I purchased a Senseo machine going on a year ago, and while it made good coffee, I had several issues with the machine's performance. Several times, the water would back up and come out the sides of the unit without going through the normal pod-filter route. This happened a couple of times, but the machine ultimately ended up in the garbage (in pieces) after one night it ran through its cycle, but no coffee was in my mug. I tried to get the lid up, but it would not budge. The vacuum created was so powerful, that when I pulled fairly hard, the lid broke off and I cut my finger. I sent an e-mail to their customer care, as I had registered the unit. They wrote back with some directions as how to resolve the problem, and I told them it was a little late for that, and that I would like to replace the unit hoping I'd at least get some kind of a discount on another purchase. They transferred me to somebody at Philips, the Senseo maker, and I never heard anything back. I Followed up with an e-mail a month later and said I assumed their non-response indicated they didn't care whether I replaced it with a rival machine or not. So... I did.
After doing a bunch of research, I considered the new Tassimo at $169, the Keirug Special Edition at $199, and the Flavia Fusion, at $119. I noted a lot of complaints on the Tassimo on Amazon.com, and the selection and price ($9.99 for 18 T-discs) was a little much, especially compared to 18 pods from Senseo at over $4.00. For those unfamiliar, in order to get a "full" cup of coffee, you really need to brew with two pods at once, and the T-discs appeared to be the same. So, with that info at hand and not seeing $2 a drink as that much of a bargain, coupled with the average user reviews, I struck the Tassimo off the list.
The Keirug looked promising, and had 4.5 stars. The Special Edition, while pricey, allows for three different brew sizes (the largest being 9+ ounces, a little closer to a normal coffee cup). The unit, unlike the its other models (or the Tassimo for that matter) could accomodate a travel mug underneath. Added features included brushed chrome and backlight display (the water tank looks as though it glows blue). Unfortunately, I couldn't locate this other than on-line, so... I headed over to Sharper Image to look at the Flavia.
The Flavia has probably the broadest assortment of drinks, 30+, including an assortment of coffees, teas, and well-being drinks, all created by Mars/M&M company. The unit comes in some funky colors (I liked the iced-blue, but sadly, the store I was at only carried black), as well as a drink medley pack with a Flavia travel mug. The samples inside include 16 different types of coffees and 10 different teas/wellness drinks, a couple of hot-chocolate packs and toppings packs for cappucinos. Various drinks can be made by combining several of the packs (esspresso with the cappucino pack, just brewed separately one after the other).
The Flavia had the highest customer satisfaction (5 stars), but the fewest reviews (12). The costs of the packs appear to be reasonable, with a case of 100 espressos for approximately $40 something dollars from the manufacturer's website (though I've read they can be purchased cheaper elsewhere). I've only used the machine a handful of times, but am very happy with it so far. It's about the easiest thing to use, simply snapping the packet in place and touching a button. The filter is built right into the packet, which you throw away after the use, so you don't have to worry about the different drink tastes carrying over to other usages. The unit also allows you to select the size of your brew, adding more water for larger sizes and presumably allowing it to brew a little longer. Nonetheless, the few I've tried have tasted pretty good. The adjustable height of the fountain is an added benefit as well, since I can place the mug underneath, press a button and be out the door within a minute.
One machine I was interested in that I unfortunately did not get a chance to try was the Simplehuman brand, which also had a high user rating. Nonetheless, the Flavia appears to have been a worthwhile purchase for its simplicity and versatility.
After doing a bunch of research, I considered the new Tassimo at $169, the Keirug Special Edition at $199, and the Flavia Fusion, at $119. I noted a lot of complaints on the Tassimo on Amazon.com, and the selection and price ($9.99 for 18 T-discs) was a little much, especially compared to 18 pods from Senseo at over $4.00. For those unfamiliar, in order to get a "full" cup of coffee, you really need to brew with two pods at once, and the T-discs appeared to be the same. So, with that info at hand and not seeing $2 a drink as that much of a bargain, coupled with the average user reviews, I struck the Tassimo off the list.
The Keirug looked promising, and had 4.5 stars. The Special Edition, while pricey, allows for three different brew sizes (the largest being 9+ ounces, a little closer to a normal coffee cup). The unit, unlike the its other models (or the Tassimo for that matter) could accomodate a travel mug underneath. Added features included brushed chrome and backlight display (the water tank looks as though it glows blue). Unfortunately, I couldn't locate this other than on-line, so... I headed over to Sharper Image to look at the Flavia.
The Flavia has probably the broadest assortment of drinks, 30+, including an assortment of coffees, teas, and well-being drinks, all created by Mars/M&M company. The unit comes in some funky colors (I liked the iced-blue, but sadly, the store I was at only carried black), as well as a drink medley pack with a Flavia travel mug. The samples inside include 16 different types of coffees and 10 different teas/wellness drinks, a couple of hot-chocolate packs and toppings packs for cappucinos. Various drinks can be made by combining several of the packs (esspresso with the cappucino pack, just brewed separately one after the other).
The Flavia had the highest customer satisfaction (5 stars), but the fewest reviews (12). The costs of the packs appear to be reasonable, with a case of 100 espressos for approximately $40 something dollars from the manufacturer's website (though I've read they can be purchased cheaper elsewhere). I've only used the machine a handful of times, but am very happy with it so far. It's about the easiest thing to use, simply snapping the packet in place and touching a button. The filter is built right into the packet, which you throw away after the use, so you don't have to worry about the different drink tastes carrying over to other usages. The unit also allows you to select the size of your brew, adding more water for larger sizes and presumably allowing it to brew a little longer. Nonetheless, the few I've tried have tasted pretty good. The adjustable height of the fountain is an added benefit as well, since I can place the mug underneath, press a button and be out the door within a minute.
One machine I was interested in that I unfortunately did not get a chance to try was the Simplehuman brand, which also had a high user rating. Nonetheless, the Flavia appears to have been a worthwhile purchase for its simplicity and versatility.
