An intelligent hot beverage maker is provided including: a beverage machine; a series of mutually stacked magazines, for the storage of multiple beverage pods, the magazine being dimensioned and configured to fasten releasably to the beverage machine; a slot, through which a pod passes from the magazine into the beverage machine; an actuator, for forcing a pod through the slot selectively; selection means, for selecting between beverages on a given menu; and identification means, for identifying which pod in the magazine is appropriate for a given beverage selection; and intelligent software for controlling the operation of the maker, wherein selection means may be manipulated remotely, and by multiple users simultaneously.