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The £25 coffee machine our experts love makes the perfect DIY iced coffee
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A hot coffee hits the spot during chilly winter months, but the summer heat calls for something colder.
If you buy a few iced coffees a week, the cost soon adds up. So ditch the barista and make your own with a pod coffee machine.
Which? has tested dozens of coffee machines, and our experts know that a £25 kitchen gadget will give you top-quality DIY iced coffees that will save you lots of money in the long run.
Is a cheap pod coffee machine as good as an expensive one?
Natalie Brown, Which? coffee machine expert, says:
'The saying goes you get what you pay for, but when it comes to coffee machines, that’s not necessarily the case. We’ve tested coffee machines that cost less than £100 and make a better espresso than others costing five times as much.
'Because pod coffee comes pre-packaged, all the machine actually has to do is heat the water and push it through the pod. The inside of a cheaper machine often features exactly the same pump and heating system as a pricier one, plus the end result will taste exactly the same.
'When you pay more you’re paying for things like stainless steel components instead of plastic, and features such as integrated steam wands and touch screens, not flavour.
'If you just want a quick shot of espresso, a cheap no-frills machine will do the job as well as an expensive one. But if you want one that froths milk automatically, you’ll need to pay more.'
The £25 coffee machine loved by Which? experts
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How to make an iced coffee with a pod coffee machine
Some pod coffee machines have a cold setting, which makes whipping up an iced coffee easy. Simply fill a glass with ice, choose the cold setting and watch it do the hard work for you.
If your pod coffee machine doesn’t have a cold setting, the trick is to brew a smaller, stronger shot than usual to avoid melting the ice and ending up with coffee-flavoured water.
Fill your glass with ice, pick an espresso or ristretto pod, brew over the ice, then top it off with cold milk.
Another option is to brew the pods ahead of time and freeze them so when you brew the hot coffee over them, they melt into more coffee.
What are the different types of coffee machine?
There are a few different types of coffee machines, and the one you buy will depend on the type of coffee you like to drink, as well as your budget.
- Pod coffee machines: The most popular type of coffee machine because they tend to be more compact, affordable and simple to use. You’ll be limited to a specific type of capsule, though.
- Espresso machine: You can use any ground coffee (provided it’s the right grind level). This type of machine gives you control over the strength and size of your drink, and tends to be cheaper per cup than pods.
- Bean-to-cup coffee machine: Makes fresh coffee by grinding beans on demand, though it is often more expensive than other types of machines.
