Any coffee maker you buy will heat water and pass through the grinds to make coffee. If you want good coffee, you need to buy good coffee grounds or beans. I like good coffee, and I don't mean the bargain brand off the shelf, but good coffee. Either from local shops or higher end brands. As far as a machine, I always found my Keurig to be cumbersome and clunky. I recently purchased a Mueller to replace my Keurig that gave up the ghost. I did a lot of research and the Mueller is superior in every way. It's better quality, the pump is stronger and surprisingly, it's simpler to use. If I am using pods, I personally think Peets has the best brand of off the shelf. But usually I will cater to small local shops and buy beans or grounds and use my strainer pod. Also, I will try and find brands that use biodegradable pods. With my strainer pod, I can use my own grounds and there is no waste going into the landfill. Millions of people using plastic pods every day has a huge environmental impact.