Lavazza‘s Tablì, a single-serve capsule-free coffee system, has won third place in the designboom Special Prize at the Seoul Design Award 2026. The tab is made of 100% coffee and nothing else.
Disclosure: Lavazza is the subject of this story. The facts below come from Lavazza’s award submission, the Seoul Design Award’s winner description, and a Lavazza North America press release. Lavazza’s social handle for the project is @lavazzaofficial.
The capsule problem in numbers
Until recently, coffee drinkers had three main choices. They could brew a full pot each time, reach for instant coffee, or use a capsule machine. Capsules win on convenience, and that convenience has a cost in coffee capsule waste that many buyers never see.
Lavazza cites figures from Deutsche Umwelthilfe in its award submission. Around 20 billion coffee capsules are used and discarded every year. Germany alone accounts for about 3.4 billion of them, which produces roughly 13,500 metric tons of waste annually.
The Tablì team was based in Italy, a country where coffee is both daily ritual and national pride. The group was led by Florian Seidl, with Angelica Rella, Marco Rotundo, and Nicola Bettoni. They knew the waste problem well before they started designing.
Disposable waste is a problem many product teams are now tackling at the packaging level, and a compostable paper cup with eco-friendly lids shows how a single everyday item can be rethought for less waste.
One capsule-free coffee system instead of a better capsule
The team began with a blunt question: what if coffee did not need a capsule at all? Their goal was to build a capsule-free coffee system that matched the speed of capsule brewing while cutting the environmental footprint.
They did not stop at a lighter wrapper. The team built the product around a tab made entirely of coffee, with no plastic, no aluminum, no additives, and no coatings. The tab is dosed, ground, and tamped coffee pressed into a solid form that holds its shape until brewing.
The team then designed the machine, packaging, accessories, and a connected capsule-free coffee system to match. According to the Seoul Design Award’s winner description, the tab and machine function as a single system, so a change in material changes how the product is used.
Designing for the whole life of the machine
The sustainability work extends beyond the tab. The machine is built from post-consumer recycled plastics. Its structure is designed for low energy consumption and repairability, so the design considers maintenance as well as daily use.
Because each tab is pure coffee, the used tab produces only organic waste. Lavazza presents this as the main reason the project reduces waste at the source instead of managing it later.
Daily use was also a design priority. A slider on the machine guides the user through each step. A height-adjustable cup rest fits cups of different sizes. A transparent water tank shows the remaining water at a glance.
Kitchen appliances built around daily routines offer another useful comparison, as this Smeg dual-function air fryer and steamer shows how a countertop machine can combine several functions in one tidy design.
What the jury rewarded
The Seoul Design Award aims to recognize projects that balance people, society, and the environment. The designboom Special Prize adds three values that winners must share: Intentionally Curious, Disrupt Playfully, and Fearlessly Meaningful.
Tablì earned third place in that category for how its parts work together. The judges, according to Lavazza’s submission, valued the way the cup rest, slider, and water tank fit one overall experience, rather than three separate features.
Lavazza describes the product as a demonstration that sustainability does not need to limit function. The Seoul Design Award’s winner description makes a similar point, calling sustainability a starting point for design rather than a constraint on it.
The US launch and what comes next
Tablì, the capsule-free coffee system, reached the US market after its launch in Italy. The product ships in five blends: Super Crema, Espresso, Double Espresso, Lungo, and Decaf. It is sold in three finishes, Graphite Black, Sand White, and Walnut Brown, and the range includes a milk frother and a tab storage holder.
Lavazza North America describes the system as the product of five years of research and development and more than 15 patents. The company says the concave tab shape lets the coffee expand during brewing, which produces the crema the company calls Crema Plus.
Daniele Foti, vice president of marketing for Lavazza North America, called Tablì “a true multisensory experience: coffee you can smell, feel, and see before it ever brews.” The company plans an official US launch in August 2026, with Amazon availability later in the year.
The design prize confirms that the capsule-free coffee system works on paper and in the hand. The next test is on the shelf. US shoppers will decide whether a pressed tab of pure coffee can replace a capsule they already know how to use.
Sources & Links
Source: designboom.com
Frequently asked questions
What is Lavazza’s Tablì coffee tab made of?
Lavazza’s Tablì tab is made of 100% coffee, with no plastic, aluminum, additives, or coatings. The coffee is dosed, ground, and tamped into a solid form that holds its shape until brewing.
What award did Lavazza’s Tablì win at the Seoul Design Award?
Tablì won third place in the designboom Special Prize at the Seoul Design Award 2026. The judges valued how the cup rest, slider, and water tank fit one overall experience.
Which coffee blends does the Tablì system come in?
The Tablì system ships in five blends: Super Crema, Espresso, Double Espresso, Lungo, and Decaf. It is sold in three finishes: Graphite Black, Sand White, and Walnut Brown.
When will Lavazza’s Tablì officially launch in the US?
Lavazza North America plans an official US launch for Tablì in August 2026. Amazon availability is expected later in the year.
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