This latest Philips Senseo HD7860/60 is not strictly a Bean to Cup Coffee Machine, but is one of a new generation of extremely user friendly machines that provide fresh coffee at the push of a button from coffee pads.
We have reviewed the model. First impressions are ….well …. impressive. It’s described as a machine for people who prefer straight lines to curves. It does have one or two curves, as it happens, but is a very good looking, yet compact machine (standing around 17 cm wide, 22 cm deep and 25 cm high). It comes in black or white.
It’s a bit worrying when you prepare the machine for use for the first time as its very noisy whilst being flushed. However its much quieter when being used after that.
The most important considerations in reviewing the HD7860 are the ease of use and quality of the coffee it produces.
It has two spouts, so you can make either one or two cups at any one time. And has a height adjustable base for the cups, so different cup / mug sizes can easily be used. Mugs or cups up to 115 mm high can readily be accommodated..In less than a minute, it will have 2 cups ready. In just thirty seconds it willmake 1 cup.
The HD7860/60 has a particularly large capacity, holding up to 1.2 litres. This can easily make 8 cups. Each cup is 120ml.
The HD7860 has an automatic shut-off feature after 30 minutes, which is very useful.
The coffee pads are much better value than the coffee pods that have been traditionally used in such machines. Although the Senseo ones are about 15p each, you can get other ones much cheaper, and being pads there shouldn’t generally be a compatibility issue. You’ll need to get round ones.We have used original and substitute coffee pads and the coffee produced by each has been excellent.
This is a great coffee machine. Its unique selling point is its looks. The HD7860 will look particularly good in a modern kitchen with darker worktop - much better, we think than the traditional, more curvy machines.
Tags:
coffee pads,
coffee pods,
mug sizes,
philips senseo,
unique selling point