Medelco 4 Cup Glass Universal Replacement Carafe - Black

I ordered this for my Braun 4 cup coffee maker.. It is a nice looking replacement.. it is glass.. but.. its too tall. you almost have to force it in and it feels like it dosent belong.. It spills when it pours.. I thought i would save a few dollars an try it. the cost to ship it is more than the cost of the unit.. dont waste your money... buy an original replacement and you will be happy.. im not going to waste my time or money to send it back.. lesson learned..

Firstly, the shipping time was awesome, just wish the product had been as impressive. Secondly, I think I got one that was defective. But as a whole the one thing I never did like about this carafe was the pouring spout. It always dribbled and was just drippy. I think I spilled more coffee sometimes than I got to drink before it defectively cracked. This isn't really a product I would nor could endorse in all good faith.

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given that there are almost no alternatives (i.e. purchasing USED pot)I gave it two stars for simply being available. But the design is flawed -it is almost impossible to pour from without dribbling all over. The only solution seems to be to pour so slowly it would take one 20 seconds to pour one cup!!

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Bought this cause i broke my betty crocker original carafe. this one is smaller than the original (which is annoying for someone who relies on a lot of coffee to jumpstart the day). also, like another reviewer says, it spills when you pour it fast. i have to be all zen and pour it real slow (which, again, is annoying when you're barely awake). It spills even less when you tilt the lid up with your thumb...but the zen slow pour makes the most difference.

i looked everywhere for a replacement and i couldn't find one. so i'm glad that i have it but i would definitely buy a Betty Crocker name-brand one if i had to do it over again.

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The problem with the dripping is not the pot, but the lid.

Lift the lid with your thumb while pouring, or as I did,

remove the lid completly and dipping problem is solved.

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KRUPS XP618050 Full Stainless Steel Twin Thermo Block Espresso Machine, Silver

This machine is amazing, milk micro foam is an easy task with the 6bar steamer and the pressure gage is very helpful in determining the right dosage and grind size to pull the perfect shot. This machine doesn't steam and make espresso in the same time, don't know why Krups chosen not to enable that feature.

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Cuisinart DGB-900BC Grind & Brew Thermal 12-Cup Automatic Coffeemaker, Brushed Stainless/Black

I bought this coffeemaker after returning my Krups KM7000. Overall, I have been pleased with this model, save for a few quirks. The bottom line is that it makes OUTSTANDING, HOT coffee with great convenience in a design that appears very durable. I have NOT had any problems with getting the pieces together and I do not find it complicated on a day-to-day basis whatsoever.

PROS:

-Coffee is full-bodied and flavorful. I use the 4-cup setting with about 3 cups of water and the strength set to strong. This uses the aroma feature, and the coffee is perfect.

-Temperature is perfect, the hottest I've tasted from a model like this. The base WARMS THE THERMAL CARAFE when the machine goes on, then goes off when the brew is complete. This may theoretically be eliminating the effect of the cooling of hot coffee by a stone-cold carafe. On the other hand, the carafe is highly insulated and it may be doing nothing. The bottom line is that the temperature is perfect, the coffee is still hot even after adding cold milk. The coffee remains hot for quite a while in the thermal carafe.

-Design is quite niceit is self contained as opposed to other mill & brew models that have parts that swing around. The design feels very robust, there are no wimpy plastic bits. There is a piece that fits over the grind basket that has a gear which appears to rotate, likely to keep steam out of the grinder.

-It could not be easier to use on a daily basis all I do is put in THE RIGHT amount of water, put the cover on top of the brew basket, and press program (I have it programmed for the same time every day). After it brews and I pour the coffee, I swing out the basket, pour out the grinds & rinse the basket, rinse the carafe, and I'm ready to go.

-cleaning is simple; I notice others complain but I haven't had any problems. See above for my daily routine; I've been using the brush weekly on the grind spout, it takes two minutes and is not messy.

-The brushed chrome looks great on the counter.

-3 year warranty is reassuring

CONS:

-The grind appears to be too coarse. Other models have a grind control to change the coarseness of the coffee, this one does not. This has improved a little after a few weeks of use, but not completely. Also, I've noticed that (through laws of physics) the coarsest part of the grind stays on top, then the finer grounds work their way to the bottom. This is probably wasting a bit of coffee, but once I worked out how much water to use it doesn't affect the strength. Overall I have not noticed that I am going through coffee faster than before, so I think some of the "coffee wasting" reviews may be somewhat overstated. On first glance it does appear to use a lot of coffee when you are pouring out the grounds, but looking at how many bags I'm going through it doesn't appear much different.

