Why I don't like Senseo

First of all, let me say this, I started enjoying coffee the first time thanks to senseo, but as i grew more fond of the caffeine, I gradually became less fond of senseo.
Many years ago, my mom had her own cafe, the only coffee she served though, were filters. I occasionally tried them when my dad drank one, but i wasnt a big fan, it had a kind of run-down taste, empty bodied.
Suffice to say, i never got into it.

Then Senseo came onto the scene, my dad had tried it at the supermarket and decided he was getting a machine, so we eventually bought the basic blue model. I think they had 3 flavours initially, Mild, strong and decaffeine, we mostly got strong, because it was the one dad preferred ^^
Eventually, they got to having other flavours, like the one with vanilla, the Kenya, the Brazil, ...
Occasionaly I would drink a few cups, but not many, never was a real fan of their taste.

Then I ended up getting a free try of Nespresso in a local electronics store, I had the Volluto, which was much better. This sparked my interest for coffee...
Back home, I decided to give the senseo another try, no way they won't have such good flavours, was what i thought. So I gave it another try.
I did enjoy the vanilla one, there was one more, can't really remember the name.

I just ended up throwing away a lot of pads, buying a nespresso instead.
The Nespresso eventually got sold so I could buy my Saeco, but it did serve me well for many cups.

Now, why I dont like senseo, is mostly the taste. I know, I know, you can't argue about taste. But allow me to try.
Senseo tastes a little weird compared to real espresso or french press-made coffee. Even in bars, where they serve the real deal, it will always come off better tasting, both in-mouth and aftertaste-wise.
First, the in-mouth experience, Senseo does not really give a real body or that is my impression.
I can't really describe it, but senseo feels like it is an artificially made coffee.
One of the last senseo tasted was "Perla Cinnamon", the coffee itself had a chemical feel to it, in my mouth. The favour was exactly what they said it would be, but I am a big fan of cinnamon, real cinnamon bark tastes completely different. Also had cinnamon infused sugar before, even this felt more natural in my mouth.
Second, the shallow aftertaste it leaves me. It tastes about right for 10 seconds, after that, this chemical flavour pops up in my mouth, unless I oversugar it...

Another small concern i have, is a technical one, how does a small machine like this create such smooth crema? That is easy to explain, it is not cream but artificial foam.
The average Senseo machine has around 1,5 bars of pressure, while you need approximately 8 to 9 to start creating proper crema. Senseo uses the small hole in the pad holder to help create the foam that appears. A little cheating :)

But let us give credit where credit is due, Senseo does the trick for thousands of casual coffee drinkers, they deserve the kudos they get, much like Nespresso, Dolce Gusto, Lavazza, .... They provide a easy way to make a cup, one cup at a time, with no real effort.

Senseo, one of the good choices for the occasional cup.
Get a better one if your standards are higher or you want a better cup of coffee.

Frankly speaking, my caffeine addiction began with senseo, but I moved on to better, I am stil grateful that my dad ever got a senseo machine, thanks dad!