Which Is Best For You?

Research is key before deciding between coffee pods, K-Cups, and T-Discs. Thought and research are in order here, and before buying, you should know exactly what it is you plan to brew. Are you going to be using your pod coffee maker to make hot chocolate? Are you going to be buying your coffee pods at the grocery store, or online? Does it matter to you if the product is Kosher? Do you want to be able to brew two cups at once instead of just one? These are all questions you should be asking yourself and factoring in to the decision. Keep in mind, you're not just investing in the coffee pod maker, but you're also investing in pods (or discs or cups, such as the case may be) that will possibly work only with your brewer. This makes choosing coffee pods a bit more difficult.

T-Discs

T-Discs only work in the Tassimo's Hot Beverage Machines, and, conversely, the Tassimo Hot Beverage Machine only works with the T-Discs. This provides some advantages for the T-Discs over coffee pods since the same manufacturer is producing both the hardware and software, so to speak. When you buy T-Discs for cappuccino, you receive a package that comes with separate groups of discs. One type will have milk, and the other will have coffee. This may seem less convenient, but it gives the Tassimo system the ability to offer not only coffee, but cappuccino, latte, and even hot chocolate with a frothy, milky topping. So although you do have to deal with multiple discs, it's really no different than having to pour milk or creme into your beverage. In fact, since it takes out all the guess work of exactly how much to put in for that amount of coffee, it may be even more convenient for some.

T-Discs and K-Cups

T-Discs and K-Cups are also available as alternatives to coffee pods. Unlike coffee pods, these can't be made by just anyone. To legally market them, a company would need permission and a license, which means selection for these two types are far more limited, though quality sometime improves in this situation. When a manufacturer exerts this kind of direct control over their products, it does allow them to design the machine in a way that might not be so easy to design aftermarket pods for since that's not the intent. Also, you can be sure that each T-Disc and K-Cup will be as quality as the last since they'll be made by the same people and machines every time. It's also worth mentioning that T-Discs are not Kosher.

Choosing Between Different Sized Coffee Pods

Though there are many coffee pods brewers that can hold up to twelve gram coffee pods, some can only hold between four and nine grams, which means the holders for coffee pod machines can sometimes be vastly different. Some coffee pods brewers require the large pods to be pre-infused, which is actually nothing more than wetting the pod before placing it in the brewer, which creates a better seal on the outer filter material. In all honesty, it's probably not a bad idea to do this all the time with any coffee pods, regardless of size and brewer capacity, as it tends to increase the quality of the end product. You're not going to be able to tell if a pod will fit a machine just by looking, either. All coffee pods currently on the market are between 55mm and 61mm, making it virtually impossible to tell the difference with only the human eye.

Are Coffee Pods Right For You?

Before you should think about purchasing coffee pods, you'll need to get yourself a coffee pod brewer. This will all have to be done before you can begin making coffee with coffee pods, of course. You'll want to do some research on the matter as not all coffee pods are exactly the same. There are different sizes of pods, and though the differences are generally marginal, it does make a difference in what will fit any particular brewer. Also, some brewers allow more than one pod to be used at once, which may be of use to you. The best way to make this very important determination will be to check your brewer's capacity against the grams per pod of the coffee pod and make sure they match.