Senseo

I have been loosing myself in cup after cup of delicious, frothy goodness for the past two years, all because I own a Senseo coffee maker.

The Senseo is, above all, a gourmet coffee machine that saves you money and time. Making 1-2 cups of creamy, frothy coffee in less than a minute, and starting at as little as $30 (with a coupon), it is one of the most frugal deals in fine home beverage creation. I literally have not had a better cup of plain, simple coffee, even at a gourmet coffee house.

It also has two different size inserts available for your machine so that you can adjust the strength of your brew by varying the number of pods you use. The buttons have pictures instead of words under them, and the process is so simple that even a child could use it. We also like to use it to heat water for hot cocoa, hot vanilla, and spiced cider.

Heating the water only when needed, only in the amount needed, and turning itself off automatically saves electricity too.

I was truly amazed by how easy it is to clean! All of the removable parts are dishwasher safe, and the silver drain cover comes off to reveal a reservoir for spilled coffee that can be easily removed and dumped without having to drag the whole machine across the kitchen or office. The outside of the machine can easily be wiped down with a damp rag.

There were some things I didn’t like about the Senseo, don’t get me wrong. The default reservoir is bit too small for my liking, holding only 4-6 cups worth of water. When the button says one cup, it means one cup, the measurement. I have to push the button for two cups under it to fill my huge mug of morning coffee.

After a year or so of use, the printing on the machine started to come off, making the coffee-creation process require verbal instruction for folks who have never seen one before.

I'm frugal to a fault, so when I saw that you had to buy specially made pods for the Senseo, I decided there had to be another way. I must have frothy tea too, I reasoned, I don’t want to pay that much for coffee when I can’t have my own custom blend, and I want my own preferred gourmet coffee to be brewed this nicely. I needed to create a reusable brewing pod for my machine!

Luckily, I wasn't alone in my idea. On a trip to the dreaded big box store, I found the Presto Mypod, a holder for your coffee that fits into your Senseo machine! Unable to resist, I bought it as well as the 100 pack of Mypod filters . It's a great adapter, low priced, and super-easy to clean like the rest of the Senseo, but I missed my 1/4" of froth at the top of my beverage. It is great for non-frothy things like simple teas, but it doesn’t have the “frothing chamber” that the Senseo brand parts have, so I renewed my search.

I found the coveted large water tank for making more gourmet coffee with less trips to the sink (a must for entertaining), the Quick Cup refillable pseudo-pod that replaces the premade pods for the machine, and the Ecopad . The Ecopad is what I was really looking for. The idea that started the search in the first place. It is refillable, easy to clean, and replaces the Senseo pods seamlessly, allowing the full joy of the Senseo to shine through, froth and all.

I eventually expanded my search for the perfect, inexpensive cup of coffee, and discovered a milk frother and a travel version of a frother that could be handily carried in a purse or travel bag. Add in some heavy cream, natural cane sugar, and a flavor shot, and we’re getting into some seriously high-end coffee enjoyment that I suspect would rival even the most decadent coffeehouse treat.

They make a great gift for yourself, your best friend, local community center, or even your boss, so buy the Senseo with gift pack that comes with extra gourmet coffee pods, a thermal travel mug, and other goodies today, and save stress and time this holiday season.

I know I sound a bit gushy here, but this machine just keeps getting better all the time. Example: melting rich dark chocolate into your coffee while it brews for a rich dark mocha...

Starting with amazing on first sight was pretty hard to beat, but the people at Senseo know what they are doing. The introduction of new gourmet flavored coffee pods on a regular basis, tea pods, and more, have made owning the Senseo an experience worth bragging about.

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