Brewing coffee using pods is one of the most effortless ways of making coffee at home. You can rely on it to give you a consistent cup, that too without much of your involvement.
Although a coffee pod in itself is not complex to use, here are some mistakes you want to avoid to get a delicious cup of coffee every time.
Brew Time
Now, depending on your choice of coffee drink (an iced coffee, a latte, etc.), you might think that a shorter or longer brew time is necessary. However, it is recommended that you maintain brew duration across cups to achieve an even extraction.
Coffee pods have a specific quantity of ground coffee packed into them. Running the pod machine for a longer duration in the hopes of having stronger coffee will only leave you disappointed and with a bitter brew.
It is the equivalent of letting your French press coffee sit for longer. You wouldn’t, would you? The same goes for coffee pod brewing. You shouldn’t brew a single pod for more than 25-30 seconds as that can over-extract coffee and alter its taste.
Another thing to avoid doing is to reuse coffee pods or run a second cycle using the same pod. If you want to increase the volume of coffee, remove the pod from the machine and add hot water to the cup.
Incorrect Pod Size or Placement
Not all coffee pods are suitable for all pod machines. And every pod machine has a compartment in which coffee pods are to be placed.
It shouldn’t be a struggle to place the pod nor should it sit too loosely in the compartment. If something doesn’t feel right about the pod placement, it’s likely that the water will not extract coffee properly.
Additionally, you also want to be careful that the pod isn’t damaged while placing it in the machine. In some cases, you might be able to brew a cup with it. However, any rips to the pod shell can cause spillage and weaken the extraction process.
Machine Maintenance
This goes without saying. As you already know, coffee pods can only deliver good quality coffee when the machine you’re using is well-maintained.
Over time, several factors affect the performance of your coffee machine. How frequently you clean the machine, the hardness of the water in the area you live in, and how many cups of coffee have been made since the last time you cleaned the machine, these factors influence the cup.
Moreover, poor machine maintenance can also contaminate your coffee due to the build-up of coffee residue and minerals from the water.
Make sure to descale your pod coffee machine regularly. You can use water and vinegar as a descaling solution; simply let it flush out the inside of the pod machine for one brew cycle and follow it up with one more brew cycle using regular water.
If your coffee machine has a milk cartridge, you ought to clean it more regularly.
Storing Coffee Pods
Just like whole beans or ground coffee, pods also need to be stored correctly to ensure freshness for a long time. Just because they are individually sealed in a plastic or aluminium casing doesn’t mean that they are safe from going stale.
Any extended exposure to heat, moisture, and light can affect the quality of the pods, eventually leading to less-than-optimal coffee brewing.
To get the best cups of coffee, avoid buying pods in bulk, and store them in an airtight container. Also, don’t keep them in the fridge or freezer.