Coffee Pods and Espresso Machines

There's nothing like the perfect espresso . Finely ground, dark roasted coffee, pressed and percolated into a strong, rich coffee drink that delights the senses and perks up your day. In Italy, ordering a coffee means that you're ordering an espresso. The Italians stop in their local bar once, twice, even three times a day for the perfect cup of espresso. But here in America, it's not as easy to find espresso done right. The grind of the coffee, the right temperature, the pressing of the coffee and the foaming of the milk are skills that few people know how to wield properly on this side of the ocean. But now with espresso machines and coffee pods , the guesswork is taken out of making espresso at domestic bars or even in your own kitchen at home.

perfect espresso espresso machines coffee pods

In Italy, most Italians wouldn't recognize what we think of as a coffee maker. They use a "machinetta", a contraption that looks like a metal hourglass that has a top like a pitcher. The machine has 2 chambers. Water and coffee go into the bottom chamber. The machine is placed on the stovetop and heated until the water boils, percolating through the espresso grinds and into the second chamber. The pressure on the grinds between the two chambers insures that the coffee is pressed - the word espresso means "expressed" - and the rich taste comes from getting as much of the flavor out of the grinds as possible. The milk is heated and whipped separately. But it's easy to make a mistake in this process. Either by using the wrong amount of water or coffee , turning the heat on too strong or not using the right timing .

it's easy to make a mistake wrong amount of water or coffee heat on too strong right timing

The growing popularity of espresso has meant that people want an easier, error free way to make it at home. So now you can find espresso machines that let you get the right combination of the necessary steps every time. There is a wide range of models to choose from, with different features and capacity. Some are designed for use in restaurants or bars, capable of producing large volumes of coffee in shorter amount of time. Unless you do enough entertaining at home to justify the cost, these probably aren't the best solution for you.

espresso machines

Models made for home usually produce either one or two "shots" of espresso at a time. If you prefer your espresso "macchiato", with milk, or you want to turn your espresso into a cappuccino, you will want to get an espresso machine with a nozzle that creates the steam and lets you froth the milk. Beyond these choices, you might want to consider a product that lets you use coffee pods . These pods look like large tea bags. They contain the exact amount of espresso to deliver a perfect shot every time. You simply put the pod into its slot, close it, and start the machine. When the cycle has finished, you just throw the pod away. It helps prevent any problems with measuring out the espresso and makes cleaning up absolutely easy.

coffee pods

If you purchase a machine that uses coffee pods , you might want to consider whether or not it can also take either another brand's coffee pods or regular loose espresso. Some machines do, but many will work only with the coffee pods that the same company also designs. Having the flexibility to use either the pod or loose coffee means you can still use it even if you run out of pods, which might need to be special ordered. Until these machines become more popular, it's not likely that the pods will be carried consistently in local grocery stores. Plus, the choice to use either kind of coffee also gives you the freedom to experiment with other roasts or flavors of espresso to further indulge your love of coffee.

machine that uses coffee pods

an introduction to the tassimo hot beverage system

The Tassimo Hot Beverage System may just be one of the most versatile beverage makers on the market today. There is a reason that they call it a 'hot beverage system' rather than a one-cup coffee machine. When discussing the Tassimo hot beverage system, one thing should be made clear: Tassimo is not a single-serve coffee maker. Distributed by Braun, the Tassimo uses a proprietary T-disc design to brew just about any type of beverage that uses hot water, and brews it perfectly every time. The Tassimo hot beverage system is designed by Kraft, a multinational food and beverage company, and is manufactured by Saeco, which makes the highest quality coffee and espresso in the world. The T-Disc and What Makes It Unique Pods are essentially the same, no matter what their size - they consist of a pre-measured portion of coffee compressed into a puck and covered with a paper filter. machines. (Easy Serving Espresso) pods, which are standardized in size and volume to fit E.S.E. There's a wide range of espresso systems and coffee maker systems that use E.S.E. Most one cup systems use little filter packets stuffed with pre-measured and firmly packed coffee called 'pods'. The K-cup is designed to be a mini-brewer, similar to Tassimo's T-disc, but there is one major difference. Tassimo's closest competitor, Keurig, uses a proprietary coffee filter and holder all in one called a K-cup.

• The bar code
  The true innovation behind the T-Disc, and the thing that makes every beverage brewed in the Tassimo consistently good - is the bar code technology. The Tassimo system is a smart machine. Each T-Disc is marked with a bar code that tells the machine how much water to use, what temperature to heat the water to and how long to brew the beverage before releasing it. The bar code reader gives the Tassimo system its major advantage over other one cup beverage makers - consistency. The tasters at Kraft work to find the perfect combination of water, heat and time for each new beverage - and once that's found, every single cup of that beverage brewed in the Tassimo will always be perfect.

