Showing posts with label cappuccino and espresso maker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cappuccino and espresso maker. Show all posts

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Saeco Odea Giro Plus Fully Automatic Espresso Machine

Saeco Odea Giro Plus Fully Automatic Espresso MachineAfter owning the Saeco Giro Plus for about a month, here are my observations

Pros:

Great tasting coffee! Very strong without tasting bitter. Rich creme.

Affordable price. Paid $400 from a "club" store.

Relatively quiet compared to my sister's super-automatic Krups.

Cons:

After installing the water filter, the water storage is pretty low, 3 cups of Americano at most.

Machine is very finicky (will go more in detail later)

The "cup warmer" feature is a joke, only thing it can warm are ice cubes.

Here's a list of stuff that might cause the warning light to go off.

Solid Warning Light:

Steam knob not turned all the way off (need to click in place)

Water is low (20% full is still considered low, sensor goes by weight it seems)

Drip tray is full

Slow Blinking Warning Light:

Brew group not inserted properly (DON'T hold the Push button when inserting, it should click in)

Grounds bin not inserted (the sensor is finicky, sometimes you need to pull out and push in again)

Fast Blinking Warning Light (hot water dispensing light will also be on):

Machine needs to be primed (while the hot water dispensing light is on turn the steam knob on till the red light goes away)

Don't forget to rinse the brew unit in hot water (no soap) once a week. This will prevent build up of oils and sludge.

I purchased this machine on the "whole latte love" website. It took a week to arrive via ups ground. Upon arrival it was 100% dead. as soon as you turn it on the alarm light turns on and the machine does not do anything. also the optional filter was missing as well. I called the seller that told me to call Saeco, this is their agreement. I called Saeco (Philips) that issued me a promise for replacement

I received this replacement within less then a week, which is great. Initially they "promised" 10-14 days, but changed that after long phone discussions. the second machine arrived and turned on as promised. It made 5 great espresso shots and after the 5th shot the alarm light turned on (again). Nothing helped besides resetting the machine. Every 3-5 cups I need to reset it for the same reasons. The resetting itself takes about 30-40 seconds, but it is pretty unpleasant to need to do this all the time.

In summary, although it makes a good espresso shot and despite good foaming, I would not buy this one again. I think a machine that needs to be re-set every few cups is pretty unreliable.

Also I tried to publish a negative review about it on the wholelatte art website but they did not publish it. i think they filter negative feedbacks so whatever you read there is most likely unreliable as well.

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This is a review by a Coffee Fanatic who has owned several machines, including the $8000 industrial version. I had the Vienna Plus for 8 months and decided to give that away to get the Odea Go. It does not matter which model you get, all the Odeas have the same BMW mechanics and design. All work the same way. So I'll give a comparison for your own judgement.

The Vienna Plus had more water in the dredge drawer.. so much that I first thought the machine was leaking!! Found out that IS the way the machine works.. But the machine was bigger than the Odea, so it had room. I had to clean it out every 6-8 cups made.

The Vienna also allowed me to see the water level, so it was easy to refill.

Now for the ODEA:

Doesn't matter which model Odea you get, they're the same build. I was impressed by the BMW-designed mechanics, so I bought it for the sleeker look. Smaller unti fitted well on the small kitchen counter I have.

MAKES STRONGER COFFEE than other models of Saeco that I've tried/borrowed/owned/tasted. It's able to extract more flavor.

PROBLEMS:

1. The water container is smaller than the Vienna. And the tank is hidden, so you can NOT see when it's time to refill. YOU MUST refill before it's down to 2 cups left, because the light weight will make the sensor stop working. The sensor is not by water, but by weight of water!

2. The coffee lid can't be opened while the machine is ON. The other models can. This is weird.. because I used to be able to refill the Vienna while it's brewing.

3. The dredge drawer needs to be emptied for every 3-4 cups of coffee brewed!! Though it's not really full, the sensor will not let you brew coffee with water in this drawer!! So you will end up cleaning this every 4 cups max.

