Senseo HD7001 Espresso Pod Holder for Gourmet Coffee Machines

Ever since I received the Senseo coffee maker I have been in search of it's ability to actually make good coffee. I like a good cup of coffee and espresso, I do roast my own green coffee beans to achieve this, but by no means am I a 'coffee snob'. I have an expensive espresso maker but by the time you grind the beans, heat up the unit, tamp in the grind, make the cup and clean up the thing...WOW! I like the Senseo for a single cup when the time necessitates this. To be honest, I went outside of the 'Senseo Brand' to find a decent tasting cup...I found the Senseo brands of coffee thin and lacking in taste. One reason is the blends, but the most significant issue is freshness....other brands individually package the pods and insure this biggest reason for good coffee. Now to the espresso part. I saw the Senseo espresso pods when they were only available in Europe (ordered them on eBay) and they needed the Senseo Espresso Pod Holder to maintain the correct pressure (different nozzle on the bottom of the holder) for the drip. This holder is set up for a single size pod and there in lies the issue...with the Senseo pods (not individually wrapped) it produced a thin, stale espresso. The look (crema) and smell were spot on, just not the taste...so I looked outside the Senseo brand AGAIN. I found that most companies that made espresso pods to fit the Senseo made them with more coffee in the pod (double size) and they didn't fit in this new holder. If used it would leak because it doesn't seal completely, the pod is too thick...they use the standard double size holder included with the Senseo coffee maker. I found that Timothy's Rainforest Espresso Blend espresso pods (9-10 grams each) to work great for me and make good espresso coffee in the Senseo. The reason they work with the existing holders is that they are packaged with the right amount of grind and tamped to the correct density within the pod. They are flavorful and robust...you can make a 'shot' when used in the single cup mode or to make espresso style coffee in the double cup mode. I'm still playing around with them, but either way they are much better than the Senseo pods...which to me, render the need for the Espresso Pod Holder useless.So let's recap: save your money and stick with the holder you got with the unit and just buy a better espresso pod that contains more espresso grind in it, 9-10 gram pods versus the standard 4-5 gram pods, and is DESIGNED to work with what we already have.But once again, Amazon shipped the holder for free, got it quickly, and was packaged well...second to none in this E-Commerce world.

I decided to try the Senseo Espresso Pod holder and have really enjoyed the espresso it produces. I think for the $8.99 to buy the holder you can have a real decent shot of espresso and it is quick and painless to prepare. Try it and you may never waste time with your old machine. Two important hints. One is from the manual insert that comes with the pod. Run a water only cup through first to heat the cup and also to make sure the water is really hot in the machine. 2 The other hint I found on another site about the pods. Run a little water over the pod on both sides before you brew the cup. This seems to make a bolder, stronger espresso that really tastes great.

Finally this is available in the states. It basically makes the crema better and less foamy like the regular coffee. I've been searching for a stronger brew of Senseo, and I finally got it.

Great item.

There is no reason to buy this item. I have used it with both the espresso pods and regular pods and there is no difference in the results. The regular pod hold produces just as much crema and it tastes no different than using this pod holder.Don't get me wrong: I LOVE my Senseo. It is absolutely the best practical coffee maker available (short of a $1000 esepresso machine). But, there is no reason to buy this pod holder. It won't improve the quality of the coffee or increase the crema or make better espresso.

I've had my machine for 4 or 5 years and love it, but I could never get a proper shot of espresso from it using the single pod holder. I've always had to use a larger size demitasse because the single shot pour time was longer so the drink was a little weaker then I prefer. When I saw this listed I had my doubts but I ordered it from Amazon and I'm glad I did the first time I used it I could see the shot was a little shorter then with the stock single holder and the drink was stronger. I was given a Spode demitasse many years back that is my favorite but because of it's smaller size I couldn't use it with the Senseo but with this holder I can and the taste is improved. HOW EVER AS I SAID I HAVE AN OLDER MACHINE SO I HAVE NO IDEA HOW IT WILL WORK WITH THE NEW GENERATION

Following Senseo's instructions, it makes reasonably good espersso coffee. However, I now use it in preference to the regular pod holders because using it with other kinds of coffee and pressing the "two cups" button yields about 5+ ounces of really flavorful coffee. It does seem to extract a bit more flavor than the regular holders, though, as I say, the "two cups" button then produces less liquid per cycle.

It leaks more often then not. What else can one say except don't buy it.