Jura ENA 9 One Touch

Let me first state that I have only had this for two days and that this is my first espresso machine. I say this so readers will understand that this quick "review" is to point out a couple of details that may be overlooked when researching this machine, not as an indication of the quality of drink produced.

I began doing research on home espresso machines several years ago after drinking coffee prepared by my dad on his Jura Cappresso E8. It was a revelation to drink such good quality coffee outside of a coffee shop. At the time my wife didn't care for coffee so it was only me drinking a single cup in the morning with breakfast so I was put off by the high prices and ended up buying a grind and brew automatic drip coffee maker by Cuisinart. I bought it "open box" at a kitchen store for a hundred bucks and I was pleased enough with it. Fast forward a few years and now my wife enjoys cappuccinos and lattes and drinks coffee with me daily, albeit with a lot of cream and sweetener. She also stops at the local coffee bar for a flavored cappuccino with some regularity. So I started looking into a quality espresso machine for the home again.

I spent a lot of time educating myself on the various makers, such as Jura, DeLonghi, Gaggia, Saeco, etc. I knew that I wanted to get a superautomatic as we aren't purists, nor do we have the time usually to pull our own shots, froth our own milk, etc. At the end of the day, it came down to the various Jura Onetouch models, the Gaggia Accademia Espresso Machine, and the DeLonghi ESAM5500M Perfecta Digital Super-Automatic Espresso Machine, Metallic Blue. My research led me to have a little less confidence in the DeLonghi's reliability, although I liked their milking system. The Gaggia was just too much for me to spend on my first machine (or last for that matter more than likely). My dad has never had the first problem with his Jura and it's more than 5 years old and likely has not had much maintenance or cleaning I suspect so I feel it will hold up to the reasonably light use we will give a machine. The Jura-Capresso 13422 Impressa C9 One Touch Automatic Coffee-and-Espresso Center, Black and Jura-Capresso 13423 Impressa S9 One Touch Automatic Coffee-and-Espresso Center, Platinum are older models, larger and more expensive than the ENA series. So due to the features, the quality, and the fact that it was the least expensive, I decided to purchase this machine.

Now, to the machine. The first thing I should point out is that it is a unique design for Jura. The other one touch machines work differently, which I didn't realize when I made my decision. The key point to this is that THERE IS NO EXTERNAL FROTHER. If you want to froth milk manually you can't do it. And it is not equipped with their Connect System either, which would allow you to change out the external wand with a frothing wand. The wand on the ENA9 is only a hot water spout. I would have preferred to have the option for manual frothing, both for experience and as a backup. The other nice thing about manual frothers as they are easier to clean. I mention this in case you, like me, didn't notice the lack of a frothing steam wand. The internal frother does microfroth, which is a pleasure. You can purchase a Capresso frothPRO for less than steam wand would cost if you really want to froth manually (but it's a different method of frothing.

This machine is really designed to optimize the one touch functionality. It works best when you set your preferences and store them. The preferences you can store are water volume (up to 12 oz), strength of espresso, duration of milk froth and temperature. You set these for espresso, cappuccino and coffee individually. If you want more or less of any of these parameters I think you have to go in and change the preferences. I may be wrong about this as I'm still getting my preferences set but I haven't found a way of pulling a one off variety yet. Honestly, I pretty much want the same thing every time anyway so it's not that much of an issue.

The one touch feature is nice. All you have to do is put the sialastic hose into your milk source, slip your cup under the nozzle and push the cappuccino button on top of the machine. A few minutes later, depending on your chosen froth duration, there is your cappuccino. Of course don't bother with the milk for coffee or espresso.

There have been criticisms of the ENA series regarding the small capacity of the water tank and bean hopper. One of the compromises of having a smaller machine on your counter is that the capacities are smaller. My dad loves his large capacity water tank because he can drink coffee all day without refilling it. I personally like to have fresh water and beans so having to fill them up frequently doesn't bother me in the least, but as I stated, we are not high volume drinkers either.

The last point I would make is that there is a fair amount of maintenance with this machine, IF YOU USE MILK. I don't think it is unique to this machine but is typical of the superautomatics in general. My dad only drinks espresso or coffee which is probably why he can get by without cleaning his often. You are supposed to rinse or preferably clean the cappuccino portion after each brewing session. It is very simple to do but may get to be a pain on a daily basis. You just run the machine through it's cappuccino cleaning cycle, using water or Jura's proprietary cappuccino cleaning liquid Jura-Capresso 63801 Auto Cappuccino Concentrate, 250 ml and manually rinse the frothing tube and a few rubber pieces inside. It's a small hassle but likely necessary as milk will cake on the internals and I'm sure halt the function of the frother if neglected like any other milk frother. Another reason for an external frothing option. Using filtered water, or the in tank Jura filter will cut down if not eliminate the need to descale the machine supposedly.

The ENA series boasts an energy efficient option of auto shut down, the timing of which you can customize. So, if you like to save energy, the machine will automatically turn off after a set period of time. This would not be an attractive feature if you are like my dad and enjoy walking up to the machine any time of day and pulling a cup of coffee. You would have to turn it on each time. It doesn't take long to heat up again but it does prompt you to rinse on each start up. You don't have to use the auto shut off but it's there if you want.

All in all I believe this will be an excellent purchase. I got what I wanted but wish it had an optional external frother like the C9 and S9. The frothXpress system added to an ENA5 might be a little cheaper and a little more versatile but not as convenient and the frothing may not be as high quality. I hope this has helped you in your research of this high quality machine.

