Daily Extraction

ESE Paper Pods

What ESE pods are and how to use them: Easy Serving Espresso pods of 7 g of pre-tamped coffee in a 44 mm paper filter, for espresso machines with an ESE basket.

Also known as Easy Serving Espresso, ESE pods, espresso pods, paper espresso pods

By Updated How we research

Contents
  1. Method
  2. The short version
  3. How do ESE pods work?
  4. How do you use an ESE pod, step by step?
  5. Which machines take ESE pods?
  6. Where do ESE pods come from?
  7. ESE pods vs capsules
  8. ESE pods vs other methods
  9. Words in this guide
  10. Questions & answers

What are ESE pods?

ESE, or Easy Serving Espresso, pods are single doses of espresso coffee, about 7 g of ground, pre-tamped coffee sealed between two sheets of filter paper, 44 mm across. You put one in an espresso machine fitted with an ESE basket or adapter, lock in the portafilter and brew as usual. There's no dosing or tamping, and no grounds to clear up.

At a glance

Grind
Fine
Difficulty
Beginner
Principle
Pressure
Machines, Pods & Commercial
Origin
Italy

Method

  1. Fit the ESE basket

    Fit the ESE pod basket or adapter in your machine's portafilter, if it isn't already.

  2. Insert the pod

    Put an ESE pod in the basket, following any marking on the pod or its pack.

  3. Lock in the portafilter

    Lock the portafilter into the machine. There's nothing to dose or tamp.

  4. Brew25 s

    Brew a single espresso as you normally would.

  5. Remove the pod

    Take out the portafilter and lift out the used pod.

ESE Paper Pods

Fit the ESE basket

Fit the ESE pod basket or adapter in your machine's portafilter, if it isn't already.

ESE pods, short for Easy Serving Espresso, are single doses of espresso coffee in a paper filter. Each pod holds about 7 g of ground coffee, already tamped, sealed between two sheets of filter paper 44 mm across. You drop one into an espresso machine fitted with an ESE basket, lock in the portafilter and brew. There’s no grinding, dosing or tamping, and no grounds to knock out. Because ESE is a shared standard, pods from different roasters fit any machine built for it. Here’s how to use them.

The short version

  • 7 g of pre-tamped espresso coffee in a paper pod.
  • 44 mm across, a shared standard.
  • Needs an ESE basket or adapter in your machine’s portafilter.
  • No dosing, tamping or mess.
  • Paper pods, not plastic or aluminium capsules.

How do ESE pods work?

An ESE pod replaces the loose coffee in an espresso machine’s portafilter. The coffee inside is already ground, dosed and pressed into a puck, so it sits in a dedicated ESE basket that holds it in place. When you brew, the machine pushes hot water through the pod under pressure, just as it would through loose coffee, and the paper acts as the filter.

How do you use an ESE pod, step by step?

  1. Fit the ESE basket or adapter in your portafilter.
  2. Put a pod in, following any marking on the pod or its pack.
  3. Lock in the portafilter.
  4. Brew a single espresso as usual.
  5. Lift out the used pod.

Brew mode on this page times a typical shot for you.

Which machines take ESE pods?

Any espresso machine with an ESE basket or adapter for its portafilter. Many home machines come with one, and some small machines are designed for ESE pods only. Without the right basket, a pod can sit loosely and let water around it, so check before you buy pods. Senseo-style soft pods won’t do: they’re 70 mm across, against the ESE pod’s 44 mm, and hold untamped coffee for filter-style drinks.

Where do ESE pods come from?

The ESE design came from illy, the Italian roaster. Its date is disputed: MaxiCoffee’s guides say paper espresso pods were invented in the 1970s, while Wikipedia, citing The New York Times, says illy created the ESE design in 1989. In February 1998, Wikipedia says, seven coffee roasters and machine makers founded a non-profit consortium to protect the standard, which is open to any roaster or machine maker. I haven’t been able to confirm which seven companies, so I’ve left them out.

ESE pods vs capsules

ESE pods Nespresso Original K-Cup
Material Paper Aluminium Plastic, with a paper filter
Machine Any with an ESE basket Nespresso only Keurig only
Coffee Espresso Espresso-style Filter-style
Standard Open, shared Brand system Brand system
Extra fineTurkish coffeelike flourFineEspresso, moka potfiner than table saltMedium-fineV60, AeroPresslike table saltMediumDrip machines, Cleverlike sandMedium-coarseChemexlike rough sandCoarseFrench presslike sea saltExtra coarseCold brewlike cracked pepper
ESE pods hold finely ground espresso coffee.

General guidance only. Follow your machine’s instructions for using pods, and take care with the hot portafilter and pod after brewing.

ESE pods vs other methods

Explore every machine method in the machine chapter.

Words in this guide

Tamping
Tamping is pressing ground coffee down into a firm, flat, even layer with a tool called a tamper.
Portafilter
A portafilter is the handle-and-holder you fill with ground coffee and lock into an espresso machine.

Questions & answers

How big is an ESE pod?

44 mm across, holding about 7 g of ground, pre-tamped coffee between two sheets of filter paper.

Do I need a special machine for ESE pods?

You need an espresso machine with an ESE basket or adapter for its portafilter. Many machines come with one, and some are designed for ESE pods only.

What does ESE stand for?

Easy Serving Espresso: a shared standard for paper espresso pods, so pods from different roasters fit any machine built to the standard. It's looked after by a non-profit consortium founded in 1998, and is open to any roaster or machine maker.

Are ESE pods compostable?

The pods are made with paper filters. Whether a particular pod can go in your compost or food waste depends on the brand and local rules, so check the packaging.

ESE pods vs Nespresso capsules?

ESE pods are an open standard of paper pods for espresso machines with an ESE basket. Nespresso capsules are sealed capsules for Nespresso's own machines. Soft pods for Senseo machines are different again: at 70 mm across, they don't fit an ESE basket.

Sources

  1. How big are ESE pods?. De’Longhi
  2. What are ESE pods?. De’Longhi
  3. ESE pods guide. MaxiCoffee
  4. Best ESE coffee pods. MaxiCoffee
  5. Easy Serving Espresso Pod. Wikipedia

General guidance only. Not medical, food-safety or professional advice. Always follow your equipment's own instructions.

See also

All of chapter X: Machines, Pods & Commercial
  1. No. 035EspressoItaly · AdvancedEspresso is a small, concentrated coffee made by forcing hot water at about 9 bar through a tamped puck of finely ground coffee.
  2. No. 117Nespresso Original CapsulesSwitzerland · BeginnerA Nespresso Original machine pushes hot water under pressure through a sealed capsule of ground coffee, making an espresso-style coffee in under a minute.
  3. No. 120Bean-to-Cup MachineItaly · BeginnerA bean-to-cup, or super-automatic, machine grinds a dose of whole beans, brews an espresso-based coffee in a built-in brewing unit, and empties the used grounds into a container, all at the touch of a button.
  4. No. 119K-Cup Pod BrewersUnited States · BeginnerA K-Cup is a small plastic cup of ground coffee with a paper filter inside and a foil lid.
  5. No. 037Manual Espresso PressGlobal · AdvancedA manual espresso press makes espresso with hand power: you heat the water in a kettle, pour it over the coffee in the brewer, then press a lever to push it through.
  6. No. 170Alessi 9090Italy · BeginnerThe Alessi 9090 is a stainless steel stovetop espresso maker (moka pot) designed by Richard Sapper in 1979.

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