There was the time when household consumers have a choice of old-fashion coffee makers that are not really up to scratch or espresso machines that costs hundreds of dollars just for an entry level machine.
The pod coffee maker which entered the consumer market less than a decade ago has somewhat bridged a gap between those 2 extremes.
I say this because while coffee pod machines does bring household coffee to another level (towards the better), there is still a huge gap between the quality of the beverage dispensed from one such appliance compared to what you get from a proper cafe.
So you given in to the hard marketing of distributors trying to sell you a pod machine.
Maybe they are giving you a huge discount when you sign up for beverage pod subscriptions. Maybe you ran the numbers and feel that the higher quality hot drinks you can make with these machines are worth the high prices. Or maybe you have had it with the ugly coffee machine at home and feel that it’s time to add an alien looking replacement to the kitchen counter.
The next question is… how do you choose a pod coffee maker?
In the early days when this market was in it’s infancy, choosing a machine is so stress-free as there are only a few models to choose from. And coffee pods developed by particular brands are only used for that specific brand.
These days, due to licensing and market progression, many third party machines (or some would call them knock-offs) have spruced up compatible with certain types of pods.
But while they are usually cheaper than the pioneer brands in this industry, their machines are no slouches.
This has made choosing a pod coffee machine that much more difficult now.
Taking into account that you are probably using this at home instead of commercial use, the key factors to consider really comes down to 5 points.
You really don’t want to set your own water temperature as long as the coffee is hot, and you definitely don’t want to stress yourself out with customizing the flow rate.
- What are you drinking
- Aesthetic design
- Water reservoir size
- Coffee serving size
- Maintenance and cleaning
- Price
Let’s delve right into them.
1) What are you drinking?
If we boil them all down, which machine to buy very much depends on what beverages will you be making from it.
And what drinks you will be making will determine the types of pods you will be using. This in turn affects the choice of machines you have.
The market is dominated by 3 types of pods, or cartridge.
- Keurig K-Cup
- Nespresso capsule
- Tassimo T-Disc
Any machine brand outside of these 3 would usually come with the warning of what types of pods it is compatible with.
The same can be said with third party pods.
So if you already know what drinks from what pods you will be purchasing or subscribing to, the options available to you should be more or less decided.
If you are going to be buying Keurig K-Cup, take note that there are 1.0 and 2.0 systems. So make sure you know which one you actually need.
3) Aesthetic design
Few people would admit it. But the appearance of the counter-top machine is often times one of the key criteria to the choice of a machine.
After all, one of reason why these things are selling like hotcakes is that they just look so polished and modern.
It really doesn’t matter if the maker becomes the centerpiece of the kitchen or blends nicely into the interior design.
What really matters is whether the machine makes you happy when you see it.
I kid you not.
No matter how well or how bad it blends into the kitchen’s design, you are going to find a good place to put it nevertheless.
So you really need to focus on one that’s a beauty in your eyes.
For example, if you purchased a beauty such as the Hamilton Beach 49981A, are you going to fuss over the design of your kitchen which hardly has any metal surfaces in sight?
No. But you are going to buy it anyway as you feel happy the moment you see it. And love it when aromatic brewed coffee drips out a minute later.
3) Water reservoir size
Emphasizing the notion that one of the key criteria for purchasing such machines for the household if convenience, it only makes sense that one would have features that add to that said convenience.
And the water reservoir tank size is one such aspect the can deliver it.
It makes perfect sense that the larger the water tank, the more convenient it is for a user. This is that he or she don’t have to spend so much time walking to and fro to top it up with water for brewing.
But you should also be mindful that if you are not going to use the machine regularly, a big water reservoir can mean water being left in it for a long time… while bacteria wreaks havoc in it. So you might still have to change the water inside regularly if you don’t brew a few cups of hot beverages a day with your machine.
I personally drink more cups of coffee a day than I would like to admit. So it’s the bigger the tank the better for me.
In fact, it’s an important buying criteria.
If you are unsure what are considered small-sized or large-sized, a small water reservoir can be about 10oz (295ml) while a big one can be as huge as 60oz (1.7l).
4) Serving cup sizes
When I bought my first such machine all those years back, that model I got only had the ability to dispense single serve cups of coffee at 5 ounces (about 150ml).
For a hardcore coffee drinker like me, that was like a mushroom soup before the main course sirloin steak.
So I had to constantly brew more cups to satisfy my caffeine cravings… making me feel greedy.
That’s without mentioned the hassle of brewing over and over again. And the rising coffee cost that quietly climbs with each used pod trashed in the bin.
If you have a specific serving size that has worked for you for years, then you MUST put this factor into consideration when buying your pod coffee maker.
The good thing is that a lot of machines come with a wide range of serving sizes these days. But there are also a lot of other that still continue to dispense at only one size.
If you find a machine you you’ve fallen in love with and the only serving size it dispenses is what you usually go with. Good for you. You are one lucky person.
Otherwise, if you have variations with the amount of coffee you’d like or simply don’t know what suits you, then you should go for a machine with features that allow a selection of serving sizes.
I won’t be surprised if the manufacturers and distributors secretly want us to consume small servings so that we used more pods.
After all they are running a business and has the bottom line to focus on.
5) Maintenance and cleaning
We are working with coffee, tea, and malt drinks, etc.
So it goes without saying that the machine will need cleaning and maintenance regularly unless you like the smell of rotting coffee.
In this sense, the build and design of the machine should enable you to easily clean where you need to clean.
Whether this means easy disassembly and removable parts is another matter.
What really matters is whether it is easy to clean.
Some of us have fat fingers, some have short fingers, and probably all of us won’t want to spend to much time having to clean the appliance properly.
Go for one that allows you to clean effortlessly. You won’t regret this decision.
6) Pricing
These things can be affordable at about $20 or cost as much as hundreds of dollars.
The most inexpensive one on Amazon is probably this model.
I would probably say that there are two main markets or niches in this industry.
- Those that would pay for good coffee
- Those who would only spend within their budget
It would be impossible to advice how much you should pay without knowing the budget you are comfortable with.
As for me, I belong to the first category and am more than willing to pay a little extra for quality brews at my convenience.
I would end this by saying that if you do not see yourself as a coffee lover, it is not practical to spend hundreds of dollars to buy one of those premium top-end pod coffee makers.
And if you absolutely love coffee, you’d probably don’t need anymore convincing to purchase a top-of-the-line machine.