Senseo Samples

I really had to take a quiet day to recover from Nemo's sudden passing. She was my baby girl for 2.5 years and it is always hard when they die too young.

So, it's back to the daily routine. We are now happy to announce that we will be offering Senseo Extra Dark Roast Samples for free with any order that contains (Senseo) coffee pods. Also, we will extend this service to other flavors as well. You will be able to request a free sample with your order and you will receive two pods of the requested flavor, so that you can see if the flavor suits you. We will place them in a ziplock bag. We think this is an excellent way to sample various flavors.



We will also send out our newsletter this week!

You will be missed

Nemo, you will be missed (August 20th, 2006)

Senseo Basic Coffee Pods

As of this week, the basic flavors of Senseo coffee pods (Regular, Mild Roast, Dark Roast, Decaf, and Mocca Gourmet) will only be available in larger bags; they now contain 36 pods instead of the normal 18 pods. We are no longer able to offer the 18 pod bags, as Douwe Egberts decided to no longer produce these. We will be updating the prices of the bags (they will now cost €4.79 per bag for 36 pods, which comes to €0.13 per pod, which is €0.03 cheaper than the old pods). We will also update the bulk packages: we will offer the standard bulk package, which means that the number of pods stays the same, but now this package only contains 5 bags, since that equals 180 pods, the same as our current bulk packages. However, we will also offer "bulkier packages" which contain 10 bags, or 360 pods in total.

Favorite Recipe

Whenever I have the time, I really enjoy baking. One of my favorite recipes is this one for an über delicious chocolate cake. It is really easy to make and it also was a huge success when I made it on Mary-jane's birthday! I covered it with Chocolate letters, it looked really scrumptious!



The recipe for my Scrumptious Choco-Cake

Ingredients
200 g butter
3 bars of bittersweet chocolate (300g)
1 bar milk chocolate (100g)
4 eggs
200g donkere basterdsuiker or brown sugar.
150g flour/baking powder
200g caramel fudge (cut into cubes)
125 ml cream

Preparation

Preheat oven to 175 °C. Divide the butter into small cubes and heat them along with 2 bars of bittersweet chocolate and 1 bar of milk chocolate (save the third bittersweet bar for later) until completely melted. Make sure you do not burn the chocolate! Once melted, allow to cool for a few minutes.

Break the eggs and mix. Add the brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Sieve the baking powder/flour in the egg mixture. Then, carefully fold in the chocolate mixture. Next, stir in the fudge.

Pour the mixture into an oven dish (make sure to cover the surface with butter). Bake for approx. 30 minutes: the inside of the cake should be really moist.

Pour the cream in a small pan and break the final bar of bittersweet chocolate into the cream. Carefully stir until completely melted. Pour frosting on top of cake and spread evenly.

Enjoy!

Re-opening time!

We will re-open tomorrow, so this means that normal turnaround times will apply again! All the orders that were placed in our vacation will be processed and shipped this week.

The site has undergone a few minor aesthetic changes, but there are still more changes to come. I have added a new, perhaps quite important feature to the site: the D.E. Points Exchange. On every package of Senseo coffee pods, Douwe Egberts Coffee, or Pickwick tea, you will find the so-called "waardepunten." If you live in the Netherlands, you can save these points and exchange them for Douwe Egberts gifts. However, we understand that a large percentage of our customers are not in the position to do this. Therefore, we have decided to start our own service: you are able to exchange your points for vouchers that you can use in our shop!

On a lighter note: I purchased a new digital camera (the Sony W70) and I really enjoy it. I am by no means a good photographer, as I usually only make product photographs. However, I enjoy using the macro function of my camera..a few examples follow.


See the wasp?


A little bug


A small ant with a huge sunflower seed

We are closed for the summer!

Yes, that's right; we will be closed for the summer from July 18 - August 14. While I will spend some time relaxing on a beach, I will also work on the website to improve its quality and make it even more user-friendly! If you have any suggestions, please feel free to email me!

I wish you all a great summer!

Chitchat

We have been quite busy over here at the TDS Headquarters. As you may have noticed, our site has two new contributors; Mary-jane and Lian. Both of them use their writing skills and witty style to either answer all your questions regarding the Dutch culture, or give you a peek into the life of a Dutch University student. They didn't need much time to decide whether or not they wanted to be a part of our team; all it took for me to persuade them was a platter of home-made brownies and a cold iced-tea! You can find Mary-jane's column over here and Lian's Corner over here.

I have also decided to make this blog a little more personal, because based on my own experience, I like a personal style when it comes to a company blog. I always like to know that there a real persons working on my orders and answering my emails.

The past week, I enjoyed the summer sun and started reading some great books. After watching Oprah, I really wanted to read Elie Wiesels Night, so that book is on my reading list for the summer. I am now reading a chick flick, as it is sometimes called, Watermelon by Marian Keyes; really a great read for the summer.

Also, don't forget that Typical Dutch Stuff will be closed for the summer from July 20 18 to August 14. I am planning to re-design the site in this period (as well as going on a well-deserved trip), so it will be even more user friendly!

Well, I'm going to settle myself in front of the TV and watch the Worldcup finale!