CBTL from The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Beverage System, Briosa Silver

Love this machine. I never had a single brew coffee maker before and I did a lot of homework before buying the CBTL brand. Was going to buy a Keurig, but there are too many bad reviews about burned out pump parts. The others didn't fair much better and some had the same problems because the pumps were made by the same mfg. Someone complained that these coffee makers make too much noise. Who cares if it makes a great cup of coffee and THERE IS NO CLEAN UP. The noise isn't that bad. The instructions do say use distilled or demineralized water. That will extend the life of the machine since there will be no mineral buildup. Also Amazon offered a 3 year warrenty so I got it. I also bought about 8 different flavors of the coffes and they are tasty. Plus you can adjust the strength on this machine.

Amazon offeres the best prices on the coffee and machines. I did go to the CBTL web site for comparison.

I own a CBTL Kaldi, CBTL Kaldi S04 Single Cup Brewer, Red which I've had for almost 2 trouble-free years. As I know from past experience with Keurig, these single-serve coffeemakers don't last all that long. So I decided to pick up this CBTL Briosa model for the unfortunate time when the Kaldi finally kicks the dust.

I'm disappointed with this Briosa it's a much cheaper build-quality as compared to the Kaldi. Although there are some better features, too. With the Kaldi you only have a choice of 1.5 oz., 3 oz, or 8 oz. and you can't fit a travel mug underneath. With the Briosa, you can remove the drip tray and a travel mug will fit. You also have more choices of amounts with the Briosa, ranging from a short espresso all the way up to 12 ounces.

The Briosa's pump is louder than the Kaldi's no doubt these machines are all fairly loud, it's because the pump has to be strong enough to make espresso drinks. My much more expensive Breville Infuser, where I pull my own shots, is just as noisy. But the Briosa also vibrates quite a bit, and that's the reason they include a rubber mat to place inside the drip tray, otherwise your glass or cup does a little dance.

Another difference between the two models is how the capsule enters and exits.

Kaldi: You pull the silver handle back, insert the capsule sideways into the opening. If you have made a previous drink, the "used" capsule exits into a used capsule storage bin, which needs to be emptied and rinsed out every 2 or 3 days.

Briosa: You insert a capsule, you remove the capsule manually, just like a Keurig machine. I don't care for this feature on the Briosa; after brewing it is VERY hard to open the top to make another cup. (The instruction manual says to wait 10 minutes due to pressure build-up).

I can also tell a difference in coffee flavor between the two. Coffee that comes out of the more expensive Kaldi tastes better. I'm certain it's not psychological.

If you can afford to spend more, I think the Kaldi is a better choice. The Kaldi has better components used in its manufacturing and will probably last longer.

There is also a mid-priced Americano model which I believe has the capsule storage bin. I have never used that one personally so I don't know about its features or build quality. (edited: I now own the Americano too! See my review for more info.)

Here's the Americano model: CBTL from The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Beverage System, Americano Black

NOTE: I usually purchase these types of things from Amazon, but I couldn't pass up a great deal for the Briosa on a shopping network, which also included 122 capsules, for much less than the Briosa is priced here. However, I'm sending the Briosa back it's a horrible machine.

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This coffee machine has been nothing but trouble since I got it. Only after 3 months did this coffee maker die completely. I will be returning it.

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I received this machine for Christmas and was very excited to use it. As others have stated, it is noisy. But I could handle the noise if I could get the darn thing to stay on. It keeps cutting off when I turn it on. I have to try two or three times before it will stay on to brew a cup of coffee. Or it cuts off in the middle of brewing. Once it finally stays on, it takes two or three times to get it to turn off and stay off. On top of that, it leaks.

One pro I found with the CBTL systems. I was looking for the refillable pods but they don't make one for this system. Instead, you can empty a used pod, fill it with your own coffee, and cover it back over with your own aluminum foil. Neat concept. Here is the link:It is a shame that I have to send it back because the coffee is good.

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I purchased the Briosa from another retailer but thought I would leave a review here for all the Amazon family to read. I intended on buying a Kuerig for my wife for Christmas. We currently have a 2 year old Bosch Tassimo that has performed flawlessly. We really enjoy the coffee but the disks are getting harder to find and Amazon took away the Subscribe and Save feature. That plus the local stores have so many Kuerig flavors to choose from. Anyway, after reading countless reviews of persons that had two and three Kuerigs and others instructing to get the additional warranty. Then there is the numerous pump problems. I seen the Briosa in an ad, and did some review searching. They were throwing in something like 120 coffee pods with it and the price seemed great. Especially if compared to a Kuerig. I gave it to my wife for Christmas and the very first thing was the cup holder would not fit into the upper spot without a whole lot of struggling. Then the first pod shot water out the side of the machine. On top of this, the machine is a whole lot more noisy than the Tassimo and the cup vibrates across the plate. To add to that, the brewer dripped water from the spout for about 15 minutes after pulling the cup out. I was as disappointed as my wife. What I thought was a great idea for a present left us both very disappointed and now it is going back. Maybe I just got a lemon as these things do happen but we are not going to chance it again. I remember reading one reviewer saying she had the same issues, but thought then it was probably an isolated incident. I hope this helps others in their buying decision.