First off, being a lazy old fart who can't be bothered with manually making froth under one nozzle and then coffee from the other, I was looking for a machine that's totally automatic and hassle free. Just one-click and by the time I wear my tie, my Cappuccino is ready.

So I did a bit of research online before settling on this one and boy am I happy with it.

Not much to add to SpeadDeacon's excellent review except that this machine is made mainly for use with whole Coffee Beans, with a light, medium and strong roast settings for the grinder.

Yes, it has a second opening on top for fine grounded coffee but only if you're having black coffee. It seems Cappuccino and Macchiato only use coffee from the grinder source on top of the device.

As for the froth, it has to be seen to be believed. Its truly amazing, feather light and fine.

Cleaning is also fully automatic. It monitors what drinks you've been having and periodically (or on shutdown) applies the corresponding self cleaning mode.

Or it can be done manually with one-click. For example, any time milk frothing is used, just replace milk source with water and press C-clean. It cleans both the sialastic hose and rinses the milk nozzle.

The only gripe I have is that the water tank is a bit small (4-6 drinks depending on your settings for each drink) and the sialastic hose is attached to a black plastic thingy that plugs into the device (which is responsible for the fine froth) and it would have been nice if a spare plug was included just in case.

Overall a great, durable all-in-one-touch machine for home-use that's well worth the price.

You can search for nTrk_7bd60s on YouTube for a demo.

Update: well I've happily had it for a year now and it still works just like it did on the first day. No regrets what so ever.

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Well, this is my second Super-Automatic machine and my first was the Delonghi ESAM3500. From owning these machines I noticed the following. Super-Automatic machines are a great convenience for making cappuccinos a simple process. Just put your cup under the spout, push a button, and one minute later you will have your drink. There is a downside that you must be aware of with this big purchase and that is the cappuccinos does not come out as hot as those served at Starbucks/McDonalds. This is a common complaint, check out the reviews for the ESAM3500. The reason for this is due to the automation of the steam/frothed milk not heating the milk to the correct serving temperature (150F). The ENA 9 steam/frothed milk comes out at 125F and the ESAM3500 is at 124F (with the milk starting at 40F and water at 72F). These temperatures lead to what many reviews describe as a warm, not hot, cappuccinos that require a trip to the microwave or the cappuccino will get cold on the way to work. To get an idea of the serving temperature of cappuccinos (espresso & milk), I measured the temperature of the drink from Starbucks and McDonalds and the temperature ranged from 142 to 150 F. The cappuccino from the ENA 9 is around 130F, while the ESAM3500 is 127F using room temperature water (72F). If I put cold filtered water from the refrigerator(42F) into the machine, the temperature of the cappuccino drops to 125F for the ENA and 118F for the ESAM3500. The reason the ENA 9 produces a slightly hotter drink is due to it's 1450-Watt Thermoblock heating system vs the 1150-Watts in the ESAM3500. This makes the ENA 9 more tolerant to the water temperature you use. To give some credit to the machine, the espresso from the ENA 9 is around 169F and the ESAM3500 is 165F.

If you can overlook the temperature issue, ENA 9 is a great machine and makes delicious cappuccino with it's thick frothed milk. Below are some pro/cons of the machine.

Pros

1. One touch button for cappuccinos / latte (just keep the bean and water container filled)

2. Wow, the foam on this machine is amazing compared to the ESAM3500. It is thick and micro foam like.

3. Programming the machine is straight forward and easy to do. You use the rotary dial to traverse through the menu and pushing the dial inwards for selection. You won't need the manual after you read it once. The ESAM3500 requires the manual to be around to figure which buttons to hold down to program the machine.

4. Customizing your drinks is a step above the ESAM3500. For example with cappuccino, the amount of milk foam is selectable (3 to 120 seconds), the gap time between the output of the milk and espresso to allow the foam and hot milk separate (0 to 60 seconds), the coffee strength (mild, normal, or strong), amount of water (0.5 oz to 8.0 oz), and temperature (normal, high).

Cons

1. Warm cappuccino, just like the ESAM3500

2. The water and bean container is small. The ENA 9 holds 37 ounces of water vs. the 60 ounces on the ESAM3500. The ENA 9 is not meant to be used with large groups. It also has a glitch that it will requests the grounds to be dump after 3 beverages even though there is space available in the grounds tray.

3. Can't output foam/steam milk by itself, the ESAM3500 has this capability

4. No cup warmer like the ESAM3500.

5. Both ENA9 and ESAM3500 have a max cup height of 5 inches, which means most travel coffee mugs will not fit under the spout.

6. The water container is located in the back and must be lifted up. This means that the ENA 9 requires around 22 inches of height clearance

Suggestions:

* Get the Bean vacuum canister to keep your beans fresh. Exceptional Designs Bean Vac Coffee Canister (ED150)

* Starbucks sells their coffee syrup for $10 (just asked the barista). "Cinnamon Dolce" is my favorite.

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I have a Rancilio Silvia, which I have been using every day for the last 8 years. Silvia produces a good espresso, but the steaming ability is quite weak. It is difficult, noisy, time consuming and requires clean up. I don't do milk in my drinks, but my wife really wanted that option, so we agreed to buy a super automatic with one-touch capability. We looked at a range of machines, running from the the Jura Ena 9 to the Saeco Xelsis.

