Francis Francis 208003 X8 iperEspresso Machine, Black

Illy is having a promotion of these. You can get them from Illy's website for $175 until 12/31/2009.

This machine is for people who want convenience. This machine uses pre-packaged espresso servings. If you do not want to fuss or mess that comes with grinding your own beans, you have three options:

1. Nespresso. You have to buy the machine and the capsules from Nespresso. I tried this machine and didn't really like the espresso. Not enough rich crema.

2. E.S.E Pods. Made by lots of different companies. This is an industry standard format. It's basically like an individually packaged tea bag, with a compressed puck of finely ground coffee inside. You could use this in a convensional espresso machine with the appropriate adaptor. Widely available. But the quality of your espresso will depend highly on your machine.

3. Illy's iperEspresso capsules, used by this machine, the Francis Francis X8. Not much of a selection of coffee, but what they do offer is very good. The crema is excellent. I find the machine very easy to use. The multi-color LED tells me when the machine is ready. Switches quickly between brew and steam (< 30 seconds). The frothing wand works pretty well, but it tends to over froth a bit. That's great for cappuccinos, but not so great for lattes.

PROS:

1. Extremely easy and convenient.

2. It acually makes decent drinks.

3. Seems to be good quality construction.

4. Never really runs out of steam. The pump inject small amounts of water into the boiler while steaming.

5. Switches between steam and brew (and vice versa) in under 30 seconds.

6. Heats up very quickly (under 30 seconds).

CONS:

1. This is not for espresso connoisseurs. The espresso is acceptable, but not in the same league as a Rancillio or Gaggia. My other machine is a Silvia. I bought the X8 because I wanted a second machine for the office, where grinding beans and making a mess is not an option.

2. The Illy capsules are not individually wrapped. Once you open the tin (14 capsules), the shelf life is 14 days.

3. The construction quality is excellent, keeping in mind the whole thing is plastic. Again, not in the same league as something 100% stainless steel or polished chrome.

4. The steam power is very weak, however due the sophisticated design of the steam wand, it does a good job creating froth because it mixes lots of air into the milk. Nonetheless, you don't really have the power or flexibility that you'd find on a high-end machine.

5. It's mainly designed for single shot drinks. A tripple shot "venti" cappuccino will be rather tough to make with this machine (and expensive). Steaming a large enough portion of milk will be a slow process. Also, it would take you nearly two minutes to brew three capsules. By then, both your crema from the first shot and froth in the sitting milk would have started to collapse and your end result will not be great.

Overall, I love this machine.

I did a lot of research into espresso machines. I ultimately choose this one because I realized I did not have any interest in becoming a home barista. I wanted a machine that is easy to use, easy to clean-up, and produces good espresso with minimal effort. The Francis Francis X8 has been perfect! I've owned it about month now and have no major complaints. It heats up very quickly probably around 30 seconds. The steam wand works well for frothing milk. And there is no daily clean-up required. The only semi-regular maintenance that needs to be done is filling it with water (I used filtered water), emptying the used-pod bin, and wiping down the drip tray. It also needs to be descaled, which I haven't done yet. The only downside to this machine is that it only takes illy iper pods, and they only have 3 kinds dark roast, medium roast and decafff. Not much for variety. If I didn't need to froth milk, I may have gone with the nespresso C100 instead which not only has a much larger variety of pods, but the pods are also slightly less expensive (55 cents for nespresso versus 75 cents per pod for illy). Regardless, I am happy with the Francis Francis X8 and recommend it to people who are looking for an easy, quick way to enjoy daily espresso!

**Update 1/2012:

After using the machine for about 2.5 years, it stopped working. It began leaking cold water from the base of the machine, and did not pump water through the pods anymore. I had performed the regular descaling maintenance as required, and used only filtered water in the machine. Customer service informed me that it was only under warranty for 9 months, and my options were to pay to have the machine repaired myself or to purchase a new machine. The minimum cost of paying to have them look at it (not even the cost of the repairs) was almost the cost that I originally paid for the machine. So although I enjoyed the Francis Francis X8 while it worked, I cannot recommend it. For the price, I would expect an espresso machine to last longer than a few years. Given Illy's inability to stand by their product, I'm don't think I will purchase an espresso machine from them again. Does anyone have a pod espresso machine by another company that they recommend? I'm in the market again.