Versatility Plus The Tassimo makes far more than coffee. Kraft and many other beverage makers have opted to have their beverages packaged in T-discs. You can make coffee, crema coffee, lattes, cappuccinos, espresso, hot chocolate and tea using your Tassimo T-disc system. Because the beverage pours directly from the T-disc into the cup, you can make several different kinds of beverages in a row. With a Tassimo, after dinner coffee on holidays is a snap, even if everyone at the dinner table wants a different kind of drink. How Easy Is It? Making drinks in your Tassimo is as simple as one-two-three: One: Fill the water container and put it back in place on the base unit. Press the on/off switch and open the brew mechanism. The machine will turn on and the water starts heating. Two: Put a clean cup on the cup stand. The stand adjusts so that the cup's rim is close to the brew mechanism with a simple twist and lift. Three: Put your chosen T-disc on the T-disc holder in the brew mechanism, clamp the brew mechanism closed and press start once the Auto Light turns on. That's it. Once you've pressed the start/stop button, all that's left to do is wait for your drink to be done. When it's finished, just open the brew mechanism, throw away the used T-disc and enjoy your beverage. Customizing Your Drinks The Tassimo also has a manual mode that allows you to customize the way your beverage is brewed. Once the machine switches from auto to manual mode, there will be a handy front panel light that says "Manual." You can now add more water to the drink, or you can stop the brewing process immediately for a stronger drink. What about selection? Tassimo features a great variety of high quality coffees in T-discs, and they're available by direct delivery or for purchase retail. Here is a quick run-through of the latest flavor lineup available for the Tassimo Hot Beverage System: Coffee Starbucks: Breakfast Blend, House Blend, Café Verona and Africa Kitamu Seattle's Best Breakfast Blend and Henry's Blend Gevalia Kaffee Signature Blend, Signature Blend Decaf, Morning Roast, Hazelnut and Signature Blend Crema Maxwell House Café Collection House Blend, House Blend Decaf, Morning Blend, French Roast and French Vanilla Mastro Lorenzo Crema Coffee Kenco Kenco Classic Blend Carte Noire Voluptuouso, Petite Dejeuner Nabob 100% Columbian Jacob's Kroenung Specialty Beverages Espresso
Gevalia espresso, Gevalia Decaf espresso, Carte Noire Espresso, Mastro Lorenzo espresso

Cappuccino

Gevalia cappuccino, Gevalia decaf cappuccino, Maxwell House Café cappuccino, Tassimo foaming milk creamer

Latte

Gevalia Latte, Tassimo Latte creamer, Maxwell House Café Latte, Jacobs Latte Macchiato

Chai Tea

Twinings Chai Tea

Hor Chocolate

Suchard hot chocolate

The Tassimo Hot Beverage System may just be one of the most versatile beverage makers on the market today. There is a reason that they call it a 'hot beverage system' rather than a one-cup coffee machine. When discussing the Tassimo hot beverage system, one thing should be made clear: Tassimo is not a single-serve coffee maker.Distributed by Braun, the Tassimo uses a proprietary T-disc design to brew just about any type of beverage that uses hot water, and brews it perfectly every time. The Tassimo hot beverage system is designed by Kraft, a multinational food and beverage company, and is manufactured by Saeco, which makes the highest quality coffee and espresso in the world.The T-Disc and What Makes It UniquePods are essentially the same, no matter what their size - they consist of a pre-measured portion of coffee compressed into a puck and covered with a paper filter. machines. (Easy Serving Espresso) pods, which are standardized in size and volume to fit E.S.E. There's a wide range of espresso systems and coffee maker systems that use E.S.E. Most one cup systems use little filter packets stuffed with pre-measured and firmly packed coffee called 'pods'.The K-cup is designed to be a mini-brewer, similar to Tassimo's T-disc, but there is one major difference. Tassimo's closest competitor, Keurig, uses a proprietary coffee filter and holder all in one called a K-cup.

• The bar code
  The true innovation behind the T-Disc, and the thing that makes every beverage brewed in the Tassimo consistently good - is the bar code technology. The Tassimo system is a smart machine. Each T-Disc is marked with a bar code that tells the machine how much water to use, what temperature to heat the water to and how long to brew the beverage before releasing it. The bar code reader gives the Tassimo system its major advantage over other one cup beverage makers - consistency. The tasters at Kraft work to find the perfect combination of water, heat and time for each new beverage - and once that's found, every single cup of that beverage brewed in the Tassimo will always be perfect.

The bar code
The true innovation behind the T-Disc, and the thing that makes every beverage brewed in the Tassimo consistently good - is the bar code technology. The Tassimo system is a smart machine. Each T-Disc is marked with a bar code that tells the machine how much water to use, what temperature to heat the water to and how long to brew the beverage before releasing it. The bar code reader gives the Tassimo system its major advantage over other one cup beverage makers - consistency. The tasters at Kraft work to find the perfect combination of water, heat and time for each new beverage - and once that's found, every single cup of that beverage brewed in the Tassimo will always be perfect.

Versatility Plus How Easy Is It? Two: Three: Customizing Your Drinks What about selection? Coffee Crema Coffee Specialty Beverages
















Suchard hot chocolate