The single-serve coffee industry embraces a "capsule-free revolution": Lavazza launches 100% Coffee Tablets
30
09
2026
Italian coffee brand Lavazza has launched its new single-serve coffee system “Tablì” in the United States. Its core feature is coffee tablets pressed from 100% coffee, requiring no plastic or aluminium capsules at all. Compressing pure coffee grounds into transportable, storable tablets that deliver consistent brewing results is far more challenging than it appears. This innovation is backed by five years of research and development and more than 15 patented technologies. Consumers need to use the tablets with a dedicated coffee machine. Before brewing, they can directly see and smell the coffee itself.
The most disruptive design of Tablì lies in its “coffee tablets”, moulded from 100% ground coffee, which completely replace plastic or aluminium capsule shells. What you get is simply a compacted coffee puck, with no individual wrapping, coatings or binders of any kind.The technical challenge is to enable pure ground coffee to hold its shape, withstand shipping and deliver consistent extraction during brewing — all without any binders. While it may look like just a compressed coffee disc, each tablet features a recessed profile. During extraction, this design leaves enough room for the coffee grounds to expand, creating what the brand calls “Crema Plus”, a rich, velvety crema that replicates the output of professional espresso machines.
Unlike coffee sealed inside capsules, Tablì coffee tablets can be seen, smelled and touched before brewing. It brings capsule-machine users the ritual and sensory connection normally associated with whole-bean coffee.
The Tablì system opened for pre-orders in the US in August. The pre-order bundle, including the machine, milk frother and an assortment of 60 coffee tablets, is priced at $99.99.
Today’s focus is not to dwell too much on this product itself, but to discuss the business strategy behind its product form. Lavazza’s move is essentially a direct challenge to the two industry giants, Keurig and Nespresso. By launching this sustainable innovation, it aims to carve out a foothold in a market dominated by incumbents and drive new growth.Within the single-serve capsule coffee segment, Keurig and Nespresso firmly control the established market. Keurig alone sells nearly 9.4 billion coffee capsules per year in the US market. Simply launching another capsule product would never disrupt the existing market landscape.
As we know, traditional capsule manufacturers have long faced criticism over severe environmental issues. According to data I reviewed, roughly 576,000 metric tons of coffee capsule waste are generated worldwide each year. Out of the 35,000 capsules produced every minute, an estimated 29,000 end up in landfills. Their composite plastic and aluminium materials make recycling extremely difficult.That is why the Tablì coffee tablets — pressed entirely from ground coffee, with no binders, coatings or individual packaging — can eliminate capsule waste at its source. This offering precisely targets younger consumers, who are increasingly mindful of packaging sustainability and environmental protection.
The single-serve coffee market is enormous. The global market for coffee capsules and coffee tablets reached USD 40.49 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to USD 58.19 billion by 2030. Through the Tablì brand, Lavazza aims to build consumer awareness of sustainable coffee, laying the groundwork for brand premium and growth over the next five to ten years.Meanwhile, the US represents Lavazza’s most important global growth engine. In 2025, Lavazza’s North American revenue achieved an annual growth rate of 26.9%, far exceeding its global average. The launch of Tablì marks a key step in its deepening penetration of the US market.