We finally picked the Ena 9 on the basis of the small footprint, plus it is a Jura (excellent reliability), and the ease of use. We don't need super-programmability, nor fancy touch screens or anything like that.

My major concerns were two fold: (i) the quality of the espresso relative to the Silvia, and (ii) the problems of cleaning out the milk frother.

I ordered through Amazon, and the machine arrived on time and in perfect condition (as is always the case with Amazon). After using the machine for three weeks, here is my bottom line assessment of the machine:

1. If you don't need programmability, this machine is great.

2. The quality of espresso with the actual espresso button is not particularly great, even when you modify the strength of brew and the amount of water. But if you press the Aroma Boost button twice (double espresso), I find this produces a very good quality espresso. The intensity of the brew is not as great as the Silvia, but overall it is very good. So no complaints here.

3. Cleaning: it turns out not to be as much of a hassle as I thought. I hand-rinse the milk components out every night which takes around 2 minutes. The machine also routinely self-cleans, which keeps the machine squeaky clean. I use the milk frother cleaning liquid to run it through the machine once a week, even though Jura recommends this be done once a day if you used milk on that day. I find this to be overkill, and one way that Jura can make money on cleaning products. If you clean out the components properly every night, you have nothing to worry about.

4. The convenience of the machine is just fantastic. I make an espresso or two every 90 minutes or so, and I can't tell you how easy it is. It is a major step-up from my Silvia. I now have no intention of using Silvia unless the Ena breaks down sometime in the future.

5. The one-touch frothing is superb. The foam is just fabulous thick and luxurious. I don't drink milk, but just playing around with that foam makes me want to put some into my drinks. My wife loves it, and even makes her own drinks in the mornings it's that easy to use.

6. The down sides are the following:

the coffee bean hopper is a little small. You end up filling it once or twice a day, which is a pain.

the water reservoir is also way too small. I have to fill this at least three times per day. I am seriously thinking of constructing a tank above the machine which will auto-fill the built in reservoir.

The spent coffee grounds fall into a small container inside the machine which is also way too small. You need to empty the grounds after every 3-4 drinks. But sometimes, depending on how the spent puck falls into the container, the machine thinks the grounds container is full after just two drinks and will require that you empty it. This, for me, is the biggest hassle. Having to empty the grounds every 2-3 drinks is silly. And there is nothing you can do to fix this you just have to live with it.

You'll notice that all of my complaints are related to the size of the machine the small footprint seems to cut on these conveniences, which I had not really considered.

Bottom line: I am absolutely happy with the machine. If I were to do it again, I *might* look at a larger machine, but the quality of the autofoaming is so good, and the price is fantastic, so I would definitely give this machine another chance. The time it saves me every day, plus the constant availability of top-quality espresso is most definitely worth the paltry $1500 this machine costs.

UPDATE: one year later, and I am still super happy with this machine. I have had no problems with it at all. The cleaning is easy, the coffee is good, and so no problems. I find that I use the auto-froth far less than I thought I would, so if I were to do it again I would get a machine without this function. But it's nice to have when people are overthey always coo when it does it's own frothing.

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The following are comments I wrote my cousin when she asked about my experience with a Jura (Ena 9 which was purchased from a non-Amazon retailer about 17 months ago.) Here goes...

So as for the espresso machine (Ena 9), I do apologize for doing that to you guys. It was a mean dirty rotten thing brandishing the sparkly appliance and forcing tasty espresso drinks on you... ;) That having been said, I believe we are both still glad to have it. It makes making good coffee so very simple. There are however some things that would be good to know before investing a small fortune in a coffee maker.

So THE most important thing you would need to know about a Jura (at least the 2 models I've been exposed to) is that there is a super secret manual cleaning process (and by that, I mean you use a paper towel to dislodge/wipe some coffee grounds) that is not documented at all in the manual. It is easy to do and I only do it about once every other week, but both I and a friend that has a Jura (prior Ena) were perturbed when after a month the machine seemed to have no pressure whatsoever. A quick call to Jura (which seems to have rather good service) cleared the matter up and prepared me for the biweekly manual hand/paper towel cleaning technique. They really should document the method because I believe it needs to be pretty much necessary/standard practice.

With respect to changing the beans, (that could be your deal breaker... my cousin's concern was her drinking decaf and her husband drinking regular) I'm not exactly sure how to accomplish that. We pretty much dump the new beans on top of the old ones.

I did once try to get the beans out of the holding basket... I was somewhat successful using a vacuum, however I gave up trying to get the beans that had fallen (and there were still a few down there) past the guard which apparently was put there to prevent people like me sticking their hands down into the grinding mechanism. I've never been bold enough to turn the whole thing upside down as I'm sure there's some kind of internal water holding tank which might make a mess.

There is however a bypass that allows you to put ground coffee in without having to bother changing the beans. It works pretty handily (although we use it somewhat infrequently), however according to the instructions, you must not put too many grounds in there or supposedly it could damage the machine. That being said, if I was using it regularly, I would probably have to pre grind (which obviously causes you to lose the "fresh ground" appeal of such a device) and pre measure the coffee for quick use... That whole process is somewhat more messy than most would like because the grinding and measuring means you're inevitably getting grounds all over the place (especially if they're still statically charged). You do however still get the benefit of having the grounds dumped into the easy to empty bin rather than having to dispose of or thoroughly clean filter/baskets.

