Customer Reviews

Ecopad, the Refillable Coffee Filter for the Classic Senseo

5 star:		(167)
4 star:		(62)
3 star:		(32)
2 star:		(27)
1 star:		(45)

 

 

I bought my Senseo machine over 2 years ago (when they first came out) as an alternative to splurging on a much pricier machine after my mediocre Krups espresso maker died. While I loved the Senseo concept, I was disapointed with the coffee, even when I used the pods I bought from supposedly Gourmet suppliers, and considered spending the bucks on a true pump espresso machine. THEN I FOUND THE ECOPADS!! While I was a bit skeptical, (at that time they were only available from some obscure website--I think in the Netherlands) I took a chance and paid $13 + shipping for 2 pads. I loved them. So I bought two more for when the first two wore out, but the first pair are still going strong after two years of almost daily use!

TIPS FOR SIMPLE FLAWLESS PEFORMANCE: (1) Use a burr grinder to grind your coffee (whether at home or the store). I already had a "burr" coffee grinder when I got these. Unlike the grinders with spinning blades, burr grinders actually grind the coffee, resulting in a consistent size of grind (unlike the blade models which produce a combination of powder and granules). Mine allows you to adjust that grind. The finest is espresso, the most coarse is for a French Press. I have mine set about halfway between Espresso (finest) and drip (medium) and I get a rich cup of coffee every time. (2) Use good coffee--i.e., coffee you like! I use Pete's Major Dickason's Blend. (3) You do do not need to wet the pads, or to have them dry, either. While they are a tad easier to fill dry, they are simple to fill when wet (i.e. just rinsed out), too. And, if you happen to overfill them, I just mash the top down (which seems to push the coffee out of the way) and brush away any excess grinds (if pad is dry) or rinse the closed pad quickly under the faucet (if pad is wet). In either case, you must insure not to have stray coffee on the outside of the pad or it can block the little hole in the Senseo "pod holder" thereby locking the machine up (you won't be able to open the handle easily and don't try--unless you want a hot grounds explosion--just let it sit for 10+ minutes to lose pressure, then open). (4) If you like your coffee strong, push the single cup button. If you prefer it weaker, the two cup button. I like strong coffee and use two pads to make one cup every morning. (5) I never use soap on them, after my Italian friend's coffee aficianado father convinced me that soap should never touch the part of the maker that accepts coffee--only rinse with water.

I wrote lengthy dissertation as I promised myself I would someday put up a good review of this excellent product and now that I am ordering my sister a Senseo and these pads for her birthday, I am making good on that promise!!! Whew!

I bought a Senseo when they first came out and I still love it. However, I felt like I was getting ripped off whenever I bought a package of "pods."

I bought an Ecopad and it works OK, but I've also discovered you can make your own pods by putting ground coffee in a regular paper coffee filter, twist the top and cut off a little of the excess paper, put in the the Senseo and "voila."

I have explored a number of different ways to use my own grind of coffee in the Senseo Coffeemaker. Folding filter paper didn't work....too much water goes by the filter making a week cup of coffee....The Quick-Cup sounded like a good idea....but it doesn't fit the holder tightly enough and too much water goes around the filter to get a good cup of coffee. I found that the Eco-Pad fits tightly into the two cup holder and it works well. The key to any of these re-usable pods is that water cannot be allowed to go around the filter. The pressurized hot water must be forced through the coffee.
The Quick-Cup and the Eco-Pad are essentially the same design but the Eco-Pad fits the holder correctly and the Quick-Cup is slightly small. Buy the Eco-Pad, it works. The Quick-Cup would work if you could rig a small rubber band seal between the Quick-Cup and the holder...a gasket, to prevent the water from going around. Good Luck!

1. First of all, like the others have said, make sure there are NO gounds on the lips.

2. Use the ecopod OR look for the same sort of device from Presto. You can buy it at wall-world for 10 bucks.

3. If you use a refillable coffee holder here is the best tip I can give you:

***Put you regular coffee in a coffee grinder and regrind as fine as it will go then fill the holder as you normally would. Coffee goes through the Senseo VERY fast and regular grind coffee has a lot of trouble catching up to the steamy water.

