Fast facts first: The Latte Select conjures at your fingertips a good tasting coffee, espresso, cafe latte, cappuccino or latte macchiato. The froth of "coffee specialties with milk" works well (though not as much and as hard as manually foamed) and it goes very quickly with minimal cleaning effort. With a few tricks to make the otherwise very small batch sizes of drinks adjust as needed, more on this below.
Operation:
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Just put a coffee / espresso pad into the appropriate pod holder, Macchiato on the machine either coffee, cappuccino, latte or choose Caffé Latte, press Start, and the rest is done by the machine. With the drinks with milk foam (everything except regular coffee / espresso) you have previously additionally fill milk into the removable milk container. If you choose regular coffee, you can additionally select batch size in 3 steps (smallest amount for a strong espresso). However, the batch sizes of the three other options can not be changed. For an espresso pad (ie Macchiato for latte or cappuccino), one should use the brown pod holder since this brews the coffee stronger (it comes out less but for more).
The milk container is sufficient only for a Latte Macchiato unfortunately, Caffé Latte or Cappuccino two. That is, you want to make more Latte Macchiato in succession, you have to remove the milk container again and fill again. When using the device only for one or two, that's no problem, and comfortable. Uncomfortable it is but if you have, for example, visit and suddenly 5 latte macchiato succession will prepare. Here the constant removal and filling the milk container is too cumbersome.
This drawback can, however, easily bypass if you remove the milk container and a long milk tube used (hose extension set, super awesome!), More on this below.
Beverages / brewing quantities:
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In some reviews here there is criticism that the batch sizes are too small. This I can confirm from my own experience but only conditionally. If you order a cappuccino in a Caffee / restaurant, this usually comes in a small cup of cappuccino. Such a serving size you get with the Senseo. When there is a large coffee cup underneath it is of course clear that is only half full.
A Latte Macchiato with the Senseo has almost exactly 200 ml (measured it), which is admittedly a relatively small macchiato latte. If that is not enough, either two or drink but just press a (or a half) espresso afterwards with the same pad. Simply select espresso, press Start and when the desired amount is reached again on the start / stop button.
I find this combination optimal because in normal latte anyway very little coffee. It comes so Macchiato to about 275 ml for a latte. Milk foam is then still absolutely sufficient for a latte macchiato. I have a pic of a so-made Latte Macchiato set (see product images) to show how good it looks.
Furthermore, I can recommend the following trick to get more milk foam and thus to increase the quantity of beverage continues:
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Filling more milk into the container, as to the actual marker. So z. B. if you want to make a cappuccino, make up to the coffee latte mark. Then you press normally on the Start button. Shortly before the milk level has now reached the cappuccino mark in the milk container is pressed in quick succession twice the ON / OFF button and then again the start button (the Cappuccino process starts so directly from the front). So one has provided a greater quantity of milk than actually and the milk container is also nice to finish sucked empty instead of milk left to lassenm, which unfortunately often is the case otherwise.
So you can also get the Latte Macchiato much milk froth. Simply fill the milk container almost to the edge and proceed using the same method as above. If you can still run some coffee afterwards (with the same pad run behind a little water and break), you also get large latte macchiato glasses pretty full.
Some complain about the excessively low temperature of the beverage, others argue against it that was all nonsense and the drinks would be scalding hot. So it's like this: While the drinks come hot out of the machine, but if you used cold cups / glasses, they are usually just as warm / hot that you can drink it right away. If that's not hot enough, which was previously the cup Preheat eg with hot / boiling water. There's a reason that even in the café / restaurant, the cups are preheated to a cup warmer;) Also I can recommend double-thermal glasses, they escape the drink is not enough heat and keep hot longer. Also see also just great from.
For drinks Quality: Absolutely convincing. The latte macchiato forms (one you have, wait two minutes for the layers forming right) at your fingertips really nice demarcated layers of paint with a great solid milk foam on top. If you, like me, still half espresso with the same pad presses afterwards has, the Latte Macchiato even an additional darker color layer beneath the froth layer. Looks great (see photo at the product images) and tastes very good.
Cleaning:
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Cleaning is really very easy by hand. If you drink only regular coffee, you have to just take out the plastic parts occasionally and rinse under water and wipe the drainer. When using the milk frother you should clean the milk frother after a given beverage. For this you simply fill water into the milk container and press the Clean button. There water is then flushed through the milk frother and so prevents milk residues in the hose bonding / creamer. The milk frother has a fairly simple design, can be taken apart and cleaned even in a dishwasher. My experience has shown that cleaning with the Clean button is not required. You can simply remove the frother unit with container and rinse the parts thoroughly briefly under the tap. Then allow to dry the parts to air dry. If you leave the closed, still moist milk container in the machine (even if it is freshly cleaned), it can happen quickly that milk residues begin to smell. Therefore my tip: Always leave the parts to air dry!
Hose extension:
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Highly recommended if you have, for example, visiting and more latte / cappuccino will make quick succession. In the bay you get a hose extension set for a few euros. These sets include one (or more) food-grade silicone tubing and a plastic plate with built-in magnet. The plastic plate is simply inserted in the place where normally the milk container is seated, the integrated solenoid then deceives the machine before the milk container would be used.
However, the milk frother remains in the machine and gets the longer hose missed (simply pull off the standard tube and the longer attach). This long hose you can now easily hold directly into a milk carton and make as many as latte macchiato in succession as you want without even a single time Remove the milk container. To clean simply holding the hose then in a glass of water, pushing the Clean button.
NOTE: The long milk hose must be cleaned thoroughly from time because inside over time form deposits that will not go away with flushing or even by boiling. Which one gets away with a brush. So you should get a long thin brush (about 4 mm bristle diameter), like those used for aquarium-cleaning, and the hose so about once every 1-2 weeks by brushing.
Conclusion:
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The Senseo Latte Select is perfect for people who want the lowest possible cost quickly Macchiato a delicious latte / cappuccino conjure. Then for espresso lovers a pad machine admittedly nothing, an espresso made with a real espresso machine is again something completely different, you have to clearly admit. But also connected with much more time and effort. So you have to try around a lot and have fun of it to get a perfect espresso. That's for lovers.
Who wants to just have a finished quickly at your fingertips, yet tasty beverage, is well advised with a pad machine, since the price-performance ratio and the expense suit. Comparable capsule machines with milk frother are not sooo much better the taste, cost significantly more (both from the acquisition as well as the drinks prices) and produce a lot of unnecessary waste.
I can absolutely recommend the Latte Select for budget cappuccino and latte drinkers!