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Our family recieved our iperEspresso machine last week and we are still amazed. This is a very well built, thoughtout, quality machine for the money. It is very simple to use and makes excellent espresso in no time at all. I was very impressed at how fast the machine makes hot water and steam. Within a few minutes of plugging it in you're drinking espresso, and since it's Illy product, you know it rocks!

The only downside to the machine is it's exclusivity of capsules. You have to purchase the Illy pods, but they can be found on the web at a resonable price.

Definitely thumbs up for this one!

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I bought an X7 last year and I still absolutely love it, but since then, I've purchased 3 of the X8's for friends and I'll admit that I'm a little jealous. The only advantage the X7 has is it's style and colors but if that isn't important to you, get the X8. It's only $175 from . You can't beat that price. The machine is AWESOME and so easy to use. Just remember to descale every 2-3 months!

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After long research and purchase of many low and high end espresso machines I decided on trying this one. I was going to buy the Napresso C100 but I changed my mind because unlike the Napresso capsules ( 80% arabica and 20% Robusta ) the iperespresso capsules are made with 100% Arabica coffee which as you might know is the ultimate coffee for espresso. This machine comes also with a steam wand for frothing which is not available in the C100. I received it last week and tried it couple dozen times. The result is outstanding. It is a very well made machine, makes espresso in 30 seconds. No maintenance, needs descaling every 3 months. The espresso quality is excellent and better than any one I tried. The crema is quite thick and rich and the whole experience is very rewarding. The froth mechanism is great, I made one Cappuccino comparable in quality to any you get in the best coffee shops. I do not care about the lack of varieties of the capsules. I want either espresso or cappuccino as this is the whole main idea behind the machine. You may like the lungo capsule if you like a bigger volume however I did not try this variety yet. So for 15 pennies more than the napresso you can get far better shot of espresso. The C100 has 19 bar pump which is not really important as some espresso machines costing a few thousand dollars come only with 15 pump pressure. I still wish one day the iperespresso capsules come down in price but until then I'll continue to enjoy my 100% arabica espresso coffee.

Koolatron TCXU-24 Total Chef Automatic Coffee and Wine Urn 24-Cup Capacity, Silver

I have owned two (2) of these 24-cup coffee urn products, over the past 3+ years. The first one began leaking at about the end of the first year, so we liked the product enough to locate and purchase our second unit. The second urn worked well for about ten (10) months, but, this past week the device that controls the flow of liquid from the urn broke. Although we can still make our coffee, we must now LADDLE IT OUT OF THE URN. Not the best way to start one's day, I'm very sure.

I've had the device completely disassembled and attempted to repair the faulty item (it is a clear plastic unit, rather barrel-shaped, with a slot that allows the fliud to be discharged when the barrel is turned to the opening. The shaft that connects to the lever on the outside of the urn has snapped off and will not accept any of the glueing products that I've tried, attempting to repair it (even tried to re-enforce the device, inside, to no avail).

Since this is my second urn, and the problem is NOT A REPEAT OF THE PROBLEM IN THE FIRST URN, I feel the consumer should be aware that the life expectancy of these products seems to be far less than the average consumer might expect, for an in-home electronic appliance, and incredibly short for any possible commercial use.

When working, the product was more than satisfactory, but, the unexpectedly short projected life of the product should be noted on the product, and/or these faults should be reflected in the pricing of the unit(s). If I could have found a parts supplier, I might not be so negative about the product either, but, having to purchase a new unit EVERY YEAR seems totally unfair to the consumer likely to purchase this product.

Being in a household of five adult coffee drinkers, I brought this product so that we didn't have to make a new pot of coffee every hour or so. It was a little awkard, but I was quite thrilled to make 24 cups of coffee. After a couple of weeks, the paint started peeling off on the inside rim and after just owning it one month, the knob to dispense the coffee broke off. This product was not mishandled my anyone in my household, we followed the directions exactly as written. Also, the product was shipped in its own packaging, not packed in a separate box, so it was quite beat up, and one foot was missing when it arrived. I overlooked this, I am not a picky person as long as it worked. The paint chipping off was a concern where we drinking that? Overall, I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT.

