ESPRESSO MKR 4CUP SS

The company I ordered from substituted an lousy aluminum version of the machine. It is such a hassle to return it that I didn't waste my time, but it is a cautionary tale!!!

nicely styled and well made. Flat bottom makes it stable on the stove and on the table.Easy clean and the Chrome looks good, the handle is great too.... You can leave anything on the stove too long but at this price, you won't cry too long.

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Zojirushi CD-LCC30 Micom 3.0-Liter Electric Dispensing Pot

I just received this for Christmas, it's something I've wanted for a while. Ever since my tea kettle died of old age, I've been boiling water for tea with a regular sauce pan and what usually happens is I forget all about it and only remember after it has been boiling for a while. Also, I didn't like the long wait for hot water. I want instant gratification! And now I have it with this Zojirushi dispensing pot. It's perfect since I'm an avid tea drinker, consuming several pots of tea each day.

A long long time ago, I used to have the "air pot" style dispensing pot where you just press on the top and it pumps out water. This one is a much newer design and dispensing is handled electronically. What I like is the "safety" feature which was lacking in the old "air pot" styles. You have to press the "unlock" button before the "dispensing" button which prevents accidentally dispensing hot water. You can set this to keep water at 205°F, 195°F, or 175°F. You can also set it to give you hot water in 7 hours, but this is a feature I really don't need to use. I'm using the 195°F which seems to be a good middle ground for making black (requires hotter water) and green (requires lower temp water) teas. This is also handy for making instant noodles, oatmeal, hot chocolate. Also handy when needing hot water for a dish I'm cooking, or making chicken/beef broth for a dish I'm cooking. This is very convenient ... no more waiting for hot water! (This beats getting a replacement tea kettle because with a tea kettle I still have to wait for it to boil/whistle, and it usually whistles shortly after I've sat down and gotten comfortable.) This pot will automatically reboil when it feels the temp has dropped too much. The water level gauge is easy to read, the lid lifts up easily for refilling (also removes easily to make pouring water out and cleaning a cinch). Another nice little detail is a removable power cord. It makes me feel a bit "safer" being able to remove this before cleaning out the pot in the sink.

I am confident that this will last me a long time. My in-laws also have a Zojirushi water dispensing pot and it has never failed on them. And I know people who have other Zojirushi products and have had no problems with them. So I feel comfortable with this brand, and I may look into getting one of their rice cookers.

Oh, I have to mention one more nicety of this dispensing pot. The base will swivel around (think lazy suzan style), making it easy to rotate it without scratching your kitchen counter top.

The only thing I need to be careful about is where to put the dispensing pot since there is a steam vent on the top. I don't put it directly beneath any kitchen cabinets, just in case the steam might damage the cabinet over time.

ADDED 11/19/05:

I just wanted to mention that I have had this for 2 years and it is still working as well as it did when I first got it. I have used this pot everyday for the past 2 years. I refill it at least once a day in the summer, 2-4 times a day in the winter. I use it mainly for making tea (big tea drinkers in this house) and cooking. It's easy to clean. No staining on the inside; of course this would depend on your local water quality. Not bad at all considering the use I get out of this. I still highly recommend this pot.

I have a baby now. I have found this dispensing pot handy for quickly warming up bottles from the fridge... instant hot water to immerse bottle in. My screaming baby doesn't have to wait long for her milk. Perfect! The pot has also been useful when mixing cereal... mix cereal with some cold water, then a splash of the hot water to bring it up to a nice warm temp for her.

I drink a fair amount of tea, and so this 3 liter size water pot is perfect for myself. I typically only refill it once a day, at night before I go to bed. It has a 7 hour delay timer that I use so that I have hot water as soon as I get up.

I use the hottest water setting that maintains the temperature at 208 degrees F. It heats up relatively quickly if it's left at 195 degrees or at 175 degrees to save electricity, but I'm impatient and don't like to wait.

I also use it for hot chocolate, apple cider, ramen, you name it.

It is very easy to refill thanks to the removable cover and removable power cord. The cord attaches magnetically, which makes plugging and unplugging incredibly easy.

I do have to turn the pot around so the back is facing me when I open the cover and remove it to refill the water. If I don't, the steam hits me on the wrist when I open it, and since I keep it on the hottest setting, the steam is scalding.

There is a safety feature where you press the "unlock" button before the "dispense" button so it doesn't accidentally dispense hot water, but it hasn't been that important to me.

It's super easy to clean. I bought a 1-lb package of citric acid. I weigh out 30g, dissolve it in water, and throw it into a full pot. Then I press the button to put the pot on clean mode. It takes about an hour and a half Afterward, I dump the water and boil another pot of water to rinse it. I dump that, and the next pot of water doesn't taste like citric acid at all. There are cleaning instructions in the manual.