4. The drawer can't be seen, the spills can't be seen, because of the sleek design, everything is covered. And everything is BLACK, so you can't see whether you've cleaned it very well. Coffee grinds may be hidden in places you can't see... all gray and black plastic!!

WHEN MY NEW MACHINE WAS 5 WEEKS OLD, THE 3 RED LIGHTS FLASHED QUICKLY which means electrical problems. Turning it off and on did not help. Calling the manufacturer, diagnosed over the phone, and ended up to have to replace it with a new one. IT SIMPLY STOPPED WORKING.

Making the story short: I am now on my third Odea -only because they won't let me get a different one even if I offered additional money to upgrade. And I'm not about to waste over $600 for a couple of months' use.

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Let me just start by saying I managed coffee bars for many years. I not only used commercial machines but maintained them as well. I have now owned three different Saeco machines. First was a hand me down. It would leak water all over the counter and had been repaired multiple times. Second I owned was an Incanto, and it was great. I had no problems with this machine at all. Sadly it is only made in Europe, so I could not bring it back to the states with me because of the voltage. Now I own this pile of garbage. First of all it does not have a bypass, so you cannot use any other coffee without digging out all of the beans from the hopper. Sometimes I would like some decaf later in the day, so this is annoying. Unless you managed to use every last bean in the grinder, you might have some caffeinated ones left behind. If you don't have enough beans in the hopper, it will just dump whatever amount into the waste. This machine is very fickle about the beans it likes. When you switch over beans, it will dump that first round of beans. Sometimes it will just waste beans for no reason at all even when you're using the same beans you always use. I like expensive coffee, and for $14.50 for 8 ounces this makes me want to throw this thing out into the street. I will say these machines do give a good shot. This machine has two boilers so you always have enough pressure. Other than that, I wish I could have a different machine.

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I have tried quite a few machines. This is by far my favorite. Every shot is perfect and the crema is gorgeous too. The panarella wand makes perfect froth of microscopic bubbles. I am a latte fanatic and my lattes are gorgeous. When I was researching this machine, I came across a youtube video of a woman that was comparing frothing and showing how to do it on this machine, and basically saying that this machine sucks. She is an idiot. She seriously does not know how to froth milk with a home machine. Maybe her method (no skill whatsoever) works on an industrial machine. Anyway, don't pay attention to her if you come across that video. The reason I didn't give her or any of the negative reviews too much credit is because my sister, who is a personal chef, swears by her Saeco, so I just trusted her. I am really glad I did. A couple of my friends have also bought Saeco machines after using mine. I so prefer my Saeco to the high-end machine we have at work. The shot the other one produces is just as good, but the frothing on the Saeco is substantially superior.

So, a few notes: Yes, the machine is a bit finicky. You do learn quickly what the lights mean when they blink or hold solid or whatever. It takes a bit of just looking up the error message and fixing the issue. The issue is never a big deal. Just clean the dreg container or provide more water (it has a kind of small receptacle). Or, fill up the coffee bean container. But, you have to do stuff like that with every machine, unless you spend $$s to hook one up to a water line or whatever.

Anyway, I have had really good luck with my machine and I would buy another one. And, if it does break down, I would take the effort to find a shop to repair it. I did accidentally drop my panarella wand into the disposal and wrecked it. I called the company and they worked with me to get me the right part for a decent price. Good luck with your decision!!

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Monday, June 2, 2014

Dip-It Automatic Drip Coffeemaker Cleaner: 7 OZ

Dip-It Automatic Drip Coffeemaker Cleaner: 7 OZ
  • Sold Individually
  • Color: Light Green
  • Safely dissolves the hidden lime and scale water deposits
  • Cleans better than vinegar with no unpleasant odor
  • 7 FL OZ (207ml)

When I was going to school (Purdue) in 1955, I worked at a "fixit" shop, where we repaired all sorts of small appliances like toasters, mixers, irons, coffeemakers and other things. One day my boss came in and said, "Here, use this stuff in that coffeepot you just fixed before you tell the owner it's done." He handed me a package of DIP-IT! I didn't think too much about it, but followed the instructions and ran a pot of Dip-It instead of coffee. The inside of the pot sparkled! It took no time at all, and the product was pretty cheap. From then on, we used it in all coffeepots we repaired, just to give the customers a treat when they picked up their coffeepots. I am amazed and pleased that this product is still available after all these years!!