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I have been wanting one of these ever since I first saw it. I like the 24-cup capacity. Now that I have one -I HATE it!!! The main problem I have is that we have to strain every cup of coffee that we get out of it or we drink grounds. I have tried using a paper filter inside the filter basket, but that doesn't help either. I have tried everything I can think of to keep the grounds out -or at least to a minimum -so far, nothing I have tried has worked.

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Unfortunately, upon opening the Koolatron we received, we found some coffee grounds already in it, which should have been a clue. Decided to try it anyway, but found that it was totally non-functioning. Returning to the seller was not too difficult, and they refunded our entire purchase price.

Needless to say, we were disappointed, as it was a nice-looking product and would've fit the bill for what we needed. You may purchase and be very happy.

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Cuisinart GTF-B Gold Tone Coffee Filter

The previous reviewer is correct about the "sediment" from the filter. Typically gold filters allow the oils and other properties of the ground bean to pass though, instead of being stuck in the paper filter. This gives a darker richer coffee. It also means you have a small "shot" of more dense coffee at the end of your cup. You can either drink it or not, some people really like the taste of the gold filter, others are used to the paper and don't like it at all. I guess it's just a matter of taste.

We found that the paper filters just wouldn't stay upright overnight in the basket, resulting in unattended surprise overflows and a great deal of "sediment" in the coffee and everywhere else. This filter is made for this model and fits like a glove, have yet to see one ground in my cups and the rest of the household has yet to declare any. As for taste, we haven't noted any true appreciable difference, even using high grades of coffee which are distinctive, nor in the occasional purchase of more standard grades of coffee beans. All in all, I give this five stars, for a number of reasons: Far easier to "change" the filter when you have just gotten out of bed, having forgotten to set the coffee timer the night before, just dump out old grounds and sleepy fumble the filter back, rather than the floppy paper ones wrangling; Environmentally friendly, self explanatory; Cost effective over long run, those paper filters add up; Never having to find yourself needing coffee but sans filter again and looking at the roll of paper towels for rescue; Saves space on counter and/or in the cupboard, as you don't have to store paper filters; Last but not least, I am so sick of trying to pick just ONE paper filter at a time out of the stack and coming out with multiples, more of that pesky fumbling, since they don't just pop out one like a Kleenex box does. So, in conclusion, very worth it and I recommend it.

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We love our Cuisinart coffee grinder/maker, but the basket which holds the grounds has worn and lets a few gounds sift out into the finished coffee. I was delighted to find the part on Amazon. It fits and looks the same until you realize it is about 1/4 inch shorter than the original. Thus when brewing a full 12 cups, it is too short to contain all the coffee grounds. You end up with the same problem as with the old basket grounds in the brewed coffee, even though it is represented as fitting a 12-cup pot! Grrrh!

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The filter is great and very easy to clean. It is much nicer than getting rid of a soggy, paper filter and it's environmentally friendly, too!

The only downside is that it does allow a small amount of grounds to get into the coffee. This doesn't bother me at all and I think the coffee tastes better than when I used paper filters.

I would definitely purchase this item again.

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Used this to replace torn basket from Black and Decker.

This has a mesh bottom as well as sides,

so it is far less prone to overflowing

and requires less water to rinse clean after emptying.

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Perfect Pod Maker

I started into this world of pods and k-cups when my expensive espresso machine died and they wanted $600 to fix it. I bought a Breville K-cup brewer (uses Keurig cups). I started spending lots of money on k-cups and feeling S.O.L. if I didn't order on time and I ran out of luck. So I bought a Pod Holster to fit into the machine so that I could use any pod I wanted. I noticed that they were sold as a set so based on the reviews I set out to see if the Perfect Pod maker could really hold its own. I love seeing a product in action so I decided to give you what I look for-a video review.

I love my Senseo and have purchased several for gifts (as well as upgrading to the newer models). I have purchased pods from several online vendors and have been fairly happy with most but felt most were overpriced and some staled rapidly, even when individually packaged. I also have tried the various "refillable" pods and have been dissatisfied with all of them.

The main complaint I have had is the lack of variety in the dark roast coffees in readily available pods at a reasonable cost.

Perfect Pod has more than fulfilled my wishes. It is easy to use and I can fill the pods with freshly-ground beans, roast my own or even use a commercial espresso grind which I found produced an excellent cup.

I am ordering another as a gift for a friend, to whom I have given a Senseo and who, like me, would like more variety in roast types and flavors.

