The Best Pod Coffee Maker [In 2022] Review

Life may be busy but we don’t want to miss our daily fix of coffee to power our day.

Our Best Pod Coffee Maker Review post will guide you to high-quality pod coffee makers that produce an aromatic cup of Joe in under a minute.

Pod coffee makers are a convenient option for coffee lovers who want to enjoy a delicious coffee every day without going through the process of grinding your coffee beans, brewing it the right way, and so on.

Well, you can always buy yourself a cup of coffee in your favorite coffee shop but it can also be costly. Yes, you can always serve yourself an instant coffee but the taste is not to everyone’s liking.

Related post: Top Drip Coffee Maker Reviews  – For A Great Start In The Morning

Worry no more because you still have a better choice and that is to use one of many pod coffee makers out there on the market.

A great pod coffee maker allows you to enjoy coffee shop quality tasting brew at the speed of preparing an instant coffee.

So, in this review, we want to make your shopping easy so you will not go wrong in choosing the best pod coffee maker that will surely deliver a daily cup of happiness in the midst of your busy lifestyle.

* Please note: all product links in this product review are affiliate links. That means, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.


The Best Pod Coffee Makers On The Market – Our Review

Mueller Ultima Single Serve K-cup Coffee Maker – The Best Pod Coffee Maker

Mueller-Machine-including-Technology

The Mueller Ultima is our choice for the best pod coffee maker overall.

This is a highly rated machine by Amazon users and is great value for money with the most affordable price among the products of our choice.

This machine is compatible with K-cups, similar pods, and reusable filters making it possible to create a customized brew for yourself and your family. A lot of reviews say this machine brews better-tasting coffee than the other pod coffee machines in the market.

The machine has 4 different brew sizes available to choose from including 6, 8, 10, and 12 oz cups. The water tank is removable with 45 oz capacity just the amount of water you need to serve several cups for the family.

There is even a water gauge in front and it alerts when the water level is low. The machine brews your coffee efficiently in a minute.

The machine is relatively light so you can bring it anywhere whenever your need for it arises. It can even accommodate travel mugs as high as 7 inches.

The machine is made with BPA-free material for the water tank and comes with an auto shut off feature.

Here Are The Pros

Mueller Ultima Single Serve Coffee Maker is popular, highly rated, and is a great value for money.

It is programmable to various cup sizes and with 45 oz has amazing water tank features. This machine is safe and easy to use.

It’s lightweight yet durable built, made in Austria.

It has also four different brew size options which are great news for people who may like a weaker or a stronger brew.

The Cons

There are complaints that it brews loudly.

Overall, the Mueller Ultima Single Serve Coffee Maker works perfectly and brews better tasting coffee.

This little machine is durable, easy and safe to use yet the design is compact and lightweight. This machine is versatile when it comes to the compatible coffee pods and has a great water tank design which features a large opening for a water refill.

The Mueller pod coffee maker is popular, highly rated and is great value for money, making it the best pod coffee maker of our choice.


Keurig K-Elite Single Serve K-Cup Pod Maker – Runner Up For The Best Pod Coffee Maker

Keurig-K-Elite-Temperature-Capability-Programmable

Keurig K-Elite Pod Coffee Maker makes use of K-cup pods and My K-Cup universal reusable coffee filter so you can customize your coffee with your own ground bean.

The cup size is adjustable from 4, 6, 8 to 10 oz so you have different choices whichever volume you need to start your day or your coffee fix in the afternoon.

It has even a specialized button whenever you intend to ice your brewed coffee and a button to press if you prefer a stronger brew.

This machine is a little yet efficient machine that can brew your coffee in less than a minute. Made to suit your busy lifestyle, it can accommodate a travel mug of up to 7.2 inches tall.

This is by far the machine of our choice with the biggest water capacity of 75 oz (!). The reservoir is removable for easy cleaning.

This product comes with a 1-year warranty and upon delivery, a bonus of 6 K-cup variety packs, one water filter, and one filter go with this machine. It has a temperature control feature and lets you adjust from 187-192 degrees F brewing temperature.

The Keurig pod coffee maker automatically shuts off after your last brew. Another option is to set the time when you want your machine to shut off.

This machine can be easily maintained and automatically alerts you when it is time to descale.

Here Are The Pros

The pod coffee maker from Keurig allows you a wide range of K-cup pods. You can customize your brew with your own coffee ground as well.

It has a temperature control setting, is easy and safe to use, has a large water tank, and accommodates travel mugs.

