Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
Uniquely designed, this coffeemaker brews a single serving of fresh gourmet coffee at the touch of a button. Because the machine uses premeasured coffee pods, the system is hassle-free, is easy to clean, and guarantees a flavorful, fresh brew each time.  Measuring 13-1/2 by 12 by 8-1/2 inches, the coffeemaker is shaped like a curved cylinder with a round base. Two pod holders are included: a shallow holder that holds one coffee pod for one cup, and a deeper filter that holds two pods for two cups (or one 8-ounce mug). After filling the removable reservoir with fresh water to the "max" line, the pods are inserted and the lid locked into place. A simple push of the "on/off" button and either of the one- or two-cup buttons starts the brewing process. Up to five 4-ounce cups can be brewed on one reservoir of water. Cups are not included, but almost any 4-ounce cup or 8-ounce mug will do the trick. All the removable parts--the pod holders, reservoir, coffee spout, plastic drip tray, and metal cup tray--are dishwasher-safe. The coffeemaker carries a two-year limited warranty and a variety of coffee pods are available separately. Also, Senseo was awarded the ChefsBest award for best performing single-serve coffee appliance. The ChefsBest Award for Performance is awarded to the brand rated highest overall among leading brands by independent professional chefs. --Ann Bieri From the Manufacturer  | The Senseo coffeemaker combines an integrated brewing system from Philips Electronics with high quality coffee pods from Sara Lee's Douwe Egberts brand, one of Europe's premiere coffee brands for more than 250 years, to create a perfect cup of coffee. The result of over 7 years of research and development, this coffeemaker brews a consistent, balanced cup of coffee each time with a unique frothy coffee layer. Brewing a sensational cup of fresh, gourmet coffee every time, at the touch of a button, the Senseo is perfect for coffee lovers of all varieties. The Senseo's mild pressure system heats water to 205 degrees fahrenheit in a boiler consistently every time. Via the mild pressure system, the heated water is forced through the machine and is evenly distributed over the pre-measured coffee pod(s.) Exiting through a pinhole in the pod tray, the newly brewed Senseo coffee is projected into the base of the patented "frothing chamber" where it is lightly aerated to produce the frothy coffee layer. The machine brews at 1.2 bars. Espresso machines typically brew at 9 bars or higher and drip brewers do not use pressure. The machine then distributes either individual or double servings of gourmet Senseo coffee simultaneously--the whole process taking on average only 45 seconds. | | Easy to Use, Flavorful Results  | The Senseo is simple to use--start by filling the handy removable reservoir up to the "max" line. Then, insert the pods you are using, and lock the lid into place. Next, push the "on/off" button and the brewing process begins with either one or two cups. You can brew up to five 4-ounce cups on a single reservoir of water. To make clean up easy, the removable parts, including pod holders, reservoir, coffee spout, plastic drip tray, and metal cup tray, are dishwasher-safe. Senseo offers a varied selection of blends and flavors. In addition to the first four original blends, Mild, Medium, Dark, and Decaffeinated, you can also choose from Paris Vanilla Bistro, Killarney Irish Creamery, Vienna Hazelnut Waltz, Senseo Sumatra, and Senseo Cappuccino. Senseo Cappuccino`s specially designed pod contains premium coffee with a separate layer of creamer housed in an innovative "honeycomb" to ensure it blends evenly with the coffee. The result is an extra luxurious cappuccino, at the touch of a button, with no extra steps involved. | | Senseo Features - The first single-serve coffee system that delivers a fresh, consistent cup of gourmet coffee in under a minute
- Fast and easy to use
- Brews high-quality, great-tasting premium coffee available in varieties to suit every taste
- Customizable to ensure your get exactly the cup of coffee you want, every time
- Revolutionizing the at-home coffee by providing gourmet cup of coffee at the touch of a button
- Attractive solution for the coffee lover seeking convenience without sacrificing taste
- Specially designed pre-measured pods, mean virtually no clean-up
- Sleek, modern design, available in five colors: cobalt blue, black, white, and red
- Measures 13-1/2 by 12 by 8-1/2 inches
- Includes two pod holders: a shallow holder that holds one coffee pod for one cup, and a deeper filter that holds two pods for two cups (or one 8-ounce mug).
- Up to five 4-ounce cups can be brewed on one reservoir of water
- All removable parts are dishwasher-safe
- Two-year limited warranty
Product Description
The combination of Philips unique brewing system and convenient coffee pods from Douwe Egberts ensures the best in flavor and aroma as every cup of coffee is freshly brewed. Douwe Egberts uses only 100% natural, premium coffee. The patented brewing system combines the perfect balance of water and coffee, while the 1450 watt boiler keeps the water at optimal temperature for brewing. This machine has created a coffee revolution in Europe, with over 5 million pieces sold! Unique to this machine is the velvety smooth frothy coffee layer it creates on top of each serving. See for yourself what has the sophisticated European coffee audience so excited.
| Customer Reviews: Read 793 more reviews...
