Sounds all well and good, but I don’t want a machine that’s locked into one manufacturer’s “pods”, and their prices are highway robbery - I also am skeptical about coffee sitting in “pods” for weeks or months in warehouses and on store shelves. I see the coffee makers have figured out the market like the one for ink jet printers - sell the machine cheap, and sell the ink and paper at a massive profit, and lock others from selling replacements.
I have a 15 year old cappuchino maker that does just fine - I keep it squeaky clean, and use fresh beans in a burr grinder, and it’s a great cup. (Don’t use a blade grinder - the grind is inconsistant and you’ll waste coffee, and the blades can burn the coffee) With the burr grinder, I can set it for normal, or extra fine for espresso.
For daily brew, the burr grinder and a decent coffee maker (Zojirushi) is just fine, I need to pick up a French Press for when I want a single cup, like after dinner, I broke my old one.
Store your fresh beans in a air-tight container in the fridge, and you can’t go wrong. Safeway and Costco blends are just fine, tend to be VERY fresh, and don’t cost as much as Starbucks or Peets or any of the others - save those for special occasions. ( I don’t like Starbucks, but favor Kaladi Coffees out of Alaska - they have very good strong blends that don’t taste burnt like Starbucks. The smaller roasters have superior products, and sometimes it can be gotten cheaper)
Yes, I am a coffee snob. :) (I havent drank “instant” coffee in probably 20 years.)
I would like to see how a burr vs blade grinder test turned out.