-The mechanism to pour coffee from the carafe is not perfect; it works ok when pouring out from a mostly full carafe, but to get the last cup or two from the bottom I have to take the top off. If I don't it drips all over the counter. Taking the top off I can pour it without any mess.

-The water indicator level is on the right side near the back. If you are putting it against a wall on the left it will be fine, but on my counter it needs to be against a wall on the right, so if I need to look at the water level I need to pull the coffeemaker away from the wall. To get around this I have figured exactly how much water to put in from a measuring cup.

THE BOTTOM LINE (again):

The coffee is excellent, and HOT. The design is marvelous. On a day-to-day basis it is extremely easy to use and convenient. The grind is a bit too coarse, but I don't seem to be going through coffee much faster than before, so this may be a little bit of an illusion. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ADJUST THE STRENGTH OF YOUR COFFEE USING THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF WATER. I can strongly recommend this coffeemaker if you want hot, convenient, fresh-ground coffee every day. Enjoy!

I chose this grind and brew after reading all of the reviews for this and similar machines. Frankly, I am surprised by the negative comments. This is an easy to use machine once it is set up properly (the bean hopper takes a little of effort to snap in). The coffee tastes great and the parts are very easy to clean quickly. While the instruction book is not clear, Cuisinart was very helpful on the phone. The machine does not know how much water you put in, so if you set it to grind coffee for 6 cups and you have 8 cups of water in it, it will process all 8 cups of water. Other than this small quirk, the machine is a small wonder and I do not feel compelled to go out for coffee in the morning. The thermos carafe will keep the coffee quite warm for a few hours, even when the carafe is not warmed up with hot water. Wondering why it took me so long to go ahead and buy this machine. This is the best model; my neighbor has the first generation/second generation machine which is hard to clean and has a large footprint. Save your money and buy this model!

Now that I have had the machine for a month and a half: It requires some cleaning to get the fine grounds that compress and stop the grinder and ground coffee to get into the filter for brewing. I use a bamboo chopstick and a skewer to break up the compressed fine grounds that impede the machine from working properly. (Unplug the machine and put it over the sink area). I also use compressed air to blow out the fine ground particles. Still, this is a small maintenance to allow for great coffee in the AM.

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This unit wastes beans.

According to the user manual, if you fill the coffee bean hopper with 1/2 lb of coffee, you can expect "at least" two 12 cup brews. I thought this was a bit conservative but it was confirmed when I made the first pot of coffee. I set the machine for 12 cups and watched as almost half of the beans disappeared on the first pot.

I figure it uses almost 1/4 lb of beans to brew a full pot (12 cups of 5 oz coffee). This is about double what would be used if you followed the directions when using a manual grinder (one scoop of beans per cup using the scoop that comes with this coffee maker).

I think Cusinart kept the grind at very coarse level to ensure proper grind flow in the machine. To compensate, they increased the amount of coffee ground. Thus it uses about 4 oz of beans versus 2.5 oz of beans per 10-12 cup pot. It doesn't sound like much but works out to 60% extra per pot.

I've owned the Cuisinart DGB-600BC Grind and Brew Coffeemaker and Melitta Mill & Brew Coffee Maker so this is my third unit brew and grind unit. The two previous units has manual bean fill and comparatively good control on the grind. This unit always grinds very very coarse.

Pro: Large Bean Hopper

Easy to clean

Fill level on side (DGB-600BC did not)

Gold filter basket included

3 Year Warranty

Simple operation (for a grind & brew machine)

Seems well constructed

Cons: Grind is always very course

Uses twice as much beans

Carafe pours slow and tends to drip

The coffee tastes OK its not as good as what you can get with a manual grind/brew but consistent with the other Mill & Brew machines I've had. It is well built and I think the 3 year warranty is key because our other Cuisinart grinder motor lasted about 18 months, but its going back because I make about 2 pots/day and this translates into a couple hundred dollars year. Going to try the Capresso 455 or 454.