 Great Machine ... with the Right Pods October 12, 2004
JennMars (NJ)
71 out of 72 found this review helpful
I recently had to replace my dear Cuisinart Grind & Brew. To my taste, it made about the best coffee ever. The tradeoff for the great coffee was a clean-up job involving the scrubbing and drying of several parts of the coffee maker. In my search for a replacement, I decided to see if I could find something that would make equally good coffee, but be less of a pain to clean.
Senseo seemed to meet my needs. Many of the negative reviews of both the Cuisinart and the Senseo were that the coffee wasn't strong enough. I figured that since I like the Cuisinart coffee, the Senseo should be just fine. The coffee pods would greatly reduce preparation and clean-up time.
I followed the instructions for flushing and cleaning the Senseo, and prepared my first cup. WOW -- it was TERRIBLE! But that was with two decaf pods. The next morning, I tried it with one dark roast and one decaf, and it was still pretty undrinkable. I've never had coffee that managed to be too weak and bitter simultaneously, but the Senseo branded pods by Douwe Egberts managed to accomplish that trick!
I spent much of that morning looking for suggestions on the Internet, and ordered pods from easypods.co.uk and alohaislandcoffee.com. While we waited for the new pods to arrive, my husband and I continued to try different mixes of Senseo pods, but couldn't find an acceptable combination.
We were, however, totally sold on the convenience of the Senseo machine. We haven't had too much trouble with the smaller carafe; we make two mugs of coffee, and put another pot of water on to heat while we drink them. The coffee pods probably cost about $1 more a day to use than regular coffee, but the ease of use and clean-up is worth it to us. The only thing I don't like about the machine is that my commuter mug is too tall to fit under the spouts, even with the drip tray removed. I put a measuring cup under the spout to catch the coffee and pour it easily into the travel cup.
Finally, the new pods arrived -- and they did the trick. We get hot, delicious coffee. In fact, we probably drink more coffee now than we used to; we'll brew up a couple of cups of after-dinner decaf, which we never would have done with the old machine.
If you're sold on the concept of Senseo, but worried about the taste of the coffee, do yourself a favor and use non-Senseo pods from the beginning.
PROS: Super-simple preparation and clean-up; delicious coffee, if you order pods that are not the Senseo brand.
CONS: The pods made for the machine make terrible tasting coffee; not enough clearance under the spouts.
People are silly... October 6, 2004
Gary D. Foster (Clyde, CA)
27 out of 27 found this review helpful
I recently bought this coffee maker and I have to say, being a coffee snob, that this is far better than my old drip unit that I replaced. It's not as good as my French press, or as good as my pump espresso machine, but it FAR surpasses normal drip coffee.
The machine is simple to use, simple to clean, and (when used with *good* coffee pods) makes an excellent cup of coffee in nothing flat with almost no cleanup required. An excellent benefit to this machine is the ability to make a few cups of coffee quickly, with no muss or fuss and zero wastage. I used to end up throwing away half a pot of drip coffee when it sat too long and started tasting off but that's never the case anymore.
For those who are unfamiliar with how it works, I'll explain a little. A normal drip coffee maker sprays hot water over a loose bed of coffee grounds, and as it drips through the grinds it picks up the oils and essences of the coffee. An espresso machine pumps steam through a tightly packed bed of finely ground coffee, extracting most of the "essence" of the coffee as espresso. This unit lies somewhere in between. It pumps pressurized hot water through a small "pod" of coffee (basically a small round pillow of loose ground coffee in a sealed filter).
Using the machine is utter simplicity. You fill the tank with water and turn it on. It heats up very quickly (under a minute) and is ready to brew. You lift a handle on top of the unit and insert one or two coffee pods (there are two filter baskets, one for a single pod and one for a double pod). You use one pod if you're making a 4 oz cup (which seems to be standard for Europe) and 2 pods if you are making a normal American 8 oz cuppa joe. Each pod holds about 8 grams of ground coffee.
You push the handle back down and lock it, sealing the pressure unit. Place your cup under the spout, push the 1 or 2 cup button (4 oz or 8 oz) and in about 45 secs you have a nice fresh hot cup of coffee, complete with a faux "crema" on top. To clean up, just lift the handle again, pick up the filter basket, flip the pods in the trash, run the filter holder under the faucet for a sec to rinse it and replace. That's it!
