Coffee

Coffee is the most popular beverage in the world. However, there was a time not so long ago when a great deal of preparation went into making this popular brew. You had to grind your own coffee beans, boil a pot of water, and then pour the hot water over the ground coffee beans, all the while trying to strain the mixture so the ground coffee didn't get into your cup. Before the modern-day drip coffee maker made its way to household countertops, coffee was often brewed using percolators that you placed directly on the burner of your stove. The filter-type coffee machine that most of us are familiar with was not introduced to the American public until the year 1960. With these automatic drip coffee makers, all you had to do was measure the amount of pre-ground coffee, place it into a filter, add water and turn the machine on. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? Well it obviously wasn't, because someone developed the concept further ultimately coming up with coffee pods. Coffee pods are little circular packages of coffee made out of filter paper. They are easy to use--you can simply place one in your coffee maker, add water, and turn the machine on. There's no need for measuring because all the coffee you need for a cup or a pot is contained in the pod. When you're done, you can simply throw the pod away. Coffee pods have also become popular for the new one cup brewing machines that are hitting the market or or home espresso machines.