CBTL Contata S03 Single Cup Brewer, Black/Grey

First, I am far from new to the single serve specialty coffee makers. I own 3 top of the line different brands of single serve machines; CBTL makes 4. The CBTL machine is well designed and manufactured. You can see the quality of this brewer when you are holding it in your hands. I find it very easy to keep clean and love the disposable waste bin hidden inside the machine. The brewer looks great on your cupboard or showcased on a cart in your kitchen. With a cart you can wheel your entire CBTL ensemble; capsules, frother, and of course, the Contata into your dining room or living room to serve guests. Out of all the specialty single serve brewers I own, my preference is the CBTL. Why? I can enjoy premium CBTL beverages while I live on the East Coast. You know what I mean. There is something to be said about brewing a quality premium brand of espresso, tea, and coffees. When you brew up an espresso, the crema is a reddish brown; good indication of a good espresso. These are not simulated espressos. My favorites are well, all of the caffientated CBTL espressos available. It depends on my mood which one I reach for. And this is the biggest pro, the CBTL Contata and Kaldi can brew those espressos and cremas at 15 bars of pressure; important for a true espresso. The Contata and Kaldi also have the ability to switch to the lower bars of pressure (3.5) needed to brew a good cup of joe. My favorite brews so far are the French Roast and the Viennese. I haven't tried the House Brew yet. I will soon. You can brew a short shot, a long shot, or brew a regular 7 to 8 oz of coffee or tea. Speaking of teas, have fun and make your tea a Latte. Any tea from CBTL can be turned into a Latte. Yum. I love the Tropical Passion and the English Breakfast tea. The Morrocan Mint is superb. Mix in a little chocolate for Chocolate Mint tea Latte. Or stir in a little French Vanilla, for a Buttercream Mint Latte. So many people are worried about the lack of choices. CBTL is the new kid on the block, built on an open platform. Knowing Coffee Bean, the choices will be expanded. I'm hearing new drinks will be available during the holidays. Ok, that said. Any capsule made for a Caffitaly system can be used in any Caffitaly brewer. In Europe, there is Lofbergs, Ecaffe, and Dualit. Actually there are more brands of capsules than those mentioned. Which means those capsules would fit in a CBTL and vice versa. Will those capsules be sold in the USA, I'm reading yes eventually online coffee sites may bring the capsules across the sea. Even if that doesn't happen, I'm very happy with the quality of drinks I get by using CBTL capsules. I'm hoping to see CBTL Kona, Blue Mountain, Creme Brulee, Hazelnut, and more. And I really think if any company will expand, it will be CBTL. Love my machine.

Edited to add on 10/30/11. I still love my Conata and CBTL frother. Wanted every one to know CBTL follows through on their promises. I walked into my local Bed, Bath, & Beyond today, and straight ahead when I walked through the door were several shelves of CBTL products and a great selection of CBTL Capsules. Not advertised any where on the net, not yet any way, I found 6 new CBTL coffees: 10% Kona, Costa Rica, Columbian, Butterscotch Toffee, Hazelnut, and French Vanilla. Yep, I did stock up!

Edited on 12/17/11. CBTL Contata and Kaldi are Caffitaly systems. Meaning, any Caffitaly capsule will fit in a Caffitaly system, which CBTL is. I recently bought Ecaffe caffitaly capsules from a store in Canada which ships to the states. Also, you can purchase Danesio caffitaly capsules in the states if you do a search. This expands on the inventory of coffees you can use and increases the utility of the brewer. I'm enjoying my CBTL more and more every day ; )

I'm writing this as my way of thanking the others who reviewed this machine. If I hadn't found their reviews here on Amazon, I would not have known about this really nice little espresso / coffee maker.

We had a Keurig machine. As so many others have experienced, it went on the blink shortly after the warranty expired, producing wacky and random amounts of coffee regardless of the size chosen. Descaling didn't solve the problem, either. After reading how so many others suffered through the same experiences, I decided the Keurigs were just poorly designed and was not going to buy another. So I was reading people's reviews about the Tassimo machines and found a few others recommending CBTL machines (which I had never heard of). They pointed out that the CBTL's actually did real espressos (15 bar pressure) and produced superior tasting drinks, plus they also did the lower pressure coffees and teas. The reviews convinced me to give one a whirl. Am I ever glad I did!

We got it just before Christmas, along with the CBTL milk frother. Less than a month later, we've made a LOT of lattes, mochas and coffees and are really happy with the machine and the frother. My favorite is a latte made with the Italian espresso short shot. The coffees are really nice, too, with their own rich crema, thicker and richer than anything you can get out of a Keurig. Granted, there's not a huge choice of coffees for this machine (about 8 or so), but they are nice and distinctive; there's good variety in the taste of what they do provide. For me though, when combined with the milk frother, the highlight of this machine is the superb espresso drinks you can make quickly and easily.

I highly recommend this machine, and I thank my Keurig for being so flaky: if it had been better behaved, I might have gone years without experiencing this much higher-quality home coffee machine. The CBTL is so far one of the more pleasurable and satisfying purchases I have made in a long time. Thanks to the reviewers who helped me find it. Hope it works well for you, too!

Buy CBTL Contata S03 Single Cup Brewer, Black/Grey Now

After much deliberation, I ended up choosing this machine over the Kaldi mostly because it looked like I would be able to fit a normal sized coffee cup under the spout with the Contata but not the Kaldi. A standard mug that is about 4.5 inches tall will fit with some room left.

I like espresso so it wasn't a big deal for me but it would have been a deal breaker for my wife if she couldn't use her favorite mugs.

