The Best Coffee Pod Machine
This sleek, brushed-steel appliance offers the Sage brand's distinctive quality and ease of use. After turning on, it warms up and makes a scrumptious espresso or slightly longer lungo within 30 minutes.
Models for pods 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 are generally quicker to setup and use than espresso machines, with many able to make a cup of coffee in 30 seconds or so. However, they come with a cost in that the pre-portioned coffee pods that are used in these machines are generally more expensive than freshly roasted beans, and many are also not recyclable (though certain companies now offer free recycling bags and prepaid UPS labels to return the pods).
The Nespresso CitiZ has one of the fastest pod machines available due to the barcode scanner which scans each compatible pod's code before brewing. This ensures you get consistently top-quality coffee every time. There is hardly any possibility of getting a poor beverage. It's also one of the slimmest and lightest available and does not require an additional milk jug, and the smallest footprint, making it easy to fit in even the tiniest of kitchens.
The CitiZ is not the best machine to reduce your environmental impact. The CitiZ doesn't have an automatic descaling feature. You will need to manually descale the machine every 300 cups for hard water, and 1200 cups for soft water. Once the filter cartridge is out, you'll need to replace it with a new. This could be expensive for certain users.
The Tassimo Vivy 2 is another fast machine that has buttons that can be customized and the option of using either ground coffee or ESE pods that are pre-dosed and tampered grounds compressed between filter paper. This model is B-Corp Certified. It is committed to reducing the negative impact it has on the environment and its employees. The only drawback is that it takes longer to warm up, but once this is done, it will be able to brew one cup in just 35 minutes.
Vertuo Creatista is a stylish, sleek machine that can create a variety of drinks with different sizes and styles. This sleek machine, designed in collaboration with Sage is not just simple to use, but it also comes with an ice cream wand, stainless steel jug and milk frother.
2. Removable parts
The ease of use of pod coffee makers is a major advantage. The top models are easy to operate. The majority of machines employ the same basic mechanism to brew the perfect cup of coffee: water is heated inside reservoirs, then pushed through capsules to create rich hot coffee. The majority of brands offer a variety of sizes of drinks to meet different requirements, and you can save your own settings on many models to speed up the process even more.
Keurig K-Cups are the biggest player 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 get thrown away, whereas others are meant to be used multiple times. You'll need a plan for your old pods to prevent them from ending up in the garbage.
The sleek SMEG model we tested features a water tank that is removable and easy to fill and the machine will automatically pour a fresh capsule once the previous one has been chilled. 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 ideal for coffee lovers who are looking to move away from drip coffee.
In our tests we found that the Tassimo My Way 2 was the most enjoyable to use. Its sleek design is an eye-catching addition to your countertop and opens with a simple touch to reveal a hidden compartment to store your empty pods. It also comes with the added benefit of the water filtration system which is ideal for hard-water areas.
The machine is fast and can brew regular coffee (240ml) as well as ristretto and lungo espresso drinks. The controls are easy to operate, with airplane-style toggles that can be easily pulled back and a lever that retracts to reveal the opening for dropping in the pod. It requires a little force to close but our testers, including those who have limitations in hand strength and mobility felt comfortable.
3. Size
The best coffee pod machines eliminate all the mess that comes with coffee making. All you have to do is put a pod in the machine, press a button, and let it be brewed. It is still necessary to clean your machine every now and then however not like a bean-to-cup or espresso maker. The pod machines are smaller than their larger equivalents and can be stored on the counter when not being used.
The right coffee pod machine for you will depend on your personal preferences and what you want to achieve. All pod machines are simple to use, however some offer more customization options. Take into consideration the variety of coffee pods sizes, brew sizes and milk options for frothing when picking the right machine.
Many people think of pod-based machines as the likes of Nespresso and Keurig however there are a few newer competitors on the scene that could be worth considering. One of them is Bruvi which makes use of an exclusive pod system called B-Pods, which can only be used in conjunction with its machines. These pods have a barcode on the underside that the machine scans to adjust the brewing settings automatically.
The machine will take all the guesswork and ensure that each drink is perfect every time. It is able to save your customized drinks to a button, so that you can make them by pressing one button.
Other machines, like Sage's My Way, offer more control over your coffee than most models, allowing you to select the exact size and temperature for each cup. It's more expensive than other models, however it has the polished stainless-steel build and excellent customer service that is synonymous with the brand. This is a great option for those who want an extra bit of quality from their espresso maker that is based on pods.
While most people will be using the pod-based machine to create single-serve drinks There are some larger models that can make longer shots, referred to as lungos, too. Lavazza A Modo Mio Smeg is a great example, combines retro style of the fifties from SMEG and Italian coffee maker Lavazza. It's not easy at first thanks to the toggles that look like airplanes, however once you've become accustomed to it, it is quick and easy to use. A lungo can be prepared in just 30 minutes.
4. Customization
The lack of customisation is a major reason it's not the right choice for you. Unless you purchase an auxiliary milk frother, the only options to add flavor or creaminess is to make use of a hot chocolate in-mug or tea option and add milk manually to your coffee. This shouldn't be a problem for many people, but could be a problem for those who like an entirely automated experience in the morning.
Bosch's Intellibrew utilizes a barcode scanner to scan each capsule. It then automatically pre-wets, infuses and dispenses the correct amount of coffee for the particular kind of pod. It's a hands-free, easy-to-use machine that does its job very well but lacks any options for customizing drinks or for varying the strength of best pod coffee machine brew. Some customers will be irritated by this, but others will find the ease of use and the variety of cup sizes (espressos and mugs, lungos and espressos) to be exactly what they are looking for.
This coffee maker is very low maintenance. It is all you need to do is to fill up the tank with water, and decaffeinate the reservoir each and every once in a while. It can dispense short espresso shots or tall travel mugs effortlessly. As mentioned earlier, the used pods are ejected into an unnoticed container which keeps your kitchen clean. It also excels at delivering full-bodied coffees with crema-topped tops.
This is a beautiful-looking machine and is part of Smeg's fifties-style range. It's user-friendly with a simple panel and can be used with ground coffee or ESE pods. Its only flaw is the lack of an indicator that lets you know when you should descale, and the inability to set a maximum water level. You'll also have to purchase the brand's capsules, which can be pricey. Nevertheless, this is a good pod coffee maker for anyone looking for an attractive and functional appliance that will serve them well for a reasonable price. This model is compatible with a range of capsules from third party manufacturers and works with the Nespresso Vertuo range.