Update

I've got the Capresso 454 and love it. It can grind from super fine up to coarse and makes a great cup of coffee.

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This is a GREAT coffee maker. The primary objections in other reviews I saw were 1) Weak coffee I do not understand this as you can adjust both the strength of the brew as well as the quantity of beans ground (e.g. grind enough beans for 10 cups but only put in 8 cups of water). We have actually had to reduce the strength settings as the strong setting was too rich for my wife ; 2) hard to pour this is somewhat true as the opening on the carafe is very small (to preserve heat), but twisting the top open just slightly solves that problem; 3) coffee not hot enough it is not as hot as what you would get at a specialty coffee shop but it is still hot enough to make very good coffee. We always rinse the carafe and our cups with hot water before we start and that seems to help a lot; We do find that we need to microwave the coffee in the cup if it has been in the carafe for about an hour or more 4) difficult to program or set up it does require being put together properly and it is somewhat more complex than the traditional drip coffee maker, but the setup requires about 20 seconds to master. We leave the settings alone and just pour in water and add beans daily so once it is set up, it is a "no brainer". We have never had problems with grinds being spilled and I suspect that whoever did either had a defective unit, or did not put the basket into the unit properly. My wife forgot to put the filter basket into the unit one time -and it would not grind the beans until she did -great feature.

The combination of a burr grinder, 12-cup capacity, insulated pot (no hot plate to burn the coffee), adjustable coffee strength, and large bean reservoir with ability to specify the number of cups being brewed (no need to measure beans every time you brew) make this a really great coffeemaker.

If your expectations are for a super-hot cup of coffee then you will be disappointed. If you just want an easy-to-use coffee maker that allows you to adjust the coffee strength to your preference (including very strong), then this is a great unit.

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We are very happy with this coffee maker. The things that are not good are that the thermal carafe pours out a very weird thin stream of coffee which takes to long to fill a cup and it is awkward to comepletly emtpy it. It does leave some grindings on the lid but that is not a total problem. The coffee is not as hot because it goes into the cool carafe and that cools it down.

So the point of a thermal carafe is now a drawback. I like my coffee hot so its a draw back for me. Other than that it all works well, stays clean, you do not have to clean the grinder compartment eveyr time you use it. The compartment does not get any steam it in it like the previous one did. We bought ours from Williams Sononma and are trying it out. I think we will keep it but we are still not 100% sure. It makes a good cup of coffee and the grinder works great and the extra beans it holds is a big plus.

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Lavazza Gran Filtro Dark Roast Ground Coffee, 8-Ounce Bags (Pack of 5)

If you enjoy a very fiull bodied coffee without the "burntness" of espresso, try this. Shared it with my sister the coffee/ Bustelo fan and she really fell for the nonbitter, strong brew from my drip pot. Makes great ice coffee too. This coffee was a great break from the Starbucks and 8 o'Clock I had been drinking. Price is $2/ per package cheaper than my local market on Amazon

I know everyone's tastes are different but honestly this coffee has the best flavor for me ever. After having one shipment and trying a few other brands I went back to this Lavazza Gran Filtro Dark Roast. I signed up for the automatic shipment with the 15% discount. So as a Prime member I get two and a half pounds of the best coffee I've ever tasted, shipped free, for fifteen dollars a month. Seriously.

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We had this brand over in Italy. When we got back, we ordered this coffee from Amazon. We got hooked on the Oro espresso ground, but this kind makes a great cup of coffee and is less expensive.

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The coffee is extremely tasty, and the smaller size of the packages keeps it very fresh and is better than the huge coffee tubs...

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I'm a Lavazza lover. The Gran Filtro (Blue Stripe) has been a favorite of mine for years. I asked my son to pick me up a bag of 'Gran Filtro' at a shop near his apartment, and he returned with the Dark Roast beans (Brown Stripe). I instantly loved the dark roast and when I found the coffee at Amazon, I ordered it as ground coffee. It just doesn't taste the same to me. Maybe it's the way I grind it, maybe it's just fresher when the beans are ground just before brewing. Whatever the reason, and I'm working on it, I prefer the beans to the ground coffee. It's not like it's bad coffee, it's just not as good as I'd hoped.

Mr. Coffee BVMC-FM1 20-Ounce Frappe Maker

Many people buy this machine to save money from the expensive coffee houses.

