After spending a few weeks researching various coffee makers and reading numerous reviews and online user reports, I settled on the Capresso CoffeeTEC due to its features and the theory behind how it brews coffee reduced aeration to hold flavor (vacuum sealed carafe), no burner to bake the bean and increase acidity, and 190+ degree water dispensed into the brewing basket, which is very hot for a coffee maker!
I have to admit, I was nervous. I saw two general complaints that were common from online user reports. 1) The carafe did not maintain the water temperature, and 2) the frother ceased to work. A few comments on these:
Thermal carafe: I have no clue how anyone can be having a problem with this carafe, unless there's a problem with the heat of the water entering the carafe or in how they're storing the coffee after it brews (like, in the refrigerator, perhaps).
I did some tests on the carafe after getting my CoffeeTEC. The carafe was at room temperature (not pre-heated, as some suggest) when doing this test. Immediately after brewing straight water with the carafe in the closed position, I measured the water temperature at 189.3f using a digital thermometer. I closed the carafe and let it sit for exactly one hour then measured the water at 182.1f, a drop of only about 7f, which is fantastic! Now, I also brewed a full pot of straight water on my now-replaced Mr. Coffee, which sat on a hot burner during the brew process. After brewing, the water temperature was exactly 178f. So, after one hour in the thermal carafe with no burner contact, the Capresso water was hotter than the Mr. Coffee immediately after brewing. Very impressive results!
Frothing problem: I have noticed that the plastic pieces that connect the milk container to the frother do have to be sealed properly for frothing to work. Also, it is necessary to clean the items after frothing; a very simple and quick process. Occasionally my unit will not froth immediately even though the steam would blast in an attempt to froth. This has been very easy to solve. After turning the steam on, I simply press the milk container tightly against the plastic piece that connects it to the frothing nipple. Don't worry if you don't understand this description. You have to own the unit to know the pieces I'm discussing. Just understand that with some minor manual jostling, the milk will flow and froth wonderfully!
Now, as for my assessment of this coffee maker... it is the best coffee maker I have ever owned! I'm knocked-out by the quality of brew I'm getting. Just as good if not better than commercial coffee houses, because I can make it to my specifications!
A few comments on this though... it took a few weeks for me to figure out exactly how to use this coffee maker so it brews to my liking. When I brewed my first cup, I didn't care for it. Keep in mind, this unit brews water quickly through the grind. It extracts flavor and aroma through heat, not prolonged water contact with the bean. As a result, you will have to use more coffee than most coffee makers.
As an example, I used to measure one rounded tablespoon of beans (pre-ground) for every two 5oz cups, then I'd add one extra tablespoon for added body. So, for 20oz of coffee, I'd use three tablespoons of beans. With this coffee maker, I've learned I need to use one tablespoon for each 5oz cup plus one extra for added body. So, for the same 20oz pot of coffee, I use five tablespoons of beans.
Also, the other detail I discovered is, it was necessary to grind the beans finer than I had before. I've started grinding the beans on the Espresso setting of my grinder rather than the automatic drip setting. This made a huge difference on the strength and flavor of the coffee.
So, keep in mind you'll want to play with the quantity and fineness of grind. If you use canned grinds, you have much less leeway. You'll just have to add much more grind, but be careful! Don't add too much or it will overflow the basket. Always adhere to the maximum grind amount Capresso recommends in the documentation.
The coffee maker comes with a gold filter. You may or may not like using the filter; I elected not to use it. The gold filter allows more oil and particulates into the coffee. Some like this; others don't. It makes for an oilier, cloudier brew. Using paper filters, more of the fine particles are filtered out and much of the oil is kept from leaching into the carafe. The coffee is cleaner, clearer and not murky. I prefer using paper, but the preference is highly individualistic. I'd suggest running some tests and decide for yourself.
In the end, I find the coffee to be superb! This coffee maker is a fine-tuned piece of equipment that responds to the subtlest of changes you impart on the brewing process. Change the fineness of the grind or the quantity of beans used and you'll experience a noticeable difference in the outcome of the brew. After I determined the right balance that suits my pallet, all I can say is, "Wow!" The flavor and body is nutty, winy and full, the aftertaste smooth and non-acidic, and the aroma outstanding! I highly recommend this coffee maker.
But, plan to make a number of pots when you first get it with the understanding that many of those pots will probably go down the drain. It'll take some test runs to determine the quantity of coffee you'll want to use, the fineness of grind, and which filter to use. With due diligence, you'll have a splendid coffee maker from which you'll enjoy each day's coffee for years to come, custom made specifically towards your taste.
So, read the other reviews for what they are and keep in mind some of my comments. In my experience, many of the complaints reflect a user who hasn't experimented with the grind quantity and fineness, and hasn't been adventurous enough to work the "piping" when frothing.
