I've found a chic and sustainable pod machine – is it worth £300 though? Grind One Pod Machine review

With all the fancy complex coffee machines on the market, it can be difficult to find something that won't make your morning cup feel like solving a puzzle. Enter Grind's One Pod machine, a simple yet sleek machine that will provide no-fuss brews every time. 

Some of the best coffee machines on the market can offer endless customisable and clever features, from automated milk frothing to adjustable length, strength, and brew settings. Whilst that may be what you're looking for in your machine, there's also nothing wrong with a little simplicity: no bean refills or milk frothing required. 

If you haven't already been admiring this, let me introduce you to the Grind One Pod machine. The London-based coffee brand (Grind) has entered the machine space with its pod machine. It scores top points for being stylish and easy to use, but it doesn't offer much in the way of choice. 

For nearly £300, you might expect a few more settings and functions. However, this makes simple coffees that taste like you're in a coffee shop (and not your kitchen).

Grind One, Nespresso Compatible Pod Machine: £295.00 at Grind 

This machine is rarely on sale but Grind offers great bundle deals that come with their milk frother and specialist-flavoured pods. We fully recommend investing a little more and going for the milk frother bundle if you are looking to buy.

Grind One pod machine specifications

• RRP: £295
• Dimensions: 166W x 259H x 336L (mm) 
• Materials: stainless steel
• Heat-up time: 20-30 seconds 
• Water tank capacity: 1.2L 
• Pressure: 19 bars
• Capsule compatibility: Nespresso Original, Grind own brand
• Capsule container capacity: 17-18 capsules, depending on size

My first impressions of the Grind One pod machine

Straight away, it was clear that this machine was made of high-quality materials. There's no scrimping or scraping with the design: it's boxy, retro, and really quite beautiful. In fact, it looks a little bit like the kind of professional espresso machines you'd see in your local coffee shop, just compressed into a petite shape. It's probably one of, if not the, best-looking pod machines I've ever come across. With this in mind, the hefty price point started to make a little more sense. 

It's also worth noting that all of the packaging can be flattened and recycled. Although, the box is almost too pretty to want to get rid of, recyclable or not. They made it all very social media-friendly. Alongside the machine, Grind sends a power cord, instruction manual and the detachable drip tray which is also made of durable stainless steel.

There was practically no set-up needed, other than plugging the power cord in and attaching the drip tray. Everything else was ready to go. Before I could get to the coffee making, the machine needed some first-time set-up help but everything was easily described in the instruction manual.

Essentially, before using this for the first time, the machine needs de-airing, so no bubbles get into the system. I also had to do an on/off trick as the lights on the display were flickering irregularly. Even with this, the set-up from unboxing to coffee making took around 10/15 minutes. 

Who would the Grind One Pod suit?

The One Pod has a very obvious aesthetic appeal, so I won't spend too much time telling you that this is a striking little machine. If you know you put style first when it comes to your countertops, this is one for the shortlist.

Practically, the Grind One Pod is also a really well-designed machine. It heats up swiftly and dispenses coffee almost silently, and you won't have to wait for your morning espresso. It's speedy. The drip tray is fully adjustable, so you can sit a small espresso cup right under the brew head, or you could lift it out and down for your tallest travel mugs. It keeps mess minimal, which is surprisingly rare in pod machines. 

It also makes a good cup of coffee. The compostable pods deliver full, well-balanced flavours in well under 30 seconds. You can also use Nespresso's pods in the machine, which is great news for those who like to mix up the kinds of coffee that they drink. The only downside is that you will only be able to make a 40 ml or 100 ml coffee in the One Pod. There's no hot water or milk frothing available, just two cups of coffee. For £300, you'll get a really sturdy pod machine, but you won't get a very versatile one. 

So, if you like simple espressos and you put style-first you'll love the Grind One Pod. It makes good coffee, it's well-designed, and it has some impressive sustainable credentials. If you're shopping on a budget, it's worth looking at how this compares to other pod coffee machines.

While I was testing the machine, I also got an opportunity to sample the flavour and blend choices within their own pod range. A personal favourite is the vanilla-blend, but you can choose dark roasts, decaf roasts, and even your favourite Nespresso Original pods too, which lots of people argue are the best coffee capsules out there. 

The Grind pods themselves are completely home compostable and they come in a super adorable baby pink colour, making storage much easier. They even have various tins available, the one pictured is from the Grind x Shantell Martin collaboration and is one of many collaborations they've done with iconic artists. More recently they launched an extremely cute and nostalgic collection celebrating 50 years of Hello Kitty, with a useful iced coffee reusable cup.

How does the Grind One pod machine perform?

When it comes to performance there isn't unfortunately much to comment on, this is an extremely simple pod machine and only offers two coffee options. Either a 40ml espresso or a 100ml larger coffee, which is for the price point a little bit disappointing. 

Without any milk-steaming technology, there is very little more a pod machine can offer, I would just say that if I were buying a nearly £300 machine I'd like it to do more than expel a coffee pod. Nonetheless, I tested both sizes, multiple times, over a week, so that I could get a good sense of how consistent the One Pod is at making coffees. Let's talk about the 40 ml espressos first.

Test 1: espresso

To make a coffee, all you need to do is load a pod in the top inlet and press one of two buttons. You'll be able to tell the difference between the two, one will make you an espresso and one will make you a lungo (or a black coffee. Once you've selected your setting and loaded in a pod, you can then pull down the lever on the right-hand side of the machine. 

