Coffee & Espresso Makers Tips

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A coffee sensation! That’s exactly what this Philips Senseo™ Brewing System supplies us with: a sensational coffee, which was introduced in Europe and now is becoming available in the American market. It is full-flavored and creamy coffee with a revolutionary coffee machine!

I received my Senseo™ Brewing System by mail as part of a pre-launch package from the Manufacturer, Philips, with the stipulation that I’d critique it by writing a review with my honest opinion, good or bad.

The Philips Senseo™ Brewing System Package

The Pods

This pre-launch package included 6 18-pod packages of Douwe Egberts Senseo™ Coffee Pods. Coffee pods are flat, round pods packed with ground coffee. Think of teabags, and you’ve got the idea of what a coffee pod is.

I received:

2 pod packages of Mild Roast (36 pods)

2 pod packages of Medium Roast (36 Pods)

1 pod package of De-Caffeinated (18 pods)

1 pod package of Dark Roast (18 pods)

The Philips Senseo™ Coffee Machine HD7810

This is like no coffeemaker I’ve ever seen before. It is a beautiful Senseo™ blue color, rather like country blue, my favorite. I understand that it’s also available in raven black or white.

It is 13” high, 13” deep, and approx. 9” wide.

As you can tell from the picture, the coffeemaker leans forward (ready to go) and has two slim black handles leaning down and outward, toward your cup. As a woman, I’d call it cute as anything.

The top handle is used to lift the cover of the coffeemaker, merely by lifting it up. Inside, there’s the indented spot for the pod holders. and, also, you’ll notice there’s a rubber seal above, which is used to hold the pods & holder firmly in place.

These pod holders are round metal holders with flat black handles. (I thought of a small frying pan to describe their appearance.)

The shallower holder is for a 1-pod cup of coffee (4 fl. Oz)

The deeper holder is for brewing 2 cups of coffee, or 1 mug of coffee.

You merely set a pod in the holder, place the holder inside and close the lid. It will snap into place. The coffee flow outlet unit that holds the pod holder is also removable for cleaning purposes.

The bottom handle is the spout - though it appears to be a handle, this is actually the spout from which our cups get filled. It has two openings, left and right, which let the coffee pour into the cups.

The Water Reservoir

This is a beautiful, removable, cloudy plastic reservoir, with a peg on the bottom, which fits into the water inlet valve.

The reservoir is marked with 1-cup, 2-cup and maximum lines. It is very easy to remove and fill. There’s a hole in the back of the base of the coffeemaker (the inlet) to set the peg in.

The base

The attractive, rounded base of the Senseo™ coffeemaker has a silver slotted, removable, tray for holding your cups. It looks rather like a grill.

Lift the tray, and beneath it is a removable, plastic drip tray set into a well, in case you have a little overflow.

The Controls

There are three buttons on the base.

1. Left button – is marked for one-cup

2. Right button – is marked for two cups.

3. Center button – this is the on/off switch with a red working/ready light in it.

The Cord

It’s not too short, about 3-feet long with a two-prong polarized plug. There is no recess for storing it.

The Manual

There’s a 19-page manual that covers all warnings, instructions for use, and care of the brewing system.

I can’t stress enough the need for us to actually read the manuals that come with appliances, especially the warnings.

The last page describes the full two-year warranty Philips has on this marvelous system.

The Cup

The manufacturer even included a beautiful white cup to use with this brewing system.

Let’s Make Coffee

Be sure to read the manual because it describes how to flush the machine for first-time-use by running clear water through it. But I’ll describe how I actually made the coffee for my husband and myself. I did this flushing prior to making the coffee.

First, I lifted the reservoir, which is quite flat and has a splashguard, and filled it to the maximum line.

Second, I opened the cover, put the two-pod holder inside and placed two Mild Roast pods inside and closed the cover till I felt it snap into place.

Third, I put two cups on the base, side by side, making sure the spout was over each one.

Fourth, I pressed the ON button and immediately the brewer went into action with a happy growl.

The ready light flashes until the water is heated, (up to 90 seconds) a very short time. As soon as the light is steady, I pushed the two-cup button and watched the delicious, creamy coffee quietly pour into the cups.

It is HOT, and I really mean HOT. At this stage, the brewer can be turned off, or it will turn off automatically in about an hour.

The water that remains can be used by another push of the button. The instructions say to use a fresh pod for each cup of coffee, but if I’m going to have another cup in a short while, I use the same pod(s) and am still satisfied with the coffee’s strength.

Note: If making only one cup of coffee, be sure to place the cup directly beneath the spout, because the coffee streams out of both sides. The button you push, determines how much liquid will be released.

My Reaction to the Philips Senseo™ Brewing System

It thrills me. I truly love it. I am a great one for making cups of instant coffee during the afternoon and right after dinner. My husband does not share my enthusiasm for coffee beyond breakfast time, so this has been “my thing” for as long as I can remember.

By drinking instant, though, I’ve had to develop a different taste and sacrifice the full-bodied, wonderful flavor of real coffee.

Consequently, this Senseo™ brewing system gives me back the convenience of a fast cup of coffee, along with superb flavor.

Drawbacks that I see

Not many. I would say the only drawback to this system, is that it delivers such small cups of coffee. I don’t think 4 oz. would satisfy many persons.

However, you can offset this, if making coffee for one person, by placing a mug on the tray and pushing the two-cup button. That way you receive a full 8-oz. cup of coffee. Repeat this process if there are two of you.

I wouldn’t recommend this system if you are having company. But even that could work if your guests desire different strengths of coffee.

Advantages to the Senseo™ Coffee Machine

1. Attractiveness – it’s a beauty.

2. Convenience – No messy coffee grounds.

3. Speed - less than 2 minutes for two cups.

4. Flavor – this coffee is truly delicious and you can vary the strength as you see fit by varying the amount of water you use.

5. I feel like a queen with this wonderful brewing system, like I’m making Expresso or something very special

6. Easy to clean – All parts need only to be rinsed and/or dried. Once a month you can descale as described in the manual.

Recommendation

Anyone who loves good, hot, full-flavored coffee should love this Philips Senseo™ HD7810 Coffee Machine.

So, if you’re tired of messy coffee making and desire a fast cup of coffee during the day or evening hours, this is bound to be a solution.

Thank you so much, Philips. Once again, you’ve made a product to be proud of, and it has been a true thrill to review this wonderful appliance. I love it, and only hope I’ve done it justice.

Thanks for reading my review.

Lorace

©2004

www.senseo.com

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