Cometeer Frozen Coffee
Cometeer: specialty coffee brewed at 10× strength and flash-frozen at −321°F. Add 6–8 oz of hot water to the frozen puck, or thaw it for iced coffee.
Contents
How do you use Cometeer frozen coffee?
For hot coffee, take a frozen Cometeer capsule from the freezer, peel off the lid, drop the frozen puck into a mug and pour over 6 to 8 oz of hot water, then stir. For iced coffee or lattes, thaw the capsule first, in the fridge overnight or in water for about five minutes, then pour it into 6 to 8 oz of cold water, milk or ice.
At a glance
- Ratio
- 1 capsule to 6–8 oz liquid
- Water
- Hot water, or cold for iced drinks
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Method
Take a capsule from the freezer
Choose a frozen capsule. For hot coffee you can use it straight from frozen.
Peel and drop
Peel off the lid and drop the frozen puck into your mug.
Add hot water
Pour over 6 to 8 oz of hot water and stir until it's melted.
For iced drinks, thaw first
Thaw the capsule in the fridge overnight or in water for about five minutes, then pour it into 6 to 8 oz of cold water and ice, or milk.
Recycle the capsule
Rinse and put the aluminium capsule in the recycling.
Cometeer sells coffee that has already been brewed. Specialty coffee from partner roasters is extracted at 10 times normal strength, sealed in small aluminium capsules and flash-frozen with liquid nitrogen at −321°F. At home, you drop the frozen puck into a mug and add 6 to 8 oz of hot water, or thaw it for iced coffee. There’s no machine, no grinding and no grounds. Here’s how it works, how to use it, and what it does differently from instant coffee.
The short version
- Coffee brewed at 10× strength, then frozen in a capsule.
- Flash-frozen at −321°F with liquid nitrogen.
- Hot: frozen puck plus 6 to 8 oz of hot water.
- Iced: thaw first, then add 6 to 8 oz of cold water, milk or ice.
- Keeps about three years in the freezer.
How do you use Cometeer?
Cometeer’s instructions:
Hot coffee
- Take a capsule from the freezer.
- Peel off the lid and drop the frozen puck into your mug.
- Pour over 6 to 8 oz of hot water, stir, and drink.
Iced coffee or lattes
- Thaw the capsule: overnight in the fridge, or submerged in water for about 5 minutes.
- Pour it into 6 to 8 oz of your chosen liquid: water and ice for iced coffee, cold milk and ice for an iced latte, or about 6 oz of steamed milk for a hot latte.
- Stir and drink.
How is Cometeer made?
TechCrunch, which visited the company in Gloucester, Massachusetts, describes a “multimillion-dollar proprietary production line” in a former frozen seafood facility, which turns beans into “flash-frozen little pucks, sealed in capsules”. Cometeer says the coffee is “precision-brewed to 10x strength, then flash-frozen at −321°F” right after brewing, to lock in aroma and flavour without oxidation. Its only ingredients are coffee and water, with no preservatives.
The coffee comes from partner roasters; Motherly mentions Counter Culture and Equator Coffee. Cometeer composts the spent grounds itself.
How long does it keep?
| Storage | How long | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Frozen | About 3 years (36 months) | Cometeer, TechCrunch |
| Thawed, at room temperature | Up to 24 hours | Cometeer |
| Thawed, in the fridge | Up to 7 days (Cometeer); about 3 days (TechCrunch) | Sources differ |
Cometeer adds that thawed capsules can be refrozen if not used straight away.
How is it different from instant coffee?
Instant coffee is brewed coffee dried into powder or granules. Cometeer is brewed coffee frozen as a liquid, which the company says locks in its flavour and aroma without oxidation. It’s closer to a liquid coffee concentrate that’s been frozen for freshness. The trade-off is that it needs a freezer and ships in dry ice, Motherly notes.
The company
Cometeer had been around for nine years when it opened sales to everyone in October 2021, TechCrunch reported, after raising a $35 million Series B, and about $100 million in total. It then sold capsules at around $2 each, with a base order of 32 capsules for $64. Its aluminium capsules can go in kerbside recycling, Cometeer says.
General guidance only. Handle frozen capsules with care straight from the freezer, and take care with hot water.
Cometeer vs other methods
- Liquid coffee concentrate: brewed coffee extract sold as a liquid.
- Freeze-dried instant coffee: brewed coffee dried into granules.
- Specialty instant coffee: instant made from specialty beans.
- K-Cup pod brewers: single-serve pods brewed in a machine.
Explore every instant and industrial method in the instant-industrial chapter.
Words in this guide
- Specialty coffee
- Specialty coffee is high-quality coffee graded at 80 points or more out of 100 by trained tasters using the Specialty Coffee Association's scoring system.
- Extraction
- Extraction is the process of water dissolving flavour compounds out of ground coffee.
- Total dissolved solids (TDS)
- Total dissolved solids (TDS) measures how much coffee is dissolved in the cup, shown as a percentage.
Questions & answers
What is Cometeer?
Frozen coffee: specialty coffee brewed at 10 times normal strength, sealed in aluminium capsules and flash-frozen with liquid nitrogen at −321°F. You add water to make a cup.
How long does Cometeer keep?
About three years in the freezer. Once thawed, Cometeer says a capsule keeps up to 24 hours at room temperature or 7 days in the fridge; TechCrunch reported about three days in the fridge.
What's in a Cometeer capsule?
Just coffee and water, with no preservatives, according to Cometeer. The coffee comes from partner roasters such as Counter Culture and Equator.
Are Cometeer capsules recyclable?
Cometeer says the aluminium capsules can go in kerbside recycling and that its packaging is recyclable; it composts the coffee grounds itself.
Where is Cometeer made?
In Gloucester, Massachusetts, in a former frozen seafood facility, according to TechCrunch.
Sources
General guidance only. Not medical, food-safety or professional advice. Always follow your equipment's own instructions.