Advantages of Espresso Pods

So you love the taste of espresso, but your budget just isn’t letting you have it every morning from Caribou or Starbucks?  Are you not sure that you could master the techniques the baristas use to make good espresso, not to mention you don’t have an extra $1000 to purchase a traditional espresso machine?  How about trying espresso coffee pods?

An espresso pod is small paper pouch filled with a precisely measured amount of ground coffee that has been packed to the correct consistency to make a perfect cup of espresso using a special espresso maker (and some pod coffee makers).  Pods are made by all the major coffee makers including Caribou Coffee, Starbucks, Tullys, and even other small regional brands.  Most non-capsule home espresso machines will work using the E.S.E pods (which is standard designed several years ago for all manufacturers to adopt).  A brewing machine that is specially made for pods, though, will give you the best results and best tasting espresso.

Some of the advantages of espresso pods:

• A single cup of espresso can be brewed by simply inserting the coffee pods into the pod brewer, pouring water into the maker, and pushing a button.  There is no training required.  This makes it ideal for either home use where you just want a quick cup with non of the cleaning, prep or hassle or in a restaurant setting where they want to offer espresso, but do not want to train anyone on the use of a regular espresso machine.
• Each pod is self contained.  There is no grinding the espresso coffee beans or needing to pack them correctly.  Just grad a pod out of the box and go.
• Cleaning the espresso machine is as simple as cleaning a coffee maker.  Remove the espresso pod, throw it in the garbage, and rinse out the machine.  Cleaning a regular espresso machine is a very messy job.  Coffee ground often end up everywhere.  Why would you want to do that for one cup of espresso?
• Because the ese espresso pods are pre-ground and packed and the machine is brewing the coffee automatically, you will experience a consistent cup of espresso every time.  Plus many people believe that because of the consistency, this is actually a better cup that made by a $8 per hour barista that just started yesterday!

Using a espresso pod and brewer is an excellent way to get that hot cup of your favorite beverage whenever you want it without having to leave the house and run to the coffee shop!

What is the Difference Between Espresso and Coffee?

I was talking to a friend that owns a coffee shop and he said that he often will get people coming in looking for espresso bean for home.  When they can’t find them on the shelf they typically ask at the counter.  Surprisingly, there is no difference between coffee beans espresso coffee beans.  They are the same beans.  Coffee roasters will often roast beans for espresso darker to bring out the more intense coffee flavor.  While higher quality beans are typically used for espresso (because of the concentrated nature of espresso, an inferior coffee bean will be easier to notice), the difference is actually in the grind and the brewing:

Grind
The coffee beans are much finer for espresso than for coffee; almost to the consistency of flour.  This finer grind provides more surface area  for the flavor to come out of the coffee bean.  This produces that dark color and very strong flavor that we all so enjoy!  The more finely the grind, the slower than espresso will be extracted from the coffee.  Although rare, it is theoretically possible to grind it so fine that you clog up the brewer.  If the grind is not fine enough, the water will pass through too quickly resulting in weak cup of espresso.

Brewing
You have probably seen coffee brewed many times.  Whether it is in a peculator or in a drip coffee maker (where water is poured through the coffee beans that are contained using a paper filter).  The paper in the filter slows down the water, allowing it to come in contact with the coffee and steep, releasing the flavor.  There is no pressure involved.  If you needed to, you could even just pour the coffee grounds into the cup of hot water (much like a French press works) and let them sit for a while.  Once they settle to the bottom, you could sip the coffee.

Espresso is brewed in a much different and shorter process.  The ground espresso coffee is backed with up to 40 p0unds of pressure into a small puck of coffee.  Then 200 degree Fahrenheit hot water is forced through the puck under 9 to 15 bars of pressure to extract the flavor.  This process should take around 25 seconds for a perfect shot of espresso.  This was traditionally done by hand for many years.  More recently several manufacturers have come out with automatic machines that grind the espresso, pack the shot, and then brew it.  All an operator needs to do is select the size of the shot and push brew.

Espresso pods work in much the same way as the traditional hand packed method, but the espresso has already been ground and packed for you.  This simplifies the process and insures the best flavor possible.  These pods can be used in a traditional espresso maker or in an espresso pod machine that automates much of the process like an automatic coffee maker.  The resulting brew is a very intense flavor beyond that of regular coffee.  This is why the espresso cups are very small and drinkers will sip and savor the taste.  This is not unlike sipping an old scotch versus guzzling a beer!  Some coffee snobs would rate an espresso from a pod a B to B+.  The average coffee drinker probably won’t notice the difference and more importantly, the consistency of pods and machines insures that every shot tastes the same.

The normal amount of espresso produced by this process is about 1.5 ounces.  You can purchase double espresso coffee pods also that will yield about 2.5 ounces.  Keep in mind that most espresso shot glasses will be much too small for your cup holder for your coffee mug.  You may need to put it into a larger glass to bring in the car!   Many drinks are made from espresso including cappuccino, lattes, mochas and others.  These will all have some milk and other products added to them, but they still retain the intense coffee flavor from the espresso.

What are Espresso Pods?

No, this is not some part of the coffee bean!  An espresso pod is a small disk with a coffee filter like material containing a small amount of packed espresso.  (Remember there is a difference between espresso and coffee).  Pods come in either single or double servings (with each serving being considered 7 grams of coffee).  The ESE pod is 45mm in size, which is actually set as a standard for Easy Serving Espresso Pods (E.S.E.).  They are easy to transport, have a stable shelf life, and are much easier than bulk espresso.

The concept of a pod was originally patented as a filter technology in 1959 by a Pennsylvania company.  Surprisingly, the technology did not take off initially in the US, but in Italy and not in a restaurant or coffee shop setting, but actually in office settings.  As espresso is almost as common as coffee in Italy, but espresso is typically brewed in small batches and does not keep fresh long, this was an instant hit to be able to make a single cup as quick as pushing a button.  The machines also caught on first in restaurants that did not want to invest in an espresso machine, but nevertheless wanted to offer it.  Then it made its way into the consumer market.  An unexpected benefit of the Pod is that it eliminated almost all of the training on how to produce a good cup of espresso on a typical espresso machine.

Fast forward a number of years and Illy created the E.S.E standardization as both a marketing effort and to speed acceptance in the industry.  Now machine manufacturers could fight over features of their espresso machines and not worry about the size of type of Espresso Pods being used.  The ESE pod specifications are open to all manufacturers to promote the widest acceptance.

To use Espresso Pods, you simply place one inside the pod adapter of a normal espresso machine or use a specially designed Pod brewer.  You pour in the water and press a button.  Within minutes you have a hot espresso.  Some positive features of the espresso Pod are caused by both having the espresso amount controlled (inside the Pod) and it is being made by a machine automatically (in the case of a Pod brewer).  Other features include:

• Standardized quality that can be repeated consistently with same results.
• Little to no training required to operate a Pod brewer or brew espresso using a normal espresso machine.
• Less waste of coffee grounds.
• Speed is also increased and cleaning of the equipment is minimal.

While the coffee aficionados claim that a Pod has an inferior taste, many would argue that because the taste is consistent whenever and where ever the espresso is brewed, you will also get the same flavor (unlike a traditional hand brewed cup).  This consistency has actually had the effect of bringing some consumers back to this dark coffee.