Another thing that can be annoying... especially if you're a clean freak... the used ground bin and the waste water catch/reservoir can get ugly looking (especially the reservoir underneath that tends to be a mixture of water and coffee grounds/mud. Whenever we first got the machine, I couldn't take seeing it with all the wastewater/mud. Now it rarely gets emptied until its almost full and when it does it most often only receives the most cursory rinse... I believe we've pretty much decided the parts inside that catch the leftovers are destined to be messy... that's why they are hidden away inside... You can clean em till they sparkle, but when you make your next cup, they'll only be covered in coffee grounds/mud again.

So a couple other things I will mention for full disclosure... Although there appears to be a way to change the grind settings, we pretty much have to leave it on the largest grind... presumably according to Jura this is because the beans we use are oily and cause the machine to not work very well... We tend to make a "cup" of coffee rather than shots of espresso (a sin most coffee snobs will surely scoff at.. but hey this is a review for a fully auto machine after all.. a snob should not be reading such things)... we want plenty of water coming through. If you were making a shot, supposedly you'd only want about an ounce of water in about 12-18 seconds. If it is a double you'd want 2 ounces. We max the thing out... I think its only about 8 ounces.. That's not a huge cup of coffee. If I was making a shot, presumably I'd put the grind to a smaller setting which (according to the instructions) must also be done while grinding is taking place or else it could potentially damage the machine (although i'm pretty sure I've changed that setting when it was not grinding and so far my machine seems to be fine.) Also for those that prefer a "cup" of coffee, the water reservoir is pretty much just the right size for the initial rinse, 2 people to have a cup in the morning and the pre-shut down rinse. The next morning you will have to refill the reservoir (probably a good practice anyway)... All that is to say that if you're doing some entertaining and making large cups of coffee... you're either refilling the reservoir several times or you're running out in the middle of a cup (which can also be annoying.)

Next... if you're trying to take your coffee with... it is somewhat difficult to find a mobile cup that fits under the spout (they are all usually too tall). I found one that is small (so I'll make a smaller cup a bit stronger). My wife holds her travel mug tilted under the spout. Most mugs you use around the house won't have that problem.

I'd probably speak more about the frother on our Jura except we don't use it very often. It works very well, but we're lazy and even though frothed milk is really nice, non-frothed half and half is pretty dern good also! There is also a bit of cleaning that is necessary when you're putting milk through the machine (which is as mentioned... more work when what you really want is to walk away, sit and enjoy your coffee).

The manual also mentions using a water-filter to avoid having to periodically clean the machine due to build up from hard water (which as you might have guessed if you've noticed the trend... has the potential to damage the machine.... I have no idea how paranoid the product manual author was or how real these problems might be.) We started out using a Jura filter... eventually we ran into what I believe was a faulty filter which prevented the machine from taking in any water... and ever since have just filtered the water using the filter on our tap rather than the ones that sit in the water reservoir. The Jura filters aren't free... the cleaning tablets necessary to clean up after a couple months of hard water use are far less expensive and the machine tells you when to do it (as it does for most other cleaning processes with the exception of the undocumented manual paper towel method) and what to do....

So after reading all of the ways you can permanently damage your brand new overpriced coffee filter, I should more than have made up for having tempted you with such a sparkly and tasty-beverage making device. On the other hand, if you've read all of this and I have not deterred you, I expect you may be pleased with a Jura. They make great coffee very easy. And this rather extensive essay does document most everything of importance regarding how to use it and what to expect.

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Bialetti Venus Stainless Steel Espresso Maker

With this sleek little pot, you can make espresso on the stovetop like they do in Italy. The Venus Bialetti is easy to use-if you use a countertop drip maker, you can handle this. It takes only 3 minutes on my stove to make 4 shots.

I have been using this daily for a little over a year, usually one pot for myself and one for my husband and the gasket is still doing well.

It does not make the same quality as an industrial espresso maker but it certainly out performs the various countertop models I've tried. I would even go out on a limb and say that a countertop model that outperforms this would be in a price range of roughly 10 times this cost. Those take up a lot more real estate in small kitchen too.

The Bialetti Venus is also adorable. Not that I want to marry my espresso pot or anything. . .

I think you have to be willing to risk some hassle factor, as mine arrived damaged (cracked handle). Amazon was great about the return, sending a replacement immediately. Makes good espresso, but there is definitely a learning curve.

A few tips:

It's hard to be sure, but from looking at the interior pieces, they may not be stainless steel like the exterior. The instructions are similar to the aluminum model, to make a first pot of coffee and throw it away and to only rinse for cleaning. This is to coat the interior with coffee oils to prevent a metallic taste. If you do wash it, you'll need to throw out your first pot of espresso again, because it won't taste good at all.

It's important not to pack the espresso grinds so the steam will move properly into the upper chamber. When I packed the grounds, at least half of the water remained in the lower chamber and quite a lot escaped through the release valve and gasket seal.

The grind size is also very importantif it's too fine, steam shoots out the sides.

There should be a little water left in the chamber after brewing, maybe a tablespoon or so. This is to prevent scorching and discoloration. This means the 4-cup unit makes about 7 oz of espresso, not 8oz. For us, this is enough for two small-ish cappucinos.

It's also important to use relatively high heat, and to remove the maker from the heat as soon as most of the espresso has moved into the upper chamber (this takes a little practice to figure out, but the upper chamber looks about 2/3 full at this point and it is at about the time the unit starts gurlging). The espresso is more bitter if there is prolonged contact with the grinds.

