Help me decide between auto drip coffeemaker or a pod coffeemaker
February 20, 2018 6:51 AM Subscribe
I need to buy an autodrip or pod coffeemaker by tonight, help!
Our coffeemaker died last night and DH just texted that they have a pod coffeemaker at work and I think he has stars in his eyes now. I prefer an auto drip coffeemaker with cone filter. I was gifted a pod maker once and promtly returned it, don’t like the high cost of pods and environmental issues. Also am not crazy about hot water sitting all day, I think of it as stale water but that may just be my weirdness.
Do you use a pod machine with a refillable pod? Is it fiddly? Did you have a pod and go back to brewed or vice versa and if so, why? The only way I would want a pod is if I could use a refillable pod. We each have 2 cups of coffee in the morning, at different times so I am open to a pod as it might be more convenient. DH reported that the one he used at work today was FAST, which is a positive but not a deal breaker, I’ve lived with and loved auto drip dinosaurs for 30yrs so....
Not interested in cold brew or grind & brew or espresso functions, my quandry is auto drip or pod. Which do you use and why do you prefer it?
Our coffeemaker died last night and DH just texted that they have a pod coffeemaker at work and I think he has stars in his eyes now. I prefer an auto drip coffeemaker with cone filter. I was gifted a pod maker once and promtly returned it, don’t like the high cost of pods and environmental issues. Also am not crazy about hot water sitting all day, I think of it as stale water but that may just be my weirdness.
Do you use a pod machine with a refillable pod? Is it fiddly? Did you have a pod and go back to brewed or vice versa and if so, why? The only way I would want a pod is if I could use a refillable pod. We each have 2 cups of coffee in the morning, at different times so I am open to a pod as it might be more convenient. DH reported that the one he used at work today was FAST, which is a positive but not a deal breaker, I’ve lived with and loved auto drip dinosaurs for 30yrs so....
Not interested in cold brew or grind & brew or espresso functions, my quandry is auto drip or pod. Which do you use and why do you prefer it?
Best answer: I had an auto drip coffee maker and switched to pod then switched back to auto drip.
I used a refillable pod. It was easy to use and no more fiddly than filling the basket on a drip machine. The coffee it made was fine. There were two big drawbacks for me: 1) The coffee it made is weak. you fill the basket with grounds, then select small, medium or large on the machine. Small is really small -- like 8 ounces (which is 2/3 the size of a standard mug). But on medium or large the coffee was really weak, even with the basket filled as full as could be. So when you say you drink two cups of coffee, do you mean two mugs full? Because you'll need to brew at least pods for that much. 2) The coffee is not as hot as autodrip. It was warmer than lukewarm, but not hot. But if you like that hit of hot, hot coffee right out of the machine, you won't get that -- you'll have to microwave the coffee, which adds an extra step and makes the convenience of the pod pointless.
That's why I switched back to auto drop -- stronger, hotter coffee and more volume per unit of my labor.
posted by OrangeDisk at 7:03 AM on February 20, 2018 [7 favorites]
I used a refillable pod. It was easy to use and no more fiddly than filling the basket on a drip machine. The coffee it made was fine. There were two big drawbacks for me: 1) The coffee it made is weak. you fill the basket with grounds, then select small, medium or large on the machine. Small is really small -- like 8 ounces (which is 2/3 the size of a standard mug). But on medium or large the coffee was really weak, even with the basket filled as full as could be. So when you say you drink two cups of coffee, do you mean two mugs full? Because you'll need to brew at least pods for that much. 2) The coffee is not as hot as autodrip. It was warmer than lukewarm, but not hot. But if you like that hit of hot, hot coffee right out of the machine, you won't get that -- you'll have to microwave the coffee, which adds an extra step and makes the convenience of the pod pointless.
That's why I switched back to auto drop -- stronger, hotter coffee and more volume per unit of my labor.
posted by OrangeDisk at 7:03 AM on February 20, 2018 [7 favorites]
Why not both?
My wife got this for me for Christmas. I mostly use it for the carafe but it's nice to have a variety pack of pods available for guests or if you're just in the mood for something different.
It also comes with a refillable pod.
posted by cali59 at 7:09 AM on February 20, 2018
My wife got this for me for Christmas. I mostly use it for the carafe but it's nice to have a variety pack of pods available for guests or if you're just in the mood for something different.
