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

If you’ve stumbled up on ESE coffee pods without knowing what they are, chances are pretty good you were looking for espresso coffee pods.  They’re one in the same.  The only way to make espresso using a pod coffee maker is using ESE coffee pods.  They can also be used in espresso machines with special adapters.

Some purists may argue that espresso made using ESE coffee pods is not real espresso, but that’s just not the case.  Espresso is really a way of brewing the coffee.  It has precious little to do with the coffee grinds themselves.  In fact, there are products out there, intended for use in coffee pod machines, that are not ESE but are still labeled espresso.  Those are the ones to watch out for because they are basically nothing more than a slightly stronger brew of coffee.

Be aware that your particular coffee pod machine may or may not be able to use ESE coffee pods.  Some of the espresso coffee pods will tell you on their packaging which machines they do and don’t work with but, past that, you’re sort of on your own in figuring that out.  You might want to do some research on your particular pod coffee maker to be sure that it will work with whichever ESE coffee pods you’re considering.  If you find any espresso coffee pods that do not work with any pod coffee makers, but are not labeled as such, feel free to comment back here so that others know to not bother.

In a cruel twist of irony, those who have espresso machines can almost universally use ESE coffee pods.  All they need is an adapter.  The problem with your average coffee pod brewer is that, regardless of the coffee pod or how it’s mounted, there simply isn’t enough water pressure, which is vital in the making of espresso.

There is currently no way to make espresso with Tassimo T-Discs or a K-Cup brewer.  There are some brews that are labeled as espresso, but they won’t give you the thick consistency, although I’m sure the Tassimo T-Discs will do a pretty good job with the crema.  The crema, if you didn’t know, is the frothy stuff that sits on top of espresso.

Of the various coffee pod producers I have reviewed so far, few of them produce ESE coffee pods.  For instance, there are no ESE Melitta Coffee Pods, nor are there ESE Green Mountain Coffee Pods.  In fact, the vast majority of ESE Coffee Pods are produced by companies that seem to focus solely on single-serve espresso.

Coming in at number 3 on the most searched coffee pods is Tassimo Coffee Pods.  This is pretty funny considering there’s no such thing.  Tassimo does make a coffee pod type thing, called Tassimo T-Discs, and those get searched for a lot as well.  There is only one type of Tassimo coffee maker, and it makes T-Discs…simple as that.  T-Discs are pretty cool because they allow complicated brews that generally need multiple steps.  Lots of companies make Tassimo T-Discs, including Melitta, Starbucks, and Maxwell House.

If you’re looking to be able to make complicated brews like you would get at a coffee shop, only at home, and easily, then you should definitely take a look at Tassimo T-Discs.  If you’re a coffee purist that just wants their caffeine buzz, then look elsewhere, because there’s no point in paying for a Tassimo coffee maker if you’re not going to take advantage of all it has to offer.  there are lots of other coffee pods and pod coffee makers out there that will do what you want for a whole lot less.

If you’re looking for Tassimo products, keep in mind that they are made by Bosch.  The Tassimo coffee makers are pretty pricey, but if you consider what they’re capable of doing, it’s worth it.  They get great reviews too, and seem to be at least fairly durable, which is definitely something to look closely at when buying a product like this where there’s only one manufacturer.

Oh, and get this: Tassimo T-Discs have barcodes on them that the brewer will read, and therefore know what it’s brewing.  No programming or anything.  How cool is that?

Crap, now I want one.