Senseo and other Coffee Pod Systems

[lancastermike]

Maggie wanted coffee for her office so I bought her a Tassimo for her birthday. So far, she tells me she likes it very much. She has some coffee and some of the latte things. I had one cup of plain coffee from it and it was not a bad cup. I like mine strong and this was not. It was hot, however.

So far,so good. We will see how it holds up over time

[K8memphis]

Oh I got a Keurig for my husband's office a couple Christmas' ago and they all love it. You can have such a wide variety of coffees and teas and hot chocolate too. I now have a commercial one in the bookstore that's plumbed in and I have over 25 varieties of coffee and tea--people love it. It doesn't come out watery or anything, it brews really well.

I think there's a special way to prime the pipes in the Keurig. There was a bit of sputter at first, but not now and it brews great. It's perfect for our needs.

[dougw]

The pods to me are like those Totino's party pizzas. Compared to the real thing, for me, they don't hold up. But for what it is, it's fine. I'm such a snob about espresso and French press. Still though...it's beats the swill!

[ElsieD]

I am looking to buy one of these pod machines and have looked at a number of them, (eg Tassimo, Senseo, Keurig) but I don't have any idea which one is best. The most important thing (after making a good cup of coffee) is that it be HOT. Do any of you have any opinions on which one is best? I have read all of the posts above but since the thread was started in 2004 and not too many comments are recent ones, I am wondering what people's favourite machine is. From the above, I'm thinking Senseo.

Thanks,

Elsie

Edited October 22, 2008 by ElsieD (log)

[andiesenji]

I like mine so well that I brought one with me on my trip to New Mexico. While I like tea for most of the day, I really like coffee just after arising and I simply will not drink the stuff that is served in restaurants. I would rather do without.

I have my own water purifier along also (posted a photo of it and my teas and hot water pot in another thread).

As I like cream in my coffee, I put it in the mug first, microwave it to bring it up to temp, then dispense the Senseo Dark Roast into the mug.

Perhaps I am a bit obsessive but I intend to get help soon!

The very large mug shown will hold a triple serving from the Senseo - this is the "Supreme" model which allows the digital control to select one, two or three servings.

[prasantrin]

Senseo for a time had a promotion where if you filled out a survey, you could qualify for a free machine (based on your answers). I actually qualified, but because I didn't have a US credit card, I couldn't get my machine!

(You needed the credit card to pay for shipping--$30, and the offer was open to US residents only)

Edited October 22, 2008 by prasantrin (log)

[Marlene]

I have a choice of a keurig platinum

or a breville

single serve machine. Of the two, is there an opinon which is the better one? Price excluded.

[lancastermike]

I have a choice of a keurig platinum

or a breville

single serve machine.  Of the two, is there an opinon which is the better one?  Price excluded.

←

When I bought Maggie her machine I did all kinds of research and ended up buying on price. Since both of the ones you link to use the k-cups it seems they each use the same process. I will say this, I bought Maggie the Tasimo and she likes it, but there certainly are a greater selection of k-cups than tasimo pods

[Marlene]

Thanks Mike. That's partly why I've decided on a K-cup machine. Right now, unless I'm missing something, the only difference between the two, other than price is that the Breville tank is slightly larger, and only has 4 brewing sizes and is stainless steel.

[tsure]

I find Fratello Brothers pods to be extremely good. I had a Senseo but traded for a Bunn Pod machine. The Bunn seems to be extremely well made and because the spout is higher than in the Senseo, you can use a bigger cup for more coffee. The thing that I disliked most about the Senseo was the position of the spout.

[andiesenji]

I find Fratello Brothers pods to be extremely good.  I had a Senseo but traded for a Bunn Pod machine.  The Bunn seems to be extremely well made and because the spout is higher than in the Senseo, you can use a bigger cup for more coffee.  The thing that I disliked most about the Senseo was the position of the spout.

←

I considered the Bunn at one time, before I was given my first Senseo. I have owned several regular commercial Bunn units of various sizes and never had any problems with them.

I know three different people who opted for the Bunn pod machine and all have had severe problems. One is on their third machine in 2 1/2 years and it has begun leaking and not producing a full cup.

The price, considering the problems in the basic design that apparently have yet to be fixed, is excessive.

And there are complaints that reasonable customer service is sadly deficient.

