Coffee: From Senseo to Tassimo, Maybe.

Haven't had time for a post of my own; I worked 9 days in a row (including Election day) with today my first of 2 days off.  Yea!

Today is windy, rainy and dismal so I went shopping for a few things to stock the pantry and was disappointed to find no coffee pods for my Senseo.  Wal-mart was supposed to be under contract to Melitta to carry their coffee pods, but today I was told that the k-cups are too popular and the space was needed...you know, supply and demand, and like that. One less reason to visit Wal-mart.

I came home and searched for other single-serve machines and came up with a few options:  Flavia, Keurig, Tassimo, and a new entry by Starbucks - Verismo.  After a few hours of investigating the various options, reviews, pros & cons of each, I wanted to see what was available locally.

So I dropped in at the local gourmet/kitchen supply store (Kitchen & Company) to see what they had to offer.  Their Keurig display of machines and coffees took up a whole aisle that stretched the depth of the store, front to back. And that was it. Keurig.  Period. They had never heard of the other machines or even cared. So much for buying locally.

OK so, I've ruled out Keurig; basically a drip coffee maker, too big and heavy.   They look like something out of the original War of the Worlds movie, and their coffees are overpriced. 

Flavia is out, too. Very complicated and inconvenient for a one-cup machine. The Verismo is compact and interesting, but expensive, and accepts only Starbucks brand of limited products for the machine.

I am leaning toward the Tassimo machines offering a vast array of coffee products, tea, hot chocolate by various well known coffee companies. They're also lighter and more compact to fit into my small space. Called "Brew Bots" the unique feature of these machines is that they use T-discs that contain a bar code which tells the machine what disc is being used, how much pressure to use and how much water at what temperature will be necessary to make the requested cuppa-joe.

There are 4 Tassimo machines available and some are on sale at various outlets.  They are more versatile, brewing not only coffee, but cappuccino, latte, espresso, and tea.

I want a good cup of coffee with a nice crema and rich flavour to kick start my heart in the morning. Is that too much to ask? The Senseo has served me well for about 10 years and it will be a radical adjustment, but I think the Tassimo will be my best option - if a little more expensive for the pods.

I've got Senseo coffee pods left, so I have time to refine my search.  Nothing will have to be decided until around the new year.

I smell olives.

And so it goes.
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