Think You're Ready To Start Best Coffee Pod Machine? Try This Quiz
Think You're Ready To Start Best Coffee Pod Machine? Try This Quiz
Blog Article
The Best Coffee Pod Machine
This sleek, brushed-steel appliance provides the Sage brand's distinctive quality and ease of operation. It preheats after switch-on, and makes an espresso with aroma or a slightly longer lungo in about 30 seconds.
Unlike bean-to-cup machines, pod models take the most messy aspects of coffee making out of your hands, including grinding and dosing 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 minutes. The pre-portioned pods used in these machines tend to be more expensive than freshly roasted coffee beans and a majority of them are not recyclable.
The Nespresso CitiZ has one of the fastest pod machines on the market due to the barcode scanner that scans each compatible pod's code prior to making coffee. This allows you to ensure consistent, high-quality coffee every time, with next-to-no chance of a drink coming out badly wrong. The machine is among the tiniest and lightest on the market. It does not require a separate milk container and its compact size allows it to be easily incorporated into even the smallest kitchens.
However, the CitiZ isn't the most efficient machine for those who want to minimize their environmental impact. The CitiZ doesn't have an automatic descaling feature. You'll have to manually descale the machine every 300 cups for hard water and 1200 cups for soft water. When the filter cartridge wears out, you'll need replace it with a new. This could be expensive for certain users.
The Tassimo Vivy 2 is another quick machine that comes with a customisable button and the option to use either ground coffee or ESE pods, which are pre-dosed, tampered and compressed between filter paper. This model is B-Corp Certified. It is committed to lessening the negative impact it has on the surroundings and its workforce. Its only minor drawback is the time it takes to heat up. Once it is heated it, it can make one cup in around 35 minutes.
Vertuo Creatista is a stylish sleek machine that can create a variety of drinks in different sizes and styles. This sleek machine, created in collaboration with Sage is not just easy to use, but also comes with an ice cream wand, a stainless steel jug, and a milk frother.
2. Removable parts
A pod coffee maker's ease of use is a big selling point, and the best models are easy to use. Most machines rely on the same general method to make your cup by heating water inside a reservoir, then pressured through the capsules you choose and extracted to produce rich, hot java. Many brands offer a variety of sizes of drinks to meet different requirements, and you can save custom settings on a number of models to simplify the process even further.
Keurig K-Cups are among the top player on the market. However, Nestle Nespresso VertuoLine capsules also offer a large selection of capsules made by the most popular roasters. Some pods can be used once before they are discarded, while others can be used multiple times. In either case, you'll have to plan ahead for the way you'll dispose of the pods you've used up so that they aren't thrown away in the trash.
The sleek SMEG model we tested comes with a water tank that is removable and easy to fill and the machine automatically dispenses a fresh capsule once the previous one has been cooled. It can brew espresso and lungo drinks, and comes with eight different blends to offer various options. This brewer is ideal for those who love coffee and want to move away from drip coffee.
In our tests, the Tassimo My Way 2 was the most satisfying to use. Its sleek design is an eye-catching addition to your countertop and can be opened with a gentle touch to reveal a concealed compartment to store your empty pods. The machine also has the added benefit of a water filtration system, which is perfect for areas with hard water.
This machine is able to make the standard cup of coffee (240ml), as well as lungo and ristretto espresso-style drinks, and is surprisingly quick. The controls are simple to use, with airplane-style toggles that can be retracted easily and a lever which retracts to reveal the hole to place in the pod. It requires a little effort to close, but our test subjects, even those with limited mobility and hand strength felt comfortable.
3. Size
The top coffee pod makers take the mess of coffee making out of your hands. You simply put in one of the pods, press an icon and make coffee. You'll still have to clean your machine every now and then however not as often as a bean-to cup or espresso maker. The pod machines are also smaller than their counterparts that are larger and can be tucked away on the counter and be kept out of sight when not in use.
The decision of whether a coffee machine is the best choice for you depends on your preferences and what you're hoping to get from it. All pod machines are simple to operate, however, some provide more options for customization. Take into consideration the variety of coffee pods sizes, brew sizes and milk frothing options when choosing the right machine.
The most popular pod-based 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 makes use of an exclusive pod system known as B-Pods that can only be used by its machines. The pods are equipped with a barcode on the underside that machines scan to adjust the brewing settings automatically.
The machine will eliminate the guesswork and ensure that every drink is perfect every time. It can save your custom drinks to a button, so that you can create them with one button.
Other machines, such as Sage's My Way offer a more precise level of control over your coffee and allows you to select a specific size and temperature for each beverage. It's more expensive than other models, however it comes with a polished stainless steel construction and superior customer service that is synonymous with Sage's My Way. This is a great choice for those looking for something more from their pod-based espresso maker.
While the majority of people will use pod-based machines to make single-serve beverages, there are some larger models that are able to create longer shots, also known as lungos. Lavazza A Modo Mio Smeg, which is a great example, combines retro style of the fifties from SMEG and Italian coffee brand Lavazza. It can be a little difficult to use due to its airplane-style toggles and manual lever, but it's easy and incredibly satisfying to operate - a lungo is brewed in coffee capsule machine less than 30 seconds and the pods that are used are placed in an internal bin at the touch of the button.
4. Customization
A pod coffee maker's limited customization is a major reason it's not the best option for you. If you don't buy an auxiliary milk frother, the only ways to add flavor or creaminess is to use an in-mug hot chocolate or tea option and to add milk to your cup manually. This won't be an issue for a lot of people, but it could be an issue for those who like a fully automatic experience in the morning.
Bosch's Intellibrew technology uses barcode readers to scan each capsule and automatically pre-wet, infuse and give the correct amount of coffee for that particular type of pod. It's an easy-to-use and hands-off machine that does a great job however it isn't equipped with options for customizing drinks or for varying the strength of brew. This may be a problem for some buyers but for others the hassle-free automation and variety of cup lengths (espresso, lungo and mug) will provide precisely what they require.
Aside from filling up the water tank and decaffeinating the reservoir on occasion This coffee maker does not require a lot of maintenance. It dispenses short espresso-style shots and tall travel mugs with ease and, as we mentioned the used pods are ejected into a concealed container that keeps your kitchen clean. It also does a great job of serving full-bodied, crema-topped espressos.
This machine is part Smeg's 1950s style range. It's user-friendly with a simple panel of buttons, and it can handle ground coffee as well as ESE pods. The only downside is that it doesn't have an indicator to let you know when it's time to descale, and the maximum water level can't be set which is a minor issue. You'll also need to buy the brand's capsules which can be costly. However, this is a good pod coffee maker for those looking for a beautiful and practical appliance that can serve them well for an affordable price. This model can be used with a variety of third-party capsules and also works with the Nespresso Vertuo range.