I bought it because the nearest location I can buy a Frappe is 25 miles from home ...

I also bought it because I like coffee in the afternoon, and I could use decaf ...

And then there's the fact that I'm diabetic and need low carb choices ...

So for me, it not only saves money, but it makes the impossible possible.

I've been using the Gevalia Dark Chocolate Truffle Ground Coffee, Decaffeinated, 8-Ounce Packages (Pack of 3), with 1/2 cup water in the top. Then in the blender I add 2 cups of ice, 3 TBS low Carb chocolate syrup, Equal, and 1/4 cup nonfat milk.

Three minutes later I have a scrumptious frappe, fully approved by my doctor! Because of the low calorie count and the lack of caffeine, I can have as many of these as I want at any time of day. Right now I'm whipping one up for breakfast and another one in the evening as a low calorie substitute for ice cream.

Everything on this is easy to use and easy to clean. It made no more noise than the blender I was using to try to make my own (unsuccessfully), and not a drop leaked anywhere. Everything locks tightly for a safe and mess-free experience.

I love the recipe book included (which even has some alcoholic options), but the best part for me is being able to substitute what I like to make my very own perfect frappe. I like mine light (like McDonalds), but if you want a heavier coffee flavor, you simply add more grounds to make it your way.

I've put my coffee maker away for the summer (maybe forever), and moved the blender back under the counter. Since this is smaller than my blender, it hardly takes any counter space.

Fortunately, I opened the box before I brought it home and realized it needed the 4 cup basket filters, so I was able to grab them while I was still at the store. I bought the 2-4 cup size which fit perfectly. But other than wishing the information on the filters was included in the details on the outside of the package, it was a wonderful purchase for me.

I bought this locally on sale, and as a result this will more than pay for itself in about two weeks ...

*** NOTE *** The video is "real time" so you can see exactly how long it takes to go from beginning to end. It actually took me longer to upload the video to Amazon than to make the Frappe and in the time it takes you to watch the video, you could be sipping yours!

SPECIAL NOTE

Mr. Coffee has recently come out with a latte maker Mr. Coffee BVMC-EL1 Cafe Latte. If you are looking for something similar to use for your winter drinks, it is nearly as awesome as the frappe maker. I have posted a video there as well, and now rotate between them based on season.

*** Edited Review *** I purchased a second Frappe machine for my daughter which we used about 5 times a day for a week. She is using ice cubes from her freezer, and even though we were sure her lid was secure, one of the ice cubes caught the lid wrong (or is it right) and loosened it, causing the "kitchen mess" others have reported occurred. This happened once in about 35 times of use.

I am using smaller crushed ice and ice from an ice machine (small and round) and have not had it happen on my machine yet, even though I have made more than 70 frappes in my machine but I have removed a star, Mr Coffee really does need to make sure the lid is secure and locks.

****Second Edit**** This morning (about 10 months after I purchased the Cafe Frappe, my unit would not power up. :'( However, I called customer support and they were able to walk me though a quick fix. I'm back up and running. Since customer support is important to me, I wanted to add this to my review.

*** Updated Dec 2012. The Frappe maker survived the move to a more civilized location, in easy driving distance, but the ice maker that keeps it supplied did not! After looking at the price of Frappes, I am continuing to make my own.

*** Updated May 2013. It started getting warm again, and I pulled out my Frappe Maker once again. It works just as good as ever! You should know that I am now on my third ice making machine to supply ice to this, my favorite appliance. If it ever gives up the ghost for real, I won't have to even consider whether it is worth replacing, I will buy a new one, with overnight shipping since I have prime, it costs less to ship overnight than to buy even one frappe.

This product doesn't do anything you couldn't do on your own with a blender and a coffee machine, but the combination of the two makes the frappe-making process much more convenient. In the few weeks I've owned it, I've found myself just making my own frappes instead of running to the local coffee shop. The accompanying recipe book offers some great ideas, including tea frappes. As a warning to those who don't keep paper coffee filters around the house, the package doesn't even include a sample filter, so you'll need to purchase four-cup size filters before you can try out the product.

