[Seattle-SAGE] Coffee: the right question for the right audiance.

[Chris DeVoney]

That question hit the DefCon list late last year.

The concensus (and there are some SERIOUS caffine freaks on that list) is
either ye ole drip coffer maker with very good coffee or the Senseo pod
machines. The later was a favorite in modest size groups (four to ten
people) where there are not enough people consuming coffee to keep brewing
fresh  pots or for people who want different brews, including decaf, tea, or
even hot chocolate. Since they had an "industrial" maker hooked to the water
supply, people could make a fresh cup in minimal time. 

The downside is the sources for pods are limited and the selection is
limited, pods are usually machine-specific, and the price is about 25-50
cents per cup ... about 2x-4x higher than drip.

If you take Consumer Reports seriously, two Brauns (the $20 Aromaster KF400
as the Best Buy and the $60 Braun FlavorSelect KF180 ranked for its
additional features) scored at the top along with the $20 Melitta Take 2
ME2TM as the Best Buy 2-cup maker. They also rated the $80 Mr. Coffee Home
Café AT13 as the best coffee pod maker. However, they noted that pods
usually make weaker coffee (which was not a complaint I noticed from the
DefCon list but can be surmounted by using two pods). They do concur that
the Mr. Coffee has a smaller pod selection and recommended the Senseo if
like frothy coffee.

cdv

Chris DeVoney
Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Nutrition
University of Washington School of Medicine