Here's What To Do If Your Nespresso Pod Gets Stuck

We can all imagine the scenario. You wake up in the morning craving a fresh cup of coffee and pop a pod into your trusty Nespresso machine. You sleepily go to pull down the lever and close it, only to find that the capsule is jammed inside.

It's a frustrating situation that's compounded by a lack of caffeine, but there's no need to panic or run out to a coffee shop. A stuck pod is a common issue for any coffee machine and, luckily, there's usually an easy way to fix it.

The first thing to do is open the lever and take a look inside the machine. If you can see the capsule, there's a good chance it's simply tilted above the brewing unit. Nespresso suggests using the tip of a teaspoon to gently apply pressure to the highest side of the capsule and push it down. Once completely horizontal, it should drop through the machine as normal.

Another possible reason for a capsule getting stuck is that it's wet and sticking to part of the machine's interior. The spoon trick should fix this too — just do us all a favor and avoid using your finger or any other tools for the job.

Things get a little more interesting if you can't see the capsule, as this means it might be stuck inside the brewing unit. If this is the case, try slowly moving the lever back into the closed position without shutting it completely. When you feel the lever pass the point of resistance, lift it again gently. The capsule should hopefully release, or at least tilt enough for you to use that trusty spoon again.

If you're using home compostable pods, Nespresso recommends waiting at least five seconds to eject them after you've made your coffee. This allows them to cool and prevents them getting stuck again. If you still can't get any type of pod out, contact Nespresso for assitance — and maybe start planning that Starbucks run after all.