I've been impressed with the well-thought out products coming from this relatively small company in the small appliance industry. Their Swiss designers have the leading edge technology in coffee makers and the CoffeeTEC is the latest innovation. Coffee is brewed 10 cups in under 8 minutes, and that's fast. The idea is to have the fresh coffee exposed to hot water for the minimum amount of time, so flavor is extracted without extracting the bitter parts of coffee flavor. CoffeeTEC does this really well. A special 3-5 cup brewing selector makes it possible to brew a perfect small pot of coffee. The coffee goes directly into a stainless steel vacuum carafe, and after removing and sealing the pot the coffee stays hot for hours but never gets heated over and over again as in a traditional hot plate coffee maker. The Auto Cappuccino feature is a genuine plus for those of us who want some frothy milk with our coffee, it turns cold milk into hot milk and froth in seconds. Since all the works are outside of the coffee maker, it's easy to clean and to remove the milk container for refrigerator storage. This is a winner in the category of latest coffee technology.
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This is the second review I have written for this product (Please see the review directly below this one by "bookdeep"). I am pleased to report that we now LOVE this machine, ever since we discovered the "trick," and I am writing again to try and rectify the embarrasingly harsh review that I sent before. As I said in the first review, the coffee machine works fine: it makes a great cup of coffee quickly and efficiently, and it is easy to clean. Initially, we had some difficulty with the frothing mechanism; however, the solution turned out to be very simple. In order to start the steaming/frothing mechanism, there is a large dial that must be turned one-quarter turn from "Twelve O'Clock" (Steam Off) to "Three O'Clock" (Steam On). We discovered that when you turn the dial to the Steam On position you have to bear down on the dial a tiny, tiny bit: maybe the dial would actually go to 3:01 on the clock face, maybe even less. When we do that, the frothing starts immediately, every time. It seems that our trouble was that we were a little too delicate turning the dial. Note that this "overturning" is very slight: we wouldn't want anyone to damage the machine. I wish that I could take back the previous review because that low rating will have an affect on the average for this product, but I cannot. I hope that writing to correct our error will help others who may consider this machine. Please note, that in spite of the brand name "Capresso" this is not an Espresso machine; it is a coffee maker with a frothing mechanism, which works amazingly well now that we know the trick. If this is the combination that you are looking for, then we cannot recommend this machine highly enough--it does do both of these jobs very well. And now that you know the trick, maybe there will be fewer frustrated, and more happy, coffee drinkers like us.
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This is a fine, easy to use, machine that I'm really enjoying having in my kitchen. I had never used a milk-steamer before, and found the idea a little intimidating. But the process is really quite painless, and now I'm wondering why I did without it so long (even my java-phobic bride is enjoying homemade hot chocolate thanks to the steamer).
Anyone who enjoys having a pot of coffee on-call throughout a morning should avoid glass pots like a cliché and instead use a thermal carafe like this one. Not only does it keep coffee steaming hot without constant re-heating, but the wide top and easy-off lid make for easy clean up when you're done.
The coffeemaker is elegantly designed, seems relatively sturdy, and looks nice on a countertop. Plus, it's fast, fairly quiet, and -as I said -easy to clean.
For someone like me who just wants to enjoy coffee without trying to become a home barista ('professional maker of complex espresso drinks'), this is as much machine as I think I'll need ... at least until the one with the built-in burr grinder arrives.
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It makes the best coffee I've ever had. The carafe works perfectly and keeps the coffee hot, and at nearly peak flavor, for hours. Those few reviewers who say that it doesn't keep the coffee hot simply have a carafe with a broken vaccuum seal.
I'm bothering to write a review because I had a problem with the machine, as some others have: the steamer stopped working properly, and the water tank was leaking. But at that point my experience was totally different from that of other posters who have complained about problems with the equipment and Capresso customer service. Get this: we had no warranty information on the machine, having received it 2nd-hand. Still, when my wife called their customer service, with no questions asked we were sent a pre-paid UPS label to return the unit. I put it in a UPS box on a Monday morning. On Wednesday afternoon---two days later---I received a new machine via UPS. (I know that they first received the machine I sent before sending the replacement because they replaced exactly what I sent, no more, no less; i.e., I sent the machine with just the water tank, none of the other parts, and I got back just a machine with a water tank.) I'm as pleasantly astonished by UPS getting it back and forth so quickly as am by Capresso simply and immediately fixing the problem at no charge.
Maybe Capresso "got the message" about customer service and made some changes. I could be bothered that the machine developed problems in the first place, but hey, things break. The bottom line for me is that it makes PERFECT coffee and, when there was a problem, Capresso took care of it astonishingly well.
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Better than any Starbucks, at a fraction of the cost. This thing will pay for itself in a month, no more $5 cups of coffee.
