Coffee Review - Coffee Pod - 90+

[Ben_S]

Did anyone see the latest reviews on Ken Davids Coffee Review?

http://www.coffeereview.com/allreviews.cfm

He gave a number of pods 90+ scores.

interesting.... Should I sell my new machine and buy a pod machine ...

[TC]

Re: Coffee Review - Coffee Pod - 90+

Did anyone see the latest reviews on Ken Davids Coffee Review?

http://www.coffeereview.com/allreviews.cfm

He gave a number of pods 90+ scores.

interesting.... Should I sell my new machine and buy a pod machine ...

Fantastic!

Who wants to buy all of my grinders??

With all due respect to him, was that 90+/500 or is he losing it :

[fatboy_1999]

Re: Coffee Review - Coffee Pod - 90+

Perhaps the pods they supplied for him were made in the back room 2 minutes prior to the shot being pulled.

[Ben_S]

Re: Coffee Review - Coffee Pod - 90+

put it this way - there was a bit of abuse on CoffeeGeek Twitter.
I wonder if he was just trying to be controversial.

He rated some Italian Canned beans fairly highly a while ago and got a lot of abuse.

[yeeza]

Re: Coffee Review - Coffee Pod - 90+

FWIW, I respect Ken D very highly on the coffee front.... as far as espresso coffee goes, thats another story... although I havent read the mentioned article.

[redzone121]

Re: Coffee Review - Coffee Pod - 90+

Perhaps the pods they supplied for him were made in the back room 2 minutes prior to the shot being pulled.

Yeah "Fatboy" and maybe he smoked them instead of making coffee out of them.............theres a thought.............nah that was when I was young ! ;D

Come on Kenny who you batting for now?

[bassway]

Re: Coffee Review - Coffee Pod - 90+

Is he marking these compared to non pod (normal) espresso?

The article seemed to imply that he is.

He did say;
"Anyone interested in the very best and freshest espresso with the greatest variety of choice at the most reasonable cost should forget about pods, capsules and discs and learn how to use a good conventional home espresso machine and grinder."

And also mentioned that you are stuck with the machine and limited to the choice of what pods are being made (including that they are all 7g).

One of the reasons I never bothered looking at these things (before I was a coffee snob) was the thought "what happens if they stop producing these pod things?"
Not even the women who whould rather this coffee over George Clooney can sway me on this one! ;D

[lucinda]

Re: Coffee Review - Coffee Pod - 90+

Not even the women who whould rather this coffee over George Clooney can sway me on this one! ;D

Sorry, but Id take george Clooney over coffee any day.

[Ben_S]

Re: Coffee Review - Coffee Pod - 90+

Not even the women who whould rather this coffee over George Clooney can sway me on this one! ;D

Sorry, but Id take george Clooney over coffee any day.

and you call yourself a coffeesnob ;D

[Rocky]

Re: Coffee Review - Coffee Pod - 90+

So...would it be possible to make a pod that would deliver good coffee? If you started with a really good bean and a sufficient amount of grind was vacuum sealed immediately after grinding and then not exposed to heat in storage, then used in a pod machine that administered water at the right temp....why would it not make good coffee? (Im not aware of anyone actually doing this, but then I dont pretend to be a coffee expert either)

[Dimal]

Re: Coffee Review - Coffee Pod - 90+

So...would it be possible to make a pod that would deliver good coffee?  If you started with a really good bean and a sufficient amount of grind was vacuum sealed immediately after grinding and then not exposed to heat in storage,  then used in a pod machine that administered water at the right temp....why would it not make good coffee?  (Im not aware of anyone actually doing this, but then I dont pretend to be a coffee expert either)

I guess it would be possible to come up with a system that may produce OK coffee but seriously doubt that it would ever be rated as high as excellent, or even good by CS standards. Dont know that vacuum sealing would be the way to go though, probably better to use a dry nitrogen flushing system as the bags are being sealed. Youd still end up with the problem of limited choice, no control over dose & grind, etc.... :-?

Youd also be stuck with someone elses idea of what constitutes the makings of a good coffee and have little or no input into any of the variables. For example, even if Im using someone elses roasted beans (high quality of course), I still like to adjust some of the variables from time to time in order to enhance particular aspects of the beans flavour profile depending on what style of coffee I want to drink at that particular time. Really enjoy the control thats possible with a proper espresso machine. Pods just seem wrong.... :-/

Mal.

[bassway]

Re: Coffee Review - Coffee Pod - 90+

Pods just seem wrong.... :-/

Mal.

Agree and I think most CSs would too.

Maybe PODs could give good coffee but the ideology is the quick, clean, easy way of making espresso.
The expense of this is the lack of control and limiting the amount one can learn.

This is the antithesis of what most CSs are about.

There isnt really anything wrong with PODs. They are there to fill a market spot. For someone who wants "good" coffee without the fuss. Some people dont have the joy in learning that we get. Some arent driven to find perfection, or enjoy the fact that they will never get there. Some dont have the time. Some dont have the tastebuds to notice the difference. Some notice the difference (like my brother) but find putting in the time for great coffee not worth it.

I think we are, including myself, finding facts to back our ideology. They just seem wrong is the perfect comment.

Then again rating a POD 90+?

[Rocky]

Re: Coffee Review - Coffee Pod - 90+

I think anyone on this Forum is going to feel just the same way Mal and Bassway feel - I certainly do - but I am interested in the mechanics or science of the whole coffee process and dont want to do a disservice to the people who choose an alternate process without looking at all aspects of it. I have a friend (who is actually to blame for sending me down the quality coffee path) who has a Krupps Nespresso Pod machine, and insists that it makes coffee that is as good as any Espresso machine. I obviously dont agree with him otherwise I would have saved $1800. and bought one of those. I am however, keen to be fair and realistic about other coffee making methods.

[Dimal]

Re: Coffee Review - Coffee Pod - 90+

Hmmm,

I think all brewing methods can, and do make outstanding brews so long as the method/technique is correct and only high quality, freshly roasted beans are used and then ground immediately prior to brewing with the aid of a reasonably decent grinder. I think that is the crux of the problem where pods are concerned. The few different ones I tried (out of curiosity) certainly did not taste even close to what I could brew out of my (then) espresso machine and as a result, was not convinced in the slightest that I should venture in that direction of coffee brewing.

More than any other brew method that Ive ever tried, absolutely convinced me of the need to use great beans roasted properly and only ground immediately before brewing. I know I repeat this "mantra" a lot around the boards here (and elsewhere given half a chance) but I think there is nothing more important when the expected outcome is a great brew of coffee. I think coffee pods are just an invention for the convenience of people who are convinced that they dont have the time available to enjoy a "real" coffee.... And that is a pity,

Mal.

[phrostyboi]

Re: Coffee Review - Coffee Pod - 90+

Nespresso capsules with 91 points.... :-/ oh deary thats a worry

I tried it pre machine / snobbishness and compared to my plunger it was essentially flavoured brown with fake almost white crema

Most awful excuse for coffee ive ever had, aside from the super auto machine at my old work or dare I say it instant... had that twice and was almost physically sick :-[