Pod Machine for relative - What to buy?

Lacehim

Before you wonder, no I'm not selling my new lever!  :P

My mother in law currently thinks those Robert Timms coffee bags are fantastic!  ::)  :-X  No I don't drink the coffee at her place!  I think instant would actually be an improvement over them.

I thought maybe an upgrade to a pod machine would be good for them taste wise.  Easy to use, and maintain and I might actually be able to have a coffee when I visit!  :o  Yes I know pods aren't the best thing in the world, but for a pensioner with not much interest in the world of coffee, I'm sure it will be a vast improvement over crappy Robert Timms coffee bags.

I though I might even be able to make her some pods, after seeing BF's post about refillable pods.  But I don't know if that relates to every pod machine or if there are different styles of pods.

Anyone care to help me out here. 

Koffee_Kosmo

This is a hard one Just looks to me that for the inlaws - it's more about ease of use, ease of cleaning ect I think a plunger may be better and more cost affective on the consumables ( capsules ) KK

Seeya Latte

Hi Lacehim Of the single serves / pods, I have found the Illy pods so far have been the best I've experienced The machine was an Illy Mitaca M4 Upfront cost of the unit will be up there with Nespresso Ongoing costs -  I'm not sure how much Illy's box of 15's cost Then there's the milk frother to consider It starts adding up doesn't it - especially for a pensioner Maybe a stovetop & and a milk frother instead Seeya

Kelsey

I found with the Nespresso the agitator in the milk frother had a tendency to cone off, which would cause the milk to burn, fusing it to the Teflon sides.

conikal

A few bullet points / comments.. All pods are expensive  , most are different size/shapes. None are particularly good  taste ! Nespresso are the most established and biggest choice of styles and coffee types.   Nespresso have their own unique size, but there are several people selling "refillable" options for them now. I have not  had  much success with refilling pods. There are now some "Non Nespresso" commercial pods available cheaper ( Coles ) for the Nespresso system. Pod m/c's are very quick, clean and easy to use. .. 5 mins from cold to drink ready. Pity about the results !!!

Lacehim

on 1354849275:

he now has 3 jugs with dried heated milk scum to clean  :stir

Stuff that.  I thought these things were supposed to be quick, clean and simple!  Sounds like too much hard work to me!  Thanks for the heads up.  I wasn't expecting top quality, but maybe an improvement in the cup. I think a plunger and from fresh roasted from my KKTO will be the best idea!   Thanks Brett.

UNM

Plungers are messy. Breville infuser? Aeropress? Simple pourover?

conikal

on 1354858931:

Stuff that.  I thought these things were supposed to be quick, clean and simple! ... .... I think a plunger and from fresh roasted from my KKTO will be the best idea!   Thanks Brett.

  That sound like the exact oposite of Q,C, &S Pod m/cs are quick, clean and simple... probable more so than any other brew process, ( including instant ...if you include kettle boil time !).. But however you brew the coffee,  you will still have to find a way to prep the milk separately. You dont have to use the "Stirrer" type milk frothers, Some pod systems will froth and add the milk automatically, some even include milk (powder) in the pod  ??? :P My preferred solution was a Bodum plunger type frother and a microwave for heat... Q,C, &S 

UNM

based on L's original post, they currently use coffee bags. One can assume they either do not texture/froth milk, or have a means of doing so already. no need to add another level of complexity  at this stage. personally I would point them towards an aeropress and a simplified brewing process. The ease of cleaning aeropress is one of the main reasons. the style of coffee produced should not be a major change.

Lacehim

Re aeropress.  What sort of grind do you have to use for that? I'm just trying to move them up from stale coffee bags.  Anything is an improvement.  Having checked out pods at HN and Joyce Mayne today I think I'll avoid that, they don't look too simple or cheap to me. Milk isn't the issue, a long black with a dash of cold milk will be fine.

ash

Hi Lachim, I use an Aeropress at work and use a grind thats a little bit finer that what I'd use for a plunger. Search youtube for vids on how it works as there may be a little patience or strength required if using the stock paper filters. But it is a much cleaner coffee and has none of the fines you'd get in the bottom of a cup of plunger coffee.

