How to Brew a Great Cup of Coffee Part 3: Pod Machines & Single-Cup

With so many different ways of brewing coffee, some more complicated than others, the coffee industry’s terminology can be difficult to grasp. In this part of our series, How to Brew a Great Cup of Coffee, we take a look at pod machines and pre-packaged single cups in the office. 

There are multiple methods of brewing single-serve coffee, and sometimes the words used to describe each one are mixed. Corporate Essentials is here to help explain the difference between each one! Hopefully, this will lay the groundwork on the correct terms to use when describing each type of coffee solution. Read on to discover how to brew a great cup of coffee using single-cup and pod machines!

Coffee Pods

Coffee pods have a circular, compact design that allows for a quick brew. Its convenience has made it a popular option in the office. Each one contains ground coffee beans packaged in a paper filter, making it more environmentally-friendly than plastic-based containers. 

Used in pod machines like the Newco CX Touch. They are not compatible with coffee machines that brew cups or capsules unless otherwise specified. 

Coffee Cup/Capsule & K-Cup

Coffee Cups, capsules, and k-cups are pre-packaged coffee grinds contained in a hard plastic shell. K-cups are the primary coffee solution for Keurig machines. Each is disposed of after a single-use unless reusable or compostable options are chosen. 

Many coffee cups and capsules are made of aluminum or plastic, which is where the questions surrounding their sustainability resides. Thankfully, the issue of non-renewable waste has been strongly voiced by customers and has prompted coffee company Keurig to take a pledge of making 100% of their K-cups recyclable by 2020. 

Flavia Fresh Packs

The single-serve packets used in Flavia brewers are exclusive to these machines. They have a wholly different design and name than pods or capsules, making them easy to distinguish from other options, but perform a similar function. 

Flavia machines brew great coffee and tea options, from brands like Alterra Coffee and The Bright Tea Company, but also create drinks from licensed brands including Starbucks, Peet’s Coffee, La Colombe Coffee Roasters, and more. They create cups that energize, boost health, and offer variety.

After use, the Flavia packets can be sent to MARS Drinks for recycling. This is part of a sustainability effort dating back before 2012 to provide customers with an easy, efficient solution for responsibly disposing of coffee packets.

Corporate Essentials Recommends… 

Both of the Newco machines highlighted below use Essential Coffee Company pods, along with other great brands including Reunion Island, Wolfgang Puck, and Entenmann’s. Just a few of these brands’ pod flavors to choose from include Mocha Java, Sumatra, and Pacific Hazelnut.

Newco CX3

The CX3 brewer uses pods that are biodegradable. It includes many drink options like fresh coffee, caffé latte, cappuccino, hot chocolate, and more. It’s a great fit for offices of 30 or more people, and very easy to use. It is estimated to have a 60-second brew. In addition, the machine has different brewing strengths as well as pouring multiple cup sizes.

Newco Fresh Cup Touch Brewer 

The Fresh Cup Touch Brewer makes drinks quietly and efficiently. Back-to-back brews don’t need to go through the reheating process, reducing the wait time for each brew. It has a range of settings to make navigating your own machine a breeze! One instance is the brewer’s notification for when the waste bin is approaching full capacity, sharing notice of it ahead of time.

Flavia

Corporate Essentials offers five different Flavia coffee machines to our customers. The best choice for any company ultimately comes down to how many people it is expected to serve daily. That’s why we created a small chart so you can find the best machine for your company.

There are so many reasons to love using a coffee pod machine. They’re convenient, easy to understand, and brew drinks quickly; but best of all, the single-use capsules used by many machines continue to receive plenty of research to create plenty of environmentally-friendly options. These were just a few reasons to spring for your own coffee pod machine!

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