A Productive Rant About Best Coffee Pod Machine
A Productive Rant About Best Coffee Pod Machine
Blog Article
The Best Coffee Pod Machine
The most elegant pod machine we've seen, this brushed-steel model offers the trademark Sage quality and ease of use. It heats up immediately after switching on and makes an espresso with aroma or a slightly longer lungo in just 30 minutes.
Unlike bean-to-cup machines, pod models take the most messy aspects of coffee making off your hands - including grinding and dosing grounds.
1. Fast
Pod machines are generally easier to install and use than espresso machines, with most able to make coffee in only 30 seconds or so. The pre-portioned pods used in these machines tend to be more expensive than freshly roasted coffee beans, and many of them aren't recyclable.
The Nespresso CitiZ has one of the fastest pod machines on the market, thanks to the barcode scanner that scans every compatible pod's code before brewing. This allows you to make consistent quality, high-end coffee each time, and there is virtually no chances of a drink turning out badly wrong. It is also among the tiniest and lightest on the market and does not require an additional milk jug or the smallest footprint, making it easy to fit into even the tiniest kitchen.
The CitiZ isn't the most efficient machine to minimize the environmental impact. The CitiZ isn't equipped with an automatic descaling feature. You'll have to manually descale the machine every 300 cups for hard water, and every 1200 cups for soft water. You'll also need to swap the filter cartridge once this runs out and can be expensive for some users.
The Tassimo Vivy 2 is another quick machine that comes with a customisable button and the option of using either ground coffee or ESE pods, which are pre-dosed, tampered and squeezed between filter paper. This model is B-Corp Certified. It is committed to lessening the negative impact it has on the environment and its employees. The only downside is the time it takes to warm up. Once it does, it can brew one cup in about 35 seconds.
If you're after an elegant, stylish machine that can handle a range of different sizes and styles, look no further than the Vertuo Creatista from Nespresso. This sleek machine, created in collaboration with Sage is not just easy to use, but it also comes with an ice cream wand a stainless steel jug, and a milk frother.
2. Removable parts
The ease of using pod coffee makers is a major selling point. The top models are simple to use. Most machines rely on the same process to make your coffee: water is heated inside a reservoir, and then pushed through the chosen capsules and extracted to produce rich hot coffee. Many brands offer a variety of drink sizes to suit different needs, and you can save custom settings on many models to simplify the process even further.
Keurig's K-Cups and Nestle's Nespresso VertuoLine series are the two major players in the market, yet each has a variety of capsules from popular roasters and brands. Some pods are able to be used just once before being thrown away and others can be used several times. You'll need a strategy for your old pods to prevent them from being thrown away.
The sleek SMEG model we tested features an ejectable water tank that's easy to fill and the machine will automatically pour new capsules once the previous one has been cooled. It can be used to brew lungo and espresso drinks, and comes with eight different blends that provide you with a wide selection. This brewer is ideal for coffee drinkers who wish to move away from drip coffee.
In our tests in our tests, the Tassimo My Way 2 proved to be the most enjoyable one to use. Its sleek design makes it an attractive addition to your counter and can be opened with a gentle tap to reveal a hidden compartment for empty pods. It also comes with the added benefit of an filtration system for water, which is perfect for areas with hard water.
This machine brews the standard cup of coffee (240ml) as well as ristretto and lungo espresso-style drinks and is surprisingly fast. Its intuitive controls are easy to use with the help of airplane-style toggles and a lever that retracts without much effort to reveal the area where you drop in the pod. It requires a little effort to close, but our testers, including those who have limited mobility and hand strength, found it comfortable.
3. Size
The best coffee pod machines remove all the messes of making coffee out of your hands. You simply need to load one of the pods, press the button, and then brew. It is still necessary to clean the machine from time to time but not as often as you would with a bean-to-cup cup or espresso maker. Pod machines are smaller than their larger counterparts, and can be stored on the counter when not being used.
The ideal coffee maker for you will depend on your preferences and what you wish to achieve. All pod machines are simple to use, but others offer more customization options. Pod variety, brew size options, and milk frothing features must be taken into consideration to help find the perfect coffee pod machine.
The most popular pod-based coffee machines are Nespresso, Keurig and similar brands. However, there are some more recent competitors that are worth looking at. Bruvi uses a bespoke system of pods, called B-Pods that can only be used in its machines. These pods have an underside barcode that machines scan to automatically adjust brewing settings.
The machine will eliminate the guesswork and make sure that each drink is perfect every time. It can even save customised drinks to a specific button so you can make them with the press of a single button.
Other machines, like Sage's My Way offer a more granular level of best coffee machines with pods control over your coffee, allowing you to choose a specific temperature and size for each cup. It's more expensive than other models, but it has the polished stainless steel construction and superior customer support synonymous with the Sage's My Way brand. This is a good option for those wanting to get a bit more out of their pod-based espresso maker.
Certain models are larger and can brew lungos. The Lavazza A Modo Mio Smeg is a fantastic example of this, and it combines the retro fifties styling of SMEG with the retro-fifties design of SMEG Italian coffee maker, Lavazza. It can be a little difficult to operate due to its toggles that resemble airplanes and a manual lever, but it's quick and extremely enjoyable to use the lungo is made in less than 30 seconds and the used pods are deposited into an internal bin at the push of the button.
4. Customization
The limited capabilities of a pod coffee maker's customization is a major reason it might not be the best choice for you. If you don't purchase an additional milk frother, the only ways to add extra flavor or creaminess are to make use of a hot chocolate in-mug or tea option and add milk manually to your coffee. This won't be an issue for most people, but could be an issue for those who prefer the convenience of a fully automated experience in the morning.
Bosch's Intellibrew uses barcode scanners to scan each capsule. It then automatically pre-wets and infuses the right amount of coffee for the particular kind of pod. It's a simple and hands-off machine that does an excellent job, but isn't able to customize drinks or for varying the strength of brew. Some customers will be irritated by this, but many will find the convenience and variety of cup sizes (espressos and mugs, lungos and espressos) to be exactly what they're seeking.
This coffee maker is very low-maintenance. It's all you have to do is to refill the water tank and decaffeinate the reservoir every once in a while. It can dispense short espresso shots and tall travel mugs easily and, as mentioned the pods that are used are ejected to a hidden receptacle that helps keep your kitchen clean. It also excels in delivering full-bodied coffees that have crema-topped tops.
It's a gorgeous machine and is part of Smeg's fifties-style range. It's simple to use with an easy-to-use panel of buttons and can be used with ground coffee and ESE pods. The only drawback is the lack of a display that will let you know when to descale, and the inability to set a maximum water level. You'll also have to purchase the capsules made by the company, which can be pricey. This is a great pod machine for anyone looking for an attractive and convenient appliance that is able to serve at a reasonable price. If you're looking for a little more variety, a broad selection of third-party capsules are available for this model. It's also compatible with the Nespresso Vertuo line.