---Sincerely, Jerry McMurry Retired Engineer.

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Fantastic, it's a shame this product is no longer available at local stores. Just follow instructions and coffee pots, carafes and thermos bottles that I thought would never come clean are spotless.

Read Best Reviews of Dip-It Automatic Drip Coffeemaker Cleaner: 7 OZ Here

Works very well and very easy to use. I clean our coffee maker every 6 weeks.

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I had used the Dip-it cleaner for stainess steel coffee carafe for the coffee maker and also for Staineless steel thermos jugs....but I was unable to locate the cleaner at our local supermarket(s) where I had purchased it before....even tried Bed Bath & Beyond (they carry misc. cleaners etc.) No one seemed to know where to locate it. So, I tried my true & trusted source, Amazon....and here they were....I thought I would try the coffe maker cleaner and went on to purchase the other Dip-it food and bevarage stain remover cleaner as well...No fuss, no muss, the orders were processed and delivery was in a timely manner.....

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My 8 year old coffee maker makes better tasting coffee after cleaning my drip machine with "dip-it".I also bought the powder "dip-it" to clean my stainless steel coffee mug. It worked wonders.

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Kitchenaid KCM1402ES 14 Cup Glass Carafe Coffee Maker - Espresso

Kitchenaid KCM1402ES 14 Cup Glass Carafe Coffee Maker - EspressoI am, and have been, obsessed with finding the best brewer for a great cup of coffee. I own them all--Chemex pourover, a Krups, Cuisinart and recently bought the Kitchenaid based on reviews. For one thing, you can't put in the correct amount of coffee to water without the grounds spilling over the top. They recommend 1 scoop per 5 oz. cup, but for best taste, it's more like 2 of those scoops and there's not enough room in the filter for that. I tried using the stronger setting for coffee, but still the flavor wasn't up to snuff. I'll try the Bonavita next, but wasn't really happy with this brewer.

I almost gave up on kitchenaid coffee makers but saw this one at a local store. I could see that they improved some of the features of previous model that drove me crazy. First, the carafe was improved. Gone is the plastic upper rim and now its solid tapered glass. The previous carafe was really hard to clean, shouldn't go in dishwasher and was impossible to dry. Water got under the plastic and took a long time to dry. Basket is better designed too. Basically, all the parts can go in the dishwasher now. The new model makes great coffee. Easy to load basket, easy to fill removable water tank AND ONLY ONE BUTTON TO PUSH to start brewing. Appears to have the same programing method. Easy to set up. Honestly would give it a 4.5 if I could due to funny programming. Its not hard its just kinda dumb for 2013...

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Thursday, May 8, 2014

Black & Decker DCM18S Brew 'n Go Personal Coffeemaker with Travel Mug

Black & Decker DCM18S Brew 'n Go Personal Coffeemaker with Travel MugI bought this coffeemaker for home about 2 months ago and I love it! It is extremely convenient to be able to quickly brew coffee for just one person. The best features of this unit are:

1. It has a built in, "permanent" filter which is a HUGE plus. No more running out of filters, EVER.

2. It is fast. In just a couple minutes I can go from sleep to sipping coffee.

3. It brews the coffee right into the travel mug. The unit I bought included an extra mug which is also a great convenience.

4. It is inexpensive!

The only downside I can see is that I would have made the travel mugs a bit larger, but that is not a serious problem. I would buy this coffeemaker again without hesitation.

I have had this machine for five years now so I thought someone might like to here a long term review. Mine does not have a stainless cup, but my cup is tapered like this one.

