It Makes Senseo

Mocking the ubiquitous presence of Starbucks in the US - if only it's the case here!

My face turned ashen when Tita uttered the words that reverberated like a death knell in my ears. “No Starbucks in the Netherlands?” I repeated after her, as if vocalizing the words would aid in digesting the painful reality.

My Starbucks! Boohoohoo! Well, that was not exactly how I – the ever matured adult – responded to her but in my mind, I whinged and whinged.

Histrionics aside, I have now gotten used to live without Starbucks for a record 223 odd days (that is, after deducting the 19 days I was back in Malaysia for Raya last year). It is fairly safe to say that I am somewhat contented with the various Nederlander coffee chains available in different parts of the country.

Imbibing the diverse concoctions on offering at these proverbial cafes has given me the chance to experience the Dutch’s twist to many old favourites. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t admit that at times the taste proved wanting.

Despite all that, I am thoroughly satisfied as far as caffeine quotient is concerned. Truth be told, my surprisingly smug attitude stems from the discovery of a life-saving machine. An invention that has me looked forward to waking up every morning.

Image taken from Senseo's US Site

It is none other than the Senseo coffee machine!

When we moved to our apartment last September, the furnished pad comes with, among others, this funny looking black contraption. After my husband fiddling with it for the first few trials, we finally had lift off! It is such a breeze to use.

First, you fill up a plastic encasement with tap water and insert it back to its place at the rear of the coffee-maker. This detachable water reservoir moulds perfectly to the machine, a feature that makes the Senseo machine so easy to handle. You then press a button which will heat up the water in a matter of seconds. By the way, the water measurement depends on whether you are making one cup or two cups. After the water boils, you put in one (or two) coffee pod (or ‘Koffie Pad’ as it is called in the Netherlands) into the podholder, and firmly close the lid, making sure it is properly locked. Lastly, you put one (or two) mugs of suitable size underneath the spout and press the Start button (choose the Indicator Button from either One Cup Icon or Two Cups Icon).

For a demo, click on this.

Needless to say, a brewed cuppa from this Machine leaves me fully sated and rejuvenates this old body. We love this latest innovation from Philips (Dutch-based) so much that we plan to buy one for our Ampang place before we are due back in Malaysia. Our only qualm is the accessibility to the Coffee Pods in Malaysia once our humongous stock runs out. Probably, some upscale supermarkets in KL (Isetan) or Bangsar (Village Grocer) might carry them. I am not ashamed to admit that I’d go to any lengths for great tasting coffee. If all else fail, we must appeal to the kind help of some Dutch acquaintances to mail us this ‘black-gold’, with some commission of course! Any takers?