Philips Senseo HD-7890-65 Coffee Maker

Pros: Quick, easy, rich in taste, and low-cost.
Cons: Coffee pods could be costly. Generic pods do not taste as well.

When I was young, the most exciting part of my childhood was to visit my great grandmother who planted cocoa and coffee. I used to pick coffee beans and played with them (I know, silly, huh?) and I was so ill-informed that I once I picked a cocoa fruit ...

Pros: easy to use, easy to clean, no measuring, tasty every time
Cons: pods are a little bit pricey

I really didn't need another coffee maker. I already have one that makes single cups or a carafe. But I got an offer from Senseo to buy one of these for $15 and I figured for that price, I could put it in my classroom and have coffee at work. The ...

Pros: Good coffee. Fun to use.
Cons: Absolutely horrible reliability. The longest one lasted 5 months.

My original review said, in part, "The coffee is really good (provided you don't try to skimp by squeezing more than 4 oz of coffee out of one pod), it's extremely fast, very clean, low maintenance, and downright fun to play with. My main objections are that the pods are expensive and not yet widely available, and that the coffee does not come out as hot as I'd prefer. The troubleshooting guide actually addresses the temperature issue by suggesting use of a smaller cup, but that's silly advice. I know lukewarm coffee when I drink it."
I wrote that when I was on my first Senseo pot, over a year ago. I am now on my fourth -- yes, you read that right. Philips has been kind enough to keep paying the shipping for replacement units, but enough is enough. Three of them sprayed water everywhere, and one of them developed some fault in the sensor that is supposed to know when you need to add water. I still like the coffee it makes, and it's a fun design, but the reliability is clearly a problem.