Senseo and other Coffee Pod Systems

[Dahomechef]

Kona pods arrived, about twice as thick as the Senseo pods, each nicely and individually wrapped in a foil pouch. (These babies ain't cheap, either.) They come with instructions that each pod makes 2 cups, with the suggestion that if you just want one cup, leave the pod in and make another cup later with the same pod. Tried that. Wow... best cup by far to come out of the Senseo, the most like a real cup of rich dark roast coffee. This makes me happy. I haven't figured the per cup price but it's obviously a lot higher than the Senseo pods.

knivesandtools.com informs me that my reusable pod has shipped from the Netherlands and will be reshipped once it hits the US. Cost of the pod was 16.39 euros, shipping 8.05 euros, total cost 24.44 euros. Probably could buy a decent plunger for that, but can't wait to try it.

Anyway, if you're serious about getting a good cup of coffee out of your Senseo, do try these Kona pods--they are on Amazon and are 100% Kona, not a blend. Will report back when I receive "the Dutch Solution."

[andiesenji]

knivesandtools.com informs me that my reusable pod has shipped from the Netherlands and will be reshipped once it hits the US. Cost of the pod was 16.39 euros, shipping 8.05 euros, total cost 24.44 euros. Probably could buy a decent plunger for that, but can't wait to try it.

Will report back when I receive "the Dutch Solution."

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Have you received the reusable pod for the Senseo or is it still in transit?

I have been waiting to see if you received it and had any success with it.

Andie

[edsel]

I came across a DIY pod page that looks interesting. Certainly cheaper than the plastic refillable pod from the Netherlands.

[Lesley C]

I first tried out a Senseo at a friend's house in France in summer 2003. She had different pods from Maison du Cafe, which has now added three new coffees to its lineup (Vienna, Rio de Janeiro and Milano). I wonder if the French pods would work in the US machine? If so, it would be worth picking up pods on a trip to France. I remember the coffee being pretty good. The french like their coffee pretty strong.

Now too bad the bloody machine isn't available in Canada yet!

Oops, edited to add seseopods.com has an interesting selection of European pods for sale.

[daniellewiley]

Joining this discussion late, but Michael just got a Senseo for Christmas. The man is obsessed. I quit coffee drinking a few weeks ago, so he's been flying solo, and this is perfect for that! He just ordered a case from Podhead, and is excited to try that. Just found out that he's been making two trips a day to Starbucks at work, so he'll be getting a Senseo for the office as well. Two trips a day!! I'm thinking the Senseo can pay for a trip to Europe by replacing that!

[TurtleMeng]

Wandered to this forum. Saw this thread from a while ago. I got a Senseo recently too from Costco. One thing I don't understand: what is the machine doing in the 60 seconds it takes to brew? The water level in the tank stays the same, so it's not being heated or pressurized?....

Please enlighten the idiot. Also, you do need to push the button twice--once to turn it on and once to select the cup size, but you have to do the latter after the machine is ready (in 1 minute), right? (if wrong, I don't know what I've been drinking, but it tasted pretty decent)

[richw]

My guess is that the wating period is for the thermocouple to heat up. The thermocouple is what heats the water during the brew cycle. You are supposed to push the power button once to power up the machine. Once the light surrounding the power button stops blinking, the machine is ready to brew. You then select either the one or two cup setting. Enjoy!

[andiesenji]

When you first start the machine, you have to "prime" it which pulls water into the inner chamber and heats it and pours out the first water which is much more than a regular cup, which is why the instructions say to use a container of a particular size.

After that a certain amount of water remains inside the machine and that is what is heated in the 60 second heating period, then as the hot water is forced through the pods into the cup, fresh water is drawn in from the supply chamber and in turn is heated very rapidly which is how the machine can make individual cups in a fairly rapid sequence.

I have been using the Senseo since the end of July last year and am very impressed with it.

At Christmas I gave several as gifts. I gave one to a young lady who is in college and it is ideal for her. Her dorm rules state that they can not have any appliance in their rooms that has an exposed heat source so a regular coffeemaker with its hot plate is verboten. This machine, with no exposed heat source is ideal and since college kids often survive on coffee, it is becoming very popular. Nina mentioned that several of her dorm mates asked their parents for the machines and there are now at least a dozen just on her floor.

