A coffee popsicle! Cometeer Coffee Review

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Cometeer Coffee flash freezes brewed coffee in a capsule. It’s just like a coffee popsicle – melt it and you have your coffee! 

Cometeer Coffee has developed an exciting and innovative version of the ‘coffee pod’ concept. Cometeer is a coffee subscription service that makes it easy to brew good coffee by simplifying the entire brewing process into one simple step by melting it! 

Brewing that perfect cup of coffee can be challenging at times. You have to choose the right beans, have all the right equipment, grind coffee beans to the right size, choose all the right conditions (such as temperature and pressure), have the time available, and then hope you’ve got everything right.

Coffee machines and coffee makers may claim to help you achieve your ideal brew, but you still need to invest time, effort, and learning to make them work to your satisfaction. 

Nespresso Pods, K-cups, and ESE pods have been developed to relieve you of these potentially time-consuming, frustrating, and expensive, tasks of making a good cup of coffee.

Cometeer thinks they can help you avoid all that preparation and some would say ‘hassle’ of making coffee. They have recently come up with a wonderfully innovative version of the capsule concept and a secret coffee brewing process.

Cometeer believes that when you feel like a good cup of coffee, then you should just – ‘melt it’! Let us learn more…

Who is Cometeer Coffee?

Cometeer Coffee is a brand new coffee company from Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA. It was founded by Matthew Roberts in 2015. Matthew is featured in Forbes 2021 30 Under 30 list.

Cometeer is not only considered a coffee company but also a manufacturing and technology company because of its innovative coffee brewing technique.

In October 2021 Cometeer closed a $35 million Series B funding round, which brought the company’s running total of raised capital to about $100 million at that time (Forbes).

Investors in Cometeer include the founder of Keurig Green Mountain, the former president of Nespresso, and the lead investors in Blue Bottle Coffee (Source: Forbes).

So yeah…it is a company with big plans.

What’s with the name ‘Cometeer’? Here is what Cometeer says about it…

“Comets are frozen, forward-moving, and impactful. Just like us.”

That is a good visual metaphor. It even extends to the capsules because some people call them ‘comets’.

Cometeer’s motto is also pretty slick… “We make it. You melt it.”

What is Cometeer Coffee?

Cometeer Coffee is flash-frozen brewed coffee in a capsule. 

Cometeer Coffee is not a powdered or freeze-dried instant coffee. It is ‘instant coffee’ in the sense that your coffee can be made in an instant! 

It is not a coffee concentrate. And it is not cold brew – although it can make cold or iced coffee.

A Cometeer coffee pod capsule contains freshly brewed coffee but it is a frozen coffee pod.

Cometeer calls their frozen liquid coffee a ‘frozen puck of coffee’ which is a little unfortunate because it is not like the usual espresso coffee puck which is ground coffee. 

As you already know we like to think of Comiteer’s flash-frozen coffee as a coffee popsicle! Yum!

How Does Cometeer Make its Coffee?

Cometeer uses proprietary (secret) technology to brew coffee from high-quality coffee beans. This brew technology extracts all the aromas and flavors of the ground coffee beans (we think these would be fine, but they don’t say) into liquid coffee and packs it into an aluminum pod.

Immediately after extraction, the pods are immersed in liquid nitrogen to freeze them and lock in exceptional freshness and flavor.  

This freezing step is very fast and extremely cold at -321 °F or -196 °C

This is why we say that Cometeer’s flash-frozen coffee is like a coffee-flavored popsicle.

Cometeer’s coffee extraction method is secret so we don’t know know how they achieve their brew. However, we do know that they monitor the following conditions..

  • total dissolved solids (TDS) which indicate the strength of a coffee, 
  • particle size distribution of the grounds
  • water chemistry
  • temperature
  • pressure
  • oxidation
  • extraction yield
  • coffee bean water moisture content
  • coffee bean roast level
  • grind size distribution

Looking at these conditions, it seems they are using an extraction method similar to espresso. That is, they use pressure and monitor temperature.

Cometeer says that the coffee tastes fresh-brewed for months. It also has absolutely no preservatives. It is simply and elegantly quality coffee and water.

