The Best Coffee Pod Machine
This sleek, brushed-steel machine offers the Sage distinctive quality and ease of use. When it is turned on, it preheats and brews a fragrant espresso or slightly longer lungo in just 30 minutes.
The pod models are a great alternative to bean-to cup machines. They take the messiest parts of coffee making off your hands, like grinding and measuring grounds.
1. Rapid
Pod machines can be set up and used faster than espresso machines. They can typically make a cup in just 30 minutes. However, they come with some cost: the pre-portioned coffee pods used in these machines are generally more expensive than freshly roasted beans. And they're not always recyclable (though some companies are now offering recycling bags for free and UPS labels to return the pods).
The Nespresso CitiZ is one of the fastest pod machines that is available due to its in-built barcode reader that scans code of each compatible pod before brewing it. This ensures that you get consistently top-quality coffee every time. There is almost no chance of getting a bad drink. The machine is one of the lightest and slimmest on the market. It does not require an additional milk container, and its compact footprint allows it to be easily incorporated into the tiniest kitchens.
The CitiZ isn't the most efficient machine to reduce the environmental impact. It doesn't come with an automatic descaling function, and you'll have to do it yourself every 300 cups if reside in hard water, or 1200 cups in soft water zones. Once the filter cartridge runs out, you'll need replace it with a fresh one. This can be costly for some users.
Tassimo Vivy 2 is a quick machine with customizable buttons. It can be used with either ground coffee or ESE pods that are pre-dosed and tampered grounds compressed in between filter paper. This model is B-Corp Certified. It is committed to decreasing the negative impact it has on the surroundings and its workforce. The only drawback is the time it takes to warm up. Once it does it will brew a cup in just 35 seconds.
If you're looking for an elegant, stylish machine that can handle a variety of different sizes and styles, look no further than the Vertuo Creatista from Nespresso. This sleek machine, designed in collaboration with Sage is not only easy to use, but also comes with an ice cream wand an stainless steel jug and a milk frother.
2. Removable parts
The simplicity of pod coffee makers is a major selling point. The best models are easy to operate. The majority of machines employ the same basic mechanism to brew the cup of coffee you want the water is heated inside reservoirs, then moved through capsules to make rich, hot coffee. The majority of brands offer a variety of sizes of drinks to meet different requirements, and you can save custom settings on a number of models to speed up the process even further.
Keurig K-Cups are the biggest players on the market. However, Nestle Nespresso VertuoLine capsules also have a wide selection of capsules from famous roasters. Some pods are made to be used only once before being discarded, while others are intended to be used for a variety of purposes. You'll need a plan to dispose of the pods you've used to avoid them ending up in landfill.
The SMEG we tested comes with a removable reservoir of water that is simple to fill. It also automatically dispensates a new capsule after the previous one cools down. It can be used to brew coffee and lungo drinks and comes with eight different blends that provide you with a wide selection. This brewer is a great choice for coffee drinkers who want to switch from drip coffee.
In our tests, the Tassimo My Way 2 proved to be the most enjoyable one to use. Its sleek design is beautiful on your counter and can be opened with a single touch to reveal the compartment that stores empty pods. The machine comes with an integrated water filter which is perfect for areas that have hard water.
This machine brews an ordinary capsule machine coffee cup of coffee (240ml) and also serves as ristretto and lungo espresso-style drinks and is surprisingly fast. The controls are simple to operate, with airplane-style toggles that can be easily retracted and a lever which retracts to reveal the opening to drop in your coffee maker. It requires a little force to close, but our testers, including those with limitations in hand strength and mobility were able to use it comfortably.
3. Size
The top coffee pod machines take the mess of making coffee out of your hands. You simply need to load one of the pods, press a button and brew. You'll still have to clean your machine from time to time but not as often as a bean-to cup or espresso maker. The pod machines are smaller than their larger equivalents and can be stacked on the counter when not in use.
Whether a coffee pod machine is the right option for you is based on your preferences and what you're looking to get from it. All pod machines are simple to operate, however, some offer more customization options. The variety of pods, brew size options, and milk frothing capabilities must be taken into consideration to help find the perfect coffee pod machine for you.
The most popular pod-based coffee machines are Nespresso, Keurig and similar brands. However there are a few more recent competitors that are worth looking at. One of them is Bruvi, which uses its own pod system, called B-Pods, which can only be used with its machines. The pods are marked by a barcode which is scanned by the machine to adjust the brewing settings automatically.
This approach means the machine takes all the guesswork out the process of making a cup, and makes sure that each drink comes out perfectly every time. It can save your customised drinks in a single button to allow you to create them using only one button.
Other machines, such as Sage's My Way, offer more granular control over your cup of coffee than others machines, allowing you to choose a specific size and temperature for each beverage. It's a bit more expensive than many other models, but it has the polished stainless steel construction and top-quality customer service that's synonymous with the brand and is a good choice for those who want get more info an extra level of quality from their pod-based coffee maker.
While most people will be using pod-based machines to make single-serve drinks, website there are some larger models that are able to make longer shots, referred to as lungos, too. Lavazza A Modo Mio Smeg, a excellent example, blends retro-fifties style from SMEG and Italian coffee maker Lavazza. It's not easy at first thanks to the airplane-style toggles, but once you get used to it, the machine is easy here and enjoyable to use. A lungo can be brewed in only 30 seconds.
4. Customization
The lack of customization is a major reason it's not the right choice for you. If you don't purchase an auxiliary milk frother, the only ways to add extra flavor or creaminess is to make use of an in-mug hot chocolate or tea option, and then add milk to your cup manually. For most people, this shouldn't be a problem, but it could be a sticking point for those who prefer a fully automated experience in the morning.
Bosch's Intellibrew makes use of a barcode scanner to scan each capsule. It then automatically pre-wets and infuses, then dispensing the correct amount of coffee for the particular kind of pod. It's a hassle-free, hands-off machine that performs its job very well but lacks any options for customizing drinks or varying the strength of the brew. This might be frustrating for some customers however for others, the easy automation and variety of cup lengths (espresso, lungo and mug) it gives exactly what they need.
This coffee maker is very low maintenance. It's all you have to do is to fill up the tank with water, and decaffeinate the reservoir each and every so often. It can dispense short espresso shots and tall travel mugs easily and, as we mentioned the pods that are used are ejected into a concealed container that helps keep your kitchen clean. It also does an excellent job of providing full-bodied, crema-topped coffees.
This is a beautiful-looking machine that is part of the Smeg fifties range. It's easy to use with a simple interface here and can be used with ground coffee or ESE pods. It's only downside is the absence of a gauge that lets you know when you should descale, and the inability to set the maximum water level. You'll also have to purchase the capsules made by the company, which can be pricey. This is a good pod machine for anyone who wants a convenient and attractive appliance that is able to serve at a reasonable price. If you're looking for more variety, a broad selection of third-party capsules are available for this model, and it's compatible with the Nespresso Vertuo line.