The process is simple. Set up the coffee brewer by placing a filter, 3-6 scoops of ground coffee, and water in the machine. In the blending pitcher, add ice cubes and other ingredients (e.g. ice cream, milk, flavor syrup, alcohol, etc.). Turn it on, and the coffee (or tea) brews directly into the pitcher, which then automatically starts a pulsed blending cycle. There is a separate "blend" button that can be used if you find the drink requires further blending once the automatic cycle is complete.

The machine has worked great for me, but there are a few reasons I'm not giving it a full five stars. The coffee flavor is a bit weak, so I sometimes also add my own shot of espresso in the blending pitcher, which sort of defeats the purpose of the product (though I'm someone who prefers the darkest straight espresso shots, so I realize others might find the by-the-book frappes fine as is). Ideally, the product would have a built-in coffee grinder so I wouldn't also have a grinder to clean, but that would obviously increase its cost. In regards to cleaning, it's worth mentioning that the components of the machine aren't dishwasher safe.

If you're like me and tend to keep a collection of gimmicky small kitchen appliances to inspire you to make things you might not otherwise think to make, this is a great item to have around. It operates well, and some of the little details like the automatic pulsed blending as well as the option to perform extra blending as needed render it truly functional.

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I recently purchased the Mr Coffee Frappe Maker after seeing an ad for it. I thought of the times I have had to stand in the long lines at the local coffee house, how many times they have made my Frappe wrong because they were in a rush to deal with the long lines and of course the cost they charge. I figured for $ it was worth a shot. The Frappe Maker gives you the control of strength of coffee or other goodies you may want in your drink, syrup, sugar, etc. The ad claims in delivers the product in 3 minutes and it does! I was personally delighted with the end product. It will have paid for itself after a mere 20 visits to the local coffee house. I am pleased with the ease of use and the convenience it provides. I can make myself a Frappe in my own home saving time and money, this is a great product for those that do not have a need to impress others by drinking coffee house Frappes. I anticipate many other copycat products following suit. Every so often a product comes along that is affordable and does exactly what you want it to do.......this is that product and it's affordable. Try it, if you don't like it, return it, you will be surprised how convenient it is however.

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I am a "frappe-aholic" to say the least. I saw this frappe maker and just had to have it. I have to say for the most part I am pleased with it, But~ they really need to redesign the lid on this thing. Every morning I am cleaning the counter and all around the frappe maker due to the mixture that is shot out of the top when the blend feature it on. It is seriously insane the amount of liquid that is shot out of this thing. I've tried everything to ensure this isn't a daily mess. I now have to wait just prior to the blend and place a washcloth over the top to catch the mess. For the price they could at least fix this problem. Just a note as well, the parts are NOT dishwasher safe. If they spend a little more time in the design room fixing this issue.. it would be a 5 star machine in my eyes. I do love it, just hate to spend the extra time cleaning a mess that could easily be prevented by a redesigned top. Get to work Mr. Coffee... : )

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If you like Starbucks' Frappes, then read on. As a "smart shopper" I love finding deals that will end up saving me money; ultimately, saving me enough that the product pays for itself. I used to buy real iced tea by the gallon until I bought Mr. Coffee's Iced Tea machine... now I smile as I pass the aisle at my grocery knowing that I no longer have to lug those containers around and that my appliance has saved me lots of extra food money. With the Mr. Coffee Frappe Maker, I will be able to say the same every time I pass by a Starbucks (i.e. every other block!).

I have tried using a blender for similar results, but trust me when I tell you that is a waste of time. The results from the Frappe Maker are far superior. The ice breaking power and the appliance's "technique" were not only made for frappe making but is also as simple as can be. A note on its power: make sure you place this machine on a sturdy surface as it kind of jumps a bit when the blend takes place -although I was never in doubt that the Frappe Maker would ever be too unstable (as tall and powerful it is) even during the first time I ran it... it is a legitimate piece of machinery.

I used Hershey's dark chocolate syrup to make a mocha frappe and followed the directions without modification... the results were perfect! The recipe booklet it comes with has several great concoctions that I would have never thought of on my own... I can't wait to try them out! Seriously, if you were to pour your homemade frappe into an empty Starbucks container and gave it to someone, they would NOT know the difference (and I say that without exaggeration!). One extra note: when you are at the store picking up ingredients, don't forget the straws... take it from me who learned the hard way! Also, the directions call for crescent-shaped ice cubes, but I used regular medium-sized ones and the results were just fine. Enjoy!