The frozen coffee can be thawed for up to 24 hours at ‘room temperature’ without affecting the taste of the coffee too much and you can refreeze it.

Room temperature depends on where you live. On a scorching hot Western Australian summer’s day, ‘room temperature’ could be up to 40 °C. Maybe they mean ‘room temperature’ of about 25 °C?

Cometeer claims that they “consistently achieve optimal total dissolved solids levels and extraction levels. Basically, it’s a level of brewing perfection great baristas aspire to. We achieve it consistently, in every cup.”

How Do You Make Coffee with Cometeer Pods?

Simple! 

You just take the coffee pod (capsule) and melt it! You can use it immediately after thawing for a range of coffee drinks, as we will see later. 

You can melt the frozen coffee by running hot water over the sealed capsule for about 15 to 30 seconds. A safer method would be to bathe the sealed coffee capsule in a dish or mug of hot water, so you don’t burn your hands. 

You may also choose to leave the frozen coffee capsule in the refrigerator until it has thawed.

Thawing at room temperature would take too long and may compromise the taste of the coffee. 

If you’re making hot coffee, you don’t have to wait for the capsules to melt, as the hot water will melt the frozen coffee.

By the time your frozen coffee has melted, it should be at the correct temperature to drink and release all the aromas and flavors.

Cometeer - A new day on Earth for coffee

Like the usual K-cup pod, you can also use the Cometeer coffee pods in a Keurig brewer.

Each Cometeer coffee pod contains 26 grams of coffee and is pre-dosed for a great cup of coffee.

What Coffee Can I Make with the Cometeer Capsules?

Here are just some of the ways you can make coffee with the Cometeer coffee capsules.

Hot Black Coffee

To make hot black coffee with Cometeer Capsules, partially melt the frozen coffee and shake to loosen it from the confines of the capsule.

Remove the seal on the capsule and pop the mostly frozen ‘coffee popsicle’ into your cup.

Pour 6-8 oz hot water over the frozen coffee.

Hot Coffee With a Keurig Coffee K-cup Machine

When you make hot coffee with Cometeer coffee pod in Keurig K-cup coffee machine you do not need to melt the coffee as the machine does it for you.

Just pop the frozen coffee capsule into the Keurig and select the 8-ounce setting.

Press the button to see your coffee flow into your mug

Hot Cafe Latte

To make a hot cafe latte with a Cometeer Coffee Capsule simply melt the frozen coffee using any of the methods mentioned above.

Remove the seal on the capsule and pour the melted coffee into your cup.

Add 6 oz of steamed cow’s milk or any of your preferred alternative milk.

Iced Coffee

Making an iced coffee with a frozen Cometeer coffee pod is easy. Just have ready a cup or glass mug with about 6 – 8 oz of ice cubes and water.

Melt the frozen coffee using any of the methods mentioned above.

Remove the seal on the capsule and pour the melted coffee over the ice and water in your glass mug.

Iced Latte

To make an iced latte is as easy as making an iced coffee but using a milk or milk alternative. Have ready a cup or glass mug with about 6 – 8 oz of ice cubes and milk or milk alternative.

Melt the frozen coffee using any of the methods mentioned above.

Remove the seal on the capsule and pour the melted coffee over the ice and milk in your glass mug.

The dark roast coffee from Cometeer is perfect for an iced latte.

Affogato

Making an affogato is a fun way to make coffee with Cometeer coffee. An affogato is a coffee with ice cream.

Have ready a cup or glass mug, or dessert dish with about 6 – 8 oz of ice cubes and milk or milk alternative.

Melt the frozen coffee using any of the methods mentioned above.

Remove the seal on the capsule and pour the melted coffee over the ice cream in your cup and add a topping of your choice (chocolate maybe?).

Espresso Martini

Now we are moving into a bit more exotic. An espresso martini is a coffee with alcohol.

Melt the frozen coffee using any of the methods mentioned above.

Remove the seal on the capsule and pour the melted coffee over

Add capsule contents to 2 oz of Vodka, and 1 oz Syrup. Shake with ice.

Other Coffee Drinks

The Cometeer pods are very versatile. In fact, wherever you have previously used brewed coffee you can probably now use the Cometeer Coffee Capsule Pods.