I do like Illy brand espresso, and you can froth hot milk with a whisk if you look up the Cooks Illustrated directions. It's basically putting the whisk between hands that are in the same posisiton they'd be in if you had just clapped them, then slide them back and forth in opposite directions (like you would if they were cold).

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I've been using my 4-cup Bialetti for nearly a half year now. Unlike other reviewers, I've not had any problem with the gasket. (I don't remove it for each cleaning since the gasket is the weak spot.) My girlfriend has the six-cup model and this smaller Bialetti is perfect for about two cafe-lattes. I enjoy the ritual of making espresso on stovetop on those morning I'm not compelled to rush drip grind through my standard machines. I love coffee. :-)

This little unit is also simply a gorgeous work of art. The stainless steel construction is solid, and the components such as the filters are suitable for reasonably heavy use. The Bialetti makes better espresso than my Mr. Coffee four-cup machine.

Read Best Reviews of Bialetti Venus Stainless Steel Espresso Maker Here

I have a Bialetti 2-cup stovetop espresso maker that I bought while we were in Italy 5 years ago and we use it all the time and love it. I soon after bought a 4-cup maker here in the States that is also Bialetti and is made well and works well. I have just received the Bialetti that I ordered to give my daughter as a gift and it is made in China and not of the same quality. The coffee basket is cheap, and the water belly is coated on the inside with some brushed-silver finish. It makes me think there may be something internally that I can't see that is cheaply made as well. I am sending it back and buying a Veg Vigano instead simply because they are still made in Italy and completely made of stainless steel. I don't know what Bialetti is thinking having their products made in China and India and allowing the quality to slide downhill. The customers who buy these products are looking for quality stainless steel products made in Italy that will last forever and actually get better with age. What a disappointment...

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I was concerned by some of the negative feedback about this item and in fact hesitated to buy it because of some of the reviews about its workmanship and quality, but there is no cause for concern. The craftsmanship of the Bialetti Venus 4-Cup Percolator is in fact superior to all the other Bialetti stovetop percolators I have. I currently own three aluminum models and have owned a total of seven. This one is the best of the lot.

I much prefer this to any of the aluminum models. The coffee it makes tastes better, the pot is easier to clean, and the craftsmanship is superior.

Don't hesitate to buy it. It's top notch quality.

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Mr. Coffee Electric Coffee Grinder with Chamber Maid Cleaning System

This coffee grinder was an impulse purchase and I was fully prepared to return it because I didn't expect it to work as advertised. To my astonishment, the darned thing actually does a pretty good job. I have tried several coffee grinders over the years and have ended up giving all of them away to friends and family. I gave up on burr grinders because they are messy, hard to clean, produce a bitter powder, and are so noisy you almost need earplugs to use them. The blade grinders I have tried produced an inconsistent grind size and you have to experiment with the number of seconds it takes to get the grind right for the quantity of coffee you want to make. If you want to make more cups or less, you have to experiment all over again with the number of seconds you need to grind the beans. I ended up just having the coffee shop grind my Kenya AA beans for me and I buy smaller amounts so the coffee won't go stale before I can use it all.

This Mr.Coffee grinder is the only one I've ever tried that I think I can live with. First of all, this is a $19.95 grinder and not a $300 precision instrument designed to produce a perfect cup of expresso. Within those parameters, it does a really good job. The electronic grind and cup quantity settings take all of the guess work out of using a blade grinder. With this grinder, you use the guide on the side of the unit to measure your beans, choose a grind setting and the number of cups of coffee you want to make and a processor apparently calculates everything for you. You just hold the grind button down and the machine turns itself off after the correct number of seconds. No grind time experimentation is needed and the machine seems to get the grind just right all by itself. Cleanup is a snap, just remove the bowl from the base unit and put it on the top rack of your dishwasher. The ground coffee is actually easier to empty from the bowl than with most blade grinders. Rather than having to turn the entire unit upside down and shaking the grounds into your coffeemaker, you just remove the grinder bowl, turn it upside down in a small plastic bowl, and tap it against the counter to get the coffee out.

The reviewer who complained about the short cord length apparently did not realize there is 3 feet of hidden cord wrapped around the inside of the base of the unit. All you have to do is pull it out.

While durability must be proven over time, I'm most impressed with this $19.95 grinder. Even if it only lasts for 2 years, you could afford to buy 30 of them for what a small professional grade burr grinder would cost and it's actually easier to live with than the pro grade grinder would be.

This review refers to Mr. Coffee Coffee Grinder With Chamber Maid Cleaning System"

I received this coffee grinder this past Christmas, and have been using it everyday since. Sometimes, depending on how many people are drinking coffee, twice or more a day. I loved it so much from the start and wanted to review it right away, but managed to restrain myself, and after three months of everyday use, I think I can safely say, this grinder is great!

