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Two Thumbs Up for the Senseo
Jan 30, 2008 Categorized: Product Reviews •
Today is the first day in my stay-at-home life that I have not cleaned a coffee pot. (Unless you count that uncomfortable experience when my coffeemaker died, and I forgot to get a new one until the next day.) The Senseo arrived yesterday, giving me just cause to jump up and down and act like a lunatic in front of my giggling children, who then did the same. After following the instructions (almost) for setting it up correctly, I brewed my first cup of smooth, frothy gourmet Douwe Egberts for breakfast. Actually, Bill brewed his first, then I stuck my cup under there and ran it again, which gave it just the right flavor.
You shouldn’t be able to confuse an intelligent person with a 3-button single-serving machine. But after quickly assessing the combinations of buttons compared with the choice in number of pods, I quickly made the machine into a complex beast, capable of ruining any morning that I don’t have my eyes open all the way. You can make either 4 ounces or 8 ounces and with one or two pods. The assumption is that one pod equals 4 oz. and 2 pods equal 8 oz. However. With dark roast coffee, which is the only flavor they sent, my tastebuds require a different combination. Like, one pod for 8 oz., twice. Does that make any sense? One pod is meant for 4 oz. I use one pod for 8 oz., but don’t actually enjoy the coffee, unless I have made 16 oz. on that one pod. Which really should work out nicely. It quarters the cost per cup of coffee, and I can make the first mug for Bill and the second mug for me, using just one pod.
After lunch I asked Bill if he would like a cup of coffee, as though I was being an especially serving wife, and waltzed into the kitchen, stuck in a pod, plopped down a mug and pushed “ON” and “2 Cups”. Now THAT is what I call easy. I need an Easy button in my kitchen. Then, I plopped down another mug, hit “2 Cups”, and boom! It poured a whole ‘nother mug, just like that. I couldn’t even get the lid off the sugar canister before the coffee was ready! I’m really going to have a hard time getting the dishwasher emptied each morning while the coffee brews, because I cannot move that fast without waking the family.
As far as I can see, there is only one drawback to using the Senseo as my daily brewer. I CANNOT SMELL THE COFFEE BREWING. The coffee aroma is half the reason I brew coffee to begin with. Sometimes when I make coffee in the afternoon, I step out of the house and then back in so that I can be enveloped with the aromas of fresh coffee brewing. It makes me feel like I’m walking into a coffee house. Mmmm...I can smell Starbuck’s now. Although, let’s be honest. If I could have caffeine infused into my veins while I slept, I probably wouldn’t feel so strongly about making java every morning and afternoon. But really, I LOVE to drink coffee. Even if it’s just decaf, holding and drinking a cup of coffee on a cold winter morning evokes a comforting sensation that you just can’t duplicate with, say a coke. Or even tea. Although I do enjoy a hot, aromatic cup of Earl Grey or Darjeeling.
Alright. So I’d give the Senseo two thumbs up, especially since it was FREE! But I still have some more testing to do to find exactly the right strength, pod, and water combination. This is definitely requiring a little more thinking than I thought it would, but I can handle thinking--as long as I have my coffee.
Hollabacks
Guess what was in my inbox when I got home? You got it! My very own Senseo is officially on the way. Maybe you’ll have yours mastered by the time mine arrives and you can enlighten me on the finer points of pod brewing! I’m with you on the aroma, gotta smell it. Maybe I’ll burn a nice java scented candle. Calton is still talking about “Hunter’s HUGE train set”. We had a great time and look forward to playing again. Have a great week!
Posted by Amber on 01/31 at 12:32 AM
We had so much fun, Amber. Thank you for coming. I hated that I didn’t have the coffeehouse aroma to enjoy while you were here! I like the candle idea. But I’m thinking I might put on a real pot of coffee for this snowy day. 
Posted by heatherkate on 01/31 at 10:50 AM