UNM

My aeropress technique varies slightly, but the simplest I do is: Boil kettle. Grind same as already set. paper filter. 10 to 14 gram coffee(however much the grinder produced on a single cycle). Fill aeropress to between the 2 and 3 mark with not quite boiling water. Wait  30 sec to 1 min. Press to bottom. Remove end cap. Eject puck into bin, wipe plunger with side of finger to clear most coffee into bin. Rinse base of aeropress.Top coffee cup to desired level with hot water. Drink. Repeat until awake. Sometimes i get fancy and grind slightly coarser than espresso. Sometimes I use a grind string slightly finer than French press. Different dose and timings for different beans and mood. The mechanism such as it is will cope  with wide variations, I only occasionally clean the  aeropress body as the only bit  that really needs it each time is the rubber plunger base. It is virtually unbreakable too.

Lacehim

on 1354949739:

But it is a much cleaner coffee and has none of the fines you'd get in the bottom of a cup of plunger coffee.

Yeah that's what I don't like about plunger coffee.

conikal

on 1354946874:

.....  Having checked out pods at HN and Joyce Mayne today I think I'll avoid that, they don't look too simple or cheap to me. Milk isn't the issue, a long black with a dash of cold milk will be fine.

I dont know what you saw today,..but i would challenge you to find any coffee making process that is quicker, simpler or cleaner than a Nespresso !   dont get me wrong, i detest them ,  the ethics of the business, and the principle of pod pricing, and i wont drink it un less there is no option.....but for simple convenience there is no competition. I would think the main negative for pods is the price, but that is changing rapidly now that the patents have expired and  supermarkets are stocking alternative pods. Being realistic, do you honestly think your inlaws will want to go with a bean/grinder based system ?? That certainly doesnt sound like a quick, clean or simple option. But,  If yes, then ok, keep looking at alternatives.

mycuppa

PODS (or capsules) are not cheap because they are expensive to manufacture - as is any single-serve portion control product -  it does not matter if it is local or overseas - it's damn expensive to produce and distribute, even in volume. Increased competition may change the structure of the single serve portion control market, but it won't materially affect the input costs. A very large percentage of the cost relating to an ESE pod is the conversion-only component. It simply can't be considered using a traditional, simple or basic cost-up models that rely upon a per kilo price of beans, roasting, packaging materials, etc. It is not fair or correct to compare a cost per serve of bulk espresso coffee beans with a single serve pod/capsule - they are not the same components - one is more complex than the other and the price (cost or added value) of convenience has been factored into one and not the other.

FreshCoffee2

I dont see a problem. Buy the in laws a half decent domestic automatic espresso machine. It almost has the convenience of use of a pod machine, makes the operator feel as though they are still making a real espresso, and when set properly and looked after (ongoing settings and beans wise), will give very good service and there are many many many happy automatic espresso machine users. And many of them eventually upgrade to a conventional style machine as they start looking for more in their coffee. I dont favour any kind of pod / capsule machine for home, because once a non "coffee head" gets used to the convenience factor, I dont believe they will ever progress to better coffee. ie I believe a pod machine is the start and end of the line for NON coffee head people and frankly, in a home use situation I would rather drink a well made instant, and that is also my sentiment re those 'orrible coffee bags mentioned in the first post.....I would rather drink a well made instant.  In my opinion there is no input by the operator in using a  pod machine...the whole process is "packaged". There is more input in an operator boiling the jug and dosing a teaspoon with instant coffee....... Pods represent "sanitised" coffee making for people that want to feel as if they are making a coffee in "coffee machine style", when in fact they arent. If this was a discussion on office coffee it would be a different story, but in a home use situation, nah. My $1.53's worth. So, a reasonable auto is a good compromise and the operator gets to have input into the machine settings and use good fresh beans (if they want to).

Kelsey

on 1354999798:

I dont favour any kind of pod / capsule machine for home, because once a non "coffee head" gets used to the convenience factor, I dont believe they will ever progress to better coffee.

Unless of course they're me. I came to the realisation that I was spending $2,000 a year on pods and figured I could save some money. In retrospect:  :rofl:

Brett H

I still think that Lacehim's in laws could use a French press with his roasted, preground frozen coffee.  This way he gets to keep in cntact ith his family, he proves that he is thinking of them with the semi-regular deliveries and there is no huge initial outlay so if they revert to their tried and true ways Ebay dont collect yet another set of fees. If they want more after this initial trial then see Fresh Coffee above. Oh yeah, if you think the freezer thing is stake and horrible give it a try... You may be surprised! 