I have several Senseo machines, have never had a problem with any of them (except one damaged when I broke the hinge of the top but that was entirely my fault).

I have given several as gifts to various friends and family and everyone has been very happy with them.

The spout height is adjustable on the later machines and my only (very mild) complaint is that they don't offer the extra-large water tank for the Supreme model. I have one in my bedroom as it is a long trek to the kitchen. I took one with me on a recent two-week trip. One of the older ones is resident on the deck during the seasons when it is comfortable outside.

One of my friends has a Simple Human pod machine and likes it very much. I know people who have the Keurig and are happy with it so there are several options out there that are reasonably priced and produce a good cup.

I wrote earlier in this topic that I got a Perfect Pod maker and found it works beautifully. Now I have extras because I don't want to take a chance on them discontinuing manufacture of it and me not be able to replace it. This has given me a vast range of coffees to use in my Senseo so I'm not limited to the few types readily available and don't have to pay the ridiculous prices charged by the specialty vendors.

Edited October 28, 2008 by andiesenji (log)

[jeffkarsondo]

The Senseo pods don't have the variety of the K-cup system does it?

I mean you can get almost anything in a k-cup these days from Kona to Hazelnut.

[andiesenji]

The Senseo pods don't have the variety of the K-cup system does it?

I mean you can get almost anything in a k-cup these days from Kona to Hazelnut.

That's true. However, I make my own pods with the Perfect Pod maker, that I've been using for a couple of years or so.

And I also have a refillable pod like this one that I purchased last September and which takes a finer grind that will work in the filter pods. It only works with the Supreme machines.

This allows me to use whatever coffee I want, including beans I blend and roast myself.

I've been buying my beans from Sweet Maria's and have been very satisfied.

[andiesenji]

I'm bumping this topic up to report on a problem with a pod machine.

My friend Jeanette got a SimpleHuman pod machine abut three years ago and this morning it exploded - or rather part of it blew off while it was operating and she has severe burns on her neck, chest and upper arms, fortunately it missed her face. She is hospitalized and as I am not a family member I can't visit but her son phoned and gave me the news.

He said the machine has been working okay up to now, although it has not been producing a full cup so one has to do two cycle to get a full one.

They have been careful about cleaning it on a regular basis and always use filtered water.

I tried to find some online info about this brewer but apparently it is no longer being sold. Amazon has a product page but says it is currently unavailable.

This post is mainly a heads up for anyone who happens to have one of the SimpleHuman pod brewers.

[andiesenji]

I have a shiny new toy!

First a bit of background.

A few weeks ago I lent my espresso machine (Saeco Royal Digital Plus - a "super automatic" that I bought in 2004) to a couple of friends who phoned me on the Saturday before Memorial Day, their machine had died that day and they had two parties planned for Sunday and Monday. One drove up, disconnected the machine and hauled it down to their home.

They phoned last week to make arrangements to bring it back but I told them to keep it. I don't entertain as much as I did and only used it maybe twice a year.

Today I took delivery of a surprise package, a gift from my friends. A thank you for giving them my old machine.

They sent me a Nescafe Dolce Gusto Creativa, made by Krups.

It's bright red, which I like and they also sent a generous supply of the capsules that this machine uses.

It's a bit more complicated than the Senseo but it produces very nice drinks, develops 15 bars of pressure so the espresso is close to that produced by more expensive machines.

The capsules are not cheap. The cost is significantly more than pods and these are not interchangeable with the Nespresso or other capsules. So far there are not many varieties available but apparently more are on the way. There are more available in the UK and Europe and will eventually get to the U.S.

The platform that holds the cup can be set at one of three levels. Here it is in the top position.

This is the cappuccino - requies two capsules, one milk, one coffee.

This glass is on the platform set in the middle position.

Edited July 14, 2011 by andiesenji (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Nice new toy Andie!

It would be nice if they made a capsule you could fill yourself to save the bucks.

[andiesenji]

Nice new toy Andie!

It would be nice if they made a capsule you could fill yourself to save the bucks.

I'm sure there will eventually be one developed by a secondary manufacturer.

It took several years for someone to develop a refillable cap for the Keurig.

and it has only been a couple of years since the CoffeeDuck refillable pod for the Senseo appeared. (previous ones were awful).

This may be a bit trickier because of the much higher pressure.