What Coffee is Used in Cometeer Coffee Capsules?

Cometeer boldly claims that they have ‘the best coffee on this planet’.

Well, some people may not agree with their bold claims as you will see from the reviews below. 

However, Cometeer does use great coffee from some of the world’s best specialty coffee roasters including…

These are excellent roasters with good reputations. They would provide some great roasted coffee for Cometeer. 

The coffee roasts offered by Cometeer include the range from light, to medium, to dark.

The coffee comes packed in a special box containing liquid nitrogen to keep the aluminum coffee capsules frozen. A box contains 32 frozen capsules of your choice of roast. 

You unpack your coffee capsules and place them in your freezer. Then you have to wait about 24 hours for the dry ice to evaporate before you trash the packaging. Make sure you don’t touch the dry ice (please see the FAQ below)!

Each box of Cometeer Coffee capsules comes with a printed description of the notes of the coffee and the roast level. This helps you understand the flavors that you may expect to taste in each roast. 

Each box is $64 so that means each cup of coffee costs you $2. This is still much lower than you would pay in a coffee shop and you get great coffee that is simple to make. 

Cometeer has eight different box options for you to choose from including

  • Light Roast
  • Light/Medium Roast
  • Medium Roast
  • Medium/Dark Roast
  • Dark Roast
  • Decaf
  • Half-Caf

We will have a look at some of these Cometeer Coffee subscription boxes that are offered in the ‘Getting Started‘ section of the Cometeer Coffee website.

Medium/Dark Roast Coffee Box

If you like your coffee bold and black then the Cometeer Medium/Dark Roast Coffee pack would be right for you. 

The Medium/Dark roasts come from Counter Culture Coffee, Birch, Red Bay, and Equator coffee roasters.

The Medium/Dark roasts come from Counter Culture Coffee, Birch, Red Bay, and Equator roasters.

Mixed Roast Coffee Box

If you like to change up your coffee from time to time then the Cometeer Mixed Roast Coffee would be good for you.

The Mixed Roast Coffee roasts come from Bird Rock, Counter Culture, George Howell, and Equator coffee roasters

Dark Roast Cometeer Coffee

If you like a deep rich coffee then The Dark Roast Cometeer coffee pack is for you.  

The Dark Roast Coffees come from Joe Coffee, Equator, George Howell, and Red Bay coffee roasters.

Decaf Cometeer Coffee

If you are a decaf drinker then you are not left out. Cometeer has a Decaf coffee pack just for you!

The Decaf coffee comes from Birch, Equator, Counter Culture, and Joe Coffee.

Light Roast Coffee Box

If you like black coffee with bright, floral, and fruity flavors then this pack is best for you.

The Light Single Roast Coffees come from George Howell, Coffee Culture, Bird Rock, and Go Get Em Tiger (gget) roasters. 

Shopping Experience on Cometeer Coffee

We found the shopping experience on the Cometeer site a bit confusing but maybe that is just us? Let us explain.

They have a handy ‘Get Started‘ page where they ask you to select your preferred way of drinking coffee. You make your choice and it shows the appropriate Cometeer box of coffee. This is cool (pun intended).

There is also a section at the bottom of your selected coffee where you can also choose your desired roast level. However, they don’t show which roasters feature for each roast and the image is the same for each roast which is confusing.

We prefer to see a complete list of coffee roasts, with images, and the roasters that contribute to a particular roast.

Let us say you want ‘light roast’ coffees and you would like to see the roasters that contribute to the light roasts. At the moment this isn’t obvious. Cometeer gives the same image for each roast you select. Consequently, you aren’t always sure which roasters contribute to the light roast coffees. 

As a subscriber, it may not matter to you which roaster contributes to each roast profile because you just want to experience the roast selection regardless of the roaster. In any case, we guess that the choice of roaster may change depending upon supply and production.

Some people prefer coffee subscription services and some do not.

If a subscription service offers you a range of coffee roasts then that would seem to give you more options to experiment and taste a variety of coffee flavors. The Comiteer coffee subscription seems to offer you a decent range of roasts. 