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I love my Senseo coffee maker, but I really don't like their coffee. We got this pod maker so we could choose whatever coffee we want. I must say, this little thing is the greatest! You put in a filter, fill it up with your favorite coffee (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) and close the top for 3 seconds... DONE! Now we truly enjoy the benefits of a single serve coffee maker. It is so easy and the machine is so small... it's perfect! I cannot recommend it enough! I make several at a time and the pods are ready to go whenever I want them. And the best thing, they are disposable, so you just toss it when you are done.

One thing... just make sure you don't grind the coffee too fine or it doesnt work in the Senseo.

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Yet another product made in China. Seems every time I buy a product, I find out it's from China ... only after I buy it. There is no escape. So how do I like it? Actually, I think it's a nifty device. It looks like it is built pretty well. I was surprised that it was bigger than I thought it would be (not that it is all that large, it isn't). And the blinking light telling you it's ready (stops blinking when ready) is on the lid. No big deal (since that is where the heating element is), just thought it odd since the on/off switch in the front lights up and felt it would be more appropriate there.

For those who have a Senseo coffee maker (or other pod maker) you should enjoy this product. I don't care that much for Senseo coffee. Oh, a couple grinds are pretty decent, but I tire of them quickly. Enter the Pod Maker. I now can buy any type or brand of coffee I want, from inexpensive 3 pound cans to expensive brands. It's given a new lease on life for my Senseo coffee maker. As far as how it works, see Mark Husson's video review below (nicely done, Mark). And yes, it's as simple as it looks. Obviously, one will waste a few pods trying to gage the correct amount of coffee to use (depends upon the brand, grind and personal taste), but that's a small price to pay to get a better tasting mug of coffee.

So how do I rate it? Between 1 and 10, I give this device a solid 7 (or a marginal 4-star rating). It works as advertised (it seals the pods quickly and effectively, and is cool to the touch). However, the filters are expensive and not available at the grocery store where I shop (there is always a catch). To lessen the cost, it's better to buy in bulk (obviously), but even then, $15 plus shipping for 120 filters is about 5 to 10 times more expensive than standard filters. While Senseo coffee is very expensive (for what you get), one isn't saving all that much money going this route, but at least you can now purchase a variety of coffee and experiment, instead of being at the mercy of Senseo.

Edit: After using the Pod Maker for over a month now, I think I might have short changed its value. I have found several coffees I really enjoy, and this wouldn't have happened without the Pod Maker. As I stated before, it's given a new lease on life to my Senseo coffee maker. Unfortunately, my Senseo just bit the dust and I was in a quandary of which coffee maker to buy. I really wanted the Breville, and also considered the Keurig B60 or B70 (I could still use the Pod Maker for these K-cup machines, so that told me right then and there how important this little device has become to me in a relatively short time). Well, I ended up purchasing another Senseo and saved myself a couple hundred bucks). Without the Pod Maker, I wouldn't have even considered another Senseo. Because of this fact, I will now up my rating from a solid 7 to a 9 (or a 5-star rating -unfortunately one cannot change the actual star rating). It took a blown coffee maker for me to realize just how indispensable the Pod Maker is.

EDIT 2: Actually, it's not indispensable at all. My second unit died the same way as my first unit died, that is, its heating element went south and stopped heating. The first one bit the dust in just under a year. I thought, no big deal, things happen. When the second one died at about the same time frame, it made me realize that these may have a serious problem. I mean a heating element is pretty basic and they have been around for decades in one form or another (how many irons fail?). No, these are obviously made on the cheap, but I did email the manufacturer. They didn't bother to respond.

So, will I buy a third unit? Uh, no way. But then again, I found out I don't need this piece of equipment. I have a Senseo coffee maker and all I do is load the Pod's filters directly into the coffee maker, add coffee, flip over the top paper and I'm set to go. And no, I don't have a problem with coffee grounds. It works just fine.

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I really love this thing. I bought my senseo machine because it was fast and easy to use. Unfortunately the cost of the senseo pods really added up quickly and I was beginning to regret my purchase until I found this pod maker. I bought a huge $7 can of coffee about a month and a half ago and it's still nowhere near empty. It sure beats paying $5 or $6 every week to feed my caffeine addiction. I just make a new batch of pods every Sunday and I'm set for the week. It's really easy and is quick as well just like the senseo coffee machine.

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