Krups XP2070 Programmable 10-Cup Coffeemaker/15-Bar Pump Espresso Machine

I was and still am deeply suspicious of these combo units, but this one has been a pleasant surprise. All of the basic functions work admirably and it does a wonderful job of frothing even low fat milk. The espresso maker is a little less forgiving of your tamping skills than other machines I've used, but when you get it right the crema is beautiful.

I have only had this for 3 months, so I can't vouch for longevity of the machine, but it seems to be sturdy and well made.

The problem I have is with the computer program that operates everything. It is perhaps the most non-intuitive, least user-friendly design I have ever come across on any home appliance. The functions themselves should be fairly straightforward -push a button -but require you to learn the secret code of whomever designed it.

Add to that the fact that the instructions are WRONG. I can handle them being written by a non-English speaker, I'm used to that. But they can at least be accurate. Helpful tip when frothing milk, after the steam has built up and the flashing light begins to glow continuously, DO NOT push the "steam" button again as the instructions indicate. Push the "Valid" button instead.

However, once you get the secret code down, this machine works well. Compared to other combo units I highly recommend.

My husband and I registered for this at Crate & Barrel and have been thrilled with it for 9 months now. I did immediately notice, however, that the carafe is made from very thin glass and was always scared I would break it. Other than that, the only problem I had with it was when pouring a cup of coffee, 9 times out of 10 it would leak over the sides and onto the counter if you didn't pour very slowly and sometimes even that didn't help. I just made a mental note that our next machine might be an upgrade from Krups or something like that, but still LOVED this machine. Imagine my horror when today, after our morning pot of coffee, it just completely stopped working! I unplugged it, changed outlets, nothing. The led display is just dead. The machine is dead. I've checked it every hour or so today. Nada. After doing some research online, I now see that is a common theme with this machine among people who've had it a while (the earliest I read of it happening was 5 months). I descaled it with vinegar every 3 months or so. Nothing in the manual addresses this situation. So, here I sit with a cup of Starbucks, writing this review. Starbucks just doesn't measure up anymore to having my fresh ground Kona coffee and espresso (not to mention lattes and cappuccinos!) each day....very disappointed.

UPDATE (7.11.08): We called, found we were within 3 days of waranty expiring, so sent it in to a local, authrized Krups repair shop..it came back in about a week, worked for 2 pