Single Cup Coffee Makers (need guidance)

December 21, 2005 8:03 AM

So, at this late stage in the game (aka - Christmas Shopping), my Mom has expressed interest in the single-cup coffee makers such as the Senseo. She currently gets Gevalia coffee and says that they have one as well. The last I heard about these things, the coffee 'pods' were incompatible between brands, but otherwise they were very useful machines. I also vaguely remember hearing about one person who figured out how to make their own coffee pouches. Has anyone had experience with these machine and have any recommendations?
posted by Ikazuchi to Food & Drink (27 answers total)

You've probably come across it by now, but SingleServeCoffee.com is a whole site devoted to the topic.
posted by staggernation at 8:19 AM on December 21, 2005

I have a Keurig and am satisfied enough with it that I would recommend it. Although its coffee not quite as good as coffee-shop joe, it's very drinkable and has never given me a bad cup. I believe Keurig also has the one of largest number of single-cup coffee and tea choices.

As far as I know, it's not possible to (easily) make your own pouches ("K-Cups") for the Keurig. I wouldn't want to anyway, since one of the reasons I bought it is for the individual packages, which keep the coffee fresher, longer. Before the Keurig, I would waste a lot of coffee because it would go stale before I could use it.
posted by blue mustard at 8:19 AM on December 21, 2005

I've tried the Senseo and it was terrible.

I tried two different Senseo-branded coffee pouches and they both produced weak instant-like coffee. Worst. Coffee. Ever.
posted by sveskemus at 8:23 AM on December 21, 2005

Nespresso coffee is good though their machines seem to be more expensive than the rest. The office of a French company I worked in had this machine (not sure of US availability) and the (notoriously coffee snob) people there recommended it highly.
posted by patricio at 8:44 AM on December 21, 2005

alt.coffee's denizens like the design of pod machines, hate the coffee. There has been discussion there about how to make your own pods, or otherwise hack the system).

I'd recommend a press pot if she doesn't have one, or, if she is adventurous, a popcorn popper and instructions on how to roast coffee.
posted by QIbHom at 8:47 AM on December 21, 2005

I have a Black and Decker Home Cafe.

Pros: Price. Easy to find pouches, make other types work in it, or make your own (I use Ecopads.)

Cons: The noise, the noise, the noise. I've also occasionally ended up with a burnt-tasting cup, mostly because I'm trying a new pod configuration and overstuff the chamber.

My personal cheapness aside, I've liked having a single serve coffee machine a lot. No waste, fast cleanup, better coffee than I'd make for myself any other way.
posted by gnomeloaf at 8:48 AM on December 21, 2005

I like my Senseo a lot, but I find the Douwe Egberts pod coffee kind of meh (and wasteful, after years of using a gold filter on a drip pot) and prefer Ecopads as well.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:59 AM on December 21, 2005

I was going to get something along these lines for myself, but the proprietary packets really turned me off. I picked up a Toddy system for less than half the price of a normal machine and I couldn't be happier. It's not a mechanical device, so there are no parts to breakdown. The process is incredibly simple and the majority of it is hands off. You end up with a bulk concentrate that can be dispensed as desired (strength, hot/cold, etc), and stays in the fridge for around two weeks. I got one for my mom and she's converted after years of complicated machines, presses, etc. Great tasting results as well - I can barely slug down the workplace joe anymore. Just thought it would be worth considering!
posted by prostyle at 9:05 AM on December 21, 2005

