I bought this pod brewer in hopes of being able to use some reusable filters I bought that are designed for the Senseo (and advertised to work in the B&D). I had no intentions of using stale, prepackaged pods - rather my personally fresh-roasted coffee was to be the fare that was brewed in this machine. Unfortunately there is about a millimeter gap around the filter when inserted, thus the water takes the path of least resistance and you get a clear cup of water.
I even tried making my own pods from a paper coffee filter, but never got anything but light brown water after several attempts. Even though there are online instructions at INeedCoffee.com, you can have dangerous results (pressure build-up with spraying water, damage to the unit, etc.)...so I don't recommend this approach either.
OK, but for those who may be thinking of getting this to use the premade pods designed for this brewer...I wouldn't recommend it. First, any pods will be stale. More importantly, the brewing temp is only 160 degrees - by design, no less. I wrote to B&D thinking I had a faulty unit, but they assured me that "The Home Cafe unit is manufactured to brew coffee at 162 degrees (F) for maximum flavor and drinking temperature." Well, that tells me they either know nothing of or have chosen to ignore the science of coffee brewing. Optimal temperature for brewing coffee is well documented to be 195 to 204 degrees F. At 162 degrees you'll get under-extracted coffee. And with premade pods it will be under-extracted, stale coffee.
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One Day Followup:
Well, the manufacturer of the reusable filter suggested a rubber band around it to cause a snug fit. I didn't have a wide rubber band that size, so I used a "band" of several layers of Saran wrap until it fit snugly. Voila! I actually got coffee in the cup. Underextracted coffee, not very hot coffee, but actually drinkable. Not as good as auto drip, French press, vac pot or Melitta cone filter...but I wasn't lead to involuntarily spit it out. Remember, this is using fresh-roasted coffee in a non-sanctioned reusable pod skill-lessly retrofitted for the pod holder, not the stale, single-use commercial coffee pods. My rating numbers still stand, my advice not to buy it still remains - but I did want to mention I actually got coffee out of it tonight. |
