The Common Keurig Copycat Mistake Aldi Customers Make
While Keurig may be one of the most popular and well-known instant coffee makers on the market, there are many other brands also competing for customers' attention. Aldi has its own brand of single-serve coffee as well — the Ambiano Single-Serve Coffee Maker. Available for $49.99, the device may seem like a steal, but some Aldi shoppers have faced some issues using the machine. For one, some users have reported their coffee pods exploded while attempting to use them.
Taking to Reddit, one exasperated shopper shared a picture of a burst coffee pod. In response, another shopper shared their own experience: "Mine came with a big warning that said only Keurig cups are compatible. Which I was bummed about, I assumed I could buy the cups at the same place I bought the machine. But I went somewhere else and bought name-brand k cups and they have worked fine so far."
It would seem that shoppers have had issues using coffee pods other than Keurigs, even though the machine isn't a Keurig. One shopper reported issues using several different brands in the machine. "From the beginning, it blew out the k-cup (many different brands) and had coffee grounds over counter, cup and coffee machine every time," they wrote in a separate Reddit post. Aldi sells a number of coffee pods under its Barissimo label, but shoppers have had difficulty using these pods in the Aldi-sold machine.
Why the coffee pods are exploding
To understand why your coffee pods may be exploding, you need to understand how a single-serve coffee maker works. Hot water is pumped through a pressurized tube in the machine. The machine punctures a hole through the top of the coffee pod, and the hot water is poured in. Simultaneously, a hole is poked into the bottom of the coffee pod for the coffee to drain into your waiting cup.
Coffee pods explode when there's too much air in the pod or if there's a weak seal. These cause a minor explosion due to the rush of air when the pod is punctured. Unfortunately for would-be shoppers, coffee pods are not necessarily universal, and this may indeed explain the mess. If the pod is not compatible with the machine, then it's likely to cause issues every time. However, it's also possible that your machine may just need a simple cleaning, especially if you're using compatible pods.
Replying to a post about pods exploding in Aldi's version of a Keurig, one shopper on Reddit had this to say: "Have you cleaned the machine's needle? It's probably clogged. Use a paper clip to clean it out. Run either a vinegar and water cycle or use a coffee machine cleaning product."