I clean it every few weeks, or whenever I feel like it. Our water is very hard, and even though I use filtered water, a layer of calcium will accumulate on the inside of the pot, but the cleaning takes that away without any problems.

The interior is Teflon coating, I believe, but as long as I don't scratch it, it's perfectly safe. It hasn't shown any wear or tear yet.

The outside is plastic and easy to clean even when it gets splatter from the nearby stove top.

I have had my pot for 16 months and it hasn't given me any problems. For tea lovers, I can't recommend this enough.

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Okay, this is going to seem like a silly purchase to a lot of people. And before I seriously considered it, it did to me too. The only reservation for me was the price. Now that I have it, I think it is worth it.

I bought it a month or so ago (and got the $25 off if you spend $125 on housewares discount amazon usually runs). It's a great machine. There are two people here and we drink a lot of tea, all day long. I refill it at least once a day, and that's without using it for cooking much. People who don't make a lot of tea will probably still go through a pot a day if they use it several times for hot water for drinks or soups, and then maybe for a pot of water for pasta. It's great for things like pre-heating a thermos or tea pot, which can really help them stay hot longer. (Doing that the old way, with kettle-boiled water was a lot more time-consuming, and I might not bother.)

It's nice waking up to hot water using the 7 hour timer. It's also nice for people who drink green tea or oolong, as opposed to black tea, because it has different temperature settings.

By the way, I used a lot less hot water before I purchased this thing--but I used to wait a lot for the water I did use. This is my second Zojirushi product, and I think they're really well made (I also have a fuzzy logic rice cooker). I've learned that a well-designed, well-made product lasts much better, and gets used much more often, than a poorly designed one. I fully expect this will be the case with this machine.

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After two years' of continuous use, interior coating is coming off. A few rusty spots have developed in the past 6 months. The company's website does not provide a replace container. I liked the Zojirushi brand but this one seems a disappointment.

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I purchased the Zojirushi 3 liter dispensing pot, and it runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in my house. We drink tea constantly, and it is wonderful not to have to wait to boil water. The Zojirushi allows you to set the desired water temperature based on your needs (i.e. 175 for green/white teas, 195 for other teas, 205 for cooking). The unit is tall enough to fit even our tallest to-go cup under the dispensing spout.

It also has a "7 hour" delayed start so that it can be off during the night, but you wake up to hot water.

The only downside is that it doesn't appear to be insulated as well as it could be. For example, the outside of the unit is warmer than an insulated thermos-style container containing equally hot water. This suggests to me that it is not as well insulated, and therefore not as energy efficient as it could be.

I recommend it, and would buy another one in an instant if anything happened to this one.

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Briel ES200APG-TB Multi-Pro One Group Thermo Block Espresso Machine with Auto Espresso Flow, Steel/

To the point... Could not fine support for any questions I had through the Briel Company in the USA. The phone number in the espresso machine help book was Out Of Service. The instruction book, I feel needs more pictures to help individuals locate and understand usage of the espresso machine than what Briel offers. (Example) You need to turn the ON Switch fully to the right until you here a Click or the Machine will not brew and acts like it has a Vapor Lock which it doesn't. This why Briel gets only four stars from me. The Briel ES200APG-TB is really a Great Machine as long as you fully understand it's operation. I would recommend this product to my friends.

I've had my ES200 APG-TB for just about a year, and while I did have to consult the service center, I was VERY impressed with their responsiveness. When I called, I connected DIRECTLY to a service representative no computer menu a real live person! The service rep walked me through a quick trouble-shooting procedure, diagnosed the problem, and the replacement part was delivered in very short order that level of customer support is a rare find in today's business world.

And does the ES200 ever look great on my counter!!! It even looks better in real life than in the pictures and the pictures look great. Also, the ability to use coffee pods sure makes life easy no fuss no mess perfect brew!! One very satisfied Briel customer!!!!

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I bought this machine to replace an older model of the same machine that served me well for many years. With that machine, I learned that the Briel is a wonderful machine for someone who is willing to work a bit to adjust the machine settings for a personalized espresso. It is not for the user that wants to push a button and be done. I knew this when purchasing this machine. Yet, as first I could not get the espresso to flow through the filter basket despite many attempts. I knew the machine was working fine, but I must be doing something wrong. Since I live near by, I called the service center to ask if I could come by, and they were very helpful on the phone and welcomed my visit. There, the owner came by and promptly stepped up and plugged my machine in. He spent about a half hour with me, and we found the right filter basket and right adjustment for a perfect flow. Thank you Steve! This is a great machine but may take some personal adjusting at first.