Pros:

1) Brews 1 cup (I'm the only one who drinks it).

2) Quick, about 2 minutes to brew and 5 to finish dripping.

3) Easy to clean. I have rinsed the entire unit several times.

4) No trash. Comes with a permanent filter.

5) Filter cleans easily. Just tap out the coffee in the trash and rinse.

5) Can be used with a timer. See below for explanation.

6) Takes up very little space.

7) Can be used with other cups. As long as you don't overflow the reservoir and your cup will fit under it, the cup will work.

Cons:

1) It is gravity fed through the filter so 5 minutes may be too long for some.

2) Be sure to line up the exit spout with hole. Once you get it you will see, but if you don't you will have coffee all over your counter.

3) If you grind you coffee to fine, you will get coffee grinds on the inside of the machine. No big deal as you can rinse the unit off easily.

Timer:

Once you activate the unit it will run until the reservoir is empty. The only way to stop it is to unplug it. However, if you plug it back in it will pick up where it left of. If you activate it with it unplugged, it will start as soon as it is plugged in. Therefore, if you want coffee when you wake up, all you need is a wall timer (about $5 from many sources). Set the timer to activate in the morning when you want your coffee. Prepare the machine like normal, depressing the activation button. When the timer turns on in the morning the machine will begin brewing your coffee.

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This nifty little coffeemaker is difficult to find in stores, so I was glad to see it at Amazon. It saved my marriage because my spouse doesn't drink coffee (hates the stuff) and there's no pot to clean. Even though it comes with a huge mug, the coffee tastes best when you use it with a normal china mug or cup, and with beans that are ground fine. I'm on my second one -it lasts about four to five years in daily use. Not bad for the money. I won't drink coffee that's been sitting for more than five minutes, so the Brew 'n Go is perfect. If you're the only Joe drinker in the house, it's an absolute must!

Read Best Reviews of Black & Decker DCM18S Brew 'n Go Personal Coffeemaker with Travel Mug Here

For 17 dollars, come on!!! That's like one plain shirt in Old Navy.

Here let me help you out if this coffee maker and you are compatible:

1. Do you drink alot of coffee? If yes then dont get this. Get the six-cup coffee maker. This is for people who drinks 1-2-3 cups a DAY. If you drink more than that it might frustrate you to constantly fill the compartment every now and then. But if you're patient enough to wait for less than a minute, then get it.

2. No need for those filters. Saves the environment and money.

3. Do you want a quickie clean-up? If yes, the get this. Just rinse with water and you're fine.

Hey guys, I read tons of reviews before buying this. I liked it because its light, portable, cleans easily, cheap and environmentally friendly (not to mention economically).

There are some negative in Amazon because they follwed the guidelines in the paper. Here's my precaustions to have a perfect cup:

1. Make sure you dont fill it all with water. Try making 3/4 cups, just to be in the safe side.

2. Use Starbucks ground coffee---it'll make you feel glad you're saving $4.

3. You can use another mug or coffee cup to suit your taste. I got a smiley face mug from the 99c store. Some reviews mentioned that the travel mug smells like rubber when they bought it. duh! that's because its new. All you have to do is wash it with dishwashing liquid. If that's too difficult, then dont buy the coffee maker.

All in all, Im satisfied with my purchase. This is my first coffee maker (I personally bought) and it sure is very cute and useful. Its super cheap--but the most important aspect of it---IT WORKS.

Dont expect like those heavy-weight and dramatic coffee makers. This belongs to a whole new genre. Definitely not your poshy restaurant/hotel coffee maker. Its just a simple plastic toy-like coffee maker that works.

I think I better go. Im at work and making this review?! What's wrong with me---I just like my Brew N Go

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After using a Braun KF400 coffee maker for a number of years, I decided to look for an alternative that was smaller, faster and easier to clean. I am the only coffee drinker in my household, so I rarely made a full pot with the Braun. At home, I would generally make coffee on the weekends (the coffee at work is fine) and would pour from the pot into an insulated mug. So the idea of brewing right into the insulated mug was appealing.

