The Best Coffee Pod Machine

The most elegant pod machine we've ever seen, this brushed-steel model offers the renowned Sage quality and is easy to use. After turning on, it heats up and makes a scrumptious espresso or a slightly longer lungo in just 30 seconds.

The pod models are a great alternative to bean-to cup machines. They take the clumsiest components of making coffee off your hands, such as grinding and measuring grounds.

1. Rapid

Pod machines can be installed and used more quickly than espresso machines. Most of them can make a cup of coffee in 30 minutes. However, they come with a cost as the pre-portioned pods of coffee used in these machines are generally more expensive than freshly roasted beans and they are not recycled. (though some companies now offer free recycling bags and pre-paid UPS labels for returning them).

The Nespresso CitiZ is one of the most efficient pod machines available that is available, thanks to its in-built barcode reader that scans the code of each compatible pod prior to making it. This ensures consistently high-quality coffee, every time. There is almost no chance of having a bad beverage. The machine is among the lightest and slimmest on the market. It does not require a separate milk container and its small footprint allows it to be easily incorporated into even the tiniest kitchens.

The CitiZ is not the best device to reduce your environmental impact. It doesn't come with an automatic descaling feature, and you'll have to clean it yourself every 300 cups if reside in hard water areas or 1200 cups in soft water areas. Once the filter cartridge runs out, you'll have to replace it with a new one. This could be expensive for certain users.

Tassimo Vivy 2 is a quick machine with customizable buttons. It can be used with either ground coffee or ESE pods which are pre-dosed, tampered ground that are compressed between filter paper. It is also B-Corp Certified, which means it is committed to decreasing its negative impact on the environment as well as its employees. Its only minor drawback is the time it takes to heat up. Once it does, it can brew one cup in around 35 seconds.

If you're after an elegant, stylish machine capable of handling a range of different drink sizes and styles then take a look at the Vertuo Creatista from Nespresso. This gorgeous, glossy machine, developed in collaboration with Sage and Sage, is not just simple and quick to operate but also comes with an ice cream frothing wand as well as an stainless steel Jug.

2. Removable parts

A pod coffee maker's user-friendliness is a big selling point, and the best models are easy to use. Most machines rely on the same mechanism to brew your cup: water is heated in an internal reservoir, and then pushed through the chosen capsules and extracted to produce rich, hot java. Many brands offer a variety of sizes of drinks to meet various needs. You can save custom settings on many models to streamline the process further.

Keurig's K-Cups and Nestle's Nespresso VertuoLine series are the two major players on the market, yet each offers a wide selection of capsules from popular roasters and brands. Some pods are designed to be used just once and then be thrown away, while others are intended to be used for a variety of purposes. Whatever the case, you'll need to plan ahead for how you'll handle your spent pods so they don't end up in landfill.

The sleek SMEG model we tested comes with a water tank that is removable and easy to fill, and the machine automatically pours fresh capsules after the previous one has cooled. It brews espresso and lungo drinks, and comes with a set of eight different blends that provide you with a wide selection. This brewer is a great choice for coffee drinkers who want to move away from drip coffee.

In our tests of the Tassimo My Way 2 proved to be the most enjoyable to use. Its sleek design looks great on your counter and opens with just a touch to reveal the hidden compartment that stores your empty pods. The machine also has the added benefit of the water filtration system which is great for hard-water areas.

This machine brews a standard cup of coffee (240ml), as well as ristretto and lungo espresso-style drinks, and is surprisingly quick. Its user-friendly controls are easy to navigate using the switches that resemble airplanes and a lever that retracts without much effort to reveal the opening where you drop in your pod. It takes a bit of effort to close, but the majority of our testers, including those with limited hand strength and mobility, felt comfortable.

3. Size

The top coffee pod machines take away all the mess from coffee making - you just load a pod in, press a button and let it be brewed. You'll still need to clean your machine every now and then however not as often as 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 counter and be stored away from sight when not being used.

The decision of whether a coffee machine is the right choice for you depends on your preferences and what you're looking to get from it. All pod machines are easy to use, but some offer more customisation options than others. Different pod types, brew sizes options and milk frothing capabilities must be taken into consideration to find the ideal coffee pod machine for you.

The most popular pod-based coffee machines are Nespresso, Keurig and similar brands. However there are newer competitors that may be worth looking at. Bruvi utilizes a unique system of pods known as B-Pods, which can only be used in its machines. These pods have an underside barcode that the machine scans to automatically adjust the brewing settings.

This method removes all the guesswork of brewing a cup and ensures each drink is made perfectly every time. It can save your custom drinks in a single button, so that you can create them using one button.

Other machines, such as Sage's My Way, offer more control over your coffee than the majority models, allowing you to select 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 synonymous with the brand and is a solid choice for those who want an extra level of quality from their pod-based coffee maker.

While the majority of people will use the pod-based machine to create single-serve beverages however, there are a few larger models that are able to brew longer shots, known as lungos. The Lavazza A Modo Mio Smeg is a great example of this and combines the retro fifties styling of SMEG with Italian coffee maker, Lavazza. It's a little intimidating initially due to the airplane-style toggles but once you get used to it, the machine is easy and enjoyable to use. A lungo can be brewed in just 30 minutes.

4. Customization

One reason pod coffee makers might not be right for you is the limited flexibility to customize. If you don't have an auxiliary milk frother, then the only way to add flavor or creaminess is to use a hot tea or chocolate option in your mug or to manually add milk to coffee. This shouldn't be a problem for many people, but it could be an issue for those who prefer an entirely automated experience in the morning.

Bosch's Intellibrew technology uses barcode scanners to scan each capsule, and automatically pre-wet, infuse, and dispense the correct volume of coffee that is appropriate for the type of pod. It's a simple and hands-off machine that does an excellent job, but isn't able to customize drinks or for varying the strength of brew. This may be a problem for some buyers however for others, the easy automation and range of cup lengths (espresso, lungo and mug) will provide exactly what they need.

This coffee maker is low-maintenance. It's all you have to do is to fill up the tank with water, and decaffeinate the reservoir each and every so often. It can dispense short espresso shots and tall travel mugs with ease and, coffee machine with capsules as we mentioned the used pods are ejected into a hidden container that helps keep your kitchen clean. It also does an excellent job of providing full-bodied, crema-topped coffees.

This machine is part of Smeg’s 1950s-style collection. It's easy to use via an easy-to-use panel of buttons and can accommodate both ground coffee and ESE pods. Its only flaw is the absence of an indicator that will let you know when to descale, and the inability to set a maximum water level. It is also necessary to purchase the brand's own capsules which can be costly. This is a good pod machine for anyone who wants an easy-to-use and stylish appliance that can be used at a reasonable cost. This model can be used with a variety of capsules from third-party manufacturers and is compatible with the Nespresso Vertuo range.