The Best Coffee Pod Machine
This sleek, brushed-steel machine offers the Sage brand's distinctive quality and user-friendly. It warms up after switching on, and makes an espresso with aroma or a little longer lungo in 30 seconds.
In contrast to bean-to-cup machines models take the messiest aspects of coffee making off your hands, including grinding and dosing grounds.
1. Speedy
Pod machines can be set up and operated faster than espresso machines. Most of them can make a cup of coffee in 30 minutes. The pre-portioned pods that are used in these machines are typically more expensive than freshly roasted coffee beans, and a lot of them are not recyclable.
The Nespresso CitiZ has one of the most efficient pod machines available due to the barcode scanner that scans each compatible pod's code prior to brewing. This ensures that you get consistently high-quality coffee, every time. There is almost no chance of having a bad beverage. The machine is among the tiniest and lightest available. It doesn't require an additional milk container and its small footprint makes it easy to fit into the tiniest kitchens.
The CitiZ isn't the best machine to minimize your environmental impact. The CitiZ does not have an automatic descaling feature. You will need to manually descale the machine every 300 cups for hard water and every 1200 cups for soft water. When the filter cartridge wears out, you'll have to replace it with a fresh one. This can be costly for some users.
The Tassimo Vivy 2 is another quick machine that comes with a customisable button and the option of using either ground coffee or ESE pods that are pre-dosed, tampered and compressed between filter paper. It is also B-Corp Certified, which means it is committed to decreasing its negative impact on the environment and its employees. The only drawback is the time it takes to heat up. Once it's done it, it can make one cup in about 35 seconds.
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 only easy to use, but it also comes with an ice cream wand, a stainless steel jug, and milk frother.
2. Removable parts
The ease of use is a major draw and the top models are a breeze to use. The majority of machines use the same method to make your cup by heating water inside a reservoir, then pressured through your chosen capsules and extracted to create rich, hot coffee. Most brands offer a range of sizes of drinks to meet various needs. You can save custom settings on many models to speed up the process even more.
Keurig K-Cups are among the top player on the market. However, Nestle Nespresso VertuoLine capsules also come with a variety of capsules made by the most popular roasters. Some pods are designed to be used only once before being be thrown away, while others are intended to be used multiple times. Either way, you'll need to plan ahead for how you'll handle the pods you've used up so that they don't end up in landfill.
The sleek SMEG model we tested features an ejectable water tank that's easy to fill and the machine automatically pours a fresh capsule once the previous one has been chilled. It can brew coffee and lungo drinks and comes with eight different blends that provide you with a wide selection. This brewer will appeal to those who love coffee and want to switch from drip coffee.
In our tests of the Tassimo My Way 2 proved to be the most enjoyable one to use. Its sleek design looks stunning on your counter and can be opened in a matter of seconds to reveal the compartment that houses empty pods. The machine has a water filter system which is perfect for areas with hard water.
This machine is quick and can brew regular coffee (240ml) and ristretto and lungo espresso drinks. Its user-friendly controls are a joy to navigate, thanks to switches that resemble airplanes and a lever that retracts with a minimum of effort to reveal the area where you drop in the pod. It requires some pressure to close, however the majority of our testers who have weak hand strength and mobility, found it comfortable.
3. Size
The top coffee pod makers remove all the messes of coffee making out of your hands. You simply need to load a pod, hit an icon and brew. 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 also smaller than their counterparts that are larger which means they can be placed on the counter and be stored away from view when not in use.
Whether a coffee pod machine is the right choice for you is based on your preferences and what you want to gain from it. All pod machines are simple to use, but others provide more options for customization. Take into consideration the variety of coffee pods, brew sizes and milk options for frothing when selecting the best machine.
The most popular pod-based coffee machines are Nespresso, Keurig and similar brands. However there are more recent competitors that are worth taking a look at. Bruvi utilizes a unique system of pods called B-Pods that can only be used in its machines. These pods have a barcode pod making machines on the underside that machines scan to adjust the brewing settings automatically.
The machine will take all the guesswork out of it and ensure that each drink is perfect every time. It is even able to save custom drinks to a dedicated button so you can create them at the touch of a button.
Other machines, such as Sage's My Way offer a greater degree of control over your coffee that allows you to select the right temperature and size for each drink. It's more expensive than other models, however it comes with a polished stainless-steel construction and the excellent customer service that is a hallmark of Sage's My Way. This is a good option for those wanting to get an extra bit of quality from their pod-based espresso maker.
While most people will be using a pod-based machine to make single-serve drinks, there are some larger models that are able to create longer shots, also known as lungos, also. Lavazza A Modo Mio Smeg, which is a excellent example, blends retro fifties styling from SMEG and Italian coffee maker Lavazza. It's a bit intimidating to use thanks to its toggles that resemble airplanes and a manual lever, but it's easy and incredibly enjoyable to use and brews a lungo in less than 30 seconds and the pods that are used are placed in an internal bin at the touch of a 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 have an auxiliary milk frother, then the only option to enhance flavor or creaminess is to use a hot chocolate or tea option in your mug, or to manually add milk to the coffee. This won't be an issue for most people, but could be a problem for those who prefer the convenience of a fully automated experience in the morning.
Bosch's Intellibrew technology uses barcode readers to scan each capsule, and automatically pre-wet, infuse, and disperse the right amount of coffee that is appropriate for the type of pod. It's an easy-to-use and hands-off machine that does a great job but lacks options for customising drinks or for varying the strength of 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're looking for.
Aside from filling up the tank with water and decaffeinating the reservoir on occasion, this coffee maker will not need a lot of maintenance. It can make short espresso-style shots and tall travel mugs easily. As previously mentioned, used pods are ejected in an unnoticed container which keeps your kitchen clean. It also excels at delivering full-bodied coffees with tops that are topped with crema.
This machine is part of Smeg’s 1950s-style range. It's user-friendly with a simple panel of buttons and can accommodate both ground coffee and ESE pods. The only drawback is that it doesn't have an indicator that lets you know when it's time for descale. Also, the maximum water level can't be set which is a minor inconvenience. You will also have to buy the brand's capsules which can be expensive. This is a great pod machine for anyone looking for an easy-to-use and stylish appliance that is able to serve at a low cost. This model is compatible with a range of capsules from third party manufacturers and works with the Nespresso Vertuo range.