It also comes with a refillable pod.
posted by cali59 at 7:09 AM on February 20, 2018
I use a Nesspresso . The coffee is excellent-far better than Keurig IMO-- albeit expensive at ~$1.10/cup. It provides a much stronger brew and can brew coffee or espresso without adjustments to the machine. The pods are metal and recyclable. There are reusable capsules you can fill yourself but I haven't used these. Also, the water doesn't sit hot in the machine but is heated during brewing with almost no wait time prior.
posted by waving at 7:19 AM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by waving at 7:19 AM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
Pods make , at best, mediocre coffee, that costs like $30/lb. I guess there may be some kind of way to load your own, thogh.
posted by thelonius at 7:26 AM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by thelonius at 7:26 AM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
The Bonavitas make really good coffee in less than five minutes. It stays fairly good in the vacuum carafe. Even if you're the person getting the second round of coffee from it two hours after it was made, I'd say it still exceeds what pods can do.
And for that matter, I know it's sacrilege, but I put my leftover coffee (should there be any) in the fridge and reheat it the next day (or make iced coffee with it) and it still tastes better than a Keurig.
posted by Candleman at 7:50 AM on February 20, 2018
And for that matter, I know it's sacrilege, but I put my leftover coffee (should there be any) in the fridge and reheat it the next day (or make iced coffee with it) and it still tastes better than a Keurig.
posted by Candleman at 7:50 AM on February 20, 2018
I guess there may be some kind of way to load your own, thogh.
There totally is. I get refillable pods for mine and put decent coffee in it and buy some other backup pods for when we have guests (at discount stores they are cheap). it's never going to make great coffee, but it makes decent coffee and what it does do is allow you to make three different kinds of coffee in five minutes. I entertain a decent amount and this solves a problem for me, but I also have an Aeropress (my main axe) and a regular drip machine for when all I want is one pot of the same stuff.
posted by jessamyn at 8:03 AM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
There totally is. I get refillable pods for mine and put decent coffee in it and buy some other backup pods for when we have guests (at discount stores they are cheap). it's never going to make great coffee, but it makes decent coffee and what it does do is allow you to make three different kinds of coffee in five minutes. I entertain a decent amount and this solves a problem for me, but I also have an Aeropress (my main axe) and a regular drip machine for when all I want is one pot of the same stuff.
posted by jessamyn at 8:03 AM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Drip with a thermal carafe will get you better tasting coffee in every way. The thermal carafe helps you get a "fresh" cup even if it's been sitting for a bit. No burned/stale flavors. I don't think pod coffee tastes as good in general and the decent machines have a high cost of operation. That's not even addressing the garbage issue and the mystery plastic chemicals you're getting by shooting hot water through a plastic pod.
posted by quince at 8:08 AM on February 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by quince at 8:08 AM on February 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
I am anti-pod for many of the reasons you mentioned as well as others so far. My standard in the past has been a drip coffee pot with an insulated carafe. However, I recently switched to pour over and an electric kettle, and I LOVE it. It's infinitely tweakable for personal strength preference, there's not any waste from making too much, it's quick, and it's convenient.
posted by Stewriffic at 8:24 AM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Stewriffic at 8:24 AM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
Not interested in cold brew
That's totally fair, but you could still do that for like a day or two so you aren't rushing to figure everything out now now now. Do it when you get home from work and you'll have coffee tomorrow morning.
How far apart are your cups of coffee? My partner tends to drink much later in the morning than me, so we have a drip maker with a thermal carafe. Coffee's still plenty hot a couple hours after making, without the burntness from a hot plate.
posted by solotoro at 8:40 AM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
That's totally fair, but you could still do that for like a day or two so you aren't rushing to figure everything out now now now. Do it when you get home from work and you'll have coffee tomorrow morning.