It's nice to have freshly ground coffee at a moment's notice. Even the smell is enticing. It allows you to measure just the amount of beans you need from 4 to 12 cups, and then you set the grinder to the amount and the grind fine, medium, or coarse depending on how strong you like it. This may take some experimenting to see get it exactly to your taste. For example I have found that 4 cups for me is actually closer to 2(or less), as I drink from a large mug and not a 6oz cup. There are recommendations in the instruction book and on the grinder as well for how many tablespoons of beans per cup. I find I need a little more then suggested. There are indicator lights to help you choose the setting you want. Although you have to hold a button down, during the grinding process, it will automatically turn off when it is done according to your setting. If you lift your finger, it will also turn off. Occasionally there are a couple of beans not grinded, so shake it around and press for another second or two. The actually grinding process takes maybe 15 seconds for a full 12 cups. another nice thing, is that you can have a few different flavors on hand, and freshly grind, whatever you are in the mood for..Forget Starbucks!

The grinder has some very nice features. Inside the bean chamber, which also has a fill line, there is a cleaning system that scrapes the coffee of the sides and the bottom. Sometimes, there is even enough scraped off to make an extra cup. The pieces fit together easily, and come apart easily for washing.At first, I thought the cord was very short, and for weeks had to keep the grinder very close to to the electric outlet, but then I discovered(DUH!), the cord lifts out of it's holder and around the bottom edge, giving it quite a bit of length. Then is easy to recoil to keep the grinder wherever you want. It's slim and nice looking and doesn't take up much space at all. My only little complaint, and reason for four stars instead of 5, is that it is very loud. The first few times, it startled me with the racket. I'm not sure if much can be done about that, but I try to remember to grind my beans the night before, as I am an early riser and don't want to wake the rest of the house, or for that matter, my neighbors! The lid on top stays tightly closed for freshness.

Read the instruction book for use and care. It has French as well as English directions, a one year limited warranty, troubleshooting advice, and phone numbers for questions.

All in all a great little item that works great for a fresh tasting and smelling cup of coffee anytime.

Enjoy....Laurie

Buy Mr. Coffee Electric Coffee Grinder with Chamber Maid Cleaning System Now

When I look for a coffee grinder, I look for 4 things:

1) Noise: This grinder is fairly noisy, but then again, so are most grinders. On a scale of 1-10 as far as noisyness goes compared to other grinders, I'd give it a 7.

2) Consistency: I like to grind my coffee coarse for french press; this grinder isn't very good at making a consistent coarse grind. However, if you want a regular grind for drip coffee or a fine grind for expresso, it does a really good job at that.

3) Static: I hate it whenever you pull the top off of a grinder to get the coffee out and tiny grind go flying everywhere--I've never had a problem with this grinder. You can open the top and pour the grinds out (which is difficult to do if you're trying to get it into a small container because the spout itself is not much different from the lip of a cup) or you can scoop the grinds out, which I preferto do anyway to double measure stuff (old habit).

4) Cleaning: This grinder has a removable top that you can take apart, which makes cleaning very easy. It also says it has a "Chaimber Maid" system...all that is is three thin plastic "claws" that hug the inside of the grinding chamber which you rotate awkwardly so that they scrape the sides of the chamber. It's neat, but unnecessary.

Other features:

There is a "cord storage" system that is a bit of a hassle to use because it requires you to coil the cord into a groove under the grinder (when you get the grinder only a short bit of the cord is shown, and the rest is coiled. It doesn't look like you can uncoil the cord from down there, and unless you're crazy enough to pull the cord out of your brand new grinder you'll have no clue that the thing is actually 37 inches long)

It has an "auto off" feature...I've never used it because my grindes always reach the coarsness I like before the timer shuts off the grinder.

The measuring system that the grinder uses is marked on the sid of the grinder which is very helpful (you don't have to pull out the manual every time you want to know how many Tbsp of coffee you need to make # cups of coffee)

It's about 8 in. tall with the diameter at the top being 4 in. (it's wider at the top).

Overall:

I like the grinder. I'd rather have a pull-cord-storage and a quieter grinder, but for the price that I paid, I'm a happy customer.

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My husband purchased this product for my birthday a couple of years ago. I always grind my own coffee for breakfast and sometimes grind it for lunch. After a year I noticed the plastic arms (or scrapers) were getting very thin and one of them had even broken. I emailed customer service about the problem and they sent me a new grinding bowl. I looked at the new bowl, saw the arms were thick and thought the company had realized there was a design flaw and changed it. I began using the new grinding bowl and now it is a year later. I just noticed that the plastic arms are getting thin again. This could only mean that this grinder slowly grinds the plastic arms. And that you are drinking very finely ground plastic every time you drink a cup of coffee made from the beans you have freshly ground. Is this healthy? I think not!

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First off, I have to say that many of the people who have complaints about this grinder may not have actually taken the extra few seconds to read the manual and understand how the device works. The grinder does a great job and my coffee is always perfect.

to address some issues that others had:

1. The plastic cleaning blade inside the grinding bowl needs to be manually spun (with your finger) to loosen the packed coffee grounds. Usually a single revolution will accomplish this task, then you can put this coffee in the maker!

2. This grinder makes it easy to get the coffee into your coffee maker -someone was complaining that it was more difficult to clean or use because it comes apart -this makes it really easy! Detach the bowl from the motor assembly with a short, counter clockwise turn of the wrist, and do the same with the lid (extremely easy, I assure you) -then dump the coffee from the grinding bowl into your filter, use your finger to agitate the plastic cleaning blade for a second or two to get as much usable coffee out of the bowl as possible, then wash out the bowl with a little water, and dry it with a towel (it is important to dry it immediately to avoid any chance for oxidation) and you're done! I am not sure why a previous reviewer was using a spoon or scoop to get the coffee out of the bowl -that's why it detaches from the base! The bowl is marked on the side so you will know what amount of beans to use -after a few experiments, it is very easy to judge how high to fill it. I just can't understand how it could be more difficult to clean the bowl when it is separate from the base than to clean a grinder that does not detach from the electrical portion...

