Great Coffee Pods (and Tassimo T-Discs, too!)

There’s a lot of buzz lately (get it?  Coffee?  Buzz?  Come on, you at least grinned, right?) about coffee pods.  They’re not exactly brand new, but they seem to just now be getting their comeuppance in the public light, and lots of people are discovering that it just makes more sense for them to make their coffee one cup at a time.  Most of the queries on the web seem to be centered around certain brands of coffee pods, though, so I figured I would give a (very) quick overview of what’s available, and where to buy.  In this post, I’ll do the top two.  Check back often, though, because as I get to the more obscure brands, you just might find something new!

Senseo Coffee Pods

Senseo coffee pods are made exclusively for the Senseo coffee pod machine.  This gives Senseo the ability to make their pods, as well as their machines, to work extremely well with each other by not having to worry about other brands of makers and pods.  They seem to be the most popular coffee pods by a rather large margin.

Melitta Coffee Pods (Often misspelled as Melita Coffee Pods)

Melitta coffee pods come in right behind Senseo in popularity, and also have the distinction of not tripping my spell check.  Apparently Melitta is an English word, but Senseo is not.  Anyway, Melitta coffee pods are like Senseo in that they make their own coffee pod brewers and pods, but they don’t claim to be exclusive to one another.

I’m sure you’re asking, as would many; exactly what are coffee pods? Are they little spaceships in which coffee travels? Obviously not, but the term coffee pods doesn’t exactly jump out at you with an explanation, does it?

Coffee pods are basically packages of coffee that are pre-packaged with their own filter. Although coffee pods are very convenient, they can only be used with certain types of coffee makers. To use coffee pods, one has to own a coffee maker that is designed specifically for coffee pods. Unfortunately this convenience is unavailable to those of us with normal, cheapo coffee makers. To use coffee pods, you’ll need to obtain a type of coffee maker known as a coffee pod brewer. There are quite a few to chose from, and not all are compatible with all types of pods, so there is some confusion as to which pods and which brewers to use.

All coffee pods are single serve, single cup, and are only intended to be used in a coffee pod machine.

Fortunately, however, coffee pods are sort of an open format. Although they require special pieces of equipment to brew, pretty much any company can make and sell coffee pods, which means there is a very wide variety of coffee pods available to purchase once you have obtained your coffee pod brewer. Coffee pods are available for as little as $5, though some of the more premium pods sell for over $30. As with everything, it’s really up to you how much you want to spend and if you taste a flavor difference between them. If you, personally, don’t notice a difference between the cheapest and the most expensive, then there’s obviously no reason to waste the extra money.

Coffee pod brewers range from $10 to well over $400 for personal one cup brewers, and upwards of $1100 for commercial grade brewers. They can be purchased from most regular department stores, as well as online. As with most things, if you have the patience to wait for it, it’s probably better and cheaper to order it online.

I’m sure you’ve noticed by now; yes, coffee pods are quite a bit more expensive than your normal, every day coffee makers. Not only is the brewer itself pretty pricey, but the pods aren’t exactly cheap, and they don’t last nearly as long as your typical coffee grounds in a filter type setup. What you get in return, though, is the convenience of having it all in one package, and the ability to brew coffee that’s much closer to what the retail places have to offer.

Coffee pods are also a good choice for the commercial environment. They offer many advantages over the traditional type of coffee maker. Imagine everyone in the office being able to get an equally fresh cup of coffee, regardless of when they come in to work. No longer would Bob in accounting waste and entire pot full of coffee just to get his 2 pm fix. Flavored coffee, virtually out of the question in the office since no one would ever agree on a particular flavor, would become commonplace as each person could pick and chose the coffee pods that contained the flavor they wanted.

Commercial coffee pods brewers can be either plumbed straight into the building’s water supply, or used as a pour over coffee brewer. This gives them the flexibility to be in one place all the time, or to move around the office as necessary, depending on the situation. They weigh no more than your typical cheap coffee maker from the department store, generally shipping at no more than ten pounds. Many can be programmed to deliver either an eight ounce or a ten ounce cup, depending on the preference of the customer. They generally automatically shut off their water supply once the pod door is opened in order to prevent burns to the coffee drinker. They’re usually constructed of higher quality materials as they will be expected to be used a lot more than your personal coffee pods brewer. Standard coffee pods work just fine in commercial brewers, though you’ll obviously need a lot more. Like personal brewers, you will need to match the size of the coffee pods with the brewer, and it’s always a good idea to lightly wet the pod before insertion. Since commercial coffee pods brewers are designed to produce single cups of coffee one after the other for extended periods of time, they are ideal for both small and large offices.

Like a personal coffee pod machine, the commercial coffee pods brewers deliver a cup of coffee in just about a minute, keeping the workers refreshed and ready to go and eliminating the wait for the coffee to be finished. Since the brewer will be brewing the coffee pods directly into the cup, there is far less chance of spillage, which means these brewers can be placed in places that might be dangerous for regular coffee makers. No pouring also means less coffee stains on expensive, dry clean only work clothes, preserving both cost and dignity.