[Closed] Coffee pod systems, what's good?

I tasted a few, decided I like Tassimo better, bought that. Noticed in the last two months there’s no espresso pods for it in my main two supermarkets I use, so available supplies might sway things. I’ve stocked up online for now but don’t really want to do day to day grocery shopping online. I like to keep a couple of Americano style, an expresso, a cappuccino and a latte in stock, but supermarkets seem to be making that harder, and stocking stuff I’ll never buy like hot choc and seasonal syrupy crap.

Having never owned one I can only offer a perspective of using other people's. I'd be inclined to go for one that uses ESE pods (they look a little like tea bags) as they seem to me to be the most environmentally friendly,loads of people make podsband, I think, should be compostable. Might only be good for making normal black coffee though. Other than that the in-laws Dolce Gusto seems OK.

If she likes “proper” coffee I.e. espresso (based drinks) then Nespresso is the only option really, everything else is pretty much just a hot-drinks vending machine (although fine if that’s what you want!)

There’s always offers on Nespresso machines, set up an alert on HUKD. I got the L’Or Barista one for the van a while back, takes regular pods & their own double pods (which I assumed were a gimmick but actually are brilliant!) That’s currently on offer direct from them with 100 pods bundled.

I’d probably recommend a “classic” Nespresso rather than a Vertuo purely because of the 3rd party pod availability, (although not for taste reasons as never actually had a coffee from a Vertuo!)
Some of the 3rd party pods are really good, as good/better as genuine Nespresso, plus there’s a few compostable pod options too now as well.

Dolce Gusto here. We've one in the office and one at home. You can get re-useable pods for them. I tend to buy my pods from the local 'just out of date shop' - I get 3 boxes of 16 pods for £5. I tend jus tto get the 'coffee' pods. My wife quite likes some of the fancy pods, but you get half the amount and one pod is usually the powdered milk/flavour. I much prefer the coffee only pods.

The re-useable pods work well too.

Bog standard Tasimo here. Had the Dolce gusto but after a couple of accidents*, and the fact the pods are mostly filled with instant coffee rather than grounds, i just stick with the tasimo.

*It doesnt automatically switch off. Walk back into the kitchen to find the entire contents of the water reservoir all over the worktop 😆

Might get Nespresso when it next needs changed.

Little known fact.

Lavazza pods are (don't hold me to account here, my memory isn't exact) 1.5 times bigger than other pods.

Which I think is meant to make stronger coffee per pod?

Regardless, my Smeg Lavazza trumps my old Nespresso. But it's substantially more expensive.

I do recall an article in a suitably left wing newspaper where multiple head chefs admitted to using a Nespresso machine in place of a ridiculously expensive chrome Italian thing.

As anyone could use it and the coffee was deemed to be excellent.

Mrs Binners bought me a Tassimo a few years back. I think it’s the most constantly used present anyone has ever bought me. Since then we’ve bought her folks one and my folks one. Both of them have been equally well received. They’re really good.

I like to keep a couple of Americano style, an expresso, a cappuccino and a latte in stock, but supermarkets seem to be making that harder, and stocking stuff I’ll never buy like hot choc and seasonal syrupy crap

@midlifecrashes - I can’t get my head around why all the supermarkets do this. I don’t want a vanilla caramel latte, I just want an Americano, but they’ve shelves full of the former and none of the latter. Like you we just end up ordering in bulk direct from Tassimo and stocking up

Quick Google shows the L'OR BARISTA SUBLIME is Nespresso Classic compatible and £59, how cheap do you need? Nespresso only released the Vertuo as it's patent expired on the classic pods and now anyone can make them, so pods are cheaper. Quality of espresso depends on pod, I actually quite like the more expensive Aldi ones (they do a cheap pod too that's a little nasty) £2 for 10. It's nice to have a selection of pods too. I only use them in a portable machine maybe a handful a month, if you are a regular coffee drinker there are better less wasteful plus cheaper ways than pod, but for light use it's hard to make as good a coffee.

