Why Pods?

Pod vs. K-Cup vs. T-Disc - The Great Debate

I'm sure you've thought about it a little if not a lot.  Whether you are looking to buy your first single-serve coffee machine or are already an established user looking at the myriad options out there it is getting harder to make the right choice.  While it is hard to go wrong with any of the formats out there, I'd like to explain why I think that coffee pods are the right choice for most people as compared to K-Cups or T-Discs.

Cost
Cost is certainly a big factor in most people's buying decision.  You want to spend as little as possible for a machine that has all of the features you want.  You also want that machine to be reliable, to be reasonably quiet and to produce a great cup of coffee.  On the cost side, all 3 of the major single-serve formats allow you to enter the game for a purchase price around $100.  You can spend a lot more and a little less, but for most the $100 price point is a happy spot.  At this price point you see the new Bunn My Cafe MC in the pod brewer area, the Keurig B40 for K-Cups and the Tassimo T20 Home Brewer (after $30 rebate).



Coffee Pod



The other side of cost is the coffee itself.  Many people focus on the cost of the brewer and not on the cost of the coffee they will be drinking over the life of the brewer.  With a typical box of 18 coffee pods selling on line for $6.99 that equates to about $0.39 per cup.  K-Cups are a bit more costly with the typical 24-count box selling for $11.99 or $0.50 per cup.  T-Discs come in at $8.99 for 16 or $0.56 per cup and higher.  If you drink 2 cups a day for a year your coffee cost looks like this:

Pods: 365 x 2 x 0.39 = $284.70

K-Cups: 365 x 2 x $0.50 = $365.00

T-Discs: 365 x 2 x $0.56 = $408.80

With coffee pods, you've essentially paid for your machine in a year.  Drink more than 2 cups a day and the savings are even more dramatic.

Reliability, Features & Ease of Use



T-Disc



Relibility is certainly important to everyone.  You want a machine that will last and brew your coffee without problems.  When you get up at 5:30 am and want a hot cuppa, you don't need a machine that will cause problems.  You also want it to be easy to use and have the ability to choose cup size and brew strength, etc.  Keurig lets you select cup size and is easy to use.  Selecting cup size essentially dictates brew strength, but you can also buy Extra Bold K-Cups which contain more coffee.  Pod machines like the Bunn My Cafe are easy to use, let you select your strength by choosing normal or "pulse" brew operation and the abillity to select your cup size based on how much water you add.  Tassimo produces coffee based on a program which is determined by a barcode on the T-Disc.  This produces a very consistent cup but does not allow you to customize it to your own tastes.



K-Cup



Reliability has been a problem of late with the Keurig line.  Pod brewers have historically been quite reliable as have the Tassimo machines.  Warranties vary by brand but most are from 1 to 3 years.



Variety

Variety is a bit dependent on what you are looking for.  By sheer volume, coffee pods have the most variety of coffee and tea since the pod is an open format that any roaster can freely enter.  Literally hundreds of coffee and tea pods are available (mostly on line) and are made from some of the best single origin and micro-lots available.  If you've only ever tried the Senseo branded coffee pods, you're really unaware of what is out there.  Keurig also has a good variety of coffee and tea products and has now also introduced drinks like hot cider and hot chocolate.  Most would agree that using your pod brewer or Keurig as a hot water dispenser for a packet of hot chocolate or cider is both cheaper and better tasting.  The Tassimo has the least variety of total products, but the most variety in terms of the drinks it can produce.  From espresso to coffee, lattes & macchiatos, the Tassimo can give you Milk-based beverages using Milk T-Discs.  The downside here is that the shelf-stable milk products don't deliver that fresh milk taste most people are accustomed to.

Quality



What really matters is the quality of the beverage in your cup, right?  Here I can unequivocally say that coffee pods deliver the goods.  You can only find exclusive single-origin coffee and micro-lots from the top farms in the pod format.  Both K-Cup and T-Disc coffees, while good, don't give you that "WOW" factor that the best pods can provide.  Want 100% Kona or Jamaican Blue Mountain in a K-Cup or T-Disc - it doesn't exist.  Pod machines and K-Cup machines do give you some options to brew your own favorite coffee.  Pod machines like the Bunn allow you to easily brew home made pods and the Keurig platform has devices like the Solofill Cup to let you brew any ground coffee.  The Tassimo has no such devices so you are stuck with their choices.

Availability



Keurig is the hands-down winner in terms of the ability to find coffee in traditional brick & mortar retail stores and supermarkets.  You won't find all of the varieties that exist and you'll also pay a premium for their 12 and 18 count packages, but in a pinch you can run to the store and easily find K-Cups.  On line, you can buy K-Cups from any Keurig Authorized Dealer and find all of the varieties.  Pods, on the other hand are much harder to find in stores and usually it is only the Senseo brand.  On line, many retailers including http://www.thecoffeeartisan.com/ offer a great variety of individually wrapped pods.  A few T-Disc products can be found in stores, but the rest can be found on  line.

Environment



A lot of attention has been paid lately to the environmental impact of single-serve coffee.  You can say on the plus side, that it reduces water use and wasted coffee that would otherwise be thrown away.  On the down side, people look at all of the wate associated with the individual plastic K-Cups and T-Discs that end up in our landfills.  Did you know that Keurig estimates that 5 BILLION K-Cups will make their way into landfills in 2011?  Only the pod format can say that their product is fully compostable and biodegradable.  While the pod wrapper is not yet recyclable, the pod itself can be composted and later used as fertilizer in your garden.  K-Cups and T-Discs must be thrown away and landfilled.

The Bottom Line



While you will need to reach your own decisions, I believe the right choice for most people is to select a quality pod brewer like the new Bunn My Cafe MC and using the highest quality coffee pods from roasters like Fratello and The Coffee Artisan.  Your up-front and long-term cost of ownership will be the lowest, your cup quality will be the highest, the number of available coffees that can be shipped to your doorstep are the greatest and you have the least impact on our environment.  Another plus for pods is your ability to support local small businesses.  Many companies like The Coffee Artisan and Fratello Coffee Roasters are extremely small local companies that are dwarfed by a company like Keurig.  These companies are focused on bringing you the best of what coffee can be and not simply trying to reach the masses by offering a lesser quality product to reach the masses.  What's in your cup - artisan roasted single origin specialty coffee or Folgers?



Keurig may be the leader in terms of their advertising budget, but I think a good pod brewer and quality coffee pods really hold the advantage.  You may not even have been aware of the choices out there, but I hope after reading this article you think a little harder about which choice is right for you.

Please share your comments below, we'd love to hear from you.

Chad Elliott



The Coffee Artisan

http://www.thecoffeeartisan.com/