Even casual readers to this site know what sort of coffee fiend I am. I love trying out new coffees or gadgets to enhance my coffee experience. While I'm actually pretty set in my ways when it comes to home brewing, I'm always up for something different or unique.

When I was told I'd be getting a Senseo Coffee Machine to review I was actually pretty thrilled. The Senseo is a single-cup brewer, that uses small "coffee pods" that are much like tea bags for brewing. My wife's family had recently "gone over" to the single-cup-brew side and they all had pretty positive things to say about it. I had heard some pretty good things about the Senseo in general, so I awaited my review machine eagerly.

It didn't take long to arrive. When it did I was happy to discover that it was a very simple machine.

Basically, you have a water tank you brew from, then a small holder for the coffee pods. All you do to make your coffee is fill the tank up with cold water, put your pods in the holder, then press a button. In less than 60 seconds you have a cup of coffee.

Very neat, very simple and very easy to clean up.

So how did it go over in my household? My wife had recently given up coffee in the morning, so I was all alone in my testing phase.

I liked the fact that the process was so quick. While my usual method of boiling water for my press and then letting the coffee steep isn't a long process, the Senseo was just so much faster to get that first cup in the morning.

Beyond that...well...I had issues.

When I drink coffee, I drink coffee. It's not unusual for me to pour a 16oz mug in the morning and then have another 16oz on my way out the door. The Senseo, by default, brews in 4oz increments. One pod = 4oz of coffee. The machine I was given allowed you to brew 8oz at a time, and thus would use two pods for such a cup.

This brings me to my first concern about the Senseo. It's expensive to brew. I tried several different brews with the Senseo (more on that in a bit) but all came in small bags of between 18 and 20 pods each. The bags generally cost anywhere between $5-$7, so your cups of coffee become pretty pricey for home brewing.

However, unlike other single-up brewers, the Senseo is kind of "open source". That is to say that anyone can make a coffee pod that will work with the Senseo without paying some sort of lic. fee to them. For me in Milwaukee, this meant that I had a lot more in the way of product choice when it came to coffees.

What about the coffee? That's my second concern.

With a coffee press or even traditional drip coffee maker, you have some good control over the strength and taste of your brew. With the Senseo you're sort of "locked in" to their brew method. I suppose you could use one coffee pod and set your brew cycle for two to get a weaker brew...but you can't really get a stronger one.

As for the quality of the coffee itself, I was not that impressed. Part of why I have a press is because I feel it makes a good, fresh brew. I can grind my beans and get a very "fresh" tasting coffee. With Senseo's pods, you're really no better off than if you buy large canisters of coffee. If you like your coffee that way (I do from time to time) you're not going to be disappointed with the Senseo's coffee.

I did try quite a few different types and blends of coffee. Actually, aside from their Espresso, I tried all of the blends I could get my hands on (both made by Senseo and otherwise). After trying them I came to the conclusion that they were all "decent" blends that provided a decent cup of coffee. However...they all tasted pretty much the same.

See, if I get a dark roast coffee for my press, I can taste a pretty big difference between it and a morning or breakfast blend. The roast of the beans come out in my brew. The Senseo, while making decent coffee, tended to give me the same cup no matter what I put into it.

So where does this leave me with the Senseo?

It's a cool gadget. It's a nice little machine that gives you a small cup of coffee "right now". If you're the occasional coffee drinker, I can see it being a machine you'd like. If you're single and don't drink a lot of coffee, I can see a single cup brewer being a good option.

But let's look at the cost. The basic Senseo machine runs about $70 retail, though you can find it much cheaper elsewhere. I have a 12oz coffee press that cost me $8. Both provide a single serving of coffee pretty quick. Buying an inexpensive bag of pods of the Senseo will cost me $5 and yield me between 9-18 cups. A small canister of coffee  will run me about $6 and give me well over 60 cups with the small press.

There's no getting around it, it's an expensive way to brew coffee at home.

While I like the machine itself and think the system is neat, I'd have a hard time recommending it to anyone as a daily use kind of machine, it's just too expensive when you look at what you're getting. While I appreciate that Senseo is keeping the coffee pod system open, it may be hard to find a wide selection where you are, and even non-Senseo pods are still pretty pricey.

If you're really interested in this kind of technology, and aren't concerned about the price per cup, I'd actually recommend the K-Cup system from Green Mountain. It's a bit more expensive than the Senseo cup for cup, but it gives you a lot more in the way of control and options. I also feel it offers a far superior brew over the Senseo.

If you're looking for a better and inexpensive way to make a single cup of good coffee, my advice would be to get a small press and try it out. You may find it to be the perfect solution.