^ I've been doing pods almost daily for over a year. Just wanted to put that out to provide some context.
Two months ago, I switched from drinking tea (8-10 pods) to eating grounds (5-8 pods). I notice a very slight difference in effects (a little bit more energetic) but, basically, 5 pods eaten feels like 8 pods brewed into tea. I made the switch for financial reasons, but I've been pleased with the results. The grounds seem to hit me faster, and like I said, are slightly more energetic.
I did some experiments with calcium carbonate and didn't really notice any changes in the effects. But take that with a grain of salt b/c I may have been making a mistake in the process.
Anyway, I do recommend that you give grounds a try. Some people say that the w/d is worse with grounds v. tea because you're getting more alkaloids (or higher levels of alkaloids) when you eat the entire pod. I haven't experienced that. The w/d's seem about the same to me. I've also read other peoples' reports of increased constipation from eating grounds but that hasn't been my experience. But I eat a ton of fiber (freshly ground flax + steel cut oatmeal) so I don't have to deal with opiate bowel hell.
I've experimented with a number of methods of ingestion… starting with yogurt, then yogurt and a small amount of carbonated spring water (works pretty well), then a Soy Protein drink (Odwalla SuperProtein), then apple sauce, then fresh GFJ. I prefer the GFJ. It suspends the grounds so they don't stick in your throat and you get the added bonus of the potentiation. Most of the time I squeeze my own juice but I strain about half of the pulp out. Too much pulp makes it more difficult to get the grounds down.
The other good thing about using GFJ is that the bitterness of the GFJ seems to mask the bitterness of the pod material. I barely taste the pod grounds if I drink them in GFJ. You have to get the proportions straight though. Experiment and you'll find the right ratio
I re-read your post, zrawdogm, and I notice that you're only doing 4-5 Tbsp of grounds for your tea. That means you can probably get the same effects from 2 1/2 - 3 Tbsp. eaten. And you won't need much juice to do it… I'd say 6-8 oz would be more than enough juice to make a pleasing pod ground drink.