New Addi(c)tion

I was one of these people who were totally anti Nespresso for years on account of all the waste generated by the capsules Ahem. Well, this year, I put a Pixie machine on my wishlist and also got it. Guilty as charged. My office in Vienna is literally a stone's throw from Nespresso's flagship store and since they introduced in-store recycling units for their capsules, my eco-friendly conscience is happy(ish) and I tell myself it's not that bad. I actually really started appreciating Nespresso coffee when we got an arty-farty barrista monster in our office that cost a fortune and all men got very excited about and realised that I don't actually like the coffee it produces that much and missed my old daily fix of "yellow" (unfortunately now discontinued) lungo. That probably is largely due to the roasted beans used, but still.
I am also a gold-card-carrying member of the Starbucks rewards loyalty programme and frequent one of the two branches that are also in dangerous proximity of my office almost daily. I don't drink sweetened coffee and don't like flavours in my cafeeine kick UNLESS they are of the spicy variety. I love their PSL (=Pumpkin Spice Latte, for the uninitiated) and to a lesser extent their Gingerbread Lattes, even though I always tell barristas to just put in 2 pumps of the respective syrup. The fact that the flavour (same as with Chai Tea Latte) comes from a syrup does admittedly gross me out a lot, but whatevz! This is where my ramblings lead back to my new Pixie baby: when I went to redeem my EUR 70 voucher for capsules that came with the machine in Klagenfurt's shiny Nespresso boutique, I was offered a coffee. I said that I would prefer taking home a capsule of their LE Masala Chai. Oh.Em.Effing.Gee. When I tasted it at my parents' it was love at first whiff and sip: SO good. I went into town the next day to buy 5 packs of it. It is like the timid lovechild of PSL and GL minus the sticky sweetness. If you love spicy coffee concoctions and own a Nespresso machine: go buy before it is discontinued.
A little PS on recycling: a friend of my Mum's gave her a parcel decorated with this Christmas tree ornament made by her granddaughter:

Something tells me that if I search YouTube for "Nespresso capsule DIY" I will come across a bottomless pit of recycling  ideas...