Showing posts with label espresso makers best. Show all posts
Showing posts with label espresso makers best. Show all posts

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Hot Water Pot (3 Liters)

Hot Water PotI bought my unit at an Asian grocery called "99 Ranch", which had a very good price. The unit had notable defects (sometimes stopped boiling far before the boiling point; sometimes got an air bubble and couldn't keep pumping the water out), and it did NOT have a "lock/unlock" safety button although one was depicted in the manual. When it did work, it was very handy. It stopped working entirely after just two weeks.

I called the phone number printed right on the back on the machine, and the very courteous man on the phone immediately offered to send me a whole new one at their expense, and even pay for the return shipping on this one. The new one arrived promptly, but has already proven to have at least one defect (a loose hinge part).

It seems like you get a lot for your money, but the quality reminds me of General Motors circa 1975. Needs improvement.

I've had one of these hot water pots for several years now. All it does is boil up 3 liters of water and keep it hot all day, all night. I frequently plug mine in at 9 am and unplug it at 2 am. The water is always very hot. I use it to make instant coffee, tea, cocoa, and for 'starter' hot water to boil noodles & such faster. I also find that having hot water always to hand helps ensure I get plenty of fluids each day (particularly important with drying heat on in the winter).

The fuse did blow on mine a few months after I first got it. But the company quickly sent me another free of charge (pot was under warranty), and it was not difficult to install. You can also purchase fuses if you want extras. But, this happened only once to me in about 3-4 years of heavy daily use.

All in all, if you want a basic unit that will give you really hot water whenever you want, this pot is perfect. Much easier than constantly boiling up tea kettles (and probably more energy efficient).

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I have had my hot water pot for about a year now and I love it! Being an avid tea and hot cocoa drinker I am always using it and probably end up refilling it about once every other day. I would recommend a larger size for families. I recently moved in with my boyfriends family and at first they were skeptical about using a hot water pot they claimed to like the charm of heating a pot of water over the stove everytime they wanted hot cocoa but I set up my hot water pot and now they are addicted. The poor water kettle has been sitting on the stove collecting dust for a few months now! The only bad thing I can think of is that you get hard water stains in the water dispenser. I am not sure if there is any way to get around this since the nature of the pot is that it boils off chloride, etc. I just rinse it out once in a while without any chemicals and it works perfect still. Anyways, I highly recommend a hot water pot.

Read Best Reviews of Hot Water Pot (3 Liters) Here

This item was given to us second hand, it is the best thing ever for making baby bottles. (of course always check the temp to be sure it is not too hot for baby!) We put about an ounce of hot water to make an 8 ounce bottle mix the formula then add room temp water. Also great for making tea or cup of soup. We just love it, have been using it for about a month now and have had no problems and it was used previously for who knows how long. No problems with the pump or hinge or anything else works like a dream. Easy to clean too. And the cord comes out of the side of the pot so that it can sit flush up against the back of the kitchen counter minimizing the amount of space it takes up.

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I got my first pot and it worked great for 3 weeks. Called manufacturer and they were very nice and sent me a new cord as they thought that was the problem when it completely stopped working...that was not the problem so they sent me another bottom and it went right to ready with no boiling....they sent me a third pot and it worked great for 3 days when it also stopped boiling and went right to ready. Great concept when it works...I'm now going to ask for a refund and try another brand.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

IMUSA GAU-18200 Elecric Espresso / Cappuccino Maker with Milk Frother 4-Cup, Black

IMUSA GAU-18200 Elecric Espresso / Cappuccino Maker with Milk Frother  4-Cup,  BlackI ordered this to replace a Bialetti stove-top maker. I have had it a couple of months and it is great. I saw some reviews about some machines within this price category being flimsy and unreliable. The Imusa is terrific. Easy to clean (Bialetti was awful!), and makes up to a quad in under 5 minutes. It is lightweight, but sturdy; and makes thick rich foam, even with skim milk. I am a former chef and have had some fancy machines that cost thousands of dollars in my kitchens, Imusa gets it done for me at home. I even went back and ordered a second as a gift.

Adding on to this review: If you haven't been using your old espresso/cappuccino maker because it isn't easy, or a pain to clean up, then this is the machine for you.

I'm going to start out stating I am no barista.

But I love coffee and simply don't like paying $4+ a cup and inconveniencing myself in the morning making an out-of-the-way, time-consuming stop during my commute.

That said, this is my first espresso machine. As with many things I don't know if I'll ever use again, I purchase the absolute cheapest low-end model, and if I like it, I research and splurge (or ask Santa.) I feel I really lucked out with this machine since it cost half of other machines I was looking at, and it works. I followed the directions (and a youtube) and with some trial and error (actually only the first try was really bad) I am able to make espresso mocha's in the morning for my wife and I.

