Coffee Pod

Pod coffee machines are ideal if you're looking for a quick and easy way to make coffee at home. But many tie you into using one type of pod which could limit your coffee options and leave you out of pocket. To help you choose the right one for you, here are three things to consider before you buy a pod coffee machine. The pod coffee machines that you use dictates the types of drinks that you can make. Some pod brands such as Nespresso, Lavazza and Illy focus on coffee offering a range of espresso based pods and milk frothing accessories so you can make lattes, flat whites and more. Others such as Dolce Gusto and Tassimo are designed to make a wider range of drinks including hot chocolate, tea and cafe style options such as Caramel Macchiatoes. These brands use milk pods to make milky drinks. It's worth exploring the range of pods available for a machine before you buy as you can't use Nespresso pods in a Tassimo machine and vice versa. So you'll want to be sure you Coffee pods vary in price from around 20 people drink to more than 60, a difference that can really add up over time. Depending on which pods your machine uses, you might be able to buy compatible capsules for less than the branded version. For example, there are lots of Nespresso compatible pods around and an increasing range of Dolce Gusto ones. Not all pods can be picked up on your weekly supermarket shop either. Some such as Nespresso can only be bought direct or in Nespresso boutiques. Pod coffee machines make more waste than other types of coffee machine and some pods are tricky to recycle. Most brands have recycling schemes but these often require effort such as buying from a specific place, parceling up pods for collection and taking them to a designated recycling point or dismantling and cleaning them for your recycling bin. Compostable coffee pods are available for Nespresso and Lavazza machines. Some can go on your home compost heap while others can be industrially composted by a local food waste collection services. And of course you'll also want to ensure that your machine makes fantastic coffee. Which members can log in now to read our independent reviews and find out the machines that impressed our expert tasters and if you're not already a member you can sign up now for instant access. For more advice on your home appliances as well as the latest products we've tested click the link on screen to sign up to our free by smart newsletter. Check out the video below to find out how to organize your fridge and for more videos