No subscription service can offer a complete range of coffee beans to suit different tastes or brew methods. There will always be those special coffee beans that you want to try for their varying aromas, complex taste, rich taste, fruity taste, or natural taste. There will also be different roasts and brew techniques you may want to try.

However, a coffee subscription can still offer benefits of convenience with some variety. 

Is the Process Used To Make Cometeer Coffee Sustainable?

Many people these days are concerned that any new manufacturing process is sustainable and doesn’t harm the environment. So how does Cometeer figure in this concern? We think they do fairly well for the following reasons…

  • The capsules don’t contain any coffee grounds which means that they are fully recyclable.
  • There is less food waste. The coffee has at least an 18-month shelf life. Consequently, there is no waste from poor brewing and you can never make too much.
  • No coffee grounds are wasted. All the spent grinds from the coffee are sent to a local composting company. Yes, coffee can be used for composting.

Who are Cometeer Coffee Capsules For?

The Cometeer coffee capsules are for all coffee lovers who want the convenience of a good coffee made simple.

Coffee connoisseurs may not appreciate the capsules because they like to experiment with their coffee. That is just fine and thank goodness we have some fantastic coffee connoisseurs such as James Hoffmann and Morgan Eckroth.

However, even a Prize-Winning Barista such as Morgan was impressed with the coffee from Cometeer Coffee Capsules as shown in this unsolicited and unaffiliated YouTube video…

YouTube player

What Do People Think of Cometeer Coffee Capsules?

How does Cometeer coffee taste? What do customers think?

Cometeer coffees have an average rating of 4.72 with over 3500 reviews on their website. However, they don’t specify the reviews for each of their coffees. 

The people on the  r/Coffee  subreddit and particularly the post by u/AmNotLost   and posts on r/JamesHoffmann have varying opinions. As you may expect some like the frozen coffee pods and some don’t. The consensus seems to be that they are good for a quick cup of coffee but the aroma and taste are still not the same as freshly brewed coffee. 

Karen Attman from sipcoffeehouse. had this to say…

“Overall, Cometeer makes a good cup of coffee. It’s reasonably fresh when prepared, has a strong flavor, and you can still get a lot of the notes of each roast coming through. The biggest issue with taste is getting the ratio right for your taste.  As I said, it can be a little syrupy in texture and flavor if not diluted enough — but you don’t want to overdo it and end up with weak coffee, either. By the way, Cometeer coffee runs a tad acidic, regardless of roast (all four roasts I received listed fruity notes, maybe for this reason). As a result, it tasted a little like a French press once prepared.” 

Many reviewers on ThingTesting said that they liked Cometeer Coffee especially the convenience of making coffee. Cometeer Coffee got an average rating of 4.5/5 from 42 reviewers with 93% of reviewers saying they would recommend the coffee to a friend. 

Mia Maguire from the Daily Beast had this to say about Cometeer Coffee…

“…while Cometeer’s coffee capsules are delightfully convenient, what really blew me away was honestly just how good the coffee is. My fiance was actually startled when he heard me gasp with delight after my first sip—and no, I’m not making this up. I frequent top-rated coffee shops here in Austin, and the almond milk latte I made with Cometeer topped all of the barista-made espresso drinks by a long shot.”

Kristen Jones from The Quality Edit had this to say…

“When it comes to satisfying my coffee-snob-taste at home, simplicity, bold flavors, and affordability are finally achievable. Coming in at $2 per cup, I can enjoy the best coffee I’ve ever had in under five minutes — all without leaving the comfort of my own home.”

Jillian Tracy from cnn.com

Pretty great. Iced or hot, in milk or water, and black or sweetened, each capsule delivered flavorful coffee that rivaled what I would expect at a local artisanal brew house. Easily, Cometeer’s coffees tasted far better than what I regularly brew in my French press.

 Emily Wilson from bonappetit.com had this to say…

I ordered a mixed box of 32 Cometeer coffee capsules. When they came in the mail a few days later, I boiled a pot of water, popped an icy brown puck into a mug, and poured the hot water over the frozen concentrate. Not only was the cup of coffee delicious, but as I made my way through the various roasts in my box, I was able to notice the nuances of body and flavor in each variety.