What Are The Cons

There have been complaints of water leaking from the machine.

Overall, this coffee maker from Keurig is highly rated by users.

As mentioned before, it makes use of wide choices of K-cup pods and you also have the option to customize your coffee by using your own ground.

It is easy to clean and alerts you when it’s time to descale your machine.

It allows you to program your coffee in accordance to your preference including the cup size, brewing temperature and auto shut off time.

These extra features are making it a great pod coffee maker for people with a busy lifestyle.


Chulux Single Serve Pod Coffee Maker

CHULUX-Single-Coffee-Capsule-Reservoi

The Chulux Single Serve Coffee Maker is one popular machine among users. It makes use of K-cups and soft pods and is compatible with almost all the brands available out there.

You can even create your own coffee using your own ground bean.

Cup size is programmable from 5-12 oz and brews your coffee in 2-3 minutes. The spout can accommodate mugs of up to 5.3 inches high. The water reservoir has 12 oz capacity just enough for its largest cup size.

The product has a 1-year warranty and comes with a removable drip tray and cover, water filter basket and instruction manual so you only need your coffee capsule to get the machine going upon delivery to your home.

It has the least electric power requirement of 800 W. It pumps coffee with 3.5 bar pressure. The water reservoir and needle are BPA free and the detachable accessories are dishwasher safe.

This little machine has a compact design so you will not have any problems looking for a place for it. You can even bring it with you when you are traveling.

This pod coffee maker from Chulux is duly certified by UL and FDA making it safe to use. It shuts off automatically after 3 minutes of no use.

The Pros

This Chulux coffee pod maker is well-known to many users. Compatibility with different K-cups and soft pods is no problem for this machine.

It is proven to work and makes coffee of your choice instantly. It is safe to use with the least power consumption plus it features a  compact, space-saving design.

We do like the one-year warranty.

What Are The Cons

Relatively longer brewing time than the other machines of our choice. It cannot accommodate taller travel mugs.

Overall, this coffee pod maker from Chulux is popular among users and can accommodate K-cups and soft pods. It has a compact design, consumes less electric power and is safe and easy to use.

It is also the most affordable machine in our range of the best pod coffee makers.


Nespresso Essenza Mini Original Espresso Machine by Breville, Piano Black – The Best Pod Coffee Maker with Espresso Option

Nespresso-Essenza-Original-Espresso-Breville

The Nespresso Essenza Mini Original is our choice for the best pod coffee maker with the option to brew espresso. This nifty powerful coffee machine is designed with a brewing system that delivers 19 bars of pressure, just the right rating to brew a great espresso.

This compact machine has a sleek and compact design so you won’t have any problem finding a space for it, whether in your kitchen or office space.

It is designed to make 2 cup sizes, 1.35 oz for Espresso and 5 oz for Lungo respectively.

This pod coffee maker by Breville makes use of Nespresso original capsule but it has been mentioned by several users that it is compatible with other brands of coffee capsule as well as refillable capsules so you can customize your own brew.

We do like the fact that this machine is efficient and can brew a coffee in less than a minute. It also operates in an eco mode with auto shutoff after 9 minutes of no operation.

From the outside, it fits a mug with up to 5 inches high.

The water tank can hold up to 20.29 oz of water so you only need to refill after every 4 serves of Lungo brew.

This little machine also comes with 14-16 Nespresso original coffee capsules, an instruction booklet, and information folder so you have everything you need to operate the machine upon delivery to your home.

The Pros

The Nespresso Essenza Mini Original is a leader in pod coffee maker that makes use of the aluminum capsule. It is proven to make great espresso and other coffee serves. It’s compact, easy to use and receives a consistently high rating from users on Amazon

What Are The Cons

This machine cannot accommodate taller mugs during refill. Only mugs with up to 5 inches will fit.

Overall, the Nespresso Essenza Mini Original is our choice for the best coffee pod maker with an espresso brew option.

It works efficiently, is easy to use and has a modern, sleek and compact design. The Nespresso Essenza Mini Original makes coffee-shop grade coffee safely and instantly in your home.


Keurig K-Cafe Single-Serve K-Cup Coffee Maker, Latte Maker And Cappuccino Maker – The Best Pod Coffee Maker with Milk Frother

Keurig-K-Cafe-Single-Serve-Cappuccino
The Keurig K-Cafe Single Serve K-Cup Coffee Maker, Latte Maker and Cappuccino Maker (phew, that is quite a mouthful) is our choice for the best pod coffee maker with frother.

