10 Things We We Hate About Best Coffee Pod Machine
10 Things We We Hate About Best Coffee Pod Machine
Blog Article
The Best Coffee Pod Machine
The most sleek pod machine we've seen, this model with brushed-steel features the signature Sage quality and is easy to use. After turning on, it heats up and makes a scrumptious espresso or slightly longer lungo in about 30 minutes.
In contrast to bean-to-cup machines models take the most messy aspects of coffee making out of your hands, such as grinding and dosing grounds.
1. Speedy
Pod machines are typically quicker to install and use than espresso machines, with most can make a cup of coffee in 30 seconds or less. The pre-portioned pods used in these machines tend to be more costly than freshly roasted coffee beans and many are not recyclable.
The Nespresso CitiZ has one of the most efficient pod machines available, thanks to the barcode scanner that scans every compatible pod's code prior to brewing. This allows you to get consistent, high-quality coffee every time, with next-to-no chances of a drink turning out horribly wrong. The machine is one of the lightest and slimmest available. It does not require an additional milk container and its compact size allows it to be easily incorporated into the tiniest kitchens.
However, the CitiZ isn't the ideal machine for those wanting to reduce their 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. Once the filter cartridge is out, you'll need replace it with a new one. This can be costly for some users.
Tassimo Vivy 2 is a fast machine that can be customized with buttons. It can be used with ground coffee or ESE pods which are pre-dosed and tampered grounds compressed between filter paper. This model is B-Corp Certified. It is committed to decreasing the negative impact it has on the environment and workforce. Its only slight drawback is that it takes longer to heat up, but once this happens it can brew a cup in around 35 seconds.
Vertuo Creatista is a stylish sleek machine that can create a variety of drinks with different sizes and styles. This sleek machine, created in collaboration with Sage is not only easy to use, but also comes with an ice cream wand, stainless steel jug and a milk frother.
2. Removable parts
The ease of use of a pod coffee maker is a major advantage. The most effective models are easy to operate. The majority of machines use the same basic process to make your coffee the water is heated inside a reservoir, then pumped through the chosen capsules and extracted to produce rich, hot coffee. The majority of brands offer a variety of sizes for drinks to meet different needs, and you can save your own settings for a variety of models to speed up the process further.
Keurig K-Cups are among the largest brands available on the market. However, Nestle Nespresso VertuoLine capsules also have a wide selection of capsules by famous roasters. Some pods are able to be used only once before they are discarded however, others can be used multiple times. You'll need a strategy for the pods you've used to avoid them from ending up in the garbage.
The sleek SMEG model we tested has a removable water tank that's easy to fill and the machine automatically pours new capsules once the previous one has been cooled. It can be used to brew espresso and lungo drinks and has eight different blends to offer the variety. This brewer will appeal to coffee lovers who are looking to switch from drip coffee.
In our testing of the Tassimo My Way 2 was the most satisfying to use. Its sleek design looks stunning on your counter, and it can be opened with a single touch to reveal the compartment that stores empty pods. The machine also has the added benefit of an filtration system for water, which is great for hard-water areas.
The machine can brew a standard cup of coffee (240ml) and also serves as lungo and ristretto espresso-style drinks and is extremely fast. Its intuitive controls are a joy to navigate using the airplane-style toggles and a lever that retracts with little effort to reveal the opening where you drop in your pod. It takes a bit of pressure to close, however most of our testers even those with weak hand strength and mobility, felt comfortable.
3. Size
The best coffee pod machines take all the messy parts of making coffee out of your hands. You simply load in one of the pods, 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 or espresso maker. Pod machines are also smaller than their counterparts that are larger which means they can be placed on the countertop and be kept out of sight when not in use.
Whether a coffee pod machine is the right option for you is based on your preferences and what you want to get from it. All pod machines are simple to use, but others provide more options for customization. Pod variety, brew size options, and milk frothing features are all important to find the ideal coffee pod machine for you.
The majority of people think of pod-based machines as the likes of Nespresso and Keurig however there are some newer competitors that are worth a look. Bruvi uses a bespoke system of pods called B-Pods that can only be used in its machines. These pods are marked with a barcode that is scanned by the machine to adjust the brewing settings automatically.
This method eliminates all the guesswork the process of making a cup, and guarantees that every drink comes out perfectly every time. It is even able to save custom drinks to a separate button to allow you to create them at the push of a button.
Other machines, such as Sage's My Way offer a greater degree of control over your coffee, allowing you to choose a specific size and temperature for each cup. It's a bit more expensive than other models, but it comes with the polished stainless steel design and the excellent customer service that is which is synonymous with the brand. It is a solid choice for those who want a bit more from their pod-based coffee maker.
While the majority of people will be using a pod-based machine to make single-serve drinks however, there are a few larger models that can also make longer shots, referred to as lungos, also. The Lavazza A coffee capsule machine Modo Mio Smeg is an excellent example of this. It is a combination of the retro style of SMEG with the classic design of Italian coffee brand, Lavazza. It's a bit intimidating at first thanks to the toggles that look like airplanes, but once you get used to it, the machine is easy and enjoyable to use. A lungo can be brewed in 30 minutes.
4. Customization
One big reason why a pod coffee maker may not be right for you is the limited flexibility to customize. If you don't have an auxiliary milk frother, the only option to enhance flavor or creaminess is to make use of hot tea or chocolate option in your mug, or to manually add milk to the coffee. For most people, this won't be a problem but it could be a problem for those who prefer an automated experience in the morning.
Bosch's Intellibrew makes use of a barcode scanner to scan each capsule. It then automatically pre-wettes and infuses, then dispensing the correct amount of coffee to the particular kind of pod. It's a user-friendly hands-off device that does a great job however it isn't equipped with options for customizing drinks or altering the strength of brew. This may be a problem for some buyers but for others, the simple automation and variety of cup lengths (espresso, lungo and mug) it provides precisely what they require.
This coffee maker is 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 with ease and, as we mentioned the used pods are ejected into a hidden receptacle that helps keep your kitchen clean. It also does a great job of serving full-bodied, crema-topped espressos.
This is a beautiful-looking machine and part of Smeg's fifties-style range. It is easy to use with a simple interface and can take ground coffee or ESE pods. The only drawback is that it doesn't come with an indicator that lets you know when it's time to descale, and the maximum water level can't be set which is an inconvenience. You also need to buy the capsules made by the company which can be expensive. However, this is an excellent pod coffee maker for those seeking a stylish and functional appliance that will provide them with quality coffee at a reasonable price. For those who want some variety, a large selection of third-party capsules is available for this model and it's compatible with the Nespresso Vertuo line.