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Lets Gel Inc GelPro Designer Comfort Anti Fatigue Kitchen Floor Mat

First let me say that THIS IS NOT A GEL MAT. I think that some reviewers are getting confused because it is made by GelPro, but the description clearly states that this is a foam mat. And personally, while I would love to have a GelPro gel mat, they cost a big pile of money that I don't have. Second, I don't know why anyone thinks it should be thicker or softer except that they don't know how anti-fatigue mats work. This mat is meant to give slightly and then provide support, and that's exactly what it does. More cushion wouldn't be supportive, and more thickness would increase the possibility of tripping over the edge. And depending on who it belonged to, that would range anywhere from annoying and inconvenient to seriously dangerous.

Anyway.

This mat was a much needed and long overdue purchase. My husband and I both get sore backs from standing on our tile floors, and this mat has worked wonders. It is also attractive and easy to clean, doesn't migrate around the kitchen, the edges stay down, and our cats don't seem driven to play with it they way they have kitchen rugs. I'm planning to get another one to put in front of the stove.

I ordered it because According the web page it's one inch thick, "Product Dimensions: 32 x 20 x 1 inches". Unfortunately, it is misleading. The thickness is only 1/2 inch not 1 inch.

However the over all quality is good, the red one i got is very pretty, it seems like it will be esay to clean. My husband said his back feels comfortable when standing on it. I decided to keep it.

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I really like this mat and I am shopping around for different sizes and colors. The red is a great color for some areas in my home and I'm back to look for more colors. Some people complained that this mat was too thin and said it was listed as one inch thick, which it was not. It was listed correctly. Next, the complaints of "flat as a pancake" is very misleading. Unless someone expects something thick enough to bounce on, then this mat does the job it is designed to do.

I use these in the kitchen and bathroom and also have one beside the bedbecause stepping onto a tile floor is very cold in the winter! All my floors are tile. I prefer these mats to area rugs because they can be wiped (not scrubbed) clean easily, and are more sanitary then any carpeting. That is very important for those of us who have had chemo or radiation treatments, which plays havoc with the immune system. Carpeting holds so much dust and all the other things that gets embedded into the fibers, so it isn't the healthiest surface for children to play on. Nor to have around when a family member has asthma which is often made worse by carpet dust and the other things it holdssuch as animal dander and hair. Tile is the best flooring to use for ease of maintenance as well as for beauty, as is wood floors for the next best choice -so get a few mats in different sizes and colors, especially if you do have tile or hardwoord floors. Slide them under a bed, or roll them up and put them in a closet if you don't want to use them at times, then bring them back out later on. The only complaint I have is the cost. I think the prices should be about 20 percent lower, so I'll check often for sales.

Read Best Reviews of Lets Gel Inc GelPro Designer Comfort Anti Fatigue Kitchen Floor Mat Here

Things you need to know before buying:

1. The mat covering doesn't have a "polished" look; in essence, it looks like the top part was printed out by an average printer and glued to the bottom section.

2. The pattern on the mat is difficult to discern from the pictures. Think scales -like scales on a lizard -and you'll get the idea. (I have the green version.)

3. The material on the bottom is smooth (not sticky or rough). This will cause the mat to slide every once in a while when you step on it. Just re-adjust its position and carry on.

4. As mentioned in another post, this IS NOT a gel mat. Some friends of ours have a gel mat, and those contour exactly to your feet (think gels that go inside your shoes). THIS mat just provides a soft area to stand on so that your hardwood/tile floors don't cause your back to ache.

5. The cushion in this mat does its job: you'll definitely notice a majority of your aches and pains going away as you wash dishes/cook dinner (what I use it for).

6. The mat seems to be of solid construction. I've had this mat for about 2 months now, and there appears to be no signs of wear and tear whatsoever.

All in all, it's a decent product. The fact that it looks "scaly" and the print job seems average at best (see points #1 and #2) will make me replace this product some time in the future -purely due to decorative value. For now, however, it does a good "functional" job of alleviating back aches, so I'll use it for a while until we re-do our kitchen.

'Hope you found this helpful!

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I'm a professional dishwasher, so I spend at least eight hours per day on my feet. I used to get cramps and spasms in my legs, then I bought the comfort mat. Now, can work my regular shift and overtime without any problems. I should have got one of these mats a long time ago.