There are more traditional alternatives that offer the same exact benefits- no mess, quick to load, easy disposal- but none of the disadvantages- the limited selection, the not-quite-espresso result, the complete lack of adjustability, etc. All of Illy's machines can take the Illy pods, and there are adaptors available for most manufacturers' machines. This also lets you make traditional espresso, lattes, etc. as well as using the pods. Mom can try the new gourmet coffee her friend is raving about, she can grab some, pre-ground, from a local cafe, she can use gifts of coffee she's given... I really can't recommend the pod machines at all. I have yet to have a good cup of coffee from one.
But what's a good alternative? I really like stovetop espresso makers. They are quicker to heat up than regular espresso machines, and dirt cheap! a two-shot can be had for under US$20. You can send her a year's worth of assorted ground coffees if you like- or find a new one every month. On preview: the ecopad takes away ALL the advantages of the pod system. But does reduce waste.
posted by wzcx at 9:08 AM on December 21, 2005

We got a Braun Tassimo a couple of months ago and we love it. Very easy & quick. My kids are addicted to the Hot Chocolate.

They sell the systems and the refills at Best Buy.
posted by UncleHornHead at 9:17 AM on December 21, 2005

I'd recommend a Toddy AND an ingenuiTEA set from Adagio. I think I'm too purist to think a specialized machine with proprietary refills can out-taste, out-last, or be more cost-effective than a simple mechanical device invented hundreds to thousands of years ago - still used today.
posted by kcm at 9:46 AM on December 21, 2005

Is this a question about espresso makers? If it isn't, there's always a non-electric alternative like the Melitta. If you can boil water, you can make any kind of coffee you want, without pods.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 9:53 AM on December 21, 2005

Response by poster: Just to clarify a few things:
1) My mom usually only makes coffee for one (unless my grandparents are down from Idaho), and the pots she brews now are usually just too big.
2) In addition to coffee, it would be great if the system made hot teas as well, since she like those also (and really all she drinks is tea, coffee, and water - no espresso or other coffee-like drinks). The thing is, be it tea or coffee, she only drinks decaf (as per doctor's orders). She loves Gevalia coffee, but they only have 2 kinds of decaf pods.
3) I was looking at the pod/K-cups systems cause of, well, advertising really. I actively dislike coffee and am so-so on tea, and this whole 'single-serve coffee pot' idea came up this morning, so instead of wasting a bunch of time at work, I figured I'd mine the amazing resource that is AskMeFi.

I'll start to dig into some of the references above, but if this information helps anyone formulate an answer, phenomenal.
posted by Ikazuchi at 10:21 AM on December 21, 2005

Get her a smaller 4-cup coffee maker, then, which also makes Hot Water that can be poured into a cup for tea (not sure what constitutes a tea machine). Example. Get her the tea set I linked earlier for the tea.
posted by kcm at 10:24 AM on December 21, 2005

I have a FrancisFrancis X3 espresso machine and have tried the Illy pods. I was surprised at the quality--good, not stale, not weak. I don't use them that much these days but wouldn't turn up my nose at them either. (Disclaimer: I like good coffee but would not describe myself as having a coffee geek level of knowledge)

Espresso is more or less supposed to be quick, though, while drip coffee needs time in the water. I think this is why many of these systems don't work very well. They have a Flavia machine at my client's office and the stuff it makes is just awful. I was surprised to see Amazon pushing it so hard.
posted by lackutrol at 10:32 AM on December 21, 2005

I have the automatic Melitta, and I love it so much I had to limit my intake. It heats up very quickly, and the coffee really is good.
posted by headspace at 10:49 AM on December 21, 2005

Just a taste observation - my older office space had a Flavia machine, and my new space has a Keurig; the coffee from the Keurig is much better than the Flavia. I've considered getting a Keurig for home.
posted by jalexei at 11:04 AM on December 21, 2005

I bought for my parents a Senseo. They use the Black and Decker Home Cafe Hazlenut pods with no problems—most of them are similar enough in design that they're interchangeable, which I believe was your original question.

This was last year. They still use the machine every day and enjoy the coffee that comes out of it. If it's ever too weak, the chamber allows for two pods to be stacked. Using purified water, the coffee is pretty damn decent, but I'm not a coffee snob.