The lever, whilst charming and easy to use is a little bulky for my liking and would make storing the machine on your countertops a little more problematic. So this might not be the machine for you if you're looking for ways to keep counters clear in a smaller kitchen.

After 18 seconds of brewing, you'll have spotted an espresso neatly dispensed into your cup (in an ideal world, it'll be neatly dispensed into your espresso cup). On top of the espresso, I could see a hazelnut-coloured crema, which is a visual indicator that your coffee oils have been well extracted. This is quite unusual for pod machines because pod coffee tends to be a little older than freshly ground coffee, so it's impressive that the One Pod managed to achieve a crema.

As the crema indicated, the espresso was perfect. I used all different pods for my espressos, but the best was a dark roast. It was rich, well-balanced, and smooth. I thought Grind's pods smelt quite earthy, which isn't the kind of coffee I would normally go for, but the resulting flavours were actually sweeter than average. Don't be put off by the smell.

Test 2: Lungo

The next test is on a 100 ml coffee, which is more like a bigger, weaker espresso. It's like a small black coffee but with a kick. I used the adjustable drip tray so that I could fit my bigger cup underneath the brew head (I had moved it right up to stop the espresso from splashing onto the stainless steel). Then, I selected the Lungo and left the One Pod to brew. 

This took 24 seconds, which is a little longer than the espresso, but it was still quick and quiet by any standard. The coffee was 94°C, which is about perfect for a cup of coffee. I wouldn't want it any hotter, but the One Pod remained consistent over the whole week. My coffee was never burnt or cold. It was perfect. 

The flavours of my Lungo were as perfect as on the espresso. They were strong, rich, and a little chocolatey (on the dark roast). Even when I used more delicate pods, such as the vanilla ones, the flavours were still nicely balanced. If you wanted a bigger cup of coffee, there's actually no official way to dispense plain hot water, so you'll need to boil the kettle. 

Admittedly, this feels a bit strange when you've got a capable machine in front of you (and there are some unofficial ways to get plain hot water out of the One Pod), but I'd recommend using a kettle. It's the safest, most reliable option for a bigger cup of coffee.

Once the coffee is dispensed, you lift the lever and the used pod is dropped into the waste pod container which very easily pulls out from the front of the machine. You can make well over 15 coffees before emptying the pod container but as the pods are compostable I'd definitely get them into your compost bin sooner than later! 

How does the Grind One pod compare?

As a pod machine, I would argue that this is a much better performer than most others I've tried. I regularly use a Nespresso by KRUPS machine and whilst it's perfect for smaller kitchens it doesn't have much pressure, which leaves you with a much more watery coffee. 

Should you be looking to invest in a more luxurious coffee machine, I would say there are more all-rounders, like the Nespresso Vertuo Creatista which also has a milk frother built in as well as multiple coffee options including iced lattes. 

Plus, compared to other coffee machines, this is more high-maintenance. Whilst I really like the stainless steel look, I quickly realised just how dirty it gets. Within five minutes the machine was covered in smears, greasy fingerprints and water sprays, which would drive me mad if I had to keep it clean after every use. Now you may know how to clean stainless steel with ease but I do think it would become a nuisance to keep on top of.  

The Grind One pod machine is ideal if you've got the money to spend on a much simpler yet stylish model. Yes, you don't get all that much for the price when compared to other more complex machines but it works perfectly well and looks good doing it. 

Should you buy the Grind One pod machine?

This is definitely one of the most high-end, trendy pod machines we've seen on the market and there's no denying that it does look glorious on a kitchen countertop. It'll make you a delicious cup of coffee in next to no time, but those luxuries come with a hefty price tag.

Nearly three hundred pounds is quite a lot to spend on a coffee machine, especially a pod one (that doesn't have milk frothing). In the case of the Grind One, you pay for quality, but then you also pay a premium for the style. 

Savvy shoppers might want to take a look at some of the other single-serve coffee makers that we've loved. Style-forward shoppers can rest assured, this is a beautiful investment.

How we test coffee makers

At woman&home, we think of our reviews as the kind of recommendations you get from a friend. They're the products that we want you to know about because we think they'd fit well in your kitchens, but they're also the products that you need some expert advice on. In this case, dropping £300 on a pod machine isn't the kind of money you'd spend without some research.

When we're reviewing a coffee maker for you, we like to cover all the bases. Before testing, we do our research. We look for the latest and greatest releases on the market, making sure we're finding the perfect products for your home. If we see something that we think you'll like, we call it into our homes or our test kitchen.

Once we have our hands on the coffee maker, we make notes on everything. When we unbox it, we let you know if the packaging is recyclable, easy to peel off, and not too overwhelming. Then we let you know about our first impressions of the product: is it a good size? It is too heavy to lift into a cupboard? Does it look good? Because these are all factors you need to know about.

Then, we'll let you know what it's like to set up and use. We make sure to test every coffee function, multiple times, to check for consistency across timings, flavours, temperature, noise, and quantities. We'll go through how to clean the coffee machine as well as how to maintain and store it.

If we are satisfied that we know everything that you need to know, we'll do some comparisons. We chat between ourselves, comparing the coffee maker to other models we've tested, but we also look at what else there is online. This helps us to give this a score for value as well as the features that it offers. 

After all that, we'll let you know who we think it suits and whether we think you should buy it. We're really honest here because we don't want you to waste your money or be met with any kind of disappointment when it comes to your morning espresso.