Back in April, I went on a writing spree of Home & Garden reviews, simply to enter the Wake Up and Smell the Coffee sweepstakes here on Epinions. I was so excited to hear that I was the grand prize winner and I won a Senseo Single Serve Coffee System!
At the time, I was unable to stomach the scent of coffee. Since I could not be around coffee, I immediately gifted my brand new Senseo Blue Senseo Single Serve Coffee System to
my fabulous mother-in-law. At my urging, she wrote a
wonderful review of the Senseo.
Fast forward eight months. The smell of coffee is no longer a problem for me. My husband doesn't drink coffee. When I have a cup, that's usually all I ever drink - a single cup. So, making a full pot of coffee is a complete waste. I'm definitely part of the target market for the Senseo Single Serve Coffee System.
Since I had tried the Senseo when I visited
my fabulous mother-in-law, I knew that the quality of coffee brewed by the Senseo was to my liking. Since I knew exactly what I was getting, I didn't even consider another single serve coffee system when I made the purchase of a Senseo for myself.
I had my choice of colors between black, white and Senseo blue. The majority of my appliances are white but I don't like how stained white appliances get after you've had them for a while. I like Senseo blue but since we are planning to move in the next year, I'm not sure how the blue might fit into the decor at the new house. It would look great in my current kitchen with mango colored walls but I played it safe and went with black.
The Senseo is a pretty coffeemaker, if such a thing can be said about an appliance. It's curved and looks nice on my countertop. I never thought I'd say this since I have a gigantic kitchen with a tremendous amount of storage space and no shortage of countertops but my countertops are starting to get a bit cluttered with a bread maker, a dish rack, a stand mixer, a microwave oven, an iced tea maker, canisters, a knife block, a spice rack and a bread basket. The Senseo takes up about the same amount of space as my knife block.
To prep the Senseo, you first need to plug in the coffee maker, flush the unit with water and then fill the reservoir. Place a pod holder into the top of the unit - you have your choice of a double holder or a single holder. The single holder will hold one coffee pod while the double will hold two. One pod will make a 4 ounce cup of coffee while two will either make two 4 ounce cups or one 8 ounce cup. Press the center button to heat the water. A light on the machine will flash until the water is completely heated. You'll then insert a coffee pod or pods into the pod holder, close the top of the machine and press the button for either one cup or two. In less than a minute, you have a cup of coffee!
It's important to keep in mind that you'll need to purchase special coffee pods for use in the Senseo system. Douwe Egberts currently offers pods in Dark Roast, Medium Roast, Mild Roast and Decaffeinated which are marketed under the Senseo name. Other companies also offer compatible pods in various roasts and flavors including Maxwell House, Millstone and Folgers.
While the pods cost more than buying coffee beans and grinding them yourself, I find that I have realized quite a savings because I'm not wasting coffee that gets poured down the drain when I only want a single cup.
The only real complaint I have about the Senseo is that it cannot accommodate my larger mugs and coffee cups underneath the spout. You're limited to just over 4 inches in height which is quite restrictive.
Other than that, the Senseo is a dream. It's good quality, easy to clean and simple as pie to operate. Overall, I'm extremely pleased with my Senseo. If you're looking for a coffeemaker for the occasional coffee drinker, the Senseo is a perfect fit.
