Any recommendations for a pod coffeemaker?

12 years ago

My son's office at work has been temporarily relocated during some reconstruction and since he's a distance from the kitchen he's asked for a pod coffee maker for his birthday next week. He can always take it home when his office moves back.

Checking with Consumer Reports they recommended the Senseo Supreme, Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto and an Invento. They didn't seem to think too highly of the ubiquitous Keurig, although there are more varieties of coffee and greater availability of the Keurig pods. I read some other reviews where posters reported that the heating element on their Keurigs died within a few months but that Keurig readily replaced their unit.

I think Glenda had a Keurig but I thought she didn't like it. Anyone here willing to recommend a brand? Thanks.

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Comments (13)

glenda_al
12 years ago
I still have my Keurig, but it's been sitting in the closet, and I daily use my Mr Coffee.
lisa_fla
12 years ago
We are test marketing a new version of the Keurig! I like it for free but could not imagine ever spending $170 on a coffee maker!!?!?!?!
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Just to clarify on the nespresso...they have a few pods marketed as "lungo" pods (italian for "long"). Traditionally, you can make an espresso shot ristretto (short), "normal," or "lungo"...the lungo pods have a bit more coffee in them, and it is ground a little less fine. It is technically a sort of a cross between an Americano and a true drip, as it is still brewed with pressure through the grounds. To my taste, it is an excellent substitute for strong drip coffee.. There is also no reason at all you can't do a long shot through a non-lungo pod...the results vary, but I find they are generally still better than the coffee you get out of a k-cup or similar. Just my opinion - YMMV. You can change the size of the shots, but as they come standard the lungo button gives you a 110ml pour (as opposed to 40ml for an espresso pod). This is just shy of 4oz...I find that doing 2 lungos fills a "normal" size coffee mug pretty much perfectly. I originally bought one for my office at work because even though it was more expensive per cup theoretically, in reality I was wasting large parts of every pot I made in my traditional drip machine...and the lack of any messy grounds to dispose of was a real bonus. I have been very happy with ours...it isn't our only coffee maker, and I use other things when I want a *really* good cup, or a pot for weekends, but for the morning latte or a quick cuppa, it is perfect. It is also nice because their decaf is actually very tasty...I don't make a lot of decaf, so it is nice to be able to make a cup on the spot when someone wants it.
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What are your volume preferences. Do you need to make several cups and keep them warm, or would one cup be perfect if it was also very strong, very hot, and very good? I've had a ton of coffee makers over the years, but I no longer brew in volume. MichaelP is dead on when he says that taste is subjective and there is no universal best... but this is what I like: The entire contents from my Bialetti Brikka (not to be confused with the Moka, which looks similar, but brews very differently) is perfect. I add a little sugar and half and half to a cup. Froth it up a little, pour the beautiful stove top espresso with crema into the frothed milk the moment it stops making that weird rocket ship noise. Some people prefer it without the cream and sugar, in which case it's very hot and frothy. I recently served some to a brunch guest who is accustomed to normal coffee maker coffee and he liked it and confessed that it gave him a bit of a buzz. It was not surprising. The four servings that the maker makes only partially fills a normal American coffee cup... but it takes three heaping scoops of good dark roast coffee to make.
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Bodum santos (pebo) vacuum pot. EASY and makes the best, rounded, smooth coffee IF you buy quality coffee beans. Grind the beans fine (careful not to let the beans at the bottom of the grinder get warm -- I stop, invert/shake, then start the grinding again. Preheat you mug! I just put a kitchen tea towel around my carafe to keep it warm. No coffee likes to be kept "warm" for long. Good, well-brewed coffee has lots of delicious volatiles. So keep the cover on the little carafe; keep it cozied. Don't wait to long to enjoy it ;) As Chas pointed out, most coffee makers sold for the USA market, do not get the brew water hot enough for long enough during the brew . They pathetically try to play catch-up on the hot plate. I've made coffee with Chemex, drips and various other techniques. One electric brewer that we had YEARS ago was made by some company (Senaec?) and that worked very well. But that is no longer made. Then we kludged a technique, using a drip method and manually heating the water with a separate electric kettle, then pouring it (manually) over grounds in a basket filter. We used a cheapy, dime store coffee maker to hold the basket of grounds over the glass carafe. Then we'd transfer it into an old-fashioned stainless, narrow, tall Stanley thermos. Even so, no coffee wants to be hanging around at a warm/warm-hot temperature for more than 15 or 20 minutes. There is a way to COLD brew a pound of coffee....
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I have a Chemex pour over and I love the coffee. I buy green beans from Burman Coffee and roast them myself, then grind them as I need them. The first Chemex was too small, we had to buy the larger one. I have an electric kettle, brew a Chemex full of coffee and then decant it into a Thermos to stay hot. Elery has one that's not fancy, an Army issued one that his son had while he was stationed in Kosovo, but it'll keep coffee hot all day without "cooking" it. The process is a bit time consuming but it's worth it to me. We do have a Keurig, and one of those devices that let me use my own coffee instead of the pods. Since green beans cost me $5 or $6 a pound, plus the energy to run the roaster, I can make an awful lot of coffee for the cost of a box of those pods, and keep them out of the landfills too. I have a French Press that I use occasionally, an AeroPress that never gets used, an electric countertop percolator that Elery likes, a Cuisinart drip pot that grinds the beans and has a timer. That makes so much noise it'll bring you out of bed in the morning when the beans start grinding, thinking it's an air raid or something, sheesh. We also have an old stovetop Corning Ware percolator that I used to use when the power went out and I used the camp stove, and an aluminum pot that was used when camping. My office coffeepot was a Hamilton Beach BrewStation that didn't have a carafe, it brewed the coffee and held it until the lever was pushed to fill a cup. It's now in Amanda's camper. Large family functions require the GE 40 cup electric perk coffee maker. Oh, and a small pour over type filter that makes a single cup of coffee, Elery takes it with him when he goes to his daughter's as she does not drink coffee or own a coffee pot and he doesn't want to have to drink gas station coffee. He's also opposed to paying what they want at coffee shops, so he'll make his own by the cup, thanks! My favorite is the Chemex, my least favorite is the French Press, I get a kind of "sludge" in the bottom of my cup with that. All make a passable cup of coffee, as long as I use good beans. Annie
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sheilajoyce_gw
12 years ago
I use my single cup Keurig every day. I got it for Christmas last year. I prefer the attachment that lets me use my own coffee as I like a mild cup of coffee, but I keep the pods on hand for the family when someone is visiting and wants a fully loaded cup.
dees_1
12 years ago
I have a Senseo that I got for free a few years ago. I use it almost every weekday, opting for fresh ground during the weekend.