2.1. if you need to grind your coffee coarsely for a percolator, you should not be buying whole beans buy your coffee from in large cans from companies that have television commercials and easy-listening jingles, as the end result is going to end up tasting awful, no matter what, if you put it in a percolator.

3. The power cord other people have addressed this -the cord is tucked up inside the bottom of the grinder -simply pull it out, and it is plenty long.

4. Another reviewer said he preferred a different grinder that shuts off automatically -this grinder does that as well -put in the beans, choose your settings with the buttons on the side of the unit, and then hold down the grinding button -continue to hold the button down until the grinder automatically stops -it will stop when it has achieved the level of grinding that you selected with the buttons.

5. Lights wasting electricity the reviewer who wrote that the grinder's lights are just wasting electricity is just a sillypants and wants to nitpick. The reality is this: the 2 LEDs that would be lit up while this device is plugged in would draw an almost nominal level of current. At 3.3vac a 100 Watt light bulb uses 30.3 Amps (30,300mA). At 3.3vac each LED would use 20mA -so, both LEDs would use, at most, 40mA which is less than 1/750th the amount the 100W bulb would use. You would have to leave the grinder plugged in and turned on for over a full month for the LED lights inside to use the same amount of current (electricity) used by turning on that 100 watt bulb for a single hour.

I have been using this grinder every day for 3 years along with a swissgold coffee filter (if you are still using paper filters you are just wasting trees and missing out on better tasting coffee...) and I have not had a single problem with it -it grinds the beans consistently to the settings I punch in, and my yield is a delicious pot every morning.

If you couldn't tell, I am quite happy with this grinder. So buy one already!

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Chemex Ten Cup Glass Coffee Maker with Glass Handle - 10 Cup Coffee Maker

My family used the chemex system for brewing coffee. So I am very comfortable and familiar with using it. In today's hurry-up world, some people would not want to be bothered boiling the water, and slowly pouring it into the chemex glass coffee maker. When our power goes out, we have a gas stove, so we can still brew wonderful coffee, and that is a great thing to be able to do to warm-up while waiting for the power to come back on, here up in the mountains!

There is no plastic in this coffee pot ant the coffee tastes better than coffee brewed any other way.

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I got this after hearing so many negative things about how bad using a Keurig is for you. I was not sure if I should order this, but I am SO glad I did. This makes some GREAT coffee, and you don't have to worry about platic and chemical leach like you do in other coffee makers. Totally worth the few extra minutes it takes and your kitchen smells yummy while it's brewing :o)

Read Best Reviews of Chemex Ten Cup Glass Coffee Maker with Glass Handle - 10 Cup Coffee Maker Here

I was introduced to the Chemex ten cup glas coffee

maker by my son. Although I thought the glass maker

was a bit pricey, I must admit that the taste of

the coffee was well worth the price. My recommendation,

purchase the unit with the handle. I never purchased the

Chemex coffeemaker glass lid, but just left the coffee

grounds/filter on the unit which kept the coffee nice and hot.

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This was new to me until I first tried it, some 3-4 months ago. As soon as I started using it Chemex became my exclusive coffee-brewing method and it's likely to stay that way.

If what you want is a 'clean' yet tasty and flavorful cup of coffee and don't mind spending a few minutes making it AND you don't mind using a lot more ground coffee than you would otherwise the Chemex-made coffee should be your cup of tea, so to speak.

I was completely unaware of anything and everything Chemex until recently when, on the strength of another Amazon review, I decided to give it a try. Add the super-special Chemex filters and some good coffee and you get some honest-to-goodness good tasting, non-bitter coffee. I am happy with what I am tasting. It's a honest, clean coffee and it's good enough for me to drink it unaltered, milk and sugar-free, Espresso-style or with frothed milk. My coffee tastes very much like an Espresso or like a sugarless Cappuccino only not so hot and not so bitter but this is my preference.

The process involves bringing some water to a boil while grinding your coffee 'medium grind' seems to be optimal. Place the filter into the top of the coffee maker, add the desired amount of coffee and SLOWLY pour the just boiled water after first just wetting the grounds. It takes 4-5 minutes to produce my 3 five-ounce cups. Chemex claims that their own filters have some extraordinary properties including 'the right filtration speed' which (hint) is NOT 'fast'.

The glass quality is good enough to allow for heating the coffee by placing the coffee maker to sit on top of a gas range or a glass top range (but NOT on electric heating coils) without breaking. I don't have a gas range but I can testify that it works well with glass tops.

My verdict so far is 'excellent' for an inexpensive, clean, likely to last forever coffee maker but, as I noted already, you will have to dedicate a few minutes of your time to brewing your coffee if you decide to do it the Chemex way. Ever since I brewed my first Chemex cup I never went back to the old ways. The only use my Cappuccino machine has now is 'milk frother'.

_____________________________________________

NOTE:

Expect to use A LOT more coffee than you would normally need to make the same amount in a 'regular' coffee or espresso machine. Probably twice as much.

