Any reviews of Pod machines?

[bobdc]

A friend is interested in getting a Pod Machilne and I suggested against it for several reasons of my own experience and prejudice. However, I am unable to find any reviews of any of the myriad of machines. Does anyone know of any reviews? Currently he is satisfied with his Gevalia drip but he does use coffee from Peets. I am trying to move him from a Pod to a slightly better machine and then, hopefully a grinder. Your thoughts would be a help. Meanwhile make sure you enjoy these holidays.

[cannonfodder]

The lack of POD machine reviews should be the key indicator. POD's are evil.

If he jumps to a 'real' espresso machine, the grinder had best be part of the transition. Otherwise he will be in for a big disappointment and the machine may end up on EBay after a month.

And happy holidays to you as well.

[HB]

I've never had an espresso made from pods that was acceptable straight, but I suppose if you add enough milk... but to your question, Mark has some good suggestions tucked way in his Solis Crema SL 70 Review:

The SL-70 as a Pod Machine
Solis ships the machine with a pod-capable filter basket. This system is not ESE (Easy Serving Espresso) certified, mainly because most ESE machines need a purpose-built grouphead to match up with a purpose-built filter basket system. The SL-70 has the basket, but the grouphead is meant for grounds.

Still, the grouphead is also designed for a 53mm filter, which brings it close to the size of pods. As a result, pod production on the machine is what I'd label as "good". It isn't as good as a pod-adapted Nuova Simonelli Oscar, or the Elektra Nivola, but it's too close for my tastebuds to really distinguish (all pods be bad to me). I had a couple of testers who like pod espresso try the three machines out, and the SL-70 was a close third to these other two ESE certified machines.

This does add versatility to the machine, and I can see it as a benefit to some potential buyers - pods are definitely convenient. But if you want the best espresso you can have, stick to fresh ground.

They are no doubt convenient. So is Spam if you're hungry, but I'm not stocking up on it. Seriously, I'd rather have fantastic French press for the convenience than mediocre espresso. Good luck with your friend. You're welcome to point them to related commentary on super-autos, e.g., Like kissing your sister. It could be retitled "Friends don't let friends drink bad espresso."

[Marshall]

A friend is interested in getting a Pod Machilne and I suggested against it for several reasons of my own experience and prejudice. However, I am unable to find any reviews of any of the myriad of machines. Does anyone know of any reviews? Currently he is satisfied with his Gevalia drip but he does use coffee from Peets. I am trying to move him from a Pod to a slightly better machine and then, hopefully a grinder. Your thoughts would be a help. Meanwhile make sure you enjoy these holidays.

Although this is the "Espresso Gear" section of an espresso forum, you only mentioned drip and wanting "a slightly better machine." Assuming you did not mean espresso, I would point him toward a Keurig machine.

They have gotten good reviews, I have friends who love them, and they are available in many departnment stores. They use a unique pod system, called "K cup," that does a better job than most of preserving flavor and are supported by several different roasters (including Green Mountain, which owns Keurig).

http://keurig.com/

[Gabe]

What about the new Silvia? It comes with the pod kit, and if he decides down the road to do the "real espresso" thing, he's already got a good machine.

[lparsons21]

One of the continuing complaints about the Keurig is the weakness of the coffee. Even many that like them talk about it.

If you are wanting a quick cup, not espresso, then there are better options in the pod market.

Grindmaster OPOD - this is the very best. This week, Tuesday Morning (that's the store name) has them for $199. Everywhere else they are about $450. This store is a closeout/overstock or some such and often has amazing bargains.

Otherwise, go to singleservecoffee.com and get into the forums there. That site is dedicated to pods, Tassimo and other pod or disk type makers.

[gabriel]

He can try the Nespresso machines - you can get the Nespresso Cube for $350 at William-Sonoma or the lower end c90 for about $180
Both machine don't have the milk unit (Nespresso sells a separate device called aeroccino for another $80 and in some places you can get $50 rebate if you buy a machine + aeroccino)
They make better espresso than Peets and he could try the machine in store and decides if the taste is good enough for him

The catch is that you are locked into the Nespresso system with capsules going for $0.5 each

/gabi