fatwah against “pod” coffee.
For your average in-the-dark coffee consumer, coffee at home has traditionally meant tossing a few scoops of Folgers into a filter and letting Mister Coffee dribble some hot water through it. In the long war of attrition against bad coffee, the forces of the Coffee Mujahadin have made some inroads against coffee-from-a-can heresy. Whole bean coffee is increasingly easy for consumers to find, and sometimes even reasonably fresh.
But a new menace has appeared in the form of something called “pod coffee”. Coffee pods are pre-ground, proprietary, pressed pucks of stale coffee brewed in special single serving machines. They are the continued evolution of everything that is bad and wrong about most grocery store coffee. Originally concocted by Illy in Europe for commercial grade machines, they have recently made the leap to the mass market.
Sadly, this is not simply a fad. Most consumer grade home coffee appliances are not geared towards the underserved single-serving market. Even the smallest of commonly found drip machines produce a good deal more coffee than many users need. Plus these new machines are stylish little gizmos, more attractive than their predecessors and engineered for consistancy and ease of use.
The coffee industry goliaths (Proctor & Gamble, Nestle, Kraft, Sara Lee) are all embracing this new coffee “format” as a means of rebranding their same old crappy coffee to an upscale market that they have been slowly losing to specialty coffee. Even smaller, conscientious roasters like Green Mountain are getting in on the action, further legitimizing the travesty.
Thanks to this new innovation that is 5% engineering and 95% hype, the home coffee consumer never needs to see their beans in order to have a “fresh” cup of coffee. The filter enclosure obscures the dirty payload and adds yet another level of unecessary mediation from the plant to the cup. I predict this scheme will do very well in the vast and fertile ground of modern coffee ignorance.
Someday the tide will turn and we’ll live in a world where coffee is once again as much a sacrament as a fuel for drudgery. In the meantime those of us in the resistance will cling tightly to our press pots and continue the fight.
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November 14th, 2004 at 12:45 am
Well, pod coffee isn’t *that* new. I was drinking pod “espresso” out of LaVazza machines in ‘97. We used to have contests at work as to who could get the most perfect layering of cream foam in the pint glasses out of which we hammered our quad “lattes”. I was served this same espresso as if it were regular drip coffee at shop I liked to hit for breakfast in Hong Kong as well. Nothing like a hot cup of pod espresso to wash down the congee.
November 14th, 2004 at 1:18 pm
I have a Bodum press pot, and have been less than impressed with it. It takes a *lot* of coffee to make a good cup, way more than other methods capable of producing perfectly good results. I’ve also found it very unpredictable, no matter how much attention I try to pay to the process.
So I’m curious — what are the things you like most about press pot coffee making?
November 14th, 2004 at 2:15 pm
vika-
The trick to really good presspot coffee is using a burr grinder rather than a blade grinder - which is unfortunately several times more expensive (there are some decent flat burr grinders out there to be had for ~$50). Blade grinders produce very non-uniform grounds and a lot of dust giving you an uneven brew.
Press pot coffee gives you control over the variables of temperature, grind, dose and brewing time. It takes a bit of work to find the sweet spot but once you do (presuming you’re able to grind consistantly) the results are repeatable. It tends towards brewing stronger coffee more succesfully. If you are used to a thinner drip coffee or the very weak drip of the east coast you might try brewing a smaller amount in the presspot at its natural strenth and then diluting the brew with hot water to taste.
I also like the ritual of it - a kettle of water on the stove, stumbling through the coffees on my counter and blending something up on the spot (in my cup now: Ethiopian Harrar mixed with an organic Ugandan, yummm).
I also find that many single origins which make weak bodied or uninteresting drips show better qualities when brewed in a french press.
November 14th, 2004 at 6:17 pm
Dearest Tonx,
Please to inform us where to get these cheap burr grinders. I have recently resumed the taking of an occasional coffee, by stovetop espresso and also in the manner of the french, by press. I did buy a blade grinder, but the burr seems a worthwhile investment in a quality brew. Also, please to send beans!
.bug
November 16th, 2004 at 8:13 am
Blame razor blades and a few decades of cookie cutter marketing.
Seems every business is trying to develop their own version of the “sell razor once, sell razor blades forever” business model. Look at the low-end inkjet market, you can buy the printers for less than a replacement ink cartridge.
December 5th, 2004 at 7:53 am
Episode 2 : Attack of the Pods
via tonx.org:But a new menace has appeared in the form of something called “pod coffee”. Coffee pods are pre-ground, proprietary, pressed pucks of stale coffee brewed in special single serving machines. They are the continued evolution of everything th…
December 20th, 2004 at 3:17 am
You don’t have to buy the prepackaged coffee. You can make you own coffee pads. See link for detailed and funny instructions.
BTW, what is the deal with you Americans constantly calling the coffee pads “coffee pods” ? The inventors call it coffee pads, why change it? It is confusing.
December 21st, 2004 at 4:47 pm
They are called “pods” because “pads” in American English tend to refer to Feminie Hygine products and not something to run water through and drink.
also you didn’t post a link to the how to make your own, I would buy one of these makers if that was possible. I own a coffee maker with a burr-grinder built in that I wouldn’t trade for anything!
December 22nd, 2004 at 7:50 am
“They are called “pods” because “pads” in American English tend to refer to Feminie Hygine products and not something to run water through and drink.”
Oh for crying outloud… What an idiot.
A pod is a capsule. Something that encapsulates something else.
A pad is a surface element with some sort of action performed upon it.
