Tassimo coffee machine/pods question.

[ebikeerwidnes]

To be fair I went off home made proper coffe many years ago and just have the more expensive instant now

I am not sure why but making it at home meant it was always too strong or watery

and to be fair pods would probably fix that!!
we did have a holiday in a very very nice resort once and it had a pod machine and it was great

(on an aside they couldn;t get us a kettle and using the "hot water" feature of the pod machine just didn;t work for tea!!)

but we don;t have worktop space for anotehr machine thing anyway!

 

[Bonefish Blues]

These really are tremendous things - metal mesh filters are available for ultimate eco-friendliness. Not much more faff than instant and deliver better and cheaper coffee.

https://www.pactcoffee.com/brewing-...sj2mihenWPLpZZJL6yWR4lB33GqqbMrIaAovtEALw_wcB

 

[oxoman]

The problem with using ground coffee is once you open the packet it soon starts to go off and unless you drink a lot of quickly. That's why pod systems work so well, they give you consistent taste and quality. Most plastic pod makers subscribe to the podback recycling scheme which is free and retrieves the coffee , foil , plastic and film lids for re-use, somehow.

 

[fossyant]

But surely if you want to eco friendly then a filter would be betters
or one fo those things where you push the grating down after a few minutes

pods - by their very nature - are always bad eco wise just because of manufacturing costs and stuff

or is it the appearance of being eco that matters rather than the actual reality??

We do have reusable pods for our Dolce Gusto. Bit of a faff though

 

[Binky]

The problem with using ground coffee is once you open the packet it soon starts to go off and unless you drink a lot of quickly. That's why pod systems work so well, they give you consistent taste and quality. Most plastic pod makers subscribe to the podback recycling scheme which is free and retrieves the coffee , foil , plastic and film lids for re-use, somehow.

I use beans and grind myself(well machine does). However it is in a sealed unit so whilst not air tight it helps. Likwise if I have pre ground coffee I keep it sealed.

Never yet found a pod system remotely close to proper, freshly ground coffee in taste and quality.

 

[mjr]

These really are tremendous things - metal mesh filters are available for ultimate eco-friendliness. Not much more faff than instant and deliver better and cheaper coffee.

https://www.pactcoffee.com/brewing-...sj2mihenWPLpZZJL6yWR4lB33GqqbMrIaAovtEALw_wcB

Aeropress. I had one. Tremendous amount of hype, but I don't get it. It's much more faff than a filter (even the simplest approach is to assemble it, put in the coffee, stand it on a jug because it's so much wider than an espresso cup with no nozzle or chute, add boiling water, stir, wait, plunge, then pour the coffee out), it made mess with every step, it fell about the place at the slightest provocation and it required about as much cleaning as a moka pot. Then the outer barrel crazed for some reason. I've not felt a need to replace it and just use the remaining papers on top of the moka basket if I need or want to avoid any fines in the coffee. It was an expensive way to get some little coffee filters!

The problem with using ground coffee is once you open the packet it soon starts to go off and unless you drink a lot of quickly.

I work with computers and ride bikes. The coffee going off is not a problem. It's rare that I even need to put any in a vacuum storage tub (if ground) or the freezer.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

The problem with using ground coffee is once you open the packet it soon starts to go off and unless you drink a lot of quickly. That's why pod systems work so well, they give you consistent taste and quality. Most plastic pod makers subscribe to the podback recycling scheme which is free and retrieves the coffee , foil , plastic and film lids for re-use, somehow.

Decant half into an appropriately-sized airtight container and pop it in the freezer.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Aeropress. I had one. Tremendous amount of hype, but I don't get it. It's much more faff than a filter (even the simplest approach is to assemble it, put in the coffee, stand it on a jug because it's so much wider than an espresso cup with no nozzle or chute, add boiling water, stir, wait, plunge, then pour the coffee out), it made mess with every step, it fell about the place at the slightest provocation and it required about as much cleaning as a moka pot. Then the outer barrel crazed for some reason. I've not felt a need to replace it and just use the remaining papers on top of the moka basket if I need or want to avoid any fines in the coffee. It was an expensive way to get some little coffee filters!

You're right, other methods are available. Lots of very satisfied Aeropress owners/users who can use them quickly and without mess alongside those who believe they're 'hyped' and who have difficulty using them, though

 

[mjr]

You're right, other methods are available. Lots of very satisfied Aeropress owners/users who can use them quickly and without mess alongside those who believe they're 'hyped' and who have difficulty using them, though

The force needed to move the plunger through the barrel to eject the coffee at the end, and to pull the plunger back out is high enough that I've never seen one used without mess. It sprays with a clunk at each end of travel without fail and that seems to be the design. Of course, some won't notice a few sprayed grounds, especially camping, and I know some people don't find the barrel falls over in the slightest draught before the water goes in, wasting good coffee as it falls.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

The force needed to move the plunger through the barrel to eject the coffee at the end, and to pull the plunger back out is high enough that I've never seen one used without mess. It sprays with a clunk at each end of travel without fail and that seems to be the design. Of course, some won't notice a few sprayed grounds, especially camping, and I know some people don't find the barrel falls over in the slightest draught before the water goes in, wasting good coffee as it falls.

You're right to use another method then.

 

[Mike_P]

Tassimo are pretty terrible: bulky pods and the barcode restriction means there's limited choice. The refillable pod shells aren't widely available in

Big range available from them direct compared to what is in the shops and they regularly have 30% or more off. Come with 2 or 3 recycling bags.

 

[Binky]

Pods are more expensive, worse tasting and far worse enviromentally than just brewing ground coffee.

Other than that, brilliant....

 

[Reynard]

I don't drink coffee now (apart from the very occasional decaf), but we always had one of those drip filter machines that were ubiquitous in almost every single Belgian kitchen.

 

[Dadam]

Aeropress are much better using the inverted method. If you brew the orthodox way, the grounds settle onto the paper filter, blocking the pores and making it far harder to press the plunger. If you brew inverted the particles haven't had chance to settle and are still in suspension away from the paper when you press the plunger. I also stopped using the paper filters and bought a set of reusable stainless mesh filters. Came with 3 and I found the finest gauge was perfect for most ground coffee. Almost no grit and easy to press the plunger.

Cleaning is a 5 second rinse under the tap and a brush with warm water every so often.

At home though the bean to cup machine wins hands down.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Interestingly, Aeropress explicitly warns against using this method - because liability, I guess.