Safety Concerns
I'm writing this to inform anyone who may share my concerns about potentially ingesting toxic chemicals. Unfortunately, it did not come to my attention until after I purchased this machine that it is not uncommon for tin and aluminum products to be lined with toxic BPA and other plastics. While I’m obviously at fault for my ignorance, I’m since finding that not remotely enough companies are properly disclosing this fact. Being stuck with Cumulus direct as the only option for capsules to go with this machine, I’ve reached out to them for clarification on the capsule composition and have found their appalling response to be worth sharing.
Their initial response confidently boasted that their capsules are 100% aluminum with no lining. I then asked why, if that was the case, I would not need to be concerned about aluminum leeching into the concentrate. That question was directed to the “product team,” who evidently replied that the capsules are fashioned as “aluminum soda cans and do not leech any aluminum into the coffee.” I informed them that aluminum soda cans are lined with plastic in order to prevent aluminum from leeching into soda. Their response to that was they “completely understand that, however our capsules do not contain any lining.” I directly disputed this supposed understanding, given they clearly do not understand and are incapable of addressing the issue, which led to them simply stating that was all the information they could provide before bailing on the communication with me.
Whether you're concerned about leeched toxic chemicals or not – their cold brew isn’t remotely worth it anyhow, particularly at the current price of $2.50 per capsule (which is to say nothing about the exorbitant price of the machine, which you will never recover vs just buying bottles of cold brew at this per-capsule cost). The brew comes out tasting highly acidic – much more so than true cold brew – as if it were brewed hot prior to being converted into the concentrate. I don't purport to know how it's actually made, but I can say it just tastes like cold Folgers. Given this is new technology, I recommend holding out for a competitor (one who will hopefully be informed about their products).