So is the consensus that Nespresso pods are better than 3rd party such as Bestpresso or Toast Coffee (assuming shipping is not prohibitive)?
Until recently, yes. However Peet's has released aluminum pods (very important IMO) that have gotten very good reviews, many reviewers saying its on par with Nespresso. The only problem is they're priced the same as Nespresso, however they do have some good deals on Amazon from time to time.