Try a dictionary, moron.
December 28th, 2004 at 7:32 am
As a long-time professional coffee roatser, I can sympathize with your lament of the mass marketing of crappy “pod coffee” being brought to market by the same brands responsible for bringing us the tasteless canned coffee we all know and hate. However, I beg to differ with you about the Green Mountain market entry. Firstly, they are not pods but rather a single serving of ground coffee inside a container that houses a paper cone filter. The coffee is brewed using the Keurig breweing system - which is far more than 5% engineering - and makes a delicious cup for the coffee lover that doesn’t have the time or knack for making coffee from beans. I would urge you to check it out - you might be surprised.
Personally, I buy beans from my local Brooklyn roaster and grind every pot. But I did get into the Green Mountain/Keurig thing at the SCAA show in Boston year before last.
February 4th, 2006 at 5:27 pm
I got a Senseo for free, and I was dubious as well. I tried the coffee the cofee that came with it, and Folger’s, and it was just as awful as you say, (or rant, in this case). But I found vendors on the web that grind and package the pods individually, oxygen free, and that makes a huge difference. I think it makes better than average coffee, without the mess of a french press. The big bonus for me is my 8 year old likes to use it, so I can have a cup of hot coffee the moment I get out of bed.
April 24th, 2006 at 10:51 am
Sorry guys, just purchased a Melitta One:One and love it.
If you like Starbucks coffee, do NOT go for it. If you like a fresh, mild, full-bodied cup of coffe, it is for you. If I want “mud”, I use my espresso maker. I DO NOT LIKE the taste of French press and the pod makers are made for those of us who like a German type of coffee. And German I am.
I do like fresh ground coffee and a good burr grinder that really works is the Capresso which I found at TJMaxx. There is also a good one from Melitta, the model which is never available at Amazon. Both of them were around $30.00.
I prepared fresh gound coffee in my One:One and the taste was the same as the Melitta pods, except my “fresh” one was much weaker than the pod. However, I have all intentions to use and prepare BOTH in my machine. I have not used my drip coffeee maker since the arrival of my One:One. The strength of coffee I like is such: 1 Melitta pod and the 5 ounce button pushed twice. If you like it stronger, 8 ounce pushed once ought to do it. With fresh ground coffee, 5 ounce pushed once might be the thing. I have not tried this yet. In general, I prefer lightly roasted coffees and cannot stand flavoured coffees.
My judgement is based on the use of following gadgets and methods in the past: boiling water poured into porcelain pot with grinds in it and use of strainer to drink it. Hand brewed with use of Melitta cone filters. Drip coffeee makers. Stove top espresso machine. Electric espresso maker. French press.
Coffee consumed in Italy, France, Spain, Netherlands, USA, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Switzerland, Austria. Based on this I prefer the German way of roasting and brewing for everyday consumption and drink my coffee either black w/sugar or 1/2 & 1/2 light, Espresso w/sugar after a heavy meal and Cappuccino w/ a real whipped cream “cappucio” and sugar for a special treat. We are 2 adults at the most and I want the first cup in the morning as soon as I open my eyes.
I do not reocmmend using the tea pods. Those you have to prepare the conventional way if you like a STRONG cup of tea as I do.
Now judge for yourself.
November 14th, 2006 at 4:20 am
So now “Fatwah” is becoming a part of the American vocabulary?
Speak English and get your “Campaign” agaisnt the coffee pods in the right context.
November 14th, 2006 at 8:37 am
My next “Fatwah” will be against humorless douchebags who whine on stranger’s blogs.
January 23rd, 2007 at 4:19 pm
My wife and I are on our 2nd Senseo machine; after oh, 3/4 years on the first one, and cleaning over and over, the coffee Still tasted yucky, so we got another one. Now her and I went from drips to percolators and after liking them at first, we got tired of them soon; and we both love strong coffee (her not ALL the time). We got the Senseo machine, went thru their coffees, liked some of em, then started buying store bought pods, and Folger’s French Roast and another one were strong and great tasting, but they’re not in stores anymore, so now I’ll buy some online, such as Costa Rican, etc. All coffee can stale with time, even beans, we tried keeping it fresh in the fridge, etc; but all in all, we won’t stop using the pods! My brother came up recently and I made him a cup of the other strong store bought pods, and he said it was TOO strong for him, and he drinks strong La coffee, unless he stopped drinking it! We also use heavy whipping cream as a creamer, and man is it rich and thick and goes very well with coffee from ANY machine. Just like the bodybuilders’ rants of free weights are better than machines, and vice versa; so the coffee maker wars….
April 26th, 2007 at 9:34 am
Apparently, he has never tasted coffee from the Senseo. I currently own a drip maker, a french press, an espresso machine and the Senseo single serve pod machine. The Senseo by far makes the best coffee out of all of them. The French press comes in second.
I do not own a percolater so can’t compare there. But I work from home, so the convenience of being able to make a cup when I want one, and not waste a whole pot is also a great service.
I just purchased the Melitta refillable/reusable pods so I can now ground my own coffee and use in my Senseo. A great money saver (pods are expensive) and give you the opportunity to use your favorite coffee. Highly recommended.
I’ve purchase and given away a few Senseos to friends too whom are coffee fiends. They love them! Seriously a great cup of coffee.
So, if you love coffee, use the method you like the best. There is no right or wrong way. Everyone will be different. But to say that it is all hype comes from somebody that thinks they are better than everyone else. Don’t get it. just drink your coffee and shut up.