Special Offer for Coffeforums.com Members

[demetri]

Here’s the deal:

Just fill out a simple questionnaire and have an American mailing address. The folks that make the Senseo coffee pod system will send the first 500 CoffeeForums.com members to do so a free machine to try, share with friends, and amaze their guests.

They’re looking for useful feedback on the product and are willing to reward you with:

1. Free Senseo coffee pod system
2. Free bag of 18 pods (sounds like something from Sci Fi)
3. Free shipping and handling.

What is it? Here’s a brief description from their website:

The SENSEO® coffee pod system is a new way to enjoy coffee - a patented system that brews one or two cups of coffee with a frothy coffee layer that seals in aroma and taste. The perfect cup of fresh coffee.

When you’ve tried it out please let the rest of us know what you think. Did you enjoy the coffee? What are your impressions of the machine? Did your friends like it? How does it compare to other machines?

Act fast because supplies are limited!

 

[demetri]

Thanks to everyone for participating in this. I believe you should be receiving your machines in the next week or two and I would love to hear what you think about it.

Demetri

 

[javahill]

I got my machine today. I haven't tried the coffee yet, but I'm looking forward to it. Is there any need to run a tank or two of water through it to take the plastic taste off? I've run into that issue with other single cup machines.

 

[cuppED]

I just got my Senseo machine today. I'll let you know how it goes! Thanks for the machine.

 

[javahill]

I brought the machine into work and today we took it out of the box, set it up, flushed a couple tanks of water through to get the new car smell (plastic off-gassing) out and brewed some coffee.

We have Keurig machines in the office so we have a lot of people who think they know a lot about coffee, or at least they know what they like. We had seven people from my department and our IS department at the tastine.

Compared to the Keurig, the Senseo looks very cool. It is smaller, the shape and color definitely deliver cool. Everyone liked the design or at least remarked how it looked distinctive. There were some questions on whether it was a Danish or Swedish design. One person said the curved shape looked a little like a moose's head. Just tie on some antlers, mount it on the wall and you've got quite a trophy. It was not just another appliance.

The coffee that came with it was the medium roast. When we opened the bag of pods, it smelled sour. Definitely not a great first impression. We brewed all of them but I did wonder how well the coffee would stay fresh before staling with that much exposure to oxygen.

The coffee brewed nicely. It did take a while to brew a cup for everyone, but it was about the same brew cycle as a keurig, so we were used to it. The crema on top was a nice touch.

I had been concerned about handling a hot, wet coffee pod, but the insert made it easy to dispose of the spent pod. It was not as convenient as a k-cup - especially the commercial machines that eject used k-cups, but it was fine. Not a nuisance at all.

Given the initial aroma of the coffee, the coffee itself was remarkable in that it had no bitter aftertaste. It was not unpleasant. It was not a great coffee experience. In fact, it did not have much taste at all. That was very surprising. I would have at least expected bitter, but the finish was smooth. I think that was as much the roast and the weakness of the brew as anything else.

As the coffee cooled, it became less pleasant. The bitter and sour really came into the foreground. That's common in commercial grade coffees. Specialty coffee usually is great even after it cools.

We have friends in Europe who have Senseos and the coffee tasted different and better. Maybe it was the experience of being abroad that made it better, but I'm fairly sure it was the coffee.

The final assessment of the Senseo was that the brewer was a cool, stylish, convenient way to deliver a mediocre cup of coffee. I'd be curious to find out what other coffees could work in it.