Enter the Black and Decker DCM18S. The mug holds 15.5 ounces of java, which was about what I was making in the Braun. I've owned the machine about 3 weeks now and have made coffee about 8 times. Personally, I find that 2 level coffee scoops work well for a full mug. I ordered from Amazon after failing to find the product in either Target, Linens `n Things or Bed Bath and Beyond.

I find the taste on par with the Braun, although I'd probably give the Braun a slight edge. The convenience of the DCM18S was worth the switch. Just simply fill the reservoir to the full line, put the coffee into the permanent filter, put some milk in the mug, cover the mug and press the ON switch. The coffee will flow off the lid, into the mug. You can also keep the lid off if you want to add sugar and stir. I don't use sugar, so putting the lid on while brewing helps keep the temperature high.

Clean up is easy. Just empty the filter of the grinds, rinse the filter, and clean out the mug. With the Braun, I had to clean the pot and the two piece cover, plus the mug. Also, the Braun's warming plate was hot, so I'd usually put a little water in the pot and return it to the plate while it cooled down. Otherwise, someone could get burned because they wouldn't know the plate was still hot. With the DCM18S, there is no hot plate, so there's no risk of getting burned by it.

I did try using a Melitta #1 paper filter instead of the permanent filter once. It was a little small for two scoops of coffee, so there is a chance that the grinds could spill over the filter and into the coffee. In my one test, I didn't get grinds in the coffee, but the permanent filter rinses out easily enough and you save the expense of paper filters.

A couple of minor gripes. While the handle on the mug is comfortable, the body of the mug is somewhat hot if you hold it in hand. The other gripe is that the fill line inside the reservoir is hard to read. I have a Brita water pitcher so I want to pour from the pitcher direct into the reservoir, and avoid pouring into the mug first.

Overall, I'm quite pleased with the Brew `N Go. My rating is closer to 4.5 stars, but because of the quibbles and the fact that the taste of the Braun gets a slight edge, I chose 4 stars instead of 5.

Update 8/13/2006: After using the DCM18S for about 9 months, I began having a problem where the grinds would wind up in the coffee. I use two coffee scoops, but this wasn't a problem earlier. I'm not sure whether this is caused by the water overflowing or caused by the pulsing steam at the end of the process. Either way, it has happened enough lately that I took out my old Braun and "retired" the Black and Decker.

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Friday, May 2, 2014

Nespresso Essenza C101 Espresso Maker, Black

Nespresso Essenza C101 Espresso Maker, BlackThis is my third Nespresso machine, following an old trio of D150s and a more newly deceased D290.

In use now for a couple weeks, the C101 continues the streak of winning machines. This is the bare-bones Essenza, without cappuccino wand, cup warmer, etc.. After a decade of looking at the milk warming wands, I realized they had never been used, and cost money. I'd rather not maintain a supply of cream in my office, nor cart in water as often as brewing "Americanos" would require.

Use is simple drop in a Nespresso pod (50-70 cents each), push the button, then the machine makes the espresso in about 30 seconds when it has sufficiently heated up. Trivial, even before injecting the morning caffeine. Every time very good espresso with a thick crema. An advantage over some older models is that making the coffee can be programmed in even before the machine has warmed up.

One can save more money buying the C91, but that one is manual in the sense that AFTER it is warmed up, one must start AND STOP the water for the cup, and a too-late stop is the gaffe for which I buy an automatic machine in the first place. One can pay more for the Pixie, but the only difference I could decipher is a smaller footprint and perhaps a faster warm-up, and worse aesthetics IMO.

I've synchronized watering the Nespresso machine with watering my plants each is once a week, i.e., about every ten cups of espresso, which is about how often the empty pods need to be dumped from the internal trash can, as well.

