Customer Reviews

simplehuman single serve coffee pod brewer A40 - brushed stainless steel

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

After spending a month researching options for pod coffee makers, I settled on the SimpleHuman. The big draws for me were the sleek looks, small footprint, and reputation of the company for good customer service. (I always believe that deserves to be rewarded).

My wife drinks decaf and I drink regular - usually one cup each. Making two cups a day from our Krups thermal carafe was getting to be a real hassle, not to mention grinding beans, etc. I was spending 20 minutes every morning just making two cups of coffee!

For me this was more of a convenience item - little did I know how impressed I would be with the quality of the coffee this little blue and steel machine makes! The Molto coffees that it ships with are great (don't hesitate to order extra when you order the machine, especially the Sumatra Mandheling if you like a really rich, flavorful cup of coffee)

Note that this is NOT an espresso machine - I would compare it to a fresh cup of drip coffee that you would get at a gourmet coffee house, perhaps a little better since it never splashes into an urn and then squirts out into a paper cup, but is dispensed straight from the beans a few inches into your waiting mug.

The design allows you to leave the water tank in place and simply fill it with a pitcher (something I cannot do with my Melitta One:One pod machine) and holds enough for about 5 full sized cups of coffee.

The brew temperature is very consistent at about 185-187 degrees measured at the stream coming from the spout (this is measured without a coffee pod) and consistently delivers just over 8 fl oz for the large size and about 6 oz for the small size (even though it says 5 oz).

I highly recommend this coffee machine if you are the kind of person that gets up and just wants that one really good cup of coffee to get going in the morning, and then maybe another one an hour or so later after a walk or workout, etc. With this machine (or any other pod brewer) you don't have coffee sitting around getting stale in a thermal carafe or urn - it is brewed fresh every time.

In my opinion the only drawback of the Simplehuman is the lack of an ability to make larger than an 8 oz cup. With the regular 9 gram coffee pods, this is not a problem, since the coffee is just right with 8 oz, but companies like Baronet are starting to make 12 gram pods and it would be nice to be able to make a 10 oz cup of coffe for a travel mug or larger "to go" coffee.

Some will complain about the immovable spout, but I find that by removing the grate and drip tray I can easily fit most of my stainless steel travel mugs except for the very tall narrow ones.

We recently received this coffee brewer as a x-mas gift from a friend. First of all, I am no coffee expert, but I do drink at least one cup a day and usually get them at starbucks. Our old coffee brewer was an all-plastic GE appliance from the 1980s. Therefore, the Simplehuman brewer was a welcomed upgrade.

My wife and I really enjoy using this brewer. The setup was very simple. You have to "prime" the system once and it took about 3 minutes. After that, we made our first cup of home brewed coffee in about 1 minute! It beats driving out to go get starbucks on a lazy morning. The machine was very easy to use. I like the removable water tank which made refilling water really easy. Also, the brewing operation was surprisingly quiet.

In addition, the brewer is really sleek. Kudos on the industrial design. The unit has a small footprint which worked out well in our small kitchen. The unit is mostly stainless steel and very sturdy.

One nice thing to know is that other coffee pods will work with the simplehuman brewer so you don't get stuck with one brand of coffee.

Overall, this was a very nice gift. The coffee tastes great and it is actually fun to use! I highly recommend this for someone looking for a single serve brewer.

simplehuman Coffee Pod Brewer
At coffeepodreview.com, we selected this brewer for our tasting. We really didn't want another klutz of a machine cluttering up our kitchen. The simplehuman seduced us with its slim, sleek design and the Bombay Sapphire-like hue of its water container and LCD display. It comes with two trays to cradle your pods: one deep brown one and one shallower green one to accommodate different builds of pod. We like to keep one for coffee and one for tea so as not to get any cross-contamination of flavors. Like most single serve brewers it comes with settings for a large cup (8 oz) and a small cup (5oz). We aren't ones for diluting our coffee too much and so generally go for the small cup setting, using another pod for another cup if we want more.

Grins: The stylish looks. The instructions are clear and use is simple. Priming is easily done and the water container smoothly removed, filled and replaced for use. Switch it on, lift the lever, pop in a pod, lower the lever, select the size of cup, press the brew button and off you go. We haven't had any trouble so far fitting coffee pods of different brands into the deep brown cradle or tea pods into the green one.

Gripes: It does tend to drip a bit after it has finished. Worst of all, though, if you want your joe to go, you can't get a travel mug underneath the spout.

First let me say I bought this machine, AFTER buying and then selling on Ebay, the Keurig K-cup machine basic model for $99(a monster beast - took up half my counter!) and the Nespresso Essenza C100 ($229) a great machine, but not really made for coffee.

I was impressed with a pod coffee taste after having a JavaOne coffee made at a movie theater concession counter! So I read the various reviews online and bought the SimpleHuman because it can take various pod brands.

The machine takes a little getting used to. After a few cups I realized that the pod holder that is in the machine by default, was a bit too small for the JavaOne pod I was using. After switching to the slightly larger one SimpleHuman gives you, the closure handle moved much more easily. Before I switched the holder, the lever handle was sticking. I thought there was something wrong with the machine.

It makes an awesome cup of coffee. Just the right amount too, 5 or 8oz. Temperature is perfect too. The first cup I made was not hot enough, but I think that was related to the priming so don't think the machine is always going produce that temperature.

The machine is not too large and not heavy at all. The Keurig I bought was so big, it was the first thing you would see the second you walk in the kitchen, like an eye sore! So big to make one cup of coffee!! C'mon!!!!