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Impressa J6 Espresso Machine

My husband loves cappuccino, and I love latte. I have known this brand "Jura" for several years because my mom has one in her kitchen. I have always wanted one but it's just so expensive and I was not sure if I would be willing to spend that much of money buying a "coffee machine." Well, I finally made a decision purchasing this expensive machine on Amazon because of the free shipping.

This machine came with a very well protected big box, and it's very easy to open the package. The piano black looks so arrogant yet classic. Before starting the machine, I played the DVD in my computer. It has very clear and easy to follow instructions, including first time set up, how to clean, how to make different types of coffee, and so on.

I have tried cappuccino, latte, and regular coffee. It's so easy and quick! The quality is really amazing! My husband and I are both happy we bought this machine. Now we can enjoy cappuccino any time we want and it just takes one push! Love it!!!

Best Coffee Maker

While there are plenty of fantastic coffee makers on the market today, I wonder how many of us actually know which one is best for us. Over the course of this article I would like to cover some of the most popular and varied coffee makers so that you can at least see which kind of coffee maker suits your needs best.

There are many things that you may wish to consider before buying a new coffee maker, here I would like detail at least some of those things and hopefully allow you to get an understanding of what kind of coffee maker suits you best. Here below are the main things we should consider before buying a new coffee machine.

1. How big is the reservoir? How many cups of coffee can the machine make?

2. Does it come with a thermal carafe? or is it a glass carafe?

3. Is there a grinder attached or do we need a separate one?

4. Does it have a water filter?

5. Is it a multi-cup machine or a single server?

If you make sure to consider these points before you make any decisions about buying your next coffee maker, I don’t see you having too many problems. Over the course of this article I would like to try and give the main reasons for choosing any one kind of coffee maker over another. It also needs to be noted that I have not included any of the much cheaper coffee makers that retail for around 20 dollars, it’s really not worth spending the money, spend just a little more and you break into what I call the “gourmet” coffee maker category.

Cuisinart DCC-1200

The fifth place spot on this has to go to the Cuisinart DCC-1200. I did wonder whether this machine really deserved a place on the list, but considering that it produces coffee of such a high standard and the price now is at a low of just $65, it earns the place as best budget coffee maker. It does come with a few flaws, the biggest of those being the lack of thermal carafe, but that is something that hinders some other machines on this list too, and while I would say that in an ideal world all coffee makers should come with a thermal, I can’t get too upset by the lack of one on my “budget machine”. To summarize this machine I have to say that this machine is the best sub 70 dollar machine available, and if you don’t want to spend in excess of 100 dollars and don’t mind the fact that it uses a thermal carafe, this could be a good choice.

Bunn NHBX-B

The number 4 slot has to be given to the Bunn NHBX-B, which is the fastest machine on the market that doesn’t have the commercial price tag that comes with a lot of other Bunn models. At just 129 dollars we are getting something pretty special for such a low price. The Bunn can brew coffee at just 3 minutes for a full 10-cup pot of coffee. When we take a look at that speed compared to other machines on the market we can see that in many instances it is 3 times faster than its competitors. The Bunn produces amazing coffee of course (otherwise it wouldn’t be in this list), but it does have a couple of issues. The fact that it is a commercial machine means that it has the quirk that it must be left on all the time, or you face a 12 warm up time. This of course wouldn’t be an issue in a coffee house as it would be turned on before opening. To summarize this machine, I would say go for it if you want a machine that produces actual coffee shop level coffee and you don’t mind leaving it on all the time.

Cuisinart DGB-900BC

The coffee maker in the number 3 slot just had to be the Cuisinart DGB-900. This machine was chosen because it is the most comprehensive coffee maker available on the market today. This is because, not only does it come with the thermal carafe, it also comes complete with a grinder. Having a grinder attached to the machine means that all we need do is fill the bean hopper with beans the night before, set the timer, and when we wake up in the morning, we have freshly ground, freshly brewed coffee waiting for us in the thermal carafe. The biggest negative on this machine is the noise level that the grinder gives off. I would like to quickly conclude that this machine is fantastic if you don’t mind the noise the grinder gives off and or you don’t want to grind your coffee beans separately.

Zojirushi EC-BD15BA

The machine that gets the number 2 slot is the Zojirushi EC-BD15BA. This machine is probably one of my favorites, the reasons for that are mainly because of the thermal carafe, but also because of the price, and the fact that the coffee really does get all of the flavor out of the beans. I have had some machines in the past that have struggled quite badly when it came to brewing gourmet blends of coffee properly. With this machine you should have no problem getting all the flavor out of the beans. I would thoroughly recommend this machine if you are looking for something that will match the majority of coffee makers for flavor, comes with a thermal carafe and doesn’t cost the earth to buy.

Breville BKC700XL

The top slot on this top 5 list, goes to the Breville BKC700. The reason that this machine gets my top recommendation is because it not only produces probably the best coffee that you can hope to get from a coffee maker, but it’s actually a remake of the Keurig B70 platinum, with all the base features identical to that of the B70. The reason that this machine is on my list and not the B70 is quite simple. The B70 and the other single servers from Keurig are very noisy when it comes to pumping. This problem is completely removed on the Breville however. You can stand just a meter away from it and barely be able to hear that it is running. The Breville also comes with an iced beverage function, so you can get the most of your coffee maker during the hot season as well. The pod varieties that Keurig have over on their website is fantastic as well. They have brought a whole host of gourmet manufacturers to produce a huge range of coffee, teas and chocolates, which now at over 200 varieties makes the nearest competition look quite poor in comparison.