Bad news for UK Senseo fans - anyone waiting for the new Cappuccino blend to come out here will be waiting in vain, as although the blend is still being advertised on new packets of Senseo and on the Senseo machine boxes, it has been discontinued here since summer.
The reason given to me was that consumers in the UK prefer to use their own fresh milk to make coffee and found that to be more economical. A shame - but Senseo's customer relations pointed out you can make your own version by heating a small amount of milk and sugar in a cup in the microwave, before placing it under your Senseo machine to make a kind of cappuccino.
After having tried the Cappuccino pods I imported, I can't see much to rave about - although they are handy, the powdered milk and sugar combo probably doesn't mesh well with people's ideas about the Senseo being the source of gourmet-style guilty pleasures sipped lustily in the kitchen by women in party frocks and heavy makeup...
Showing posts with label Cappuccino. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cappuccino. Show all posts
Monday, 12 January 2009
Monday, 5 January 2009
Senseo US Blends
From my previous post on Senseo varieties available in Europe, you can see that there's a wide difference between the kinds of pods available for different territories. Whilst in the past it may have been the case that there's more choice for European Senseo owners, the US market has made huge leaps in catching up, and although many new products appear in Europe first (the new Senseo Latte Select being one of them), the US market still has Europe beaten when it comes to choice. 
As well as the Senseo Origins (called Selections in the UK) range, which contains Brazil, Kenya, Colombia and Sumatra blends (the latter not available in the UK), the US also gets Espresso, Cafe Noir, Cappuccino (without topping), Vienna (Hazelnut Waltz), Killarney (Irish Creamery) and Paris (Vanilla Bistro) - all three artificially flavoured, Medium Roast, Dark Roast, Decaffienated, Breakfast Blend, plus the two Godiva flavours (Chocolate Creme and Creme Brulee). There are also flavour packets in the form of Barista Blends, which come in Caramel Macchiato, Vanilla Latte, and Café Mocha types - sachets that you add to your coffee to give them a "gourmet" taste.
Whilst I can't vouch for the taste of any of these, it's still interesting to see the differences in the pods available for different territories. For example, the Cafe Choco and new Hot Choco pods aren't available in the US, but the US has a great emphasis on City Blends like Killarney and Paris. Weirdly, although you can buy Vienna, Sevilla, Rio and Marrakech blends in Continental Europe, you don't seem to be able to get Paris or Killarney blends...
As well as the Senseo Origins (called Selections in the UK) range, which contains Brazil, Kenya, Colombia and Sumatra blends (the latter not available in the UK), the US also gets Espresso, Cafe Noir, Cappuccino (without topping), Vienna (Hazelnut Waltz), Killarney (Irish Creamery) and Paris (Vanilla Bistro) - all three artificially flavoured, Medium Roast, Dark Roast, Decaffienated, Breakfast Blend, plus the two Godiva flavours (Chocolate Creme and Creme Brulee). There are also flavour packets in the form of Barista Blends, which come in Caramel Macchiato, Vanilla Latte, and Café Mocha types - sachets that you add to your coffee to give them a "gourmet" taste.
Whilst I can't vouch for the taste of any of these, it's still interesting to see the differences in the pods available for different territories. For example, the Cafe Choco and new Hot Choco pods aren't available in the US, but the US has a great emphasis on City Blends like Killarney and Paris. Weirdly, although you can buy Vienna, Sevilla, Rio and Marrakech blends in Continental Europe, you don't seem to be able to get Paris or Killarney blends...Sunday, 4 January 2009
First Impressions: Senseo Latte Select
One thing that the Senseo doesn't do is create frothy milky coffees - but all that is set to change with the new Senseo Latte Select, which was due for release in Europe this September. According to the official UK site, the Latte Select is available now from Amazon and Comet.
However, at the moment, the Latte Select is seemingly out of stock at Amazon, but Comet lists it at £146.80 - fairly pricey compared to the standard machine, which you can pick up for under £50.