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The first one I bought started to leak (from underneath the machine and from the steamer nozzle) after a couple months and I am still in the process of getting the company in charge of warranty repairs to fix it. When they tried to fix it the first time they broke the steamer which is now loose and doesn't work at all. So I foolishly bought a second one (while the first was getting repaired) since we couldn't do without ours for an extended period of time and this one never worked from the minute it came out of the box. When we turned it on it shorted out every outlet we plugged it in to. Amazon took that one back and credited our card. Will never buy this brand/model again.

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Less than 2 years old now, very light use. (office only) Blows water out around porta filter. Found the only authorized shop to repair these machines are on the east coast. With shipping and repairs cost over $200.00. They said the gaskets were worn out and the boiler support needed replacing. I have a Gaggia at home and have never had any problems.

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BonJour French Press Linear 8-Cup Stainless Steel with Flavor Lock Brewing

I got this due to the fact of not wanting plastic peices touching the coffee and it does just that. It's well built, sturdy, doesn't feel like it's going to break, the plunger works great. It makes great coffee which is the most important part. I ground my own coffee and I've never had any problems with any of the grounds getting in my coffee at all!

I love this product! It is a great coffee maker and makes the absolute best coffee I have tasted. I like it much more than the previous press I bought which broke within two weeks. I have had this one for close to a month and have used it probably 20 or more times and it has performed well.

I am dinging one star only because the glass is quite thin and it has scratched already on the metal case.

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I received this press as a loaner from my neighbour, when my sister, a French press coffee fan, came to visit. Three weeks later, I was forced to apologize because I hadn't given it back to him yet. I had to admit that, even though I own a Keurig and a Gaggia New Baby espresso machine, his French press had utterly spoiled me. I have the best neighbour ever, because instead of making me go buy my own, he gave me his, so now I get to have delicious coffee every morning, guilt-free. Yes, I still use the Keurig if I'm in a hurry, but if I want to savour my coffee, it's French press all the way and with the flavour lock brewing, this press keeps the grounds completely out of my coffee. If you purchase this press, you will not be disappointed. It's well worth the price. Had I not been given one, I'd have bought one after Christmas; sometimes kids come before coffee, as sacrilegious as that may be.

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First one arrived damaged, Amazon immediately sent a new one while waiting for damaged one to return. We are very pleased with this French press. It makes enough for my hubby and I to have 2 (not quite full) cups of coffee. It's easy to use and clean. It seems pretty solid, love the all the stainless steel and looks super sleek and modern on our counter top.

In case you are wondering: yes, there is plastic underneath the stainless lid. I was trying to find one without any plastic at all (next to impossible) and I couldn't tell from the pictures or feedback if it had any plastic. Well, at least now I can let other viewers know it does. Although it does have a neat little steal filter the coffee touches before it's poured, which is also stainless. This will get rid of any extra coffee grounds.

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Looks and works great! Very strong handle and frame work make it feel like it should cost more than I paid.

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Aroma 7-Cup Electric Water Kettle

My new husband is English so it was important to find a kettle that was easy and convenient to use. This one is not only gorgeous in my red and black kitchen but it is super easy to fill, pour and heats up quickly! No drips and the auto shut off rocks for someone who may be forgetful! The base is great as you just set the kettle down in any direction. Great price...great product!

Heats water much faster than the old tea kettle on the stove top. I really love it. My only complaint would be that the water level indicator is under the handle and is very hard to see when you are filling it with water. The indicator is also a bit slow to react to the real water level so you have to fill some water, let it catch up and so on to make sure you don't over fill it. I would recommend it for anyone who drinks a lot of tea, fresh press coffee or oat meal. I also like the fact that I don't have a hot stove top for 15 minutes after I used the old tea kettle.

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The Aroma electric water kettle is not only a good value, but it heats the water at roughly a cup a minute and is easy and safe to use. In my opinion, it also looks good I have it in red. I'd recommend this item for anyone looking for an electric kettle.

Aroma AWK-270R 7-Cup Electric Water Kettle, Red

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This is for the Aroma AWK-270R 7 Cup Electric Water Kettle in Red, I see that they lump all reviews together for all the colors. If you are like me and wanting the red one because of the color then this review is for you.

I received this item for Christmas and used it a handful of times. A few inches below the spout the red paint is coming off, in less than a month of owning it. I have been gentle in using it not bumping it into stuff. It does boil water quickly, condensation does collect on the lid while boiling but it evaporates quickly. I was on the fence about keeping this kettle because I missed using my stovetop tea kettle but had decided I'd keep it until I saw the paint chipping off. I sent the item back.