I like the coffee it produces because I have always had a problem with coffee tasting stale to me shortly after being brewed, no matter how it is contained or kept warm.

This machine, brewing one cup at a time, is ideal.

It is something new for me because I have always been a major tea drinker, mainly because coffee, made the traditional ways, simply did not appeal to me.

I happen to like my coffee with cream and sugar (Splenda now for my diabetes) and my routine is to put the milk or cream in a large mug with the sweetener, nuke it for 30 seconds to heat it and then use an Aerolatte to foam the hot milk.

I use two pods and draw the two-cup serving straight into the foamy milk and at times it is almost as good as a meal.

This is not a substitute for an espresso machine, it is a totally different end product, however, it is one of the best cups of coffee I have ever tasted and after six months the novelty has not worn off and I use it every day.

I also bought one for the office and one for my boss. Other people in the office also enjoy it.

Edited January 27, 2005 by andiesenji (log)

[TurtleMeng]

.....

I also bought one for the office and one for my boss.  Other people in the office also enjoy it.

←

I hate stale coffee too. For a while I was thinking about getting a coffee maker with a thermal carafe because the glass thing burns coffee in 5 minutes. My nurses always make this huge pot that goes to waste. It's conceivable the Senseo is not even that much more expensive considering our saving. Should I buy one for the clinic, hmmm, deep question. I make cakes. Give everybody good coffee. The staff are getting...larger. What happened to their AM walk? Need to ask them tomorrow.

[andiesenji]

Get the pods at Smart & Final, they are only $3.99 a bag there. I buy it by the box (6 bags to the box) and get a slight discount and also use my Smart Advantage card (apply free online)Smart & Final.

I prefer the Dark Roast - it has way more flavor than the medium.

Be sure and get the Senseo with the extra large water container. I got the ones I bought for gifts at Sam's Club and they came with the extra large container for the same price as the regular, $67.00.

They did have the Senseo at Costco for 67.00 with a $20. rebate, however it was the one with the regular water tank and to buy the thing separately is $19.95.

They may now have the ones with the larger tank, I haven't been in Costco for a while, but that is my advice. (I bought 6 to give as gifts).

Edited January 28, 2005 by andiesenji (log)

[Alex]

Our Senseo arrived last week. As several posts said, it makes a passable cup of coffee, but lacking the depth of flavor of one from our drip machine or French press. For what it is -- a means to a quick cup of decent coffee (especially a bit of late-night decaf -- it probably will be getting regular use at our house.

The Douwe Egberts medium-roast decaf is indeed passable, as is the dark-roast regular. The regular medium- and mild-roast lack character, imo. I noticed the posts on this thread about Kona, and was wondering if anyone else has had direct experience with other brands or roasts -- podhead.com, easypod.co.uk, etc. There's also a seller on eBay offering DE's Kenya, Sumatra, and Brazil blends.

[banishedheart]

I am a new member. Thanks for letting me join. I just want to share the exchange we had re: Senseo over at coffeegeek.com

I wish I had discovered this board before I purchased my machine. I could have gotten some good advice re: pods and maybe made it work. As it was, I had to return my Senseo to the store for a due bill.

Here's the (brief) thread:

http://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/ma...s/103751#103751

[andiesenji]

I still like mine, I like the coffee, use only the dark roast and all the people to whom I gave them as gifts are enjoying them.

Compared to regular coffee makers they make a very decent cup of coffee but are not a substitute for an espresso maker.

They are, as I have mentioned earlier, ideal for college dorms where appliances with exposed heat elements are strictly forbidden.

Frankly I wouldn't want to drink anything stronger than the dark roast, it is strong enough for me.

If you are a true coffee geek then you need to get a machine that is capable of doing a lot more and of course costs a lot more.

After many months of using the Senseo, I find it does exactly what it is supposed to do and does it well. It brews one cup of decent coffee at a time and the coffee is always fresh.

I can't stand coffee that is stale and to me brewed coffee tastes stale within 20 minutes of brewing.

[SuzySushi]

I'm considering getting a Senseo coffeemaker to replace our automatic filter pot because my husband sleeps later than I do, so his coffee is no longer fresh-brewed by the time he drinks it.

