Here’s one ‘pod’ that isn’t so fashionable

As the iPod continues its global reign, another “pod” appears to be sliding sadly into obscurity. The coffee pod—the round, individual packet of coffee grounds that makes exactly one cup of coffee—was supposed to revolutionize java as we know it. But consumers aren’t taking to it. Dry coffee pods are not sleek hipster accessories. In fact, they remind us of those cheap business hotels that leave USA Today outside your door in the morning. The NPD Group wondered if coffee pods might “relegate drip-coffee makers to the shelf next to the percolator.” (Hey, my Italian nonna in her huge suburban mansion still uses a percolator! But her living room set is also the height of 1974 decor. But we digress.) However, while awareness among coffee drinkers increased from 40 percent last June to 65 percent in February, intent to purchase declined slightly in that time. Coffee lovers said the pods weren’t compatible with their existing machines, and the pod machines were expensive. “Individually, these may not be major issues, but taken together, they could spell trouble,” the NPD report says.

—Posted by Celeste Ward

May 19, 2005 | Permalink