Many of us don't feel like we've truly woken up until we've had our morning coffee. But, if you're in a rush, who needs the fuss of filling up the kettle or grinding beans?
Enter coffee pods, which are the quickest and easiest way to get that tasty cuppa.
Coffee pods are plastic pots containing ground coffee that you use with a compatible machine (always check they work with your coffee machine if you already have one).
If you have a Nespresso coffee machine for example, you will need to use Nespresso-compatible coffee pods or capsules.
You simply slip the pod into the machine, pop your cup in place, press a button and a cup of coffee appears as if by magic.
If possible, always look for eco-friendly, compostable capsules to reduce your single-use plastic output.
We've rounded up the best coffee pods below.
Best coffee pods to buy
1. Lavazza A Modo Mio Passionale 16 Coffee Capsules (Pack of 5)
Delivering a delicious and intensely flavoured espresso, these eco-capsules are a great taste at a good price.
From Brazilian, Asian and Central and South American Arabica, there's a slightly caramelised flavour and hints of chocolate.
Each capsule contains 7.5 grams of coffee, the ideal quantity for an espresso.
Price: £19.90, Amazon - buy here now
2. Compostable & Plastic Free Nespresso® Compatible Eco Coffee Pods
This Blue Goose coffee pod range will in six to 12 weeks, so you can sip your daily coffees guilt-free.
And these organic Peruvian eco coffee capsules are taste-good as well as feel-good, too.
They offer a smooth, balanced coffee with hints of fruit and spice for a delicious morning or afternoon lift.
Price: £18, Amazon - buy here now
3. 60 Plastic Free Mixed Eden Project Home compostable Nespresso Compatible Capsules
We love these Eden Project coffee pods that come in a cardboard carton with vegetable-based inks.
You can put the pods into your garden compost or local council food waste of garden collection, so you're not adding to landfill.
The pack comes with three different types of coffee: 100% Arabica organic coffee hailing from Guatemala with delicate notes of almond, chocolate and hazelnut; a Costa Rican coffee with a lemon-like brightness; and a crisp Colombian coffee with notes of lemon, grapefruit and caramel.
All made free from aluminium or oil-based plastics and produced using energy from wind, sun, hydropower and biogas. Truly eco-friendly pods.
Price: £20.99, Amazon - buy here now
4. Dualit Indian Monsoon Compostable Capsules 80pk
Sourced from small farms in Southern India where coffee is shade-grown with other crops to encourage biodiversity, these monsooned Malabar beans are exposed to rain-drenched winds, allowing the beans to take on a unique flavour with low acidity.
They are 100% compostable and are compatible with all Nespresso and Dualit capsule machines. So they're versatile, guilt-free and they taste great, too.
Price: £23.98, Amazon - buy here now
5. Grind Organic Coffee Capsules Nespresso Compatible Coffee Pods 60
The clever peeps at Grind in Shoreditch make these coffee pods with soil association certified 100% organic coffee, sourced and roasted by them, with no nasty pesticides, chemicals or solvents.
The taste is a divine reasonably light mouthwatering mix of chocolate and hazelnut.
The coffee pods are 100% compostable and will disappear in your food waste bin or compost heap.
They're compatible with all original Nespresso machines, including DeLonghi, Krups, Inissia, CitiZ, and Pixie. Go, go, go.
Price: £25.80, Amazon - buy here now
6. Lavazza Lungo Dolce
Like your lattes and creamier coffees? This sweet Asian and South American Arabica is an espresso that's really suited to milk preparations.
Best enjoyed 'lungo', in a large mug, it's a smooth, long coffee that's gently enveloping with a delicate low-to-mid intensity.
It also boasts compostable technology for eco-conscious consumers.
Price: £3.40 for a pack of 16, Lavazza - buy here now
7. Sons of Amazon Compostable Coffee pods for Nespresso
As well as fun and cool branding (Sons of Anarchy fans will really appreciate it), this artisan roasted coffee won't contribute to landfill or ocean pollution, as the capsules are compostable and made free from aluminium and hard plastics, with energy from Scottish wind power.
There's no compromising on taste either, with the fairtrade Brazilian coffee packing a strong, intense flavour, thanks to highly-caffeinated Robusta and Arabica beans.
It's compatible with all drop-through Nespresso machines.
Price: £16.99 for 40 capsules, Amazon - buy here now
8. Tassimo Kenco Americano Grande Coffee Pods
Like your coffee long and strong? These Tassimo compatible Americano Grande pods are velvety mug of perfection.
The 100 % pure Colombian Kenco coffee delivers on flavour and the pods are also recyclable.
Other types of coffee pods are also available in the range, like latte, cappuccino and espresso.
