What the lazy, pardon me efficient way to make a cup of automatic espresso every morning. That’s what you get with an automatic espresso maker. Just add freshly roasted beans the maker does the rest. Grinds the beans, tampers them, and pressures out a great shot of espresso every time. Now be warned these aren’t exactly machines that are for the inexpensive faint of heart. For the great job they do they do cost a few bucks, but in an espresso maker you get what you pay for. Let’s take a look at a few:

OK first off the really lazy automatic espresso maker. The D300 Nespresso Automatic Espresso Machine. Rather then making you add beans this maker actually takes a POD or espresso capsule as Nespresso calls them. It comes in a black or stainless finish, along with 2 espresso cups and has a cup warmer underneath to keep your beverages warmer longer after brewing, and offers a variable setting for different cup sizes of espresso.

Moving up a bit in price point is the V’spresso Super Automatic Espresso maker. This is the espresso machine for those that need a small foot print in their kitchen. It’s sleek design and German engineering make for one high end snazzy espresso maker. It has a stainless steel lined boiler, and steam wand to accommodate a 32 oz container so making those frothy lattes and cappuccinos is a since. The V’spresso has the option of taking pre ground beans, or storing up to ½ a pound of beans for use. The reservoir is removable or can be filled while on the espresso maker. It’s all around functionality, sleekness and superb drink quality makes this a top choice by all serious espresso lovers.

Now this next machine has received top ratings at several comparison shopping sites online. The Gaggia Digital Super Automatic Espresso Machine (these manufacturers sure love the word super) is a state of the art programmable automatic espresso maker. Offering all the features of the previous unit mentioned including the ability to grind fresh beans, accept pre ground beans for the decaf lover, and automatically brew espresso and cappuccino, does it get any better then this. Well maybe just a bit better, a cup warmer on top keeps cups warm prior to brewing, and an adjustment allows you to set how warm your espresso is made. Talk about custom brewing.

Now we kept the price range reasonably low for this example of automatic espresso makers. Prices can soar over the three thousand dollar mark for these machines, but of course at some point (unless you have money to burn) there has to be a cut off for when a machine has all the features possible, a warranty to stand up, and options to handle any type of drink you could expect to make.

Like we said in the opening of this article, if you really love espresso and want to replace your barista at your local coffee shop with something a little more close to home then an automatic espresso machine will do the trick.

A recently new-comer to the coffee industry pod coffee machines are the answer to those coffee lovers who dislike having coffee grounds all over their counter each morning, or just can’t seem to get that mixture of coffee grounds to water quantity right. Using coffee pods in lieu of a paper coffee filter and grounds ensures you use the correct quantity of coffee for every pot your brew.

Pod coffee machines are available from a variety of manufacturers, and the coffee pods themselves even more so. Just about every top coffee brand including star bucks offers coffee pods in their top flavors. Ensuring you don’t add to much or too little coffee for the volume of water you’re using. Not to mention the ability of pods for a pod coffee maker staying fresh longer unlike beans or pre ground coffee in a tin.

Less Clean Up

Pod coffee machines not only avoid the requirement of grinding coffee beans, having a paper coffee filter and brewing your coffee this way. They actually make clean up a lot easier as well. Think about the difficulty of removing the used paper coffee filter from your coffee maker, and tossing it into your compost or garbage after brewing is complete. It’s soggy, and often times not as strong as it was before it got wet. Using a coffee pod removes this requirement, once coffee is done brewing you toss out the coffee pod, rinse the holder and you’re set to brew another pot.

Coffee Pods

For Pod coffee machines the machine is only part of the equation, the coffee pods are the real gem behind the operation. Companies that manufacturer coffee pods such as Timothy’s offer all the same blends in pod form as they do in ground or bean form. So you’re not sacrificing a particular type of coffee by switching to pods from ground beans.

One Cup at a time

One thing I’ve always disliked about my larger drip coffee makers is that if all i really want is a single cup of coffee I might as well take a quick spin down to my local coffee shop. Brewing a single cup in an auto coffee maker. Pod coffee machines come in one or two cup brewing capacities making it much easier to enjoy a single cup of your favorite brew rather then an entire pot.

A good example, is the Krups HomeCafe 2 cup coffee maker. This pod coffee machine brews in under a minute, makes a variety of coffee flavors, and is a quick and easy cleanup after brewing. The foot print it takes up is small ideal for home or office use. You can read numerous rave reviews of the krups pod coffee maker here at cooking.com

Pod coffee machines aren’t for everyone. They don’t have the bold taste that a French press would offer, and if you purchase your beans from a small coffee roaster that is local to you chances are they don’t offer it in coffee pods. If you like a good quick cup of coffee that’s consistent in taste, or even something for the office to make a quick cup at break then consider pod coffee machines, if you’re set in your ways as a coffee connoisseur I wouldn’t worry about changing why fix what isn’t broken.