It makes use of K-cup pods and similar K-cup universal pods.

This machine is programmable to make 6, 8, 10 and 12 oz of coffee and works efficiently. In less than a minute you have your cup of coffee ready.

The spout is tall enough to accommodate taller travel mugs as high as 7.2 inches which is great to have your coffee on-the-go.

The water tank can hold 60 oz of water and is removable for easy cleaning.

This Keurig coffee maker and frother is made with safety features including auto shutoff after 2 hours of no use.

The frother is dishwasher safe and is suitable for fresh milk, skimmed milk, soy, and almond.

The Pros

This Keurig K-Cafe machine is a versatile machine that does not only makes coffee but also latte and cappuccino.

It is easy to use and this compact machine can serve as your mini cafe at home.

On top of that, it’s programmable to several cup sizes of your choice and accommodates both long travel and shorter mugs.

What Are The Cons

This machine is relatively pricey compared to other pod coffee makers.

Overall, this Keurig machine is versatile and makes it easy to brew an aromatic coffee, cappuccino, and latte for your daily caffeine fix.  It comes with great features that make it easy and safe to use.


Our Quick Coffee Pod Maker Buying Guide

When choosing the best pod coffee maker of your choice, it is imperative that you take a look at the following features so you can choose the best machine that will suit your style and preferences.

Pod, K-cup Or Your Own Blend

We believe that before you can choose the best pod coffee maker for yourself or for your loved ones, you have to understand first that pod coffee makers work by using either coffee pods, capsules, K-cups or specialized reusable filters.

In this review, we have excluded coffee makers that do not specifically require these coffee packs to work.

So, if you are picky of your coffee flavor and you already have a preference for what brand suits your taste, then make sure that their pods, capsules or K-cups are compatible for brewing by the pod coffee maker of your choice.

Our choices of pod coffee makers here are not really brand dependent when it comes to the pod, capsule or K-cup that they can brew.

It is really a matter of whether your personal choice of a machine can brew a soft pod, a capsule or a K-cup type.

Some machines of our choice here are also compatible with a reusable filter or refillable capsule that allows you to customize your own ground beans.

Also, if you care about your carbon footprint, then it is important to note that soft pods and capsules have less packaging wastes or are more recyclable than K-cup pods.

Bar Pump/Pressure

Bar Pump/Pressure is the measurement of how the machine works in exerting pressure to water to pass through the coffee ground inside a pod, capsule or K cups.

Bar pump/pressure rating is especially most important to pod coffee makers that brew espresso. Some of our choices of the best coffee pod makers do not use pressure to brew.

Special Inclusions

Our choices of top pod coffee makers may include sample pods, capsules or K cups so you can immediately use your machine upon delivery. This way, you can also choose which type of pods best suits your taste.

Power Consumption

A great pod coffee maker consumes almost the same amount of power and if there’s a slight difference, it is quite minimal.

Since these little machines use a  relatively high Wattage, safety features and power conservation like auto shut off feature really matter.

Dimension & Weight

If organization and orderliness matter to you then you may also want to check out the dimension and weight of the product of your choice.

We have the most space-saving choice with dimensions of 3.3 x 12.9 x 8 Inches and the biggest that measures 12.5 x 15.3 x 11.7 inches.

Cup Size Option

The best pod coffee makers are programmable to produce different cup size for as low as 1.35 oz for espresso and up to 12 oz for regular coffee.

So, if you are a coffee drinker who prefers bigger cups then you have to watch out for the machine with a larger capacity.

Also, for added convenience, you may want to check if your own mug fits just below your machine’s spout during refilling

Brewing Time

As already mentioned, a good pod coffee maker prepares your coffee in an instant with a taste similar to that coffee you are buying in commercial cafes.

Although we have chosen the best machines with the shortest brewing time, when you decide to buy a different item, you have to watch out for this aspect.

Water Tank

The size of the water tank is of importance, especially for bigger households. That’s when you should choose a bigger sized tank to avoid refilling it all the time.

It can also be removable or built in. The advantage of a removable tank is that it can be easily cleaned.

CONCLUSION

We hope our review and guide come in handy in your next purchase of the best pod coffee maker that will suit your style and taste.

Remember that pod coffee makers are made to bring café grade coffee to your home or office so you will have your most-favored brew in no time with less mess.

We do hope we have kept your purchase simple. Happy brewing with one of the best coffee makers we have found to be an excellent choice for brewing an aromatic cup of Joe.


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