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.