Christmas Coffee: Tyler Florence & Senseo

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Superchefblog promised a recommended coffee for Christmas breakfast (see previous article), and we found one -- courtesy of Tyler Florence. When we last checked in with Tyler, he had a new cookbook out (see previous article), but right now he's on a coffee kick. Tyler called Superchefblog earlier this week to tell us the story of how he became a celebrity endorser for the new Senseo coffeemaker by Philips: I get requested a lot to speak on behalf of products... They [Philips] sent me one in the mail. I tried it out and really liked it... Senseo makes a really good cup of coffee -- in 30 seconds flat! You don't have to waste a pot or let it boil down... I love the Dark Roast... I'm sending out a whole bunch for Christmas presents. Tyler launched Senseo's "Drop the Drip" campaign in New York City, which runs October-December 2005. Customers trade in their "old-fashioned" drip coffeemakers for new Senseos. The campaign extends to 10 other cities across America, and Tyler is involved in other appearances like a dessert-and-coffee pairing cookshow segment, available via satellite to national and local media. Here's how the Senseo works. The coffeemaker uses single-serving, pre-measured pods of coffee (the box comes with pods made by Douwe Egberts), which you place in the sleek machine. Push a button, and out comes an extremely frothy cup of fairly hot coffee -- in about 30 seconds, as Tyler said. For the uninitiated, coffeepods are coffee (!) compressed between two sheets of filter paper. Douwe Egbert currently makes Mild, Medium Roast, and Dark Roast, as well as a handful of flavors, all of which produce mellow, not burnt coffee. Each coffeepod makes one four-ounce cup, and a Senseo also makes a double, to fill up a morning mug. There are no attachments for steaming milk or grinding coffee, or alarm clocks, or any other gizmos: this is a coffeemaker, just like it says on the box. Other companies like JavaOne make Senseo-fitting coffeepods in more flavors than Douwe Egbert, including single-country beans. Bottom line, the pods make the machine easy to use and mess free. (Coffeepods also help shore up the bottom line for coffee manufacturers -- clearly, a coffeepod costs more to consumers for a limited amount of coffee than preparing coffee grounds yourself.) NOTE: The trick to getting good flavor out of a coffeepod is to moisten it before you use it. There are other pod-based coffeemakers on the market, including models by Krups, Keurig, Hamilton Beach, and Bunn-O-Matic, but none of them have captured the Apple magic of the iMac and especially the iPod the way the sleek shape and sassy colors of Senseo have. Want proof? Just click here to see a line-up. So, what's the drop on your drip, bottom line? That is, should you drop your drip coffeemaker? If it's worn out and doesn't produce good coffee anymore? Sure, get a new coffee maker! If you have a large, coffee-drinking family, consider the Senseo as an extra coffee maker for a second cup mid-morning or mid-afternoon drink. After all, the coffee comes out one by one, so in large groups someone is going to have to wait. And if the looks of a coffeemaker have any effect on taste (read carefully -- the coffee's taste or yours?), then you will have to consider a Senseo for your coffeemaking collection -- if not this holiday, then some time, soon...... Tyler Florence: Tyler Florence: Eat This Book Photo sources: Flickr FPSnewswire Visuals Newscom iPod Etc.: Jamie Oliver on Vodafone Live! One "Epi To Go," Please! Emeril Lagasse: iPod ReciPods Emeril Lagasse Lays Apple iPod Previous articles: Christmas Breakfast: Bacon and Sausage Mother's Day Gift: Finding Betty Crocker Easter Special: Super Pastry Chefs Valentine's Knives: Cut to the Heart Valentine's Tea: Bouquets to Drink [complete Cookbook Reviews] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, cookbooks, appliances, marketing, advertising --> back to superchefblog