Capsule Coffee Machines

Capsule and Pod Coffee Machines

A pod machine is the quickest and tidiest way to make one coffee. Drop in a capsule, press a button, and thirty seconds later it is done, with no grinding, no tamping, no grounds to knock out and nothing to wipe down afterwards. Consistency is the other benefit: every cup is identical, which is exactly what some people want and exactly what puts others off. The decision that actually matters is not the machine, it is the capsule system, because it is the one thing you cannot change afterwards. Nespresso, Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Tassimo and L’OR capsules are not interchangeable, and each system has its own range of coffees, its own prices and its own availability in Irish supermarkets. Nespresso and L’OR use small espresso-style capsules and there is a wide third-party and compatible market, which keeps cost per cup down. Dolce Gusto and Tassimo use larger pods that carry milk as well as coffee, so they make lattes and hot chocolate without a separate milk step, at the cost of a narrower and generally dearer range. Work out which system you want to be buying from for the next five years, then pick the machine. Beyond that, check the water tank size if the machine will be used by more than one person, whether there is a milk frother built in or supplied alongside, and how the used capsules are collected, since a container that holds a dozen is a lot more convenient than one that holds four. Cost per cup is the honest downside of the format: it is several times a bean to cup machine, which is why heavy coffee drinkers usually move on eventually.

Nespresso and Krups cover the Nespresso system with the Citiz and the Pixie, and Sage the Creatista Plus, a Nespresso machine with a proper steam wand for anyone who wants pods and real milk texture together. Delonghi covers Nescafe Dolce Gusto through the Piccolo XS and Genio S, and Bosch the Tassimo system with the Style, Happy and My Way machines. Philips supplies the L’OR Barista with milk frother, Ninja the Prestige DualBrew that takes pods and ground coffee in the same machine, and Russell Hobbs the Everyday pumped and pod maker. For lower cost per cup from whole beans, see bean to cup coffee machines.

Pod machines are the cheapest coffee machines to buy and the most heavily bought as gifts, which is why Black Friday and Cyber Monday are when they are discounted hardest, and why November stock is not replenished the way it is in other months. Worth remembering that the machine price is the small part of the decision: the capsule system you commit to costs far more over five years than the difference between two reduced machines. Prices are live all year, so see what is reduced now on coffee machines on sale, or the Black Friday coffee machine deals when the November weekend comes round.