The answer to this depends on your individual goals for espresso consumption. If you prioritize convenience, pod machines make it easy to make your espresso quickly. However, they don’t produce espresso that tastes quite as good. Many people also argue that the environmental impact of these machines isn’t a good trade-off. If you would rather have the best-tasting espresso, you’re better off using freshly ground beans, which means you need a machine that has a filter basket or even contains an integrated grinder. Buying espresso beans is cheaper than pods or capsules, so the machine may even pay for itself over time.