Bialetti Cuor Di Moka, 3 Cup Polished Aluminum

I bought this little pot to make convenient and decent homemade espresso. Yes, I know that it's only steam pressure, so it's not *really* espresso. But, used correctly this little pot does a great job. It produces a dark, concentrated double shot of espresso that satisfies. I generally pour this into a mug and add hot water to make a cafe americano (yeah, I'm not a purist).

But ... and this is a big but, using it correctly is not intuitively obvious. I searched the instructions, the internet and the Bialetti website in vain for guidance because I had problems. That is why I'm posting this review and writing up a set of instructions for using the Cuor Di Moka.

How the Pot Works: Bialetti built this pot with a valve in the stem that cuts off the flow of water from the bottom to the top at a certain point. The goal, as they state it, is to provide just the "heart" of the coffee. It's the certain point that creates the problem.

The Problem: Often I was only getting a tiny portion of coffee--something like half a shot of espresso, instead of the two shots that this little pot should produce. I cleaned the pot, thinking that it was clogged, but got no reliable improvement. I did, at one point, consider setting this pot aside as another mistaken purchase. But, further experimentation brought me to ...

The Solution: What I finally realized is that the certain point where the shut-off valve operates is based on temperature. A couple minor adjustments in how I set up and used the pot now allow me to consistently produce a full double shot of strong espresso. Heat is what causes the valve to shut off the flow of steam through the ground coffee into the receiving chamber. 1) Fill the bottom chamber with very cold water. It doesn't matter how full the bottom is because only half the water gets pushed to the top in any case. 2) Wash out the receiving chamber, and the stem inside which contains the shut-off valve, with very cold water as well. This is the real key. Starting with the valve very cold permits the largest volume of water to pass into the receiving chamber. 3) Use a moderately low temperature on the stove top. I use 4 (out of 10) on my stove. It generally takes 7-9 minutes for the Cuor Di Moka to finish at this setting.

Cold water. Cold stem valve. Low heat. By following these three steps I'm very happy with the coffee produced by this machine.

Coffee certainly tastes different with Bialetti's Cuor Di Moka. Much more flavor, strength and delight !

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Update: Having used it for a year, I gave it a special award on my site: acpress (it's a com)

(My "Product of the Year." Read why at the site.)

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This was my Christmas present (early) this year. I was torn between the unit that (allegedly) produces crema and this unit that (again allegedly) allows only the best, the most flavorful brew to enter the top chamber. I have owned a number of these kind of pots, including an "Alicia" electric model and they have all been marginal quality with an over extracted burnt taste. And belive me, I've tried to make them work!

This unit is FAR better. I'm not sure if it the flow is cut off thermally or by the simple heart shaped float that the coffee raises as it enters the top chamber, but I do get the top all the away full, and it is rich and dark.

I use a small Sanyo mini-hot plate (designed for portable ramen cooking while traveling!) and it seems to be just the right temp. Takes about five minutes to make a pot using very cold winter well water. One caveat: do NOT use ultra fine grind espresso! A slightly more coarse version is fine. And, unlike finicky pump machines, you CAN easily get buy with a blade grinder!

Extra points for a very classy look and the simple bayonet mount. I'd like a bit larger version, so take away one star!

UPDATE: I picked up a standard Bialetti Moka pot (no valves or other gimmicks) and got similar results AS LONG AS I watched carefully and removed the pot from the heat BEFORE the final rush of superheated steam and water. However, you have to watch carefully. If you don't this unit will do the trick for you.

Read Best Reviews of Bialetti Cuor Di Moka, 3 Cup Polished Aluminum Here

I have a regular Bialetti Moka pot and bought this one for my sister. I love my Moka pot but have to watch it carefully so it doesn't burn the coffee. Everything says once you hear the bubbling noise it's done but I have found if you take it off the heat right before it empties all the coffee it doesn't have that slight burnt taste. This Cour Di Moka pot solves this problem. No burnt coffee ever! Sooooo good and my sister was so happy with it!

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First when I opened the package it was a mess, looked like someone had returned it before.

The pot had scratches and dents. And on top of that the pot doesn't work properly, it leaks from the side! The top and bottom pieces don't attach properly, it does looks offset though...

In more than 20 years this is the first time I've had any problems with a Bialetti product