RichardM

on 1355001201:

Unless of course they're me. I came to the realisation that I was spending $2,000 a year on pods and figured I could save some money. In retrospect:  :rofl:

The "saving money" thing is only something to appease a significant other. The woman in front of me at the supermarket was buying a 1kg "Brick" of Harris Espresso Preground Coffee. Scanned at $17.99. I turned to the wife after the woman walked off and said "see, I save you money". She almost fell over laughing.

conikal

on 1354999798:

I dont see a problem. Buy the in laws a half decent domestic automatic espresso machine. So, a reasonable auto is a good compromise and the operator gets to have input into the machine settings and use good fresh beans (if they want to).

Well, that just moved the discussion into a whole new price bracket ! ..and making the assumption that the recipients...

a pensioner with not much interest in the world of coffee

... want to become "coffee makers" rather than just "coffee drinkers".

Lacehim

Thanks for all the responses. My inlaws like a nice coffee at my place, but they are not into coffee as such like we are.  It needs to be simple, easy to use/understand.  A manual machine would just become the next kitchen paperweight.  I like the idea of pods because I thought they would just be insert pod, push a button.  AM freaked me out a bit because I didn't really think about the milk side (if required) and the hassles of cleaning afterwards. HN have one of those coffee pods things coming up so I'm going to pop in and play and have a taste for myself. The cost isn't that bad really I don't think, 50c per pod.  Not the best/freshest coffee in the world, but hopefully an improvement from a coffee bag and similar to buying a bag of year old beans from the stupidomarket. This probably needs it's own thread, but I really don't understand why everyone is freaking about about 50c per pod. I've assumed 20g shot (includes a little bit of wastage), and I only drink a 40-50ml shot from my machine. Green 1kg green beans say $12, so that's $3 per 250gm bag.  You have to roast it, so factor in time and power to roast (lucky for me I'm carbon neutral in that dept  8) ), and say roughly 20gm per shot, so that's 25c per shot. Brown If you buy roasted say $12 for 250gm and a 20gm shot your talking around $1 for a shot. So really in my eyes a pod at 50c isn't the worst value in the world is it?  I haven't ever tasted coffee from a pod but I intend too.  I doubt you'll see my lever in the FS section after tasting one, but would it be good enough for 2 pensioners drinking the occasional coffee?  Probably.

conikal

If you do try them..a few hints. Beware of the  Nespresso pod m/c  "long black" button.   It simply pushes more hot water through the pod puck..and we all know what that does for taste !   Use the accepted method of a shot into a cup of hot water. Flush the m/c first without a pod..it helps the shot temperature. Of all the nesp'o pods i have tried, only the "Restretto" came anything close to drinkable. Dont expect any surprises...there are only 7gms in a Nesp'o pod !

FreshCoffee2

Yes, and then there is the good ol filter machine. Made fresh and consumed immediately it makes very good coffee, and there is no mucking about trying to froth milk & clean that up etc. My own in laws enjoy a fresh pot of filter coffee every morning and love it. Cost of a filter machine....negligible in the scheme of things. ;D

UNM

Too many appliances bought with the best of intentions end up as paperweights. Our electric waffle maker rarely sees the light of day. I think aeropress probably has the highest likelihood of acceptance, but I dont know your in laws. Pod machines generally make short blacks don't they? Edit: just read Attilios post. I think I already suggested the breville infuser above. Perfectly acceptable and can be set  up on a timer before bed so coffee is ready in the morning.

Lacehim

on 1355101073:

I think I already suggested the breville infuser above. Perfectly acceptable and can be set  up on a timer before bed so coffee is ready in the morning.

Sure did.  I googled it, and got a espresso machine.  Is that what your talking about? I'm going to check out the pods, just for curiosity really.  Having had a good think about it I really think I should steer clear of espresso.  I really like the idea of the good ol filter machine, the aeropress for ease of use, and with fresh coffee it should produce a nice cup.  I think they might already have a plunger, which would be great for them while they are away (they are grey nomads ).

Brett H

Hey Lace... Had you considered one of these: http://www.yourhomedepot.com.au/products/cuisinart/cuisinart-burr-grind-and-brew-thermal-12-cup-automatic-coffee-maker-21-x-30-x-41-5cm-wlh/coffee-machines

UNM

on 1355459839:

Hey Lace... Had you considered one of these: http://www.yourhomedepot.com.au/products/cuisinart/cuisinart-burr-grind-and-brew-thermal-12-cup-automatic-coffee-maker-21-x-30-x-41-5cm-wlh/coffee-machines

Or the aldi equivalent on sale for $49 this week.

Lacehim

on 1355460513:

Or the aldi equivalent on sale for $49 this week.

Where did you see that?  I can't see it for our QLD stores.