This is quite exciting in that it removes plastic waste. I see no reason why different companies can’t make different shape ones to maintain their lock-in. I expect a knock-off market to pop-up, but that exists with plastic pods too. It’s a step in the right direction at least.
For fast easy machine single-serve, get a machine that takes beans. They cost about three pod-machines but they’re worth it. The pod-machines are cheaper because they come with vendor lock-in for the pods, and they just profit more on those instead.
It’s not as convenient, but a moka pot makes the best single serving coffee I’ve experienced. You can get a small version for less than $30. It takes me less than 5 minutes to make a barista level cup, and even the more expensive coffee is going to cost less than 50 cents per serving.
The only downside is the coffee is highly caffeinated–nearly espresso levels. So you’re forced to add water if you just want a “cup” of coffee and it’s more of an Americano-style. But the taste beats the shit out of drip or Keurig cups…imo.
I’ve never been able to get good moka pot coffee, but I’ve gotten good aeropress and french press coffee. I’ve got friends who swear by their moka pot and they’ve served me some excellent coffee.
French press, aeropress, and moka are all good ways to get single servings of coffee. It will always beat kuerig coffee, even freshly ground kuerig coffee.
Unfortunately, french press coffee is often silty, but if you are drinking kuerig coffee, you are probably also drinking silty coffee.
FYI, espresso has roughly the same level of caffeine as a cup of coffee per serving, granted a serving of espresso is a lot smaller than a cup of coffee.
If you want some good coffee you can get somewhat cheaply in bulk, Cafe Zapatista is great, ethical, and you are supporting indigenous mayan communities in Chiapas 😊. I get 3 pound bags every other month. Just know the bag isn’t resealable.
Personally I would always recommend a ‘Sage’ or in the US ‘Breville’ Barista Express. Regularly on sale on Amazon on Black Friday or whatever but easy to setup and use for someone with no experience and simple to use daily. Was always rated as one of the best consumer espresso machines on the market.
I’ve been using a Barista Express for a few years and it’s been great. The only issue I’ve had is having to replace the gasket at the head(?) because it kept blowing out (10 minute job with an aftermarket replacement from Amazon). Other than that, it makes pretty good coffee and I can use whatever coffee beans I feel like.
Just get a decent coffee scale, dial it in a bit and you’re good to go.
You should check out getting an Aeropress. They’re cheap, easy to use, and fast.
French presses also make good coffee on the cheap, but I find it is a bit harder to tune in and get going. I got a generic press for about 30$, but they are annoying to clean.
If you are willing to spend 100-200$ on a good grinder you will get really good consistent grinds with minimal effort.