So, what does it do for the money? Well, it contains a separate milk container which you fill with cold milk, which can then be used to make cappuccinos, caffe lattes and latte macchiatos (the only difference between a caffe latte and latte macchiato is the amount of coffee used, with a macchiato being stronger). There's also an adjustable drip tray which accomodates different cup sizes (which seems pointlessly fiddly in this video on YouTube). The coffee maker also creates classic black Senseo coffee, so you don't have to sacrifice your normal coffee or fiddle around with the milk container every time.
This new machine will no doubt win new converts to the Senseo brand, but the one thing I really like about my Senseo machine is the lack of fuss involved and how clean it is generally. Once you add milk into the equation, all that goes out of the window - although one of the features is said to be one touch cleaning. I'd love to get a chance to check this out, but given the price tag I think I'll have to stick to my usual Senseo machine!
The Senseo Latte Select is available in both black and red, with red being the slightly more attractive version - in my opinion!
However, at the moment, the Latte Select is seemingly out of stock at Amazon, but Comet lists it at £146.80 - fairly pricey compared to the standard machine, which you can pick up for under £50.
So, what does it do for the money? Well, it contains a separate milk container which you fill with cold milk, which can then be used to make cappuccinos, caffe lattes and latte macchiatos (the only difference between a caffe latte and latte macchiato is the amount of coffee used, with a macchiato being stronger). There's also an adjustable drip tray which accomodates different cup sizes (which seems pointlessly fiddly in this video on YouTube). The coffee maker also creates classic black Senseo coffee, so you don't have to sacrifice your normal coffee or fiddle around with the milk container every time.
This new machine will no doubt win new converts to the Senseo brand, but the one thing I really like about my Senseo machine is the lack of fuss involved and how clean it is generally. Once you add milk into the equation, all that goes out of the window - although one of the features is said to be one touch cleaning. I'd love to get a chance to check this out, but given the price tag I think I'll have to stick to my usual Senseo machine!
The Senseo Latte Select is available in both black and red, with red being the slightly more attractive version - in my opinion!
Review: Senseo UK range
The official Senseo coffee pod ranges differ from country to country, and if you're an obsessive like me, it won't be long before you're pining after the coffee from other regions. Before we get to that, though, here's the range of coffees that are currently available in the UK.
The Original Range
A range of simple, every day blends
Medium Roast
Dark Roast
Decaffinated
The Selections Range
Blends from specific regions of the world
Kenya Blend
Brazil Blend
Colombia Blend
Mug Size Range
Coffee in larger pods for bigger servings
Classic Roast
Dark Roast
I'm not really sure of the difference between the Classic Roast from the mug range, and the Medium Roast from the original range, but the betting is that they're fairly similar.
Note that not all of these blends are available easily in shops - some supermarkets may not stock all the blends. Unlike the US, UK Senseo users cannot currently order subscriptions for coffee pods, or order their pods directly from the company, which is a shame.
Currently unavailable is the touted mug-sized Cappuccino blend - although other regions have this pod style already, from adverts on Senseo packaging, it looks as though the UK Cappuccino pod may come with an individual topping sachet to create the frothy tops. I have a package of continental Cappuccino blend, which comes in a double size sachet which only makes one small cup of coffee - it seems to contain milk powder, which possibly doesn't come inside the UK pod. I'll find out when I finally see some on sale!
The Original Range
A range of simple, every day blends
Medium Roast
Dark Roast
Decaffinated
The Selections Range
Blends from specific regions of the world
Kenya Blend
Brazil Blend
Colombia Blend
Mug Size Range
Coffee in larger pods for bigger servings
Classic Roast
Dark Roast
I'm not really sure of the difference between the Classic Roast from the mug range, and the Medium Roast from the original range, but the betting is that they're fairly similar.
Note that not all of these blends are available easily in shops - some supermarkets may not stock all the blends. Unlike the US, UK Senseo users cannot currently order subscriptions for coffee pods, or order their pods directly from the company, which is a shame.
Currently unavailable is the touted mug-sized Cappuccino blend - although other regions have this pod style already, from adverts on Senseo packaging, it looks as though the UK Cappuccino pod may come with an individual topping sachet to create the frothy tops. I have a package of continental Cappuccino blend, which comes in a double size sachet which only makes one small cup of coffee - it seems to contain milk powder, which possibly doesn't come inside the UK pod. I'll find out when I finally see some on sale!
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