The 10 Scariest Things About Best Coffee Pod Machine

The Best Coffee Pod Machine

This sleek, brushed-steel appliance comes with Sage brand's distinctive quality and ease of use. It heats up immediately after switching on and then brews a delicious espresso or a slightly longer lungo in just 30 minutes.

Pod models are a great alternative to bean-to cup machines. They take the most messy components of making coffee off your hands, like grinding and measuring grounds.

1. Rapid

Pod machines can be set up and used faster than espresso machines. The majority of them can make a cup in 30 seconds. But they do come at a cost: the pre-portioned coffee pods used in these models tend to be more expensive than freshly roasted beans. And many are also not recyclable (though some companies are now offering free recycling bags and prepaid UPS labels for returning the pods).

The Nespresso CitiZ has one of the fastest pod machines available due to the barcode scanner that scans every compatible pod's code prior to brewing. This ensures consistently top-quality coffee every time. There is almost no chance of getting a bad beverage. The machine is one of the lightest and slimmest on the market. It does not require an additional milk container and its compact size makes it easy to fit into the tiniest kitchens.

The CitiZ is not the best machine to minimize your environmental impact. The CitiZ doesn't have an automatic descaling feature. You'll need to manually descale the machine every 300 cups for hard water and every 1200 cups for soft water. Once the filter cartridge runs out, you'll have to replace it with a new. This could be expensive for some users.

The Tassimo Vivy 2 is another speedy machine with customisable buttons and the option of using either ground coffee or ESE pods, which are pre-dosed and tampered with grounds compressed between filter paper. It is also B-Corp Certified, which means it is committed to lessening its negative impact on the environment as well as its workforce. Its only downside is that it takes longer to warm up, but once that is done, it will be able to brew one cup in just 35 minutes.

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 beauty, created in collaboration with Sage it is not only easy to use and quick to start, but also comes with an ice-cream frothing wand, as well as an stainless steel Jug.

2. Removable parts

The ease of use is a major selling point and the best models are a breeze to operate. The majority of pod-making machines employ the same basic mechanism to brew the perfect cup of coffee the water is heated inside reservoirs, then moved through capsules to make rich hot coffee. Many brands offer a variety of drink sizes to suit different needs, and you can save your own settings for a variety of models to simplify the process further.

Keurig's K-Cups and Nestle's Nespresso VertuoLine series are the two biggest players on the market, however both offer a variety of capsules from top roasters and brands. Some pods are designed to be used just once and then discarded, while others are meant to be used multiple times. Either way, you'll need to think about how you'll handle the pods that are no longer being used so they aren't thrown away in the trash.

The SMEG we tested has a water reservoir that is easy to fill. It also automatically dispenses a new capsule after the previous one cools down. It can make espresso and lungo drinks, and has eight different blends to give you various options. This brewer is a great choice for those who love coffee and want to move away from drip coffee.

In our tests, the Tassimo My Way 2 proved to be the most enjoyable one to use. Its sleek design is a looker on your counter and opens with a simple touch to reveal a hidden compartment for empty pods. It also comes with the added benefit of a water filtration system, which is great for hard-water areas.

The machine can brew a standard cup of coffee (240ml) as well as lungo and ristretto-style espresso drinks and is extremely fast. Its easy-to-use controls are a joy to navigate, thanks to switches that resemble airplanes and a lever that retracts without much effort to reveal the opening which allows you to drop your pod. It takes a bit of effort to close, but the majority of our testers even those with limitations in hand strength and mobility, were able to use it comfortably.

3. Size

The best coffee pod machines take the mess of making coffee out of your hands. You simply load in the pod, press an icon and brew. You'll still have to clean the machine from time to time however not as often as you would with a bean-to-cup cup or espresso maker. The pod machines are smaller than their counterparts that are larger which means they can be placed on the counter and be stored away from sight when not being used.

The best coffee machine for you will be determined by your preferences and what you want to achieve. The majority of pod machines are easy to operate, however, some provide more options for customization. Pod variety, brew size options, and milk frothing features are all important to help find the perfect coffee pod machine.

The majority of people think of pod-based machines as the likes of Nespresso and Keurig however there are a few newer rivals that are worth a look. One of them is Bruvi which has its own pod system, called B-Pods, which can only be used in conjunction with its machines. These pods have an underside barcode that the machine scans to adjust the brewing settings automatically.

The machine will eliminate all the guesswork and make sure that every drink is perfect every time. It can even save customized drinks to a separate button, allowing you to create them at the touch of a single button.

Other machines, such as Sage's My Way, offer more granular control over your cup of coffee than others, letting you choose the right size and temperature for each beverage. It's more expensive than other models, however it has the polished stainless-steel construction and the excellent customer support synonymous with Sage's My Way. This is a great choice for those looking for something more from their espresso maker that is based on pods.

Some models with larger capacities can also create lungos. Lavazza A Modo Mio Smeg, a great example, combines retro-fifties style from SMEG and Italian coffee maker Lavazza. It's a bit intimidating initially due to the airplane-style toggles, but once you get used to it, the machine is easy and enjoyable to use. A lungo can be prepared in 30 seconds.

4. Customization

One big reason why a pod coffee maker may not be the best choice for you is its lack of customization. If you don't have an additional milk frother, then the only option to enhance flavor or creaminess is to use hot tea or chocolate option in your mug, or to manually add milk to coffee. For most people, this won't be a problem, but it could be a nagging issue 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, infuses and dispenses the right amount of coffee to the specific type of pod. It's a simple, hands-off machine that does the job well, but it doesn't have any options for customised drinks or for varying the strength of the brew. This might be frustrating for some customers but for others, the simple automation and variety of cup lengths (espresso, lungo and mug) will provide exactly what they need.

This coffee maker is low maintenance. It only requires you to refill the water tank, and decaffeinate the reservoir each and every once in a while. It dispenses short espresso-style shots and tall travel mugs with ease and, as mentioned, used pods are ejected to a hidden receptacle which keeps your kitchen spotless. It also does a great job of delivering full-bodied, crema-topped coffees.

It's a gorgeous machine and part of Smeg's fifties-style range. It's simple to use with a simple panel of buttons, and it can handle ground coffee and ESE pods. It's only downside is the lack of an indicator that lets you know when to descale, and the inability to set the maximum water level. It is also necessary to buy the capsules of the brand, which can be expensive. However, this is a good pod coffee machines coffee maker for those looking for an attractive and convenient appliance that will provide them with quality coffee machines with pods at a reasonable price. This model can be used with a variety of third-party capsules and also is compatible with the Nespresso Vertuo range.