Here, you will find a summary of the main brands of coffee-pod machines on the market.
Senseo Coffee Machines by Philips
The Philips Senseo machine is modern in its design and, though it may be cheap, still has a good set of features. It does, however, have its disadvantages such as the water reservoir, which could be bigger.
These machines use Senseo coffee capsules, which produce an extraordinary espresso coffee, though there aren't a large variety of products on offer and the used coffee-pods aren't disposed of automatically either.
The overall value for money, however, in terms of price and quality is very good.
Francis Francis Coffee Machines by Illy
This is a coffee machine that's different from the rest, very avant-garde with a large pressure pump of 18 bars. It is manufactured by Illy, the multinational coffee company.
The system uses membrane coffee-pods and guarantees the highest quality coffee. This type of capsules can be bought from many different outlets.
But the Illy coffee-pod system does have one disadvantage; the used pods aren't disposed of automatically, which means you have to remove them when you are finished making each coffee.
Saeco Lavazza a Modo Mio
Lavazza is one of the world leaders in gourmet coffee and have a range of gourmet coffee-pods called Lavazza a Modo Mio.
The machine is small but very robust and disposes of used pods automatically, while the preparation of the coffee is also automatic.
The coffee-pods are compact and there are a large variety of coffees, infusions and hot drinks (cappuccinos and hot chocolates) on offer.
Nespresso Citiz Machine
Nespresso is the current market leader in coffee-pod machines. They offer a huge variety of gourmet coffee (12 different types) and a large range of machines to cater for all tastes.All of them are manufactured by well-known brands such as Krupp, Delonghi and Siemens.
Our recommendation is the Nespresso Citiz machine, with its modern design incorporating a front panel made of plastic and aluminium; a very robust coffee machine. Nespresso coffee-pods can be bought from Nespresso shops or directly from Nespresso online.
Dolce Gusto Piccolo
The Dolce Gusto Piccolo is a machine that is very much en mode at the moment. It belongs to the Nestlé family and is manufactured by Krupp.
It is very small in size but has lots of features and can fit into any available space. The great advantage is its ability to prepare latte with the additional choice of milk pods.
Tassimo T 65
Tassimo machines use a very original barcode system incorporated into its coffee-pods. The machine reads the code on each pod and automatically prepares the coffee following each drink's specifications.
Another advantage is the variety of drinks and brands. You can make coffee, espresso, hot chocolate and cappuccinos. In addition, this model includes an automatic decalcification system.