It looks seriously industrial on my filing cabinet no plastic Mr. Coffee. Which brings up another selling point, abandoned machines such as my old D290 still can serve as conversation pieces on the coffee table, although a friend partially revived it after a month as a paperweight .

[5-12-11 update a couple of times now the darn thing has stopped working when I accidentally tried to make an espresso without water, which wasn't problem with the old D290, and then no water was drawn into the machine, apparently sort of a vapor lock problem. After thrashing around for quite a while, I discovered that running it for a while without a pod inside draws enough water through to re-prime the tubes.]

[7-12-12 update no problems whatsoever since last update.]

[8-5-12 update got another for my aging mom to replace her D150, which she likes.]

[8-26-12 update got another for home.]

I've had this machine with the separate frother for around 3 years now. It still delivers a great espresso with a perfect crema. It's not as good as what I can do with my Rancilio with Peet's. But it's close enough without all the drama. I got it for my office, where I didn't want the mess, but took it home for the holidays and found it so convenient, it never went back.

The only problems have been:

1) sometimes it doesn't open the capsules correctly, so you have to open and close the bar a couple of times to make it work without wasting a capsule. This happens most with dented capsules.

2) The packaging of the capsules leaves a lot to be desired. Around 20-30% of them arrive with small dents and 5-10% have major ones. I've talked to Nestle and their only solution is to offer to take them back. I'd rather they fix the problem. Especially since one of the things that really attracted me to this system was the fact that the anodized aluminum capsules look so cool, like little jewels, when they are perfect. But when they are dented, it's like your new Ferrari after a fender bender. It may drive the same, but it's embarrassing to let anyone see you with it.

3) Frother's pretty useless because it's difficult to clean, has to be handwashed, takes to long to heat up the milk, and produces very little (just enough for a single). I'd be better to save your money, heat your milk in the microwave and use one of those $5 hand frothers.

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I have had this machine for over a year and I am pleased with the perfect cup of coffee each time. Each of the color cubes are selected for the taste at that moment. Whenever I have people over for dinner, this coffee is served after the meal with rave responses. I have gotten 14 people this year to purchase this machine. Now that I have started drinking this coffee, I have not been able to drink the regular drip coffee.

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I felt a little guilty buying this machine. You have to buy the coffee capsules from Nespresso. I suppose you could empty them out, compost the grounds and recycle the aluminum, but that's way too much work. On the other hand, it makes a great cup of coffee. A couple of Lungos to start the day and a quick short or long shot any time your caffeine load wanes ... just perfect.

The instructions are not entirely clear. I'm not sure if it's French graphic conventions or just my bias toward textual explanations, but I was confused for about five minutes. My confusion was easily cured by loading the thing up and pushing buttons to see what happens.

I think I'll have some coffee.

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Bought this machine when we arrived here, and the machine works perfectly fine. Although other offers are now coming through for 149 $, Amazon's product is slightly priced. The delivery was fast and on time. No complaints about the product.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Mr. Coffee ECM250 4-Cup Espresso/Cappuccino Maker

Mr. Coffee ECM250 4-Cup Espresso/Cappuccino MakerI got this little machine as I'm always in Starbucks. I wanted a nice little alternative for nights and weekends when I felt like having an espresso based drink without having to drive to a coffee shop and shell out cash.

First, the good points of this machine:

-It's small, so you can easily store it inside a cabinet. It's not bad looking, however, so if you can sacrifice a little counter space, that works just as well.

-The machine is very simple to use. I have my own bean grinder, but you can get yours ground at Starbucks if you buy it there. You simply scoop the beans into the holder, screw into the machine, put water in the reservoir, turn on, and there you go.

-It's relatively quick to brew the espresso and it doesn't take too long to clean most of the parts.

Now, the bad:

-The biggest issue I've had with this machine is that it basically brews strong coffee, not espresso. I've tried a variety of ways of packing the beans, etc, but getting a crema with this machine eludes me. If you're a beginner at this stuff, it's not a big deal as the drinks will still taste alright. However, it's not really espresso in the full sense. You may as well just buy a coffee maker.