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My husband and I absolutely love this kettle. This was our solution to how to make the best cup of coffee at the most affordable price. We used the typical drip style coffeemaker for many years. Then we bought a Keurig coffee pot that uses K-cups and became really spoiled to the fresher, richer taste of one-cup-at-a-time coffee. We drink a lot of coffee, and the K-cups started to get too expensive for all day use. We decided to use the Keurig for company and when we needed to grab a cup to go out the door and tried going back to the old drip coffeemaker. No way! The coffee now tasted bitter and was never hot enough for my husband. So we bought a regular tea kettle to use on our gas stove and two Melita cones with filters. Using freshly ground coffee, we thought this was a good solution. Unfortunately, using a regular kettle on the stove put out way too much heat during the summer, and there was a lot of wasted energy.

Then we thought of looking for an electric kettle and ordered this terrific one, mostly because it had good reviews but also because I LOVED the red color! So now we use this kettle and Melita cones with filters, and our coffee is always hot and fresh...no burnt, bitter pot of coffee. The water heats VERY quickly....way quicker than the stovetop kettle and way quicker than a pot of water on the stove. I also use it to preheat water for cooking vegetables and pasta. I took the kettle along in our motorhome, as heating water on the gas stove puts out way too much heat when we're camping. I decided to keep it in there and bought a second kettle for my kitchen.

The only negative comment I could make (and it really isn't a negative for most of us) is that the kettle is heavy in itself, and therefore heavier when filled with water. It might be a bit too heavy for perhaps an elderly person with strength or arthritis issues in the arm or wrist. A smaller version of this type of kettle would probably be a better choice in that case. So if that is not an issue for you, you will not be disappointed with this kettle. It is well made, very attractive, easy to use, and works like a charm.

Mr. Coffee Pump Espresso Maker

This is a very good machine. It is attractive and with a nice space on top for cups and assessories. The stainless look is clean and efficient looking although the weight of the parts do not necessarily convey a sense of strength and long lasting durability. It comes with two holders for coffee, one for a single demitasse and one for two demitasse. I would forget about the single and always use the double unless you are into tiny espresso servings. I also immediately took off the plastic tip for the milk frother. There is no need for that. This machine makes a cup of espresso with a beautiful crema. It is easy to use and the milk frother does a very nice job with a powerful pump behind it. The water container is easy to fill and large enough for hold quite a few cups. The drip tray is easy to clean. The machine heats up very quickly. The machine is also not at all touchy as to the kind of ground to get a nice crema. I was able to make a very good cup when I turned it on for the very first time. I was able to figure it out pretty well after a few cups by adjusting the ground and the tamp. It is very forgiving and user friendly. I bought this machine on a close out at Target and it was a great price and a great machine. You may not think Mr. Coffee would be the brand for a great espresso machine but this company has been very successful with coffee machines and one should not be surprised that they would do at least competantly with espresso machines. They hit it well with this model. I cannot speak to its durability. Some reviewers have had some issue with a similar Mr Coffee pump espresso machine (the ECMP-50 model). The model listed here is the ECMP-55, a very similar machine from the specifications. I highly recommend it so far although durability is still an open item that I cannot speak to at this point.

Enjoy it while it lasts. I bought one, and I make 2 espresso drinks a week, one on Sunday, and one on Saturday.. 3 months after I bought it, the seals are blown. Junk, in my opinion, but while it worked, it made good coffee.

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Expobar Office Control Espresso Machine

I have owned this machine for three years and have never regretted it. Ok, I regretted it a little when I had to get it repaired once, but it is a straightforward and simple machine, with a double boiler so you don't have to switch temperatures between making espresso and steaming milk.

I've owned this machine for over a year now and it has been a workhorse. There are days that I pull 3 triple shots (using a triple basket and bottomless portafilter) a day just for me. Then there are days where I have company over and can quickly make lattes, mochas, and americanos for my guests in very little time. I use this with a Nuova Simonelli MDX grinder (flat burr). I've owned cheap machines in the past with single boilers and pressurized portafilter baskets, but this thing blows them away. If you are looking for an e61 HX machine on a budget, look no further.

My routine is this:

pull 4-5 ounces of water as a flush, but also to heat my two 2.5 ounce shot glasses.

dry the portafilter (i use a triple basket)

grind 18-21 grams of coffee into portafilter, distribute (north, south, east, west), tamp ~ 30 lbs

insert portafilter and pull 2.5-3 oz shot, stopping the pull when "blonding" starts, around 35 40 seconds (22-30 for a double shot).

