Are you a Coffee person and want to invest in the best pod coffee machine? This article is for you! As a coffee person, I understand the need for caffeine in the morning, I now prefer a home espresso machine with a separate coffee grinder, but not everyone wants to invest in these and then spend the extra time to go through the process of making espresso that way.

You can of course make your aromatic coffee at the press of a button using pod coffee machines. In this guide, I evaluate the best options available in Australia and include a buying guide to help you choose what best suits you. Let's get into it!

1. Best Overall: Breville Nespresso Creatista Plus

The Breville Nespresso Creatista Plus is a pod machine every caffeine lover could be proud of. Though an expensive option, it is worth every penny of it. The machine looks more like a typical barista coffee machine than a pod machine. It is equipped to deliver three programmable cup sizes (25, 40, and 110 ml), eight texture levels, and an 11-setting adjustable temperature. And unlike many other pod coffee machines, it features a fully automatic steam wand that lets you create perfectly textured milk for your lattes.

Breville's Nespresso Creatista Plus comes with an LCD at the top of the machine, a start/cancel button, and a select knob that controls the display. You'll find seven coffee recipes on the display, including Ristretto, Espresso, Lungo, Caffe Latte, Cappuccino, and Latte Macchiato. But more impressive is its 3-second warm-up time, the same as the Breville Bambino Plus home coffee machine.

The removable water tank on the Nespresso Creatista has a capacity of 1.5 litres, which is enough for most users. It weighs only 5.2 kg, features a 19-bar pump pressure, and is compact enough for small kitchen spaces. On purchase, you get all other necessary accessories, including a stainless steel milk jug and a 2-year warranty.

Pros

• Full stainless-steel construction
• 7 coffee recipes
• Option to program cup size
• LCD display

Cons

• Does not offer cold frothing options
• Compatible with only Nespresso pods

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2. Best Reviewed: DeLonghi Nespresso Lattissima One

For its maintaining taste, ease of use, reliability, performance, overall satisfaction, and value for money, the DeLonghi Nespresso is our second favourite pod coffee machine in Australia. Its shadow black finish and controls are the finest I came across evaluating options for this list. There's also a white finish for anyone who prefers that instead.

DeLonghi's Nespresso includes many functionalities that make using it a walk in the park. It features an automated milk system that lets you froth your milk at the touch of a single button, with three milk recipes to choose from; espresso macchiato, cappuccino, and latte macchiato. It also has a built-in optical sensor that recognizes the quantity of milk in the jug and adjusts to it. The pod coffee machine has a 19-bar pump pressure and a compact design for all kitchen sizes. DeLonghi weighs 4.2 kg and has a water capacity of one litre.

For controls, the pod machine features three buttons on top of it. It has a decent warm-up time of 18 seconds so you can get your coffee brewing in good time. The machine also has an auto power-off function that turns off the machine approximately 9 minutes from the last usage to save energy; this timing is adjustable. On purchase, you get a sample pack of coffee capsules, a user manual, a water hardness test stick, and a 2 years warranty.

Pros

• Integrated milk frother
• Built-in optical sensor
• Perfect size for countertops
• 2 years warranty

Cons

• Only compatible with Nespresso pods
• Plastic build

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3. Most Compatible: HomeMaid Multi Capsule Pod Machine

The HomeMaid 3-in-1 pod machine features three adaptors compatible with coffee grounds, Nespresso, and Caffitaly pods; thus, you can enjoy a variety of tastes and easily find capsules at your local store. This feature on the HomeMaid is great if you're looking for an extensive variety of different coffee blends.

HomeMaid is great at brewing coffee and ensuring quality taste, ease of use, and overall satisfaction. Its cleaning process is also much easier as its drip tray and water tank are detachable. There is no display screen on the HomeMaid Multi Capsule Pod Machine. Instead, it has three buttons that allow you to shut down or turn on the device and pull a long or a short cup of coffee. The machine also has a 15 minutes auto-standby feature that helps you conserve energy after a period of inactivity.

The HomeMaid pod machine features a 19-bar pressure pump and a 0.7-litre water tank capacity. This is about half the water capacity of the Breville Nespresso Creatista Plus, making it more compact but less efficient as you're likely to refill frequently.

Pros

• Compact size, great for kitchen benchtops
• Great compatibility; Nespresso, Caffitaly capsules, and coffee grounds
• 12 months warranty

Cons

• Small water tank capacity

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4. Best For Brewing: The OPAL One

The OPAL One is an excellent pod coffee machine specifically made for brewing specialty coffee pods. This machine model has a built-in silicon brew chamber, which eliminates unwanted dilution and has features for maintaining higher pressure and higher brewing temperature—delivering a fuller-bodied, strong coffee that you can enjoy.

It only has compatibility with Nespresso-style capsules. While having a smaller build than the HomeMaid Multi Capsule Pod Machine, it features a 0.8-litre water tank capacity and is less expensive. Between the two, the major advantage of the HomeMaid pod machine is its compatibility with other coffee pods and capsules.

The Opal One features three control buttons in front of it that allows you to pull a short or long shot. Additionally, you can choose between a low, medium, and high temperature for your type of pod or coffee blend. You can also choose between weight outputs of 25 ml, 40 ml, and 110 ml or customize them to your preference. Try all 3 and then stick to the one that suits you.

