Coffee & Espresso Makers Tips

Philips HD-7810 Espresso Machine Product Technical DetailsHD-7810 Key FeaturesTypeEspresso MachineOperation SourceE...

Nice Product for the Solo Drinker Philips HD 7810 Espresso Machine I'm the only one in my family who drinks coffee. I never enjoyed traditional brewed coffee because the coffee was...

The Philips HD-7810 Espresso Machine, called Senseo, is a convenient, quick, simple to use hot beverage machine for people who place a premium on time in a busy lifestyle. That’s pretty much summing up what this kitchen appliance is all about. And it’s not just for espresso, either.

Operation is as simple as fill the water reservoir, put a pod in, put a cup under, and press a button. Most coffee makers operate about as simply. Where the beauty of podding comes through is after that.

Anyone who has ever cleaned a coffee pot, broken a coffee pot, or burned the coffee in the bottom by forgetting to turn off the automatic drip coffee maker, has had more cleaning (and home airing-out) than they bargained for. And in a busy lifestyle, cleaning up is something that can be happily disposed of in favor of the extra time to do more important things.

Cleaning up after use is as simple as dumping out the pod, that you never had to touch while wet and squishy, and washing your coffee cup. That’s it! The unit has an automatic shut off so minimal electricity is used. There is no hot plate because every cup is fresh and just brewed.

There are two buttons for amount of coffee brewed, so you can make one cup, two cups, or one oversized cup at one time. (We find that the two cup setting works pretty well with today’s average oversized cups). You will want to experiment with which of your cups work best with which setting… and just a cleanup tip: when you first use the unit keep a second cup alongside. If your cup is reaching the top during a brew and you want to avoid an overflow… simple! There are two streams coming out, so just slide the second cup under as you slide your original cup over, or out. No spill! But if you do have a spill, there is a spill trap under the cup platform that simply lifts out for easy emptying and rinsing… and you’re back in business a moment later. Excellent design.

There is a larger water reservoir available as an option - which I recommend if you have more than one coffee or tea drinker in your household, because you’re going to be using this appliance a lot. The convenience of not having to refill the water as often will pay for itself over time.

You will notice the noise the unit makes while brewing. It’s a little noisier than you might be used to in the typical drip coffeemaker. The sound is actually just the pump that brings the water from the reservoir and through the pod. We find it to be useful because when the sound stops, the drink is ready. It’s a great way to know the drink is ready - and it’s not all that noisy compared to popcorn popping in a microwave, or kids fighting over the remote during saturday morning cartoons.

Another thing you will notice is the excellent head of cappucino-style foam that is created on top of every cup of coffee. How the machine does that I have no idea, but it’s really quite nice. Other similar machines that use K cups (you know who you are) don’t seem to be able to equal the foamy topping that the Senseo automatically creates at the end of the brewing cycle.

For your decor, you have the selection of black, white, powder blue, or red. The black is available in more point of sale stores that we’ve found, but online all colors are available.

Money Saving Note:

Pods are recommended by the manufacturer to be used only once. In the same logic that shampoo makers tell you to apply, rinse, and repeat only to boost sales… using a pod only once is just a waste of perfectly good coffee. One use pods might be just the thing if your taste in coffee was honed in the military (notorious for strong coffee). To get the most for your money, however, we’ve found that pods can be reused at least two or three times with perfectly good cups of coffee resulting. When the coffee gets a little weak, replace the pod. (We aren’t strong coffee drinkers). In this manner, we’ve calculated that our cups of coffee are costing us under 20 cents each. On average, that’s not bad at all!

Pods are best bought online. Free shipping with orders of 50 bucks from most distributors, and the pods store in their sealed individual packs until you use them, so order away!

Don’t forget to try the excellent varieties of flavor coffees for treats and after dinner. We love the hazelnut caramel varieties. Also try the excellent teas that are available. Again, try to get two or three cups each from the teapods.

Overall, the pod life is upon us. Pods for our personal music, pods for our personal hot beverages. Pretty soon we’ll be travelling around in car pods!

Oh yeah, I saw Steve Martin drive one of those in The Pink Panther. Pods… gotta love ‘em.

Surprised by the quality of the coffee Philips HD 7810 Espresso Machine I was offered a free Senseo coffee maker through a "Share Senseo" promotion that Philips was having. I paid $15 s...

So convenient Philips HD 7810 Espresso Machine I got my Senseo through a promotion on www.sharesenseo.com. I paid $15 for the machine, a pack of coffee pods, an...

A great frothy cup of coffee Philips HD 7810 Espresso Machine A wonderful Gift I received the Phillips Senseo HD-7810 for Christmas. I know that this review says it is called...

Good Machine, Lousy (Senseo) Pods Philips HD 7810 Espresso Machine I received my Philips Senseo for free in some sort of online contest. It came with a bunch of medium roast coffee...

Excellent coffee if you make your own pods Philips HD 7810 Espresso Machine I bought my Senseo recently. When I received it, I went right out and bought a package of the Douwe Egberts pods ...

Philips Senseo Compared to Melitta One:One Philips HD 7810 Espresso Machine Being the only coffee drinker in my home, I was intrigued by the these single serve coffee machines. I love my 12 ...

Is There Life Before Coffee? Phillips Senseo Philips HD 7810 Espresso Machine

It Changed My Life Philips HD 7810 Espresso Machine