acquavivaespresso wrote:...the average quality espresso from pod is better than the average quality that all novices, and many so called experts can brew

My limited experience with pods as been uniformly unpleasant. I would recommend a good grinder and French press long before condemning someone to pod espresso.

That said, learning how to make acceptable espresso isn't that hard if you have good equipment, fresh coffee, and well-written instructions. I've helped several friends choose equipment and learn how to use it. They were well on their way to consistently good espresso with a few days of practice and miles ahead of anything a super-automatic or pod machine could produce. With the help available online today from sites like this and Coffeegeek, there's no lack of quality instruction for a wide array of equipment compared to the Hall of Shame days.

acquavivaespresso wrote:Still had I been in the place of the parents of the guy who started this post I would have given him a "POD" machine so that he could immediately enjoy a good cup and decide by himself if he really wanted to better his skills, because you see, the average quality espresso from pod is better than the average quality that all novices, and many so called experts can brew : the product is always fresh being nitrogen flushed, grinding is correct and any decent machine will deliver a decent cup:

Pod coffee is fresh coffee?

another_jim wrote:About 1.5 seconds of thought will convince you that a thermoblock in combination with a conventional lever group will produce stunningly transparent espresso.

Jim, you almost got it right: a thermoblock lever that uses pods for freshness.

RapidCoffee wrote:Pod coffee is fresh coffee?

Being nitrogen flushed and duly packed in double wall plastic, it is as fresh as freshly defrost coffee, but I would never advise an "expert" to use pod : that's OK for the novice, for the houselady, for the lazy and the normal person who likes a good coffee and does not want the fuss to try and make himself the "best possible" cup..... I said that the "average quality" is far better .....
I also cannot see a thermoblock and a lever machine together : they just do not match and work on totally different concepts : like a horse with a hippo head ....

like a horse with a hippo head ....

I would pay a dollar to see that.

HB wrote:I would recommend a good grinder ......

Dan, if you read my original post I also said : It does not take long if you have a good grinder and have an idea of what to do ..... So as you see I fully agree with you, but the fact remains that pod is a big reality and quality has a lot to do with it ..... I could also quote my friend V.F. answering a very big customer (whose name I won't mention) what he thought about their espresso (pod) ... the very diplomatic answer was : I think you came up with the coca cola of espresso .... (which as espresso was (is) disgraceful)
It is also a fact that many roasters have used pods to get away with some of the cheapest coffee ever produced, so I would recommend to stick to the reliable roasters who can guarantee consistent quality.
Also I understand that the big limit for you guys is that you cannot overdose since they only come 7 and sometimes 14 grams ......