Prize-Winning Barista Morgan Ekrith had this to say in her YouTube video…

“honestly [I’m]so impressed… but really outside of the fact this is a very very tasty way to consume coffee i think there’s a bigger thing to this product that really attracts me to it and it’s both convenient and accessible to a lot of people.”

Conclusion

There is no doubt that Cometeer Coffee has disrupted coffee making. They have developed a novel and innovative technology to extract and brew roasted coffee and then flash freeze it to lock in the aroma and flavor of freshly brewed coffee.

The consensus seems to be that Cometeer Coffee has succeeded in making delicious tasting coffee that is easy to make.

To make coffee you simply melt it! 

You gotta try Cometeer Coffee at least once!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How Long Does Cometeer Coffee Last?

The capsules have a 24-month shelf life in the freezer, 72 hours in the fridge, and 24 hours at room temperature. (Cometeer FAQ).

How much coffee is in a Cometeer?

There are 26 grams of coffee liquid in each frozen coffee capsule.

How does Cometeer brew their coffee?

Cometeer uses secret technology to extract and brew coffee from ground roasted coffee beans.

How much does Cometeer cost?

Each box of Cometeer Coffee pods costs $64. A box contains 32 capsules and each capsule makes one cup of 6-8 oz coffee. The individual cost is $2 per cup of coffee.

Do Cometeer Coffee Capsules work with Nespresso Machines?

No. However, they do work with Keurig coffee pod machines.

Can you put Cometeer in Keurig Coffee Capsule Machine?

Yes. Just pop the capsule into the Keurig at a setting of 8 oz. 

How do you melt Cometeer Pods?

You can simply add hot water to a pod. You can leave the capsule to thaw in a mug of hot water. You can thaw the pod in the refrigerator. You can pop the frozen capsule into a Keurig machine and press the button for your hot coffee.

What Happens if Your Cometeer Coffee Arrives Melted?

“The capsules remain at peak flavor for up to 24 hours at room temperature. Your melted capsules may lack some of the bright and complex flavors of frozen capsules best enjoyed black. However, they can be refrozen and enjoyed as a great coffee flavor as a base for milk drinks like hot and iced lattes.” (Cometeer FAQ)

Are Cometeer pods recyclable?

Yes, they are recyclable. The capsules are 100% aluminum. Plus they do not contain any coffee grinds so after you use them you can immediately throw them into the recycle bin.

Does Cometeer Ship Coffee Internationally?

Unfortunately, Cometeer does not ship internationally. Cometeer currently only ship to the continental USA (sorry they don’t ship to Hawaii or Alaska).

Is Cometeer Coffee Instant Coffee?

It is ‘instant coffee’ in the sense that your coffee can be made in an instant! However, it is not a powdered or freeze-dried instant coffee. 

Can I purchase One-Time and Not Get A Subscription?

“Cometeer does not yet offer 1-time purchases. We designed Cometeer as a subscription model because it simplifies the checkout process for the majority of our customers who drink Cometeer daily. You are able to skip or pause your subscription at any time or change your order date at any time. This effectively allows you to purchase our coffee whenever you would like.” (Cometeer FAQ)

What do I do with the dry ice after I receive my package?

Do not touch dry ice! It will burn your skin if you touch dry ice without any appropriate protection.

Dry ice is a solid form of carbon dioxide gas. Its temperature is about -56 C or -69.5 F.

Solid carbon dioxide gas will immediately turn to carbon dioxide gas at temperatures above -78.5 C or  -192 F. Consequently, carbon dioxide gas will appear as soon as you open the box.

Carbon dioxide isn’t toxic, it is colorless, odorless, and non-flammable. Carbon dioxide isn’t toxic provided you leave the box open in a well-ventilated area. It will evaporate harmlessly within about 24 hours. 

You should not put the box of dry ice in a closet, car, or any other enclosed space. 

If carbon dioxide is inhaled move to fresh air and call emergency services 911.

If some carbon dioxide touches the skin: Thaw frosted parts with lukewarm water. Do not rub the affected area. Get immediate medical attention.

If in eyes: Immediately wash eyes thoroughly with water for at least 15 minutes. Hold eyelids open and away from eyeballs to ensure all surfaces are flushed thoroughly. Get immediate medical attention. 

Source: Cometeer.

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