Is The Senseo Coffee System for You? Review of Senseo Model 7810

Chances are that somewhere you've seen the weird looking curved coffee machine called Senseo. Phillips was the first company to come up a machine to use coffee pods for single servings of coffee. Coffee pods are kind of like tea bags, except with ground coffee sealed between two layers of a thin paper filter. These pods are put into the machine and water is pressed through them and the result is a foamy cup of coffee, almost like a latte'.

Three different models!

Phillips has 3 different models. The 7810 (original) is the most basic of the models and lists for about $70. There's buttons to brew either one or two cups, though Phillips considers a cup of coffee only 4.5 ounces, so you really need 2 coffee pods to brew a standard mug of coffee. The next model up is the 7820 which has a 32 ounce water reservoir and also allows you to brew tea and cappuccino. This model has spout, which adjusts for different size mugs, and it lists for $100.00. The top of the line model is the 7832 Senseo Supreme whose list price is a staggering $140. In addition to the extra features of the 7820 this coffee machine lets you brew various amounts of coffee from 3 ounces up to a 10-ounce mug.

Since these machines are for single use cups of coffee, there is no warming plate. The assumption is that you will drink the coffee right away and therefore have no need for keeping the coffee warm.

Would I pay for this machine? $15?? I can't beat that!

I'm somewhat of a coffee addict. I wouldn't go so far as to say gourmet, but I'm particular about my coffee. I like to grind my own beans (see my coffee grinder review) and make fresh coffee every morning. I would NOT go out and spend a minimum of $50-$70 street price for this machine because the coffee pods are expensive and since there's a fixed amount of coffee in the pods you can't adjust the amount of coffee.

But I did get an offer I couldn't refuse. For a limited time Phillips is offering a free basic model along with some coffee pods and coupons for only the cost of $15 for shipping. You might try this link to see if it's still active: http://www.sharesenseo.com/index.jsp?q=e-v32
I believe the expiration is June 30, 2008 (or while supplies last).

So how IS it?

The Senseo is easy to use. Take out and fill the reservoir with water and put it back in the machine. Put in the pods, close the top firmly until it locks down. Press the on button and wait until it stops blinking to let you know the water is heated. Press either the button for either one cup or two cups (two cups is one real mug of coffee) and in about a minute you have a very hot of coffee.

My free machine came with the bold roast coffee pods. Because I like to have a MUG coffee I need to use two pods to brew about 9 ounces of coffee. The bold roast coffee is strong but is definitely missing something. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either.

There are a very wide variety of different types of coffee. The only other one I have tried was "Medium Roast" but there's also Sumatra, Brazil, Kenya, as well as some flavored coffees.

Do you have to use THEIR coffee? Read on!

The Senseo coffee I've had so far is just not that great and for me to use two pods per mug of coffee, it runs about 46 cents per cup based on what I paid at WalMart. That's pretty expensive for home made coffee, but then for the occasional convenience it's probably not THAT bad.

There are instructions out on the "Web" to make your own coffee pods. Personally, I think that's a pain-in-the-neck because I have read that if you don't make them properly you can clog up the works and the pressure in the machine may blow grounds all over your kitchen!

From the Harriett Carter catalog I did find plastic reusable pods that you fill with coffee, snap together and use in place of the filters. I did buy those. They were not expensive but the results were not great. They do work, but the machine can't properly press the water through so the result is a very weak cup of coffee. They only hold about 1-1/2 tablespoons of coffee. There are also expensive gadgets you can buy to make your own pods. They come with filters but that just seems like way too much trouble for me and then you have to buy the special filters, as well.

If you do a Web search for Senseo coffee pods there's several sites that sell a variety of coffees. At some point I may give that a try as well to try some different brands of coffee but what I saw was more expensive so a cup of coffee may run you 65 cents per cup. I think that's VERY expensive for home brewed coffee!

The Bottom Line

Pros:

- Convenient

- Fast brewing and hot

- Coffee is not bad if you're not very particular

Cons:

- Expensive coffee maker for having so few features

- Expensive coffee

- Cannot adjust strength of brew without adding an additional coffee pod

Bottom line here is that if you aren't that particular about your coffee and you don't mind paying for the convenience, this system isn't THAT bad. I certainly would not have paid $70 for the coffee maker that I got for $15. And I wouldn't use it for my primary daily coffee maker.