Pros

• Perfect size for compact kitchen space
• Water tank capacity 800ml

Cons

• Only compatible with Nespresso Pods

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5. Best for Italian Coffee: Lucaffe Piccola Piccola

If you're after an Italian espresso coffee machine for your home or office or are looking to buy coffee machines, Lucaffe has a quality range of equipment that fits well with ESE coffee pods. One of them is the Piccola Piccola Pod Coffee machine. The fast, easy, and convenient pod coffee maker produces consistently good-quality Italian espresso coffee.

The Piccola Piccola pod machine heats up pretty quickly. It features a 1-litre removable water tank and drip tray for easy cleaning and emptying. With a smaller footprint, this machine takes up only a little space on the counter. Piccola Piccola is compatible with various coffee pods. It's built from stainless steel and is the only pod machine here with a glass water tank. It also weighs 7 kg due to its steel build, making it also the heaviest pod coffee machine on our list.

Pros

• Up to 50 espressos/hour
• Suits all ESE coffee pods
• Low power usage

Cons

• Pricey
• Requires diligent cleaning regularly

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6. Compact Option: Francis Francis by illy

The Francis Francis by illy pod machine has a decor that is perfect for certain spaces and tastes. The coffee pod machine is suitable for small and medium-sized kitchen spaces due to its compact size. Francis Francis by illy is available in four different colour options to better complement your home or office space. The pod machine is also compatible with all illy Iperespresso pods.

Francis Francis by illy takes approximately 90 seconds to warm up, which is a little too long for my liking. The boiler temperature informs the user when to pour and sets the temperature accordingly. For controls, it has two buttons in front of it for short and long pulls. The machine also features an automatic stop dispenser, an auto-descaling feature, and programmable cup volume functionality.

The pod coffee machine weighs 3.82 kg. It has a 0.8-litre water tank capacity and energy-saving functionalities and includes a drip tray on purchase.

Pros

• Sleek design
• 4 colour options
• 2 Year Warranty
• 19 bar pressure

Cons

• Only compatible with Nespresso

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Choosing a Coffee Pod Machine

Choosing the best pod coffee machine is not about how the machine looks. Of course, they matter, but what's in the cup counts more. Here's how to fish out the best option for yourself.

Some pod machines are only compatible with a particular brand of pods, which can severely limit your options.

Some machines have pre-set cup sizes as output; choose a machine preferably with a programmable length.

Do you like to have coffee with milk? Yes? Then you must consider pod coffee machines that feature a steam wand or another type of automatic milk frother.

You may have to decide between a smaller or larger water tank capacity. If you have a 5-cup-a-day habit, choose a machine with a big water tank to keep the supply of coffee without having to refill very frequently. Otherwise, the capacity does not matter much as you would likely want to have fresh water every day or two.

From here, consider the price of the pod coffee machine. Most higher-end machines come with additional functionalities that further enhance the quality of your coffee.

Should You Buy a Pod Coffee Machine?

When you compare how much you spend on a takeaway coffee daily to getting your pod coffee machine, the latter sounds ideal. Of course, the quality might not be the same as your local coffee store that uses commercial-grade coffee equipment. But you get an additional convenience from brewing in the comfort of your home.

However, consider a more traditional home coffee machine if you're looking at brewing coffee with quality and taste similar to that of your local coffee shop. These machines allow you to brew consistently good coffee from the comfort of your home. You also get to experiment and grow your barista skills if you choose a suitable coffee machine.

For most homes that want to go the higher quality route, I recommend the Breville Bambino Plus, read why below.

Consider the environment too and plan for your coffee pods accordingly. You'll find many biodegradable coffee pods in local shops and online. Others that are packaged in Aluminium can often but not always be recycled, many superstores in Australia offer many alternatives if you need fancy a change from the branded coffee pods. Always check if the pods you are buying are compatible with your machine and where you can recycle them.

How I Chose the Best Coffee Pod Machines in Australia?

We evaluated the pod coffee machines in Australia on the following factors.

1. User Friendly

The biggest advantage of pod coffee machines over traditional espresso makers is convenience. Thus, it was important to us to find pod machines that do not overcomplicate the simple process of brewing with a pod machine. Usability is a major concern for both at-home usage and office. The options in this list are all beginner and user-friendly and feature simple control and easy-to-use mechanisms.

2. Pods Compatibility

We also considered compatibility with other coffee pods. Pods are a running cost for your office or home. Thus, having a pod coffee machine compatible with many pods offers various coffee types and prices. Not all the pod coffee machines on our list are compatible with multiple types of pods. For pod coffee types, Nespresso is the most common and you will find many varieties of coffee packaged in this format. They are easily available in any local stores and online too.

3. Price

No doubt, the amount of features you need in your coffee pod machine depends entirely on your budget. Some pod coffee machines include a steam wand or an automatic milk frother. But these depend on how much you're willing to spend on your pod coffee machine. I decided to capture a range of feature-rich and budget-friendly options to help you decide which suits you.

4. Counter Space

This is one of the major concerns when choosing a pod machine for the home or office. Generally, pod coffee machines have a smaller footprint than their traditional espresso counterparts. So you should not have difficulty finding space for it on your kitchen counter. All the models above are still suitable for smaller kitchens.

Summary

Pod machines have basic functions: load in a coffee pod and press a start button to pump hot water from a built-in water reservoir. The water goes through the pod, making a cup of coffee. You will not need to go through the grinding, dosing, tamping, and brewing process every morning to get your coffee or queue in a coffee shop waiting your turn.

Best of all? There aren’t any filter papers to replace or coffee grounds to make a yucky mess of your sink.