The Best Coffee Pod Machine
The sleekest pod machine we've seen this model with brushed-steel features the trademark Sage quality and is easy to use. After switching on, it preheats and makes a scrumptious espresso or slightly longer lungo in about 30 minutes.
As opposed to bean-to-cup machines, pod models take the messiest aspects of coffee-making out of your hands - including grinding and dosing grounds.
1. Rapid
Pod machines can be set up and operated faster than espresso machines. Most of them can make a cup of coffee in 30 seconds. The pre-portioned pods used in these machines are generally 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 available, thanks to the barcode scanner that scans each compatible pod's code prior to brewing. This ensures that you get consistently top-quality coffee every time. There is hardly any chance of having a bad drink. This machine is among the tiniest and lightest available. It does not require an additional milk container, and its compact size allows it to be easily incorporated into the tiniest kitchens.
The CitiZ isn't the most efficient machine to minimize the environmental impact. It doesn't come with an automatic descaling function and you'll need to descale it yourself once every 300 cups if reside in hard water, or 1200 cups in soft water zones. Once the filter cartridge is out, you'll have to replace it with a new one. This can be costly for some users.
Tassimo Vivy 2 is a speedy machine that has customisable 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 reducing the negative impact it has on its surroundings and its workforce. The only downside is the time it takes to heat up. Once it does it, it can make one cup in around 35 minutes.
Vertuo Creatista is a stylish sleek machine that is able to create a variety of drinks in different sizes and styles. This sleek machine designed in collaboration with Sage is not just easy to use but also comes with an ice cream wand an stainless steel jug and milk frother.
2. Removable parts
The user-friendliness is a major draw and the top models are easy to use. Most machines rely on the same general method to make your cup the water is heated in an internal reservoir, and then pushed through the capsules you choose and extracted to form rich, hot coffee. Many brands offer a variety of sizes of drinks to meet different requirements, and you can save your own settings on many models to streamline the process further.
Keurig's K-Cups and Nestle's Nespresso VertuoLine series are the two major players in the market, however each has a variety of capsules from popular roasters and brands. Some pods can be used once before they are discarded and others can be used multiple times. In either case, you'll have to plan ahead for how you'll handle your spent pods so they do not end up in the garbage.
The sleek SMEG model we tested comes with a water tank that is removable and easy to fill, and the machine automatically dispenses fresh capsules after the previous one has cooled. It can be used to brew espresso and lungo drinks, and comes with eight different blends to give you variety. This brewer is ideal for those who love coffee and want to make the switch from drip coffee.
In our tests of the Tassimo My Way 2 was the most enjoyable to use. Its sleek design is beautiful on your counter and can be opened with a single touch to reveal the compartment that houses empty pods. It also comes with the added benefit of the water filtration system which is great for areas with hard water.
This machine brews a standard cup of coffee (240ml) as well as ristretto and lungo espresso-style drinks and is extremely fast. Its intuitive controls are a joy to use, thanks to aircraft-style toggles as well as a lever that retracts with a minimum of effort to reveal the space where you drop in your pod. It does take a little force to close, but our testers, even those with weak hand and mobility, found it comfortable.
3. Size
The best coffee pod machines remove all the mess from coffee making. All you have to do is load a pod in, press a button and let it make coffee. It is still necessary to clean your machine occasionally, but not like a bean-to-cup or espresso maker. The pod machines are smaller than their bigger counterparts, so they can fit on the counter and be stored out of sight when not in use.
If a coffee pod machine is the right choice for you is based on your preferences and what you're hoping to gain from it. The majority of pod machines are easy to use, but others offer more customization options. The variety of pods, brew size options, and milk frothing capabilities are all important to help find the perfect coffee pod machine for you.
Many people think of pod-based devices in the likes of Nespresso and Keurig, but there are some newer rivals that could be worth considering. One is Bruvi which makes use of an exclusive pod system called B-Pods, which can only be used in conjunction with its machines. The pods have an underside barcode that machines scan to automatically adjust the brewing settings.
The machine will eliminate the guesswork and make sure that each drink is perfect every time. It is able to save your customized drinks on a button so that you can create them with one button.
Other machines, such as Sage's My Way offer a more granular level of control over your coffee and allows you to select the right size and temperature for each beverage. It's more expensive than other models, but it has the polished stainless-steel build and excellent customer support synonymous with Sage's My Way. This is a great option for those wanting to get an extra bit of quality from their espresso maker that is based on pods.
While the majority of people will be using a pod-based machine to make single-serve beverages however, there are a few larger models that can also brew longer shots, known as lungos. Lavazza A Modo Mio Smeg, which is a perfect example, blends retro-fifties style 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 enjoyable to use the lungo is made in less than 30 seconds and the used pods are deposited into an internal bin at the touch of a button.
4. Customization
One reason a pod coffee maker may not be right for you is its limited customization. If you don't buy an auxiliary milk frother, the only options to add extra flavor or creaminess are to make use of an in-mug hot chocolate or tea option, and then add milk to your coffee manually. For most people, this won't be a problem but it could be a problem for those who prefer a fully automated experience in the morning.
Bosch's Intellibrew technology uses a barcode reader to scan each capsule and automatically pre-wet, infuse and dispense the correct volume of coffee that is appropriate for the kind of pod. It's a simple, hands-off machine which does an excellent job, but isn't able to customize drinks or varying brew strength. This may be a problem for some buyers but for others, the simple automation and variety of cup lengths (espresso, lungo and mug) it gives precisely what they require.
Apart from filling the tank with water and decaffeinating the reservoir on occasion the coffee maker will not need a lot of maintenance. It can dispense short espresso shots and tall travel mugs effortlessly and, as mentioned, used pods are ejected into a concealed container which keeps your kitchen spotless. It also does an excellent job of providing full-bodied, crema-topped coffees.
This machine is part Smeg's 1950s style range. It's user-friendly with a simple interface and can take ground coffee or ESE pods. The only drawback is the lack of a display that pod coffee maker 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 own capsules which can be expensive. This is a great pod machine for those who want an attractive and convenient appliance that is able to serve at a low cost. This model is compatible with a range of third-party capsules and also is compatible with the Nespresso Vertuo range.