Does she want espresso or longer drinks? Nespresso has a vastly superior range but only does espresso, Tassimo has a barcode on the pods which controls the serve volume (but only has like two choices of "XL" pods).

I have a Tassimo which I liberated from work when an office was closing. If it blew up tomorrow I'd replace it with a Nespresso.

There was a thread asking this question fairly recently, worth a search.

Here. Seems I just repeated what I said last time. 😁

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/bedside-coffee-maker/

I bought a Senseo machine for our holiday flat guests. Procured it recently while our all singing machine was being repaired and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the coffee. The German discount supermarkets do good alternative pods, too. Wouldn’t recommend the cappuccino pods though as they taste rank.

My parents had* a Tassimo. No matter what pods I put in it puts out a horrid burnt tasting nonsense - but since that seems to be the flavour of coffee peddled to us in the UK by the big chains I guess that's what the UK likes.

We had a Nespresso in the office when I lived in Angola (decent ground coffee impossible to find but pods plentiful) and My in-laws have one also. Non of the pods(mostly Aldi) I've had in that are "great" either but vastly more palatable than the tassimo

L'or ones we got in Angola although spendy seemed to be noticeably better than the Aldi ones and at least the Nespresso doesn't scald the coffee like the Tassimo used to.

I'd go Nespresso if I was forced to.

* I bought them a delonghi magnifica for Xmas one year and they have not looked back.

Had a Tassimo at work it was rank. 8 years ago though, so they may have improved it.

Had a Tassimo. My favourite was the Costa Americano. The waste issue put me off though so I no longer have it.

12 replies and no-one's suggested that the OP really needs a fully restored vintage Italian manual espresso machine and their own roastery? This is not the STW I know and love.

Just check that she can have such a machine in her room.... Uni's have rules about what can and can't be in halls.
(obvs could just chuck it in the kitchen if it was not allowed)

Our Gaggia Baby conked out after 15 years, and I can't justify replacing it at the moment, so I've been using an Aeropress. My in-laws were clearing out a Lavazza machine and offered it. I can't really compare it to other pod machines, but I do like the fact that you can buy compostible pods - and they're actually pretty decent.
Unfortunately I drink a farkton of coffee, and the pods (as with all pods) are much more expensive than beans, which I can buy from a roaster half a mile down the road.

Dolce Gusto here
I buy the Aldi Alcafe Americano pods, cheaper than the DG ones and taste as good. Cow's milk to taste with a few secs in the microwave to keep the temperature of the drink
I avoid anything that has milk in it, e.g. hot choc, latte, etc. because half of the pods in a box are milk pods and the finished article is IMHO disappointing

So I have experience of Nespresso original, Nespresso vertuo (own both), Tassimo and myriad other bits for real coffee.
For halls use you really can't beat Nespresso original. Widely available pods and all but indestructible machines provided you get the mechanical one with the lever. They are cheaper too. If really on a budget go on your local Facebook site. People give them away all the time and usually just need a good clean.

I have been pondering the use of my vertuo at home as the pod systems are quite wasteful. Can't beat the convenience though.

Thanks for all the replies, since posting I've had a rummage around the internet and read a few articles and settled on a Dolce Gusto offer. Being a teenager she is absolutely going to want to make caramel machiato's or whatever, plus unlike the Tassimo non branded pods are available for the DG machines so she isn't tied into using branded pods, and i don't think her taste buds are quite as refined as many of the coffee drinkers here😀

How good is the ventilation in her room. Adding a steam generator might not be that pleasant.

Hopefully she's graduated by now.

L’Or Barista is likely to be discounted for black Friday we bought ours for £60 to use with classic (cheap) Nespresso pods at work but I have to say I'm converted to the L'Or XXL double capsules they are awesome. Combine with a Dualit milk frother for the full milky coffee experience. Nespresso Vertuo looks like a gimmick, spinning the grinds, up what barista does that? but again quite impressed with results we had one at a BnB and results were consistently good.