UuVareations

Although it isn’t a Bean to Cup Coffee Machine, the Philips Senseo HD7860 is the latest incarnation of easy to use, relatively instantaneous real coffee makers, using 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, unlike some previous models, the height of the base where the cups sit can be varied, enabling larger cup or mugs to be used if you prefer.. The height varies from 97 to 117 mm.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. You can buy the recommended Douwe Egberts pads at around 15 pence each. However, there are many cheaper alternatives and it pays to shop around. You’ll need to get round ones.We’ve tried both and the quality of the coffee has been superb.

This is a great coffee machine. Its unique selling point is its looks. We think that the HD7860 comes into its own when placed in a relatively modern kitchen or one with dark work tops - it will generally fit in better than the more traditional machines. And it produces great coffee!.