Below still holds true, but like another person here, one of my pads ripped after a couple weeks....
I just got the ecopad, and with the help of people's reviews here, all my coffee so far has come out fine. You really do need to be careful with packing the pods. Make sure there are no little grounds on the edge. Even one ground will prevent the top from closing properly. Use in the 2-cup pod holder. Be careful emptying the pod holder -- carefully open the top, then give the bottom part a little squeeze and the grounds pop right out. Give both pieces a quick rinse, and you're ready for the next cup of coffee. Definitely not as convenient as the Senseo pods themselves, but a good alternative for using your own coffee. Also, coffee is thinner compared to the Senseo pod. The ecopad instructions recommend using an espresso blend if you like stronger coffee. Because the pod only holds a certain amount of coffee, you can't put extra coffee in the filter to get stronger coffee.

I got the Senseo for our anniversary in January, and I love it, but buying those pods really hurt...at least $.22 a cup and usually way more. There are several coffee drinkers in our house and EcoPads are the way to go. I got two packs, but I may get more to make sure I always have pods filled and ready to go.

I use the Turkish grind (the finest on those grinding machines) and then use two packed teaspoons of coffee in the EcoPad. I *do not* pack the coffee in the EcoPad, just in the teaspoons to measure, and then I break up and distribute those two teaspoons over the surface of the EcoPad before snapping on the lid. For me, this produces a perfect cup of coffee, but others may want to adjust the amount. I love being able to use any flavor of coffee I like and the cost savings will become realized very quickly with the amount of cups we make each day. I personally think it tastes even better than many of the pre-made pods, too.

I was really excited when I saw this product on Amazon and had to have it right away because I love the idea of using my favorite coffee (Kona) in my machine.
When I got my EcoPods, I packed them just as the directions indicated, using an espresso grind. It was difficult keeping the little cups closed because they just snap together, but I finally got it.
After popping it in the machine and turning it on, I noticed that liquid that came out was just water. It was just up at the end that any liquid that resembled coffee started coming out.
I tried this several times, using different methods--priming the pods in hot water before puting them in, packing the pods even tighter, packing the pods with less coffee... Nothing!
Most of the time, the water just seemed to flow through the pods without absorbing the coffee.
I usually don't give negative reviews, however, advice to those thinking about EcoPods: don't bother.

I originally gave this product a positive review because I had good results the first few times I used it. However, since then, I have torn through both of my ecopads. Prior to that, I had problems with weak coffee as well as the ecopad opening up in the machine, causing pressure lock. I have subsequently come across make your own pod instructions on the internet & have had great success with that! Try that first, it's cheaper ($1 for 200 filters) and more reliable.

After reading the reviews, I decided to try these, since I wasn't too thrilled with either the cost or quality of the senseo pods. After getting my three sets in the mail, I went to my grocery store, bought the Starbucks Sumatra whole beans, ground them to expresso grind, and went to try the ecopads. I followed the instructions, put the ecopad in the machine (perfect fit), hit the 8oz button, and wa - la! I would challenge anyone to tell the difference between the stuff you pay $3.50 a cup for at Starbucks. I'm definately hooked. I can't see how other reviewers have had problems with these. They are easy to fill, and fit perfectly in the machine. They are a bit messy to clean up, but its a fair trade off for the awesome coffee and the cost savings over the pods or actually going to starbucks. I would estimate I will get 50-60 cups out of a $6 store bought bag of coffee. Basically, one heaping teaspoon fills up the ecopad perfectly. Also I would estimate getting hundreds of uses out of each ecopad - they seem very durable. I am looking forward to trying different coffee's with these. Well worth the tiny investment!

I have been using my Senseo and Ecopads for about 6 months now, and consider both of them worth every penny. At first it seemed rather inconvenient to clean out the filters each time, but I have the routine down fairly well now - by the time I empty and clean the old filter and fill up the new one, the Senseo has warmed up and is ready to brew.

It took a little trial and error to get the hang of filling the filter just right, so that each cup comes out perfectly. I found that filling it very loosely (no packing) results in my flavored coffee coming out nice and foamy, and very rich. I also only fill my 8oz mug up about 3/4 of the way as the last part of the coffee seems to come out weak.

Since I'm very particular about which coffee I drink, and I haven't found any pre-packaged pods that I like, the Ecopad seemed necessary. I'm glad to say that it works like a charm. I can have a cup of coffee ready (cleaning and filling a filter and everything) before the regular coffee maker has even finished brewing - and mine tastes a lot better too!

After 6 months, my Ecopads are still holding up nicely - they were well worth the money spent.