ESE Pods Explained

Inspired by Illy, a consortium of manufacturers made an agreement in 1998 to have a single standard for espresso pods with the object of making it easy for espresso lovers around the world to enjoy a consistent high quality product. ESE Stands for Easy Serving Espresso, and the standard sets the requirements for the ESE pod - 7 grams of coffee, a proper grind, and a shape and diameter that allows it to be used only in ESE approved machines. The pods sandwich the coffee between two layers of sealed filter paper and have a fixed diameter and height.

The ESE Machines work in a similar way to ground coffee machines. They do have considerable advantages though, in the main no spilled coffee grounds, no waste, and constant freshness. Coffee absorbs oxygen from the air and as a result always needs to be kept as airtight as possible. To achieve this the ESE pods are packed in aluminium foil, itself recyclable, and in the process of packing the foils bags are flushed with nitrogen for maximum freshness. The pods themselves are compostable so the whole exercise is eco friendly.

In the last 10 years or so most manufacturers of both domestic and commercial espresso machines have made machines with both ground coffee and ESE pod capability, although a more recent trend has been to offer machines which are pod or ground specific. This enables the best fit for the pod into the brew head, and the results are truly delicious. Machines which are capable of using both pods and ground coffee come with an adapter in the brew head to accommodate the pod. Pods have been used extensively throughout Italy and after all the Italians invented espresso so if its good enough for them.

Many Italian roasters produce ESE pods but at Fairfax we have created blends suitable for the English pallet, and the fact that we prefer our espresso a bit longer than the average Italian who tend to prefer the ristretto, the "restrained" short intense drink.