PODS

 

No, not what Nuke rode down on from the mothership.

I'm referring to E.S.E. Pods - which stands for easy serving espresso.

I enjoy coffee. I use my espresso machine a solid 4 or 5 times a week.

It's a pain using ground coffee in the little holder. The grounds get stuck on the steam head above the coffee holder and is difficult to clean. Plus, it's super hot as I tend to clean the holder and machine as soon as I make the coffee.

Nuke even commented once that it seemed like a hell of a lot of work just to get a small cup of coffee.

I've been using those senso pods which are the only pods I can find in the grocery store. They're sized specifically for senso coffee makers and aren't really meant for espresso machines.

Here's the strange thing - just about everybody has an espresso machine. They only used them when they first got them - but they have them. But I've never even seen a senso machine - not in stores, not in a home, nowhere. Yet - that's the only pod I ever seen for sale in the grocery stores. Odd.

There's a standard size and format pod for espresso machines - e.s.e. - but I haven't been able to find anyplace that sells them in Raleigh. There's probably a dozen speciality stores, either in Cary or North Raleigh - I just haven't found 'em yet. So - I finally ordered a sampler package of true e.s.e. pods from The Pod Merchant.

The package arrived the other day and I've used a few so far.

They are awesome. I don't know if it's the coffee itself (mostly from European vendors) or the fact that the e.s.e. pod is sized for optimum brewing in an espresso machine - but the results are just fantastic. As good as any coffee / espresso I've ever had in a shop.

I prefer decaf and that's what I ordered from The Pod Merchant. I read an article (The Atlantic I think) about caffeine in regular coffee vs. espresso. Caffeine is leached during the brewing process - the longer the water brews the coffee - the more caffeine. So the gist of the article was that the blast of steam / hot h2o in espresso is in brief contact with the coffee as opposed to longer contact in traditional drip or percolated coffee. So - the typical shot of espresso has far less caffeine then a cup of traditional coffee.

If the coffee used in the espresso is decaf to begin with - you end up in-taking very little caffeine at all. Not anywhere near enough to affect your sleep. Which is great for me since I like to make an espresso in the evening and sip it while watching TV or reading.

The espresso I've been making from the true e.s.e. pods is out and out yummy.

I think I'll go fix another.