out part of the plastic on the pod to expose the filter that holds the grounds. Usually, the filter in a K-Cup does not extend all the way to the bottom of the cup and is also not stuck to the sides of the plastic.

It reaches about a third-way from the bottom so it’s possible to sever the bottom of the pod and peel off the plastic sides up to the rim of the pod without damaging the filter.

Coffee pods that do not use plastic and are 100 percent compostable such as San Francisco Bay Coffee OneCup pods have their filters already exposed and are easier to brew using this method.

Materials: a pair of scissors, a saucepan, filter water, a coffee mug, a stove, a spoon

Instructions:

• Carefully sever the bottom of the pod with a pair of scissors and then peel the plastic from the sides of the pod. Be sure to leave the plastic around the rim intact
• Place a saucepan on a stove and add one cup of filtered water
• Turn the heat on medium
• Drop the exposed pod into the saucepan and continue heat the water to a simmer
• Turn the stove off and use a pair of tongs or a spoon to remove the pod from the saucepan and discard it
• Pour the coffee into a mug and add your favorite creamer or milk to drink

3. How to Use Coffee Pods in Disposable Tea Bags

How about making coffee using tea bags? Yes, you can add grounds to a tea bag and drop it inside a cup of hot water, the same way you make tea. When your drip-coffee machine is faulty and you do not have an alternative coffee maker, empty tea bags can save the day.

The fine grounds in K-Cups are not suitable for brewing with the mesh tea infusers for coffee.

Materials: disposable teabags, K-Cup pods, hot filtered water, a tablespoon, a measuring cup, a mug

Instructions when using coffee pods in tea bags:

1. Open a K-Cup and measure 2 tablespoons of the grounds
2. Add the grounds to a teabag
3. Close the tea bag and drop it in a mug
4. Add six ounces of near-boiling water for every two tablespoons of ground coffee for a bold cup
5. Wait for 3 minutes before gently flipping the tea bag in the water to enhance the extraction
6. After another 2 minutes, use a spoon to remove the teabag to avoid over-extraction which can cause astringent flavors. Enjoy your coffee.

4. How to Use Coffee Pods on a Stove (Turkish-style)

This is the traditional way of making coffee in some cultures. Internationally it is referred to as Turkish-style coffee. The finer grinds in coffee pods are ideal for this method.

Materials: a stove, a saucepan, coffee pods, filtered water, a mug

Instructions:

1. Empty a K-Cup into a saucepan
2. Add 6-8 ounces of water to the saucepan
3. Heat the saucepan on medium heat and bring the coffee to a soft boil
4. Turn the stove off and leave the coffee for one minute for the grounds to settle at the bottom
5. Carefully pour the coffee into a mug and wait for another minute for the sediments to settle
6. Drink the coffee without disturbing the sediments. You do not want to drink up to the bottom as the coffee is not filtered

Wrap up

Your coffee pods are still valuable even when your coffee machine has broken down. You can easily brew coffee without a coffee machine using any of the following methods:

• Cutting out part of the plastic pod and immersing the rest of the pod in hot water
• Using drip coffee bags to brew with the ground coffee that is in the coffee pods
• Using disposable tea bags
• Emptying ground coffee from a pod into a saucepan to make Turkish-style coffee