A Nice Cuppa

Senseo, oh Senseo, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways …

You whip up a fresh cuppa joe for me in seconds without the mess of grinding, measuring and pressing. You leave a thick head of foam that brings a smile to my face every time. You have a small profile, so you don’t take up the whole counter or take over the kitchen. And perhaps best of all, your flavorful cups require little cleanup (just tossing the little pod of coffee and rinsing two small parts) - how much easier can you get?

Seriously. When I found out that Well Fed was getting a Senseo coffee maker to review, I couldn’t say “I’ll DO IT!” fast enough. My husband has been dying for a single serving coffee maker and I love a fresh, hot cup now and again too . . . but I hate making too much. I either feel compelled to drink it all (not good for the tummy) or wasteful for tossing the excess.

With the Senseo, there is no excess problem.

It was hard to tell who was more excited when it arrived on our doorstep. I ripped open the plain brown box to check out the product box. It was my husband, though, who actually got it out, set it up and insisted we try it right away (after doing the requisite cleaning process Senseo prescribes before its first usage). We were both enthralled. And when the coffee spouted out shortly after, we shared the first cup with equal glee.

  

 

I was honestly surprised at the amount of coffee foam the machine produces with each cup. But it’s a happy surprise. And the taste? Smooth - it is really deliciously smooth. As my husband said, it goes down easy. And an even better testament to our appreciation of this brewer is that I ordered refill pods the same night from Amazon (which are a pretty good buy, coincidentally).

So, the downsides of this machine: According to the manufacturer, you should use one pod per 4 ounces. That can get pricey. However, in our testing of this product, we found that there was a negligible difference in taste when you used one pod for 4 or 8 ounces. A single pod can definitely brew an acceptable double. Also, you are somewhat limited by the blends that Senseo offers at the moment. There are refillable pods available on the market, but in my research it seems that most weren’t that great (there were huge complaints about all of them that I saw - anyone know of a reusable pod that works really well?).

All in all though, I love this product. I have already recommended it to several people and am also considering smuggling it into my office. I’ve found that 4 ounces is the perfect amount of coffee for me too (though others might find that to be too small a cup), and I really like the taste of the dark roast coffee that came with the machine.

Now, I cannot wait for my other flavors to arrive …