Mind, since it takes about 30 seconds to warm up, it would be good to be able to preheat the boiler with a single tap while you pre-heat the cup or make a milky cappuccino froth using the Best Milk Frother, but you can’t have everything. The best coffee pod machines you can buy in 2023 1. Dolce Gusto Infinissima: Best budget coffee pod machine

The instructions state that you can also adjust your drink volume by pressing down the ristretto button for four seconds. To be honest, this is not something we found beneficial or attempted more than once – as there is such a variety of single and double volume sizes to choose from we didn’t feel the need. Our coffee machines go through real-world testing, meaning we make and drink lots of coffee, using a variety of pods. To test the accuracy of each machine, we weigh multiple shots of espresso to determine if it’s pulling through a similar amount of coffee each time – something pod machines can be notoriously bad for. If the machine also has a ristretto or lungo option, we’ll test these too. We’re also looking for consistency, is the fourth shot of coffee as creamy and rich as the last? For coffee machines with an in-built milk frother, we test with 200ml of both dairy and oat milk, looking for froth and texture consistency during each use. A good frother will deliver similar results every time with the same amount of milk. Nevertheless, if you’re after a simple, affordable coffee capsule machine that won’t take up too much space, the Jolie is a fantastic option.

It’s worth noting that like all Dolce Gusto machines, this doesn’t have a pod bin, meaning you’ll need to dispose of the capsule each time you make a drink.

As you may have read in my guide to the Best Coffee Pod System, my issue with standard Nespresso pods is that they’re too small – just 5g of coffee per pod as opposed to, say, the Lavazza A Modo Mio which has around 7g per capsule. This means I’ve sometimes felt the need to extract two pods one after the other just to get a proper barista-style hit. The L'OR Barista Sublime, however, has been manufactured by Philips to accept two sizes of coffee capsule – and only L'OR makes them. This is music to my ears – or rather palette – because it means I can get a double-shot espresso with just one tap of a button. Design and functionality is also incredibly important when choosing a coffee pod machine, which is why we carefully consider the build quality and style of every machine we review. While it’s hard to “test” design, there are a few things we look at. The first is size and shape – whether the machine will be a countertop hog and if the drip tray is accommodating for all cup sizes. We also consider how robust certain elements of the machine feel. Plastic components can often look good but aren’t always good for longevity. As part of our design tests, we also look at the capsule bin, if there is one, and the water tank, to consider whether these offer a reasonable capacity compared to the size of the machine. The obvious downside is that you can’t take your eye off this machine while your coffee pours and you also have to spend a bit of time figuring out how much water to pull through each pod. Otherwise, this is a good coffee capsule machine if you’re on a tight budget.The only downside to this machine is that it does take a little longer to pour coffee than most of its rivals, even if you’re using the customisable buttons. All in all, though, this is a well-designed machine with some stand-out features. We did need to refer to the manual to ensure we had the right setting, however, but once we’d mastered it the process was straightforward and the results satisfactory.

As many coffee pod machines function in the same way, what makes a good machine often comes down to personal preference. We always take this into consideration when undertaking our tests, ensuring we highlight all the best features for a range of needs and budgets. Setting the Pop apart from other machines in the Vertuo range is its compact size and shape, as it measures just 13.6 x 42.6 x 25cm (WDH) and weighs 3.5kg. The Pop, as its name might suggest, is also available in a new, brighter range of colours. Options to help add a pop of colour to your kitchen include: spicy red, aqua mint, mango yellow and Pacific blue. While most pod machines work in the same way, not all are created equal. Many have advanced barista-style features, while others will just produce a simple espresso. There are also lots of different pods and prices to get your head around. What types of drinks can you make in coffee capsule machines? There’s no messing around with programming drink sizes either – though you can do this if you want to customise your machine. Simply pop the pod in and the machine will read the barcode on the pod, automatically dispensing just the right amount of water for the type of coffee inside. With 29 different capsule options available and new ones being added all the time, there’s plenty to choose from too. Most Nespresso machine capsule chambers use a simple lever that you pull up, put the pod into its recess and slam the lever down to engage it with the hidden group head. This machine has a much more complex pod-loading system and I love the way it works. You basically lift the top handle and the pod orifice articulates upwards. Now pop in either a small or large pod and close the handle – the machine can detect which sized pod is being used. It’s a lovely action but I do hope it’s never capable of jamming if, for instance, you load in a pod while the used-capsule drawer is full to capacity. This is because it ejects the previous pod when you lift the lever and, if there’s a used capsule in the way of the mechanism, it could feasibly jam. I should add that I haven’t had any issues in this regard.One thing to know from the offset is that this coffee machine doesn’t come with a built-in milk frother, so if milky coffees are your preference you may want to opt for the similar, but more expensive, Philips L’Or Barista Original Latte Coffee Capsule Machine instead. I’ve been very impressed with this machine’s performance. It extracts all makes of Nespresso capsules really well, and with excellent levels of crema to boot.