I would recommend getting a different steam tip. I found both a 3-hole and a 4-hole tip from another site, Chris's Coffee. The 3-hole is a nice improvement where I can go from about 60-seconds to steam ~ 8 oz of milk, down to about 35 seconds. The 4-hole tip is even quicker, though it takes much more practice to get latte art quality microfoam. Using the 4-hole tip, I can steam 8 oz of milk in around 20 seconds and the steam power is amazing. The problem with the original single-hole tip, is that it restricts the steam too much in my opinion. It makes it easy to make great foam, but it takes too long.

Overall, this is a great machine. It is built like a tank and the programmable buttons are a nice feature. I really like the auto backflush clean cycle that it has. Eventually, I'll probably have to send it to a shop to get descaled, but that is the case with an HX machine, from what I've read. Anytime you are repeatedly heating water, it's going to require a descale at some point. I have a whole-home water softener and RO water at the tap, but I still use the included filter / softener in the water tank to cut down on the scale.

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I have owned this machine for 8 years and for 6 it was working. Overall this is a good machine. It is not a easy machine to repair with its enclosed design. It is very good for what it was designed for: fitting a small area and keeping the cups warm for use. Its greatest feature for our family and office use has been ease of use and the 'quad' espressos. The largest issues are fluctuations in heat at the group head resulting in variations in quality of the brew. (The 'heat' eventually will fry the nice push button controls.) Getting repairs are expensive and hard to get in some areas.

Learn as much as you can about the machine and how it operates and clean and flush it regularly (the manual and paperwork it comes with is worthless). Replace the cheap plastic water container (the least they could have done was include a stainless container over the plastic) with a direct plumbing line and filter will save a lot of grief. The container will run out of water more often than you think, so check and fill often. The grind is very important in this machine, too fine and you'll have a long day of cleaning it for their is a second area behind 'the group' that will retain the powdered nectar and clog a secondary screen. If unaware, you will be buying new pumps and relays and such.

The baseline question to ask is the convenience and ease of use for this time (5-6 years) worth 1200 dollars to you? If it is, Is the 700 dollar repair also worth continuing down the road with the unit (you will grow to either love or hate) at that 6 year mark? If this is your office machine, it probably is, but if it is for home use, you may want to consider the above.

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Bialetti "Fiammetta" Stove Top Espresso Maker, 3-cup (BLUE)

I received the product and the package was damaged and there were some scratches on the blue part and on the silver part. I will probably try to return it.

Melitta Coffee Maker - Ready Set Joe - One Cup Maker with Mug - Black

Used the Melita one cup while visiting my parents in TX. They both drink decaf.....I don't, so it was ideal for my early morning wake-up!

At home we have a 12 cup Farberware that we set up the night before for the morning, but for that quick cup during the day or early evening, I want my own Melita one cup! Can't wait for it to arrive.

Espressione Luna Wall-Mount Pump Espresso Machine

I saw the Luna in England, and fell in love with it, but I didn't think I would be happy with coffee pods I'm truly a coffee snob. But I ordered the machine from Espressione here in the states, and installed it at the office. Fantastic! Lots of crema, very little time to warm up, fast and simple. The frothing/steaming arm has tons of power it takes seconds. As for the coffee, I've tried both the pods available through Espressione and the Italian Illy brand, both are great. The espresso is fresh, and I've found that I'm waiting to make my morning espresso until I can use the Luna at my office ignoring my home machine ( a very nice Swiss semi-commerical espresso machine). My only complaint is the lack of availability of organic, fair trade & shade grown coffee pods, but I'm trying to locate a European source (they are way ahead of the US in organics). The trade off is the pod no spilled coffee grounds equals no mess at the office!

As mentioned befor the unit looks great and works well, for a short time anyway. Bought in Feb 2008. First the leak was a few drops down the mounting plate from under the unit then steam pressure decreassed and then leak got worse. Must find service center. Should have listened to past reviews. Since it looks great and makes good espresso why has it been discontinued? Could it be design flaw???

Save your money invest in a reliable machine.

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Beautiful european design with brilliant space-saving implementation. How could I resist? I couldn't. I should have. The shots were always good until it started to leak hot water all down the wall and onto my countertop. The steam was always marginal, needing to pause several times during steaming to allow the boiler to recharge. Finally the leaking water and impotent steam forced me to send it in for repair. It has never been the same since. After several weeks it now leaks water worse than ever. The steam is slightly improved but nothing to get excited about. Looking back on the whole experience, I would have to say that the first year was pretty good and then it was down hill ever since. Many a man has been beguiled by beauty that in time fades to remorse and anguish. In the case of the Luna that time frame is about 1 year and the remorse and anguish are in the form of leaking hot water and lackluster froth.

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