I would definately recommend this. It does exactly what I want it to, and at a very reasonable price.

I believe SimpleHuman designed this unit for me. It is perfect for an old bachelor who wants a quick cup of joe without all the measuring and the mess. The variety of coffees and teas available is an added bonus. Of all the gidgy gadgets I have purchased, this is far and away my favorite small appliance. If I didn't think it were illegal, I would sleep with it. LOL.
I had a problem with my unit after about six months and SimpleHuman replaced it immediately with a new one at no cost to me and with no hassles at all.
I can highly recommend you buy this unit if you love great coffee, beautiful design and complete customer care.

I bought this machine in September at a retail store and I think it is one of the best designed pod brewer around, and I have done my research. I love the stainless steel and shape of the machine. You can use various brands of pods which is great. I drink only one cup of coffee before I leave for work and this makes it fast. So for anyone on the go this works good.

This is my fourth pod brewer because the last three were defective but simplehuman customer service was great for the exchange of the machine for a new. I didn't have to paid a dime, Warranties do work!

I got this as a Christmas gift. I have been bugging my wife for year to let me splurge on a pod brewer, but being the only coffee drinker in the house it was hard to justify the expense. She surprised me this year with the Simple Human pod brewer. Having researched these for the past year as I was contemplating making a "secret" purchase, I believe this is the best that you can get without spending loads of cash.

I'm not a coffee connoisseur, but I do enjoy a good cup in the morning on the way to work. I think this machine makes really good coffee, and it does it quickly. So far I have only used the Molto Coffee brand that come with the machine, but each "flavor" I have tried I have really liked.

The machine is easy to setup, prep, and use. I love the fact that the water container is on the side, so you can easily see how much water is left. Most other pod brewers I looked at did not have this feature. After the initial setup (that takes about 3 minutes) it is a matter of a few easy steps to get your first cup of coffee:

1. Press power button to begin heating water (takes about 30 seconds)
2. Put pod in brewer
3. Select 5 oz or 8 oz serving size
4. Press the "Brew" button (brewing takes about 15-20 seconds)
5. Enjoy your coffee

I really appreciate the elegant design of the machine, but even more I appreciate the ease of use. There is no need to measure or deal with messy coffee grounds, grinding beans, leftover coffe in the pot, etc. This is the wuick and easy way to make a good cup of coffee as you rush out the door to work.

I can't recommend this machine highly enough!!

This thing is so convenient - just pop in a pod, latch it down, hit the brew button and you'll have a cup o'joe in less than a minute. My wife loves it for making tea. It makes a good tasting cup of coffee but it's really not hot as I'd like it to be, so I'd really rate this at 3.5 stars if I could. But I think with the ease of use and overall good coffee taste it produces, it's a keeper. I think the temperature problem may be the result of the water cooling down as it runs through the pod. I tried a Senseo before this one and the coffee wasn't nearly as good as the Simplehuman brewer. So, I'd give this thing 5 stars if it made a piping hot cup of coffee but it simply doesn't. Update - after having this a couple of weeks, I've grown to appreciate and enjoy much more. One thing I'm glad I did was to find Millstone pods in a local grocer - their pods blow it out the box, baby! A delicious cup of coffee with the Simplehuman and Millstone team, in fact I'm pretty certain I've never made a more satisfying, flavorful cup of coffee with a traditional drip maker than with this machine - their flavor extraction system performs as it claims. Also, I can happily report that Simplehuman's customer service is great - I emailed them to request a replacement box of Molto pods due to the expired batch that was included with my brewer...they replied within a couple hours and informed me they would ship out a replacement box. As far as the less-than-hot temperature problem stated above, the flavor and freshness of the individual cups this machine makes outweighs the minor temperature quibble. I'm a satisfied customer - love this brewer.

I purchased the Simple Human pod brewer after having wasted time and money on the Black & Decker Home Cafe (a nightmare of an appliance), the Gevalia pod brewer, and another cheap machine that never worked properly.

The Simple Human works like a dream, and is worth every penny. It consistently brews a hot cup of coffee, dispensing the precise amount of water every time. It extracts the rich flavors from the coffee pods, without extracting oiliness or bitterness. The Simple Human does not have the problems that plague so many other pod brewers: lukewarm and / or oily coffee, inconsistency of brew and water dispensing, sputtering and spilling, and long brew times (it takes just seconds).

The design of the brewer is very nice. It has a small footprint, which helps with limited counter space. The lighted display includes a ready / not ready notification, so you never waste a pod from having too little water in the machine. The lid is an improvement over the other machines that I have tried; instead of having to lock the lid in place, it is simply closed gently. Further, the lid opens far enough that it is easy to lay the pod in properly.

I have been using this brewer for several months now, and have no complaints about it whatsoever. The Molto pods that come with the machine are quite good, but not better than the Java One pods, which are less expensive. For a rich and strong (but not bitter) cup, I recommend the Sumatra Mandheling pods with the 5 oz. setting on this brewer (but be sure to get true Sumatra, not a "Sumatra Blend.")

Although this machine costs more than many of the other brewers on the market, it actually costs less in the long run. With the Simple Human pod brewer, you will not be spending the money for warranty repair charges or for pods lost to bad brews. I consider this to be one of the best appliance investments that I have made.

This is a great coffee maker, it is awesome looking and makes good tasting coffee. I love the stainless steel and the modern look of this product and it costs more then other pod coffee makers but think the extra money is worth the quality you get from this coffee maker. I would definetly buy products from simple human, but also look forward to them expanding their product range