Check the return policy and jump on it. It's completely simple to set up: Fill reservoir, place cup, lift lid, place pod, close lid, press button, press button again. Done and done.
Clean up is pretty much: Open lid, remove & discard pod, sponge/towel lightly, close lid.

It's well worth it if your mother isn't used to drinking ultra-premium coffee involving hand-chosen beans, grown on the shadowed side of the northern Nepalese AND Columbian foothills, which SHE then grinds—by hand, using a stone passed down by a blind Gyuto Monk in a humble act of servitude toward his karma. I'm just sayin'.
posted by disillusioned at 11:19 AM on December 21, 2005

I make my coffee cup-by-cup using a Swissgold filter. I've been using the same one for over four years, and it's still good as new.

It's also possible to make your own coffee pods if you find the branded ones aren't to your taste.
posted by essexjan at 11:29 AM on December 21, 2005

The Tassimo system I mentioned above makes single cups in about 45 seconds and does have Earl Grey tea pods as well.
posted by UncleHornHead at 11:35 AM on December 21, 2005

ugh. PLEASE PLEASE do not make tea with these contraptions regardless of your feelings towards their coffee ability. tea is so utterly not suited for quick infusion in cramped pods. even the mesh tea-balls suck hard. PLEASE infuse your tea responsibly and for the love of $GOD use loose leaf tea.
posted by kcm at 11:39 AM on December 21, 2005

I received the Black and Decker Home Cafe as a birthday gift a little over a year ago. I thought I would hate it. But I love it.

You can use pretty much any pod in it (I have never been able to find the ones you're "supposed" to use with it!), it's fast, easy to clean, and it makes a decent cup of coffee.

It is REALLY LOUD though. But not loud enough that I don't use it.
posted by suchatreat at 11:48 AM on December 21, 2005

My mom tasted coffee from the flavia machine at my father's workplace and liked it so much that she wanted one for Christmas. Last year we gave her coffee of the month from Gevalia, so I would assume it's comparable in flavor.
posted by sugarfish at 12:01 PM on December 21, 2005

I've had a senseo for a little over a year, and it's fine. I like good, short-shot americanos and hate the whole starbucks/peets burned coffee thing, and I would give it a consistent 6-7 out of 10. I never have a bad cup of coffee from it, and it is very simple and not messy. When I want to make a really good cup, I grind my own and pull out the french press. But that doesn't work for my get-out-of-the-house-with-the-kids routine every day, and the senseo does. We got my mother in law the same machine at the same time, and she uses it all the time and has no complaints. All of the pods we've found in grocery stores, Target, etc. fit and work fine. You can fiddle with the strength by using more pods per cup, etc.

If you really want to use it with ground coffee, there's always the mypod. Arguably such refillables defeat the point of "easy" coffee, and as has been pointed out above, these machines won't make the most of high-quality coffee, so if you've got some good stuff on hand and you have to grind it anyway, just use a french press or something else that will give the grounds more contact time with the water.

Finally, the senseo seems to make green tea (which doesn't require the heat and brewing time of black tea) just fine; two Republic of Tea's circular bags fit well in the single pod thing on the senseo.
posted by mabelstreet at 12:50 PM on December 21, 2005

Some of the systems do have compatible pods, but the one I've chosen, the Keurig, has a proprietary cup sort of a thing called a K-cup. I've been using my Keurig for over a year now, and I couldn't be happier. I love the Green Mountain coffee, and I really do feel the taste is comparable to coffee-store coffee. It's not cheap, but there's no waste at all.
posted by houseofdanie at 2:21 PM on December 21, 2005

I second essexjan's suggestion of a SwissGold 1 cup filter for your mother. They are inexpensive, portable, easy to rinse after use and make wonderful coffee. I actually keep extras on hand to give to friends who become addicted to good coffee while visiting.
posted by QIbHom at 3:34 PM on December 21, 2005

I'll add my voice to the small chorus in support of Keurig. My wife and I love ours.
posted by cerebus19 at 4:44 PM on December 21, 2005