My only complaint is finding pods. Amazon.com is pretty much the cheapest game in town but I have a feeling they may stop making them, since K-cups are so big now. I do have the after-market filter that lets me make my own "pod" but it lets a lot of grounds through.
iowagirl2006
12 years ago
I have a Keurig and LOVE it! I have The Keurig B60 - it has 3 cup sizes.

I did have some issues with it not brewing a full cup, but found the solution on youtube - it was just a matter of cleaning out the part where the water is injected into the K-Cup.

It is getting really easy to find a huge variety of coffees, teas, hot chocolate, apple cider - etc. in the K-Cups.

Once you find your favorite coffee(s) you will love it! I tried a few that were awful, but now enjoy it!
joan_mn
12 years ago
We also love our Keurig. We use then K cup and our own coffee.
sjerin
12 years ago
It's a shame that the pods are not recyclable. However, there is a brand (can't remember the name,) of an espresso pod that is made from metal that my friend told me about.
maire_cate
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for the feedback everyone.

dees 1 - Consumersearch.com said you could buy Senseo pods from CoffeeCow.com.

Consumersearch also said that there are 24 different brands of coffee available for the Keurig, totaling 245 varieties.
lynn_d
12 years ago
We love our Keurig as well, wouldn't trade it for any other. We are so in love with the coffee that I bought a single cup unit to take with us when we travel. The only downside that I have is that Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has bought virtually every other company that manufactures the K Cups and I hate dealing with a monopoly.

You might check Coffee.org for the senseo pods, they are really nice people and had some great pricing on the K cups when they sold them.
jannie
12 years ago
I got a pod brewer free from a company called "Gevalia". It's still in the closet. I use my Mr. Coffee my daughter bought a few years ago.
fran1523
12 years ago
I have the mini Keurig in which you have to add water for each cup and love it. The coffee is more expensive and the pods are not recyclable but it is so convenient. I got mine at Macy's on sale with a coupon for $75. I understand that if the pot stops working, Keurig will replace it free.
glenda_al
12 years ago
Along with my Keurig in the closet is my Gevalia. I really like Gevalia, but my Mr Coffee is smaller, makes fewer cups, and doesn't take up as much space.

I just never liked the Keurig and friend gifted me with it two years ago for Christmas.
arkansas girl
12 years ago
I would say that for his needs, a Keurig is the way to go. I just don't think they are right for everyone unless you don't care about a budget. But for your son, that would definitely be the way to go. I'd go with the one cup but that has 3 cup size settings so he can decide how strong to make his cup. I'd go with Keurig just because of the availability of the pods.

For someone like me and many people that goes through a pot a day between my husband and I...it just would not be practical at all. Coffee is already through the roof $$$!

Any recommendations for a pod coffeemaker?

Comments (13)

glenda_al

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Any recommendations for a pod coffeemaker?

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