The Best Coffee Pod Machine
The sleekest pod machine we’ve ever seen, this brushed-steel model offers the trademark Sage quality and user-friendly. After switching on, it heats up and brews a fragrant espresso or a slightly longer lungo within 30 minutes.
In contrast to bean-to-cup machines models take the most messed-up aspects of coffee making out of your hands – including grinding and dosing grounds.
1. Speedy
Pod machines can be set up and used faster than espresso machines. Most of them can make a cup in 30 seconds. The pre-portioned pods used in these machines are typically more costly than freshly roasted coffee beans, and a lot of them are not recyclable.
The Nespresso CitiZ has one of the fastest pod machines available due to the barcode scanner which scans each compatible pod’s code prior to making coffee. This ensures that you get consistently high-quality coffee, every time. There is almost no possibility of getting a poor beverage. It’s also one of the slimmest and lightest on the market that doesn’t require a separate milk jug and its small footprint making it easy to fit into even the tiniest of kitchens.
However, the CitiZ isn’t the best machine for those who want to reduce their environmental impact. It doesn’t come with an automatic descaling function and you’ll need to descale it yourself once every 300 cups if live in hard water or 1200 cups in soft water areas. You’ll also need to swap in a new filter cartridge once this runs out and could be expensive for some users.
The Tassimo Vivy 2 is another speedy machine with customisable buttons and the option of using either ground coffee or ESE pods that are pre-dosed, tampered and squeezed between filter paper. It is also B-Corp Certified, which means it is committed to reducing its negative impact on the environment as well as its workforce. Its only slight drawback is that it takes a little longer to warm up, but once that is done, it will be able to brew the cup in about 35 seconds.
Vertuo Creatista is a stylish sleek machine that is able to create a variety of drinks with different sizes and styles. This sleek machine designed in collaboration with Sage is not just easy to use, but it also comes with an ice cream wand an stainless steel jug and a milk frother.
2. Removable parts
The user-friendliness is a major draw and the top models are easy to operate. Most machines utilize the same basic method to make the cup of coffee you want: water is heated inside reservoirs, then it is pushed through capsules to produce rich hot coffee. Many brands offer a variety of sizes of drinks for different needs. You can also save custom settings to speed up the process.
Keurig K-Cups are among the top player on the market. However, Nestle Nespresso VertuoLine capsules also have a wide selection of capsules from well-known roasters. Some pods are made to be used just once and then discarded, while others are intended to be used for a variety of purposes. You’ll need a plan for your used pods to avoid them from ending 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 pours new capsules once the previous one has been cooled. It can make espresso and lungo drinks, and comes with eight different blends to give you variety. This brewer is a great choice for coffee lovers who are looking to move away from drip coffee.
In our testing we found that the Tassimo My Way 2 was the most enjoyable to use. Its sleek design looks great on your counter and can be opened in a matter of seconds to reveal the hidden compartment that stores your empty pods. It also comes with the added benefit of an filtration system for water, which is ideal for hard-water areas.
This machine is quick and can make standard coffee (240ml) as well as ristretto and lungo espresso drinks. The controls are simple to operate, with the style of airplane toggles that can be retracted easily and a lever which retracts to reveal the hole to place in your coffee maker. It takes a bit of effort to close, but the majority of our test subjects, including those with weak hand strength and mobility, found it comfortable.
3. Size
The top 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 will still need to clean the machine from time to time however not as often as you would with a coffee maker that is a bean-to cup or espresso maker. The pod machines are smaller than their larger counterparts and can be stored on the counter when not being used.
The ideal coffee maker for you will depend on your preferences and what you wish to achieve. All pod machines are simple to operate, however, some provide more options for customization. Different pod types, brew sizes options, and milk frothing capabilities should all be considered to help find the perfect coffee pod machine for Upgrade your coffee game with Genio S+ machine needs.
Many people think of pod-based machines as the likes of Nespresso and Keurig, but there are a few more recent competitors on the scene that could be worth considering. One of them is Bruvi which has an exclusive pod system called B-Pods that can only be used with its machines. These pods have an underside barcode that machines scan to adjust the brewing settings automatically.
This method takes all the guesswork out of brewing a cup and ensures each drink comes out perfectly every time. It is even able to save custom drinks to a dedicated button to allow you to create them at the push of a single button.
Other machines, like Sage’s My Way offer a greater degree of control over your coffee, allowing you to choose the ideal size and temperature for each beverage. It’s a bit more expensive than some models, but it comes with the polished stainless steel design and top-quality customer service that’s synonymous with the brand and is a solid option for those looking to get an extra level of quality from their pod-based coffee maker.
Some models with larger capacities can also brew lungos. The Lavazza A Modo Mio Smeg is a great example of this and is a combination of the retro style of SMEG with Italian coffee maker, Lavazza. It can be a little difficult to use due to its airplane-style toggles as well as the manual lever, but it’s easy and incredibly enjoyable to use and brews a lungo in only 30 seconds, and the pods that are used are deposited into an internal bin at the touch of the button.
4. Customization
One big reason why the pod coffee maker might not be right for you is its lack of customization. If you don’t have an auxiliary milk frother then the only way to enhance flavor or creaminess is to make use of hot chocolate or tea option in your mug or to manually add milk to coffee. For most people, this won’t be a problem however it could be a sticking point for those who prefer a fully automated experience in the morning.
Bosch’s Intellibrew utilizes a barcode scanner to scan each capsule. It then automatically pre-wettes, infuses and dispenses the right amount of coffee to the particular kind of pod. It’s a user-friendly, hands-off machine which does an excellent job, but lacks options for customising drinks or for varying 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 gives precisely what they require.
Apart from filling the tank with water and decaffeinating the reservoir occasionally the coffee maker will not require much maintenance. It dispenses short espresso-style shots and tall travel mugs effortlessly and, as we mentioned the pods that are used are ejected to a hidden container that helps keep your kitchen clean. It also does an excellent job of serving full-bodied, crema-topped espressos.
This machine is part of Smeg’s 1950s style range. It’s simple to use with a simple panel of buttons, and it can handle both ground coffee and ESE pods. Its only flaw is the absence of an indicator that will let you know when you should descale, Coffeee and the inability to set the maximum level of water. You’ll also have to purchase the capsules made by the company 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 reasonable cost. For those who want a little more variety, a wide range of third-party capsules are available for this model and it’s compatible with the Nespresso Vertuo line.