Question: I drink only decaf. Has anyone tried any of the decaf pods that fit the Senseo system? (I like my decaf strong and brew it from French Roast or Espresso Rpast coffee.) Has anyone tried using reusable pod inserts and filling them with your own choice of coffee? (I'm not talking about making your own pods using paper filters.) What are the results?

[andiesenji]

I'm considering getting a Senseo coffeemaker to replace our automatic filter pot because my husband sleeps later than I do, so his coffee is no longer fresh-brewed by the time he drinks it.

Question: I drink only decaf. Has anyone tried any of the decaf pods that fit the Senseo system? (I like my decaf strong and brew it from French Roast or Espresso Rpast coffee.) Has anyone tried using reusable pod inserts and filling them with your own choice of coffee? (I'm not talking about making your own pods using paper filters.) What  are the results?

←

I just ordered a couple of the filter pods from holland from knivesandtools.com.

I never drink decaf so have no idea how it will taste. One of the gals in the office ordered some of the decaf Milano from podhead.com and is pleased with it but this is a person who will drink anything remotely associated with coffee as long as it is decaf. She stops on the way to work to pick up what looks like a liter of coffee at the AM/PM where she gets her gas. That is gone by 10 which is when she starts in on the Senseo stuff she ordered and has at least three of the double cups by lunch.

I can understand why she needs decaf, if it were caffinated she would be bouncing around on the ceiling............

[Jason Perlow]

Today I headed over to the local Target to buy a Senseo unit, because as Rachel doesn't drink coffee, I'm frequently seeking a quick one cup of coffee fix in the morning without having to boil a whole pot of water and commit to priming my Bodum vacuum press, and end up having to drink iced coffee later in the afternoon -- and then remembering to drink it before it goes bad.

I was immediately blindsided by the fact that the Melitta One:One Coffee Pod machine, which normally retails for $50-$70, is on a blowout sale currently at my Target (Hackensack NJ) for $25. I simply couldn't pass this up.

A gentleman in the aisle who already owned a Melitta unit was buying another Melitta for his daughter going to college told me that the Senseo-type pods work fine in the Melitta, but require slight scrunching as they are wider but not as deep -- so I bought some of those as well and tested them this evening.

My general impression is that the Melitta brand pods themselves are a bit weak tasting, but the Senseo pods used in the Melitta work quite well and taste pretty good, for the type of regular American-style coffee it makes (despite the fact that the manual says evil things will happen to you if you don't use Melitta pods -- note that unlike the new Senseo units, the Melitta does not produce a froth or a crema, its just a good, regular American coffee). From what I have read on the Web, the only caveat apparently of using Senseo pods in a Melitta is that you have to make sure that there is no Pod material overlapping the rim of the pod holder, otherwise you might get spillage.

If you can get one of these things at your Target for $25 its a good deal. The Senseo-type coffee pods are pretty much ubiquitous, and you can order 3rd-party ones with more interesting premium coffee (as well as tea pods) elsewhere.

[tryska]

so here's a question for y'all......

I too would love the convenience of single cup as I only drink one cup a day - and have been pretty much subsiting on instant (a decent instant) but still an instant during the week and then breaking out my coffeemaker on weekends.

So ehre's the deal - i know most American brews are 1 tbsp per 6 oz cup.

I prefer 2tbsps per 6oz cup on most blends - except the darker ones where it's more like 1.5tbsps

will these various coffee pods give em the brew strength i like? Can i get that strength with one pod or am i looking at 2 pods per cup?

Just seems like it could get expensive altho i guess even at $.50 a cup it's still cheaper than most other options.

[KatieLoeb]

A good friend of mine's dad has the Melitta unit and was proudly showing it off to me last time I was at their home. He seems pretty pleased with it and I thought it was very good for an extremely quick and convenient cup of coffee with minimal fuss.

FWIW, I just saw a decent selection of pods available at my local Superfresh market. I'd never noticed them before at any other market but then again, I buy my beans at Superfresh and they were right next to the fresh beans. Maybe they are at all supermarkets, but I've definitely never noticed them before. I think they had either Kona or Jamican Blue Mountain pods because I distinctly remember thinking what a nice thing that was that they had single varietal pods for those single serve machines.