I'd like to take a moment to say "ha ha" to all the people who are (a) spouting on about you can only use one brand of coffee or (b) whining about the "horrible" coffee that this thing produces. For the record, the Douwe Egberts (Sara Lee) coffee that is "branded" with this machine is, in my opinion, hideous. However, after buying some *excellent* 62mm coffee pods from another distributor, I can say that this coffee is most excellent. Yes, Phillips claims that you should only use "their" coffee in it but that's just silly.
I cannot believe that you people honestly believe the manufacturer when they say "oh gosh, you can ONLY use our coffee" and then complain about it? Do you people also only buy the factory branded razor blades for your handles? Do you believe that you can only put shell gasoline in your car? When a recipe calls for Kraft brand catsup do you throw out your bottle of Heinz? Don't be silly, of course you don't, so why would you do the same thing here?
There are tons of people making Senseo-compatible pods. Look for the 62mm size pods on google and throw away those nasty Douwe Egberts ones, please... basing your reviews and judgment of this machine on the Douwes coffee shipped with it does not do it justice. Put some GOOD coffee in it and you'll be very impressed, as I was. It's also nice to have a lot wider variety of coffee to choose from then just "dark/medium/light/decaf" especially when you are entertaining people with different tastes.
I heartily give this machine two thumbs up and will probably be buying a few for Christmas presents this year... conveniently packaged with care packages of *good* coffee and lists of sites to order refills from.
Re-defines Coffee Makers July 11, 2004
26 out of 27 found this review helpful
Many of you aren't old enough to remember when the "Mr. Coffee" type drip makers began to replace the old percolators which had graced kitchen counters for generations. I've got a feeling the Senseo type makers are going to be that revolutionary. I've been using mine for two months now, and I feel I have enough experience to write a legitimate review. The coffee tastes great -- I'm mostly a decaf drinker, even in the morning, and I can't tell any difference between the decaf and "real" coffee. Now here's a tip: you are supposed to use two pods to make a full mug, but unless you favor the really strong "espresso" style, most will find one pod makes a great mug of coffee. And yes, I tried "Folgers" pods from my local K-Mart and they work just fine, with the nice head of foam you get with the Douwe-Egberts branded coffee. The negatives, while not great, may give you some pause. Here they are: Mugs have a hard time fitting under the spouts (yes, there are two of them.) Why couldn't Phillips have raised this just a tad? Mugs taller than 9.8cm, may have to be tipped -- and spilled a little-- to fit under the spouts. It is my understanding this machine was first developed for the European market, where consumers prefer small, strong coffees, not the bladder bursting mega-cups so common in the American market. Hence, the small-cup design. You may want to measure your mugs before purchasing. The machine is noisy, but it's not awful. And I've never seen pods in my local grocery stores, but this will change over time. However, Sam's, Target and K-Mart carry them. Also, I'm reviewing the larger reservoir model from Sam's Club, which, while handy, takes up more counter space, since it sits further out from the wall. Because of these small imperfections, I feel this deserves closer to 4 stars, but I'm giving it five merely to counter the bizarre review below (one star) from the person who admittedly didn't even own one. Amazon should edit this stuff. And here's a funny negative (not really.) I'm drinking a lot more coffee because it's so easy to make! Frankly, you can't go wrong here. I'm getting more of these for Christmas gifts.
IF YOU'RE STILL CONFUSED... December 30, 2005
M. Stanford
24 out of 25 found this review helpful
If (like me) reading the reviews of this product has only made you more confused, let me try and help clear up some things. Even though the Senseo was rated 4 out of 5 stars, I was leery of purchasing one because of the negative things I read. I finally decided to purchase one and see for myself. If you are reading these reviews I assume you are considering purchasing one so rather than tout all the positive features of the Senseo, let me address the complaints others had in order to put your mind at ease. Here is what I found:
1) SIZE OF UNIT - To address complaints about the size of the machine, let me say it is no larger than any other coffee maker I've seen. Not a problem.
2) PREP TIME/PRIMING THE MACHINE - The only time you have to flush it is the first time you use it and then about every 3 months when you clean it. Other than that, it takes about 90 seconds to heat the water and about 30 seconds to brew it. I wait in line at Starbucks longer than that. No problem.
3) NOISE - To anyone complaining about the noise, get a life. I found the noise no louder than my dishwasher and only during the 30 second or so brewing phase. (The priming/flushing of the system was admittedly louder, but I can handle this every 3 months or so. No problem.
