Are you talking about those pre-packaged one serving coffee rounds?

Cause there just not the same... Nothing beats fresh ground coffee...

hey andrew,

check out:
http://www.coffeeandtea.com/

it's a store based in chicago that does all the roasting of the beans in the city. Reasonably priced, they do mailorder and the staff is extra knowledgeable. "Steve's Espresso" (steve owns it) is delicious.

The two years i worked there created a lust for kenyan coffee that will never subside.


Faiz

I got one of those espresso machines that will take pods or the normal portafilter.

What pods have going for them:
-Clean Clean Clean!!!
-No messy electrostatically charged espresso grinds flying into your eye
-An average pour
-Super fast

If you normally make espresso drinks (latte, mocha-forgeddaboutit, etc..) then pods are fine. If you just like espresso in the single or double shot variety then the pods are a couple of standard deviations south of the real grind and pack.

Al

having been a barista for almost five years, i feel qualified to make an assessment of the pods.

the short of it: depends on the brand. starbucks pods are actually the best i can find in the area. everything else "hints" at what "decent" shots taste like, but they don't come close to hitting the mark. there is really only one reason for a real espresso fan to get pods, and that is if you are prone to clumsy antics and loss of motor control early in the morning. if you don't function so well before a) coffee or b) noon then pods are easy ways to get that first fix.

they are much cleaner and less time consuming, but it's just like anything else in that you get what you put into it. if you a connoisseur you will need to real thing.

We have a Nespresso machine that takes the "pods" or "charges". i dont think they are all that great...tho they are cleaner than the ol' fashioned way. They tend to make a watery espresso in my opinion....unless you "pull the cup" so to speak before the end of the "pour".
Also there are maybe 3 out of the 20 or so flavours that are any good.

I have to say...they are an intern's dream...as it is quick and easy to make a hot and frothy for that overworked engineer in the next room.

IPL wrote:We have a Nespresso machine that takes the "pods" or "charges"...there are maybe 3 out of the 20 or so flavours that are any good.

I agree. I love having this machine, but I agree. The black-colored pods, those are good. Really, that's about it.

One of the flavors is called "Arpeggio." So funny! We are giving names for these! Arpeggio! She sound good! She sound Italian! Who is caring, what word really means! So beautiful!

BUMP.

I could never do right by my Silvia. Rechecking thoughts and opinions on Nespresso machines/pods as I'm contemplating it.

Thanks in advance.

Every time someone drinks a Nestle' coffee, a baby in Africa dies.