[richw]

I don't have much of an explanation but I have owned both a Senseo and a Melitta One:One. I still own the Senseo and like it better than the Melitta. I think it brews under greater pressure but I am not sure how or if that improves the quality of the coffee. It also brews a hotter cup of coffee. To get a hotter cup o' joe out of your pod machine, run it first without a pod and let the hot water warm it up. Also, buy over 25 bucks worth of Senseo pods from Amazon and they come out to about 21 cents a piece.

Happy Holidays!

Rich

editied to add: I like the flavor of the Senseo brand dark roast over the Melitta Buzzaworthy (Melitta's dark roast).

Edited November 29, 2005 by richw (log)

[Jason Perlow]

I think the newer batch of Melitta One:One units make much hotter coffee than the ones when they were first introduced. I can say that with confidence because the coffee that comes out of mine is definitely hot enough to burn your hands and requires that you let your beverage cool down for at least 30 seconds before sipping. It is literally steaming, piping hot.

True, Melitta doesn't have as powerful a pump as the Senseo -- but it also doesn't try to produce a crema or try to make an ersatz-espresso like the Senseo does -- it makes regular, good old American coffee. And it works really well with tea bags -- whereas the Senseo pump is actually powerful enough to rupture them.

The machine I am really looking forward to playing with is this unit from Simplehuman:

http://www.simplehuman.com/products/coffee/index.html

eGullet friendly Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00...Y/egulletcom-20

I should have an evaluation unit in a few days, I'll let you know what I think of it shortly. I'm also going to try to get a Bunn and a Keurig as well.

[Jason Perlow]

Rich: I agree the Senseo coffees are better than the Melitta brand ones, and they work fine in the Melitta machine. But I just ordered a bunch of gourmet pods from Podhead, which are supposed to be excellent, so we'll see how those do.

[richw]

My Melitta One:One was definitely first generation. In addition to the temperature issues, it also leaked water from the brew group during the brewing process. The Melitta definitely uses pressure to brew so it isn't exactly like an American cuppa joe that is dripped or perculated - gotta disagree with you here. Looking forward to hearing more about the Simplehuman machine. I had never heard of it before. I am really curious to know if it will take Senseo pods without difficulty.

--rich

BTW, next time you are in South Florida check out this place - http://listings.miaminewtimes.com/gyrobase...isting?oid=5497

[andiesenji]

I have had the Senseo since July '04 and it has turned this tea-drinker into an occasional coffee drinker (sometimes every day, usually every other day).

I like the Senseo dark roast and have tried combining one with some of the flavored ones, not bad at all.

I found Juan Valdez dark roast Columbian at Target and it is very good too. The pods are individually wrapped.

I always use two pods and make the double cup with pre-heated half & half and sweetener already in the cup, sometimes frothed before adding the coffee.

I think we will being to see more and more varieties of coffee pods in stores, as well as on line.

There is a commercial on TV now that shows a pre-mixed large (double size) pod for cappucino for brewing in the Home Café.

The Melitta pods do not work in the Senseo, take my word for it. I didn't have any choice in what I started with because it was a gift. I have had the beverages brewed in the others and didn't care that much for them but this is a personal preference thing.

Costco has a special on the Senseo and on a box of pods right now. When I was in the store the other day I saw several in the checkout lines. I have given several as gifts, however I search for the stores that have the ones with the large water resevoir. They are available as an extra but that is an extra expense.

[Jason Perlow]

The Melitta definitely uses pressure to brew so it isn't exactly like an American cuppa joe that is dripped or perculated - gotta disagree with you here.

It has to use pressure by the virtue of the fact its the only way that you can brew coffee that quickly. I concede it's not the same thing as drip coffee, or even French Press -- its sort of some weird hybrid that is closer to American style coffee, or rather, Cafe Americain or Americano/Cafe Lungo as you would order it in Europe at a Cafe.

[Jason Perlow]

The Melitta pods do not work in the Senseo, take my word for it

Right, because the Melitta pods are not designed to be under that much pressure and they'll rupture. But the inverse is the exact opposite -- Senseo pods work GREAT in a Melitta.