4) TEMPERATURE - As far as I'm concerned the temperature is perfect, hot, but doesn't scald the tongue. However, for those of you that add milk it could perhaps make the coffee cooler than desirable. On the rare occasions I add flavored creamer to mine, I zap it in the microwave for 20 seconds or so while the coffee is brewing. Problem solved.
5) LEAKING - Mine does not leak. With all the satisfied Senseo customers, apparently most don't. I can only assume anyone complaining of a leak must have a defective product. Unfortunate and unlikely, exchange it. Not a problem.
6) MUG SIZE - I don't know what kind of coffee cups these people have. Most of mine are about 4" and they work fine. The spout easily has a clearance of a little over 4 1/2" without tilting the cup at all. That said, you can also remove the drip plate and tray which adds about 2" to that clearance. I easily slid a 6" drinking glass under it when I did this. Am I the only one who thought to do this? Problem solved.
7) TASTE - When I brewed my first cup of Senseo coffee, I almost put the thing back in the box and returned it. I was so disappointed. But I wasn't ready to give up yet; I had too much time, research, and high hopes invested in this product. I knew several other companies made coffee pods and decided to give them a try before I gave up. Boy am I glad I did! I found several others that I like much better. In the meantime the Senseo brand has grown on me. I don't think I would buy it, but I'll use the ones I have now. Also read #9 for another option. Problem solved.
8) SIZE OF WATER RESEVOIR - Since Senseo is designed to brew one cup at a time, and they recommend using fresh water every day, the 20 oz. resevoir it comes with is sufficient. If you need more than 20 ozs. a day, you probably need more than a single cup brewer. That having been said, I have no intention of changing the water every day. I will use it until it's gone, then refill it. Therefore, I would prefer a larger tank, but as long as they carry a $20 price tag, I won't be buying one any time soon. Not really a problem.
9) COST/VARIETY/AVAILABILITY - Cost, variety and availability I have lumped together because they can be easily solved with the purchase of one additional accessory, a refillable coffee holder. Presto makes one called "My Pod". There's another called "Ecopad". Either can be purchased for around $10. Once you have one of these, you can use any type of coffee you want. So for price, variety, and availability, your options are endless. No matter how you do it, keep in mind you are only paying for what you actually drink. No more half pots of coffee poured down the drain, wasted. This is bound to offset any additional costs. Problem solved.
10) CLEANING - I really don't understand anyone complaining that it's difficult to clean. Let's see...You take two fingers (actually one finger and a thumb) to lift the pod holder from the unit, you turn it upside down over the trashcan, thusly dislodging the pod from the pod holder, then using the other hand you turn on the water faucet and position the pod holder under the running water for exactly 2/3 of a second to rinse it. That's it! You're done! If this is too difficult for you, there's a Starbucks on every corner in America where not only can you get a great cup of coffee, but they clean up for you too. NOT a problem.
That about sums it up. Overall, I am very satisfied with mine. The only drawback I've noticed is that I drink more coffee than I used to because it's so convenient. Before buying a Senseo I rarely made coffee at home because it wasn't worth all the trouble when I was the only one drinking it. Now all I have to do is put in a pod and push a button. When my mon comes to visit and wants decaf, I don't have to make a special pot; I keep decaf pods just for her. I have a friend who likes flavored coffee, but her husband only likes "the real stuff" (as he calls it). With Senseo everyone can have what they want.
If your household only drinks a cup or two of coffee a day, or if you have very different tastes (i.e. regular, decaf, flavored, etc.) I'd recommend you go ahead and purchase a Senseo. With over 500 reviews this product averages 4 out of 5 stars. You can't go wrong.
...Don't open it before you take it to the office. July 14, 2004
Kimberly Smith (Harrison, AR)
23 out of 24 found this review helpful
My husband and I are hooked.
I bought this little thing at Sam's (it's packaged with the extra large water reservoir there) to take to work so that I didn't have to drink office swill anymore. I was thinking that I could have my dark roast, my officemates could have their light roast, the caffeine-sensitive could have their decaf, and we'd all be happy.I made a mistake: I hooked it up at home and let my husband try it. It will likely never leave our kitchen countertop. Some random info: --Two cups is a full mug of coffee. Not five, as a recent review states.
--We have a set of glass "cappuccino mugs" (from Bormioli, I believe) that are perfectly sized and beautifully present a single cup. Highly recommended.
--The extra large reservoir is very nice to have.
--We're very happy with the Dutch coffee. However, look for www.cafepods.com to offer 62mm Senseo-sized pods for the U.S. market (ie without outrageous European shipping costs) in the near future. So many have written on the virtues of this little machine that I don't have much to add other than a very enthusiastic "me, too!" Prepare to be impressed.
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