I've gotten so good at it that I can make two cups with ~2 shots each, a squirt of chocolate syrup each, about 10oz steamed milk, and clean it all up in under 10 minutes.

Notes and experiences about this machine:

-When you first receive the machine, fill and drain the machine numerous times with hot water (by filling and turning the entire machine upside down.) Mine had a bunch of metallic flakes inside the steam chamber left over from manufacturing. These could definately clog the machine or worse, end up in your espresso.

-Use mildly fine grounds and tamp softly. I wasn't getting any crema until I used a burr grinder on a medium-fine setting. This machine has NO control over the brew group pressure, so the only way to control extraction is with the grounds and tamping pressure. I was using too fine of grounds for the first week or two and was getting weak extraction. If tamped too hard the grounds overheat and the extraction is bitter. Ideally each shot should take 20 seconds.

-The control dial has a "dead zone" where steam continues to come out, but the boiler is off. It is between OFF and LOW STEAM settings. This allows you to safely release pressure in the boiler chamber when you're finished. Never leave the machine sit with pressure in it. The instructions don't mention anything about this 'hidden' setting, but you will find it and use it every time you use the machine for one reason or another.

-Tamping the grounds is important. At first I used my fingers. Then a spoon. Finally I got a tamper. All of them were effective but a tamper makes me feel like a pro and its definately the fastest/easiest. 50mm is a good fit. Not perfect, but good enough; in reality its probably a 51mm or 52mm.

-Don't use the rubber guard for the frothing wand. It's hard to clean. Not just hard, impossible. Also, if not removed and cleaned after every use, it will for sure trap bacteria; it obviously needs to be removed to clean your frothing wand, which you want to clean while its hot so stuff doesn't cake on it, defeating the entire purpose of protecting you from burns since you need to deal with the hot wand, anyway. Just throw this thing away.

-Clean it while its HOT. I rinse and wipe everything right after a session. The steam wand, grounds cup and locking cup, the collection cup and the waste tray all rinse clean with no soap when they're hot. The steam wand takes about 10-15 seconds of wiping to get milk residue off; everything else takes a few seconds.

Buy IMUSA GAU-18200 Elecric Espresso / Cappuccino Maker with Milk Frother 4-Cup, Black Now

For the money, this is one great little machine. It heats quickly, foams the milk easily and promptly, is easy to clean up, and looks cute on the counter. This is our fourth (and least expensive) cappuccino maker it is also the best.

Read Best Reviews of IMUSA GAU-18200 Elecric Espresso / Cappuccino Maker with Milk Frother 4-Cup, Black Here

Especially for the money, this is a great little espresso machine! I've never had an electric espresso machine before. I have several manual espresso makers but no way to easily froth hot milk so I ordered this one. I received it yesterday and made a wonderful latte last night for the first time in my life! It's easy to use, looks cool and has a small footprint so it's great in a small space. (It did not say anywhere to remove the soft black plastic 'cover' on the steaming rod but I did...I don't want ANY plastic of any kind near my food, especially steaming hot plastic. I'm assuming you remove it else there's no way to clean the rod...) It's a perfect 'treat yourself' gift to yourself when you know you deserve it!

If anything goes awry, I'll certainly update this review but I feel good about it and it works just like I've seen my daughter's much more expensive coffe/espresso/cappuccino maker. I'd NEVER consume name brand commercial coffe store, overly sweetened and overly fat and chemical ladened products, and I cringe when I see so many people putting that inside their bodies, but if I were one of those people, this would pay for itself within a week! (Can you tell I'm a cancer survivor and that I want to keep it that way!)

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The metal water basin contains lead. I recently purchased this espresso maker and at first really liked it as it does the job, and I made delicious decaf lattes with it. The plastic on the outside is number 5 which is considered generally safe, but I was unsure about the metal used on the inside. I recently bought some lead test kits and decided to test the metal on the inside of the opening where you pour the water in. I highly doubted that it would be positive, because who would put lead in a machine that makes beverages especially that part that holds the water you drink?!!! But, because I am pregnant, I decided to check it just in case. Anyhow the test turned red which means it has a dangerous level of LEAD! I am so angry that they have this product on the market. Not only did they put lead in my body and my babies body, they are poisoning everybody who uses it. I already drank 3 lattes using this machine before my lead tests arrived in the mail. Amazon, please do not sell this product.

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Friday, November 29, 2013

Bialetti Mukka Express 1-Cup Cow-Print Stovetop Cappuccino Maker

Bialetti Mukka Express 1-Cup Cow-Print Stovetop Cappuccino MakerIt took about 5 tries to get the right combination and flavor coffee and then!!! Morning bliss!

Stay within the marks and you wont have to clean frothy delight up!