-The frothing wand is of okay size, but it seems like it takes forever to heat milk up to a desirable temperature for a drink.

Overall, not bad for a starter machine, but it's just that. If you want anything that will give you a crema and legitimate shot of espresso, shell out some more money and get a Delonghi. They're by no means perfect, but it will give you a more legitimate shot of espresso than this machine. However, if you're just starting with all of this and want to make a decent cappuccino occasionally, this isn't a bad machine.

I received the Mr. Coffee Espresso/Cappuccino Maker as a gift. Obviously it's not going to produce the same results as some of the more expensive models but I think it works well enough for personal use. It's very simple to use-it only has two functions: brew or steam.

I noticed that several people commented about leaking and the instructions warn that this can occur if there are grounds around the top of the filter or if you over-fill the filter. The frothing arm is very short but I found a small frothing pitcher at World Market that works well. As far as worrying about aluminum in your espresso, the instructions also warn that you shouldn't leave water in the reservoir when you're not using the machine. The only other thing to remember is that you MUST de-pressurize the system before removing the filter holder or water reservoir cap!! To do this, unplug the machine, wait for it to cool off, then turn the knob to "steam" until you hear the hissing stop.

I think that for the price, this machine produces a nice cup of espresso in a relatively short amount of time.

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I used this espresso machine a couple times a week for about 3 years and liked it a lot; however, yesterday morning I was frothing the milk and it exploded. I looked at the cap (over the water reservoir) and it was split. Scalding water shot out of that split, luckily it went all over the wall and not toward me. If you have this machine, consider releasing the pressure from the water reservoir after every use and the cap may last longer, but I for one am switching brands. This scared the heck out of me and after looking online, I see that it has happened to others. Be aware.

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This is my third espresso maker. The other two machines were a different brand and worked well for many years. This Mr. Coffee unit worked well for about 5 months and then started failing. It now makes only about one third of a caraff, and then just spits out weak steam. I will never buy a Mr. Coffee product again. It takes me a while to get used to a new machine, and I find it galling to have the thing fail soon after I get used to it. Better to spend a little more and have a product that lasts. My last K---espresso maker lasted for over 5 years before it developed a pin hole leak in the pressure chamber. UPDATE; I just realized after looking inside the boiler and seeing that it was slightly eaten away that we have been ingesting aluminum over the past few months. When I opened and took apart my my last K---s espresso maker, I noticed that the bottom of the boiler was eaten away to the point that it had developed a pin hole leak. I think most of the less expensive machines use aluminum boilers which slowly dissolve into the water over time and use. Even distilled water is slightly acidic and will cause this to happen. There is NO way that I will ever again buy an espresso maker that has a boiler composed of aluminum!! Stainless steel might cost a little more, but at least you don't wind up eating aluminum while drinking your espresso. It's just one more thing to check when you make your purchase.

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This is a great little machine for a great price. I had not had any experience making cappuccino and it took me about 3 tries to master the process of frothing the milk but it was not hard. It is fun! It is a nice treat and something different from ordinary coffee.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

European Gift Neapolitan Espresso 6-Cup (30-6)

European Gift Neapolitan Espresso 6-CupWhile this appears to be a very attractive French Press unit, it is most definitely NOT a Neopolitan flip over type coffee maker. The seller should revise the description.

Friday, August 2, 2013

Pallo Espresso Machine Steam Wand Brush "Steamy Wanda" - 7.5mm

Pallo Espresso Machine Steam Wand Brush 'Steamy Wanda' - 7.5mmGreat little tool. Works for straws, steam wands, etc. Perfect size. Love the handle.

I bought this product initially to clean the inside of my steam wand for an espresso machine, but the hole in the wand is still too small for this brush. That said, it works great as a grouphead cleaner, so I just use it for that. If I were to do it over again, I'd just buy a grouphead brush instead. Check out the Pallo coffee tool, which is awesome.

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