How far apart are your cups of coffee? My partner tends to drink much later in the morning than me, so we have a drip maker with a thermal carafe. Coffee's still plenty hot a couple hours after making, without the burntness from a hot plate.
posted by solotoro at 8:40 AM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm a fan of an old school percolator, myself, but we had a pod coffeepot forced on us by my MIL which broke after 4 months of only my husband using it. Also pod garbage would pile up around it and I found its presence generally distasteful, because I am a snoot. Also we drink like 5 cups of coffee between us a day--pods are ridiculous for that! Fuck pods.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:49 AM on February 20, 2018
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:49 AM on February 20, 2018
I use a refillable pod. It's easy, tastes not good but tolerable. The one-serving-at-a-time thing prevents me from finishing a pot of coffee *because it's there* so I've somewhat decreased my overall caffeine intake since I started using it.
I use it because my daughter got a keurig so she could have a single cup of coffee when she got home from high school. At that time, I put the auto drip away because I didn't want to have three coffee appliances on the counter (I also have an espresso maker for my husband's morning latte). Whenever the keurig dies, I plan to dust off the old auto drip instead of replacing it, so I guess I like it fine, but not enough that it has become a must-have appliance. Or use a french press, which actually produces a cup of coffee that tastes good.
posted by chaoticgood at 9:04 AM on February 20, 2018
I use it because my daughter got a keurig so she could have a single cup of coffee when she got home from high school. At that time, I put the auto drip away because I didn't want to have three coffee appliances on the counter (I also have an espresso maker for my husband's morning latte). Whenever the keurig dies, I plan to dust off the old auto drip instead of replacing it, so I guess I like it fine, but not enough that it has become a must-have appliance. Or use a french press, which actually produces a cup of coffee that tastes good.
posted by chaoticgood at 9:04 AM on February 20, 2018
I own, uh, just about every coffee delivery device under the sun (Keurig with refillable pod, Aeropress, french press, mokapot, drip, pour-over). On weekends I typically use mokapot; on weekdays I typically use Keurig with refillable pod.
For me, using nice beans, freshly ground, in my refillable pod produces a cup of acceptable quality (loads, LOADS better than drip at the office!) in the least fiddly amount of time. My drip machine does not have an auto-brew setting, so YMMV.
posted by sevensnowflakes at 9:14 AM on February 20, 2018
For me, using nice beans, freshly ground, in my refillable pod produces a cup of acceptable quality (loads, LOADS better than drip at the office!) in the least fiddly amount of time. My drip machine does not have an auto-brew setting, so YMMV.
posted by sevensnowflakes at 9:14 AM on February 20, 2018
Response by poster: Drip it is. I forgot about the size of cups and weakness which would drive me crazy pretty quick, also I need hothotHOT coffee and so far the comments on that detract heavily from a pod. I also often feel like pod coffee tastes like instant when I do have it, so we will stick with an auto drip. Thanks everyone! Askemetafilter saves the day again.
I am eyeing an auto with a carafe so I think we will get that.
posted by RichardHenryYarbo at 10:30 AM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
I am eyeing an auto with a carafe so I think we will get that.
posted by RichardHenryYarbo at 10:30 AM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
For $35, you can get a Hamilton Beach single cup maker. No environmental waste, use any ground coffee you like, easy cleaning, and cheap. Makes a very good strong cup, too.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:50 PM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 12:50 PM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
Drip for sure. And the best bang for your buck is the Ninja Coffee Bar. It makes the best coffee I've ever had from a drip machine, and it's had great reviews from those in the know.
posted by essexjan at 1:04 PM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by essexjan at 1:04 PM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
I do the reusable pod thing, and I get a choice between "weak coffee" or "short cup." I do this because I want coffee a few times a day at home, and I'd rather have short cups than brew more than I need and let it go to waste, which is what happens with drip. (I like French press, too, but it tends to cool off faster than I like.)
I keep thinking I'll try cold brew and not quite getting it together enough - I don't have a grinder that'll do course grounds, nor a way to filter the coffee easily after brewing.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 2:12 PM on February 20, 2018
I keep thinking I'll try cold brew and not quite getting it together enough - I don't have a grinder that'll do course grounds, nor a way to filter the coffee easily after brewing.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 2:12 PM on February 20, 2018
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I can't see refillable pods being a net time savings over an auto drip. What I would suggest with an auto drip is to select one that brews into an insulated carafe as opposed to a glass pot. The coffee stays warm and fresh for a long time and you would only need to brew one pot in the morning.
posted by TORunner at 7:02 AM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]