It makes fantastic, consistent espresso and coffee. Have had it for about a week now and made about 40 cups of coffee without a problem. I am really glad I was able to find this. I was looking for a replacement for a broken Keurig (evidently a common occurrence) and was happy I found a machine that could make both coffee and espresso well.

So far no complaints and we are very happy with the purchase.

Read Best Reviews of CBTL Contata S03 Single Cup Brewer, Black/Grey Here

My fiance and I received this as a wedding present and HAD to open it before the wedding. It has proven to be an absolute dream machine.

Best Features:

sturdy construction, a manageable 8.8lbs

detailed manual (READ IT FIRST!) with lots of pictures

few, easy to read buttons

power save function

large water tank capacity

quiet, much quieter than my old espresso machine

pull length for each type of drink is adjustable/programmable to your own personal taste, this feature is THE BEST

Speaking of ESPRESSO... Yes, this machine does it. At 15 bars of pressure with a rich golden crema. The ONLY single serve beverage system that does espresso. Better espresso than my DeLonghi machine!

adjustable pour spout so your espresso doesn't splatter into your cup

cartridges available at my local Coffee Bean shop, Bed Bath and Beyond stores, or online from CBTL or Amazon

will also take any Gaggia Caffitaly cartridge

Google "cbtl reusable capsules" and you'll find a nice hack to make your cartridges reusable with your own coffee/tea ("official" reusable cup? No. Slightly ghetto? Maybe. Ingenious and money saving? You bet!)

Cautions:

IMPORTANT: You will need clearance over the top of the machine in order to pull and secure the lever while inserting/ejecting cartridges. So either use without a cabinet over it, or it will need to be pulled out for each use.

If you live out of the US, I would check the voltage requirements to make sure you don't blow the unit.

Limited selection of beverage cartridge variety. CBTL has 4 espresso (inc decaf), 12 coffee (inc decaf), 4 tea, and a few flavored powder sachets. The company is planning on launching new flavors this holiday season.

Mug clearance. My Bodum double walled mugs do not fit under the spout without tilting. Fine for an espresso but not fine when the whole mug is full of hot coffee. However, that's my own personal issue, being double walled they're rather massive compared to normal coffee mugs. :)

Uses only filtered water (I just use my Brita) or bottled water

No official reusable cartridge YET (Google "cbtl reusable capsules" for a cool hack)

Want CBTL Contata S03 Single Cup Brewer, Black/Grey Discount?

What a machine! It's small but mighty -you are able to brew every type of coffee or tea drink using this single unit and its companion, the CBTL LM-145P Milk Frother, Black. Are you a fan of specialty drinks such as espresso, cappuccino, latte, special roast coffee, hot chocolate and flavored or regular tea? If you can dream it, you can make it.

The machine isn't heavy and takes up only the same area on your counter-top as a regular coffee maker or 4-slice toaster. When you first open and unpack the machine from the box, you will need to put the filter piece in the clear plastic water reservoir, fill it with water (I use cold filtered water holds about a quart), and prime the machine. The handy instruction card that's included will walk you through the process and then you're ready to try making your first beverage. Select one of the CBTL capsules from their private collection of roasts and blends and pull back the top lever, drop the capsule in the slot and push forward to close it. Then push the button to start the brewing process. There are three water level settings on the machine -the smallest one at the top for espresso (about 1.5 ounces), the middle for long tea or other specialty beverages (about 3 ounces), and the bottom for brewed coffee or tea (about 8 ounces). You can experiment with the various levels to get the strength desired. I like to use an espresso capsule with the brew setting and top it off with warmed milk. When the coffee cycle is complete, remove your cup and raise the lever to eject the used capsule into the pull out receptacle behind the drip pan and discard it. After you have used your unit and are ready to turn it off for the day, run a short water cycle through the machine without a capsule to clear the small tubes. Clean up is easy, just remove the receptacle and rinse it off in the sink. I empty the water reservoir as well.

After a week with the machine and with the various products offered by Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf company, I'm a fan! The only drawback is that the capsules are not available in any local store and must be ordered online through the company -and each beverage serving will cost you about 60¢. When you go online to find out how to get the capsules you find the following information about the CBTL(tm) premium club:

What you need, when you need it!

Sign up for monthly shipments of your favorite CBTL(tm) Capsules and flavored powder sachets and you automatically become a member of our CBTL(tm) Premium Club. As a club member, you'll receive:

* A low $5.95 fixed shipping & handling fee on monthly shipments.

* Free shipping with minimum monthly subscription of $40.

* Free CBTL(tm) Capsule Holder upon first-time sign up.

* Eligible to receive free limited edition espresso, coffee and tea samples.

* Exclusive promotional offers.

There are 4 espresso flavors including a decaf version, 4 coffee brews including decaf, 4 different teas including chai, and 2 powder sachets -chocolate and vanilla -to make the latte and mocha drinks. I have now used them all! According to the literature included with the machine and on the website, you cannot use any other brand (Keurig or Tassimo) in this coffee maker. That makes it difficult as you have to order the capsules online and pay about $6.00 for a package of 10 capsules and the shipping and handling fee unless you become a premium member with a monthly subscription. I know that my local grocery store carries other single serve capsules and hope that CBTL can get its product in the supermarket venue as well to make it easier to get what you want without the hassle and price of subscribing to a coffee delivery service. Amazon.com does offer the capsules on its website.

I am enjoying my coffee and tea each day. I recommend this product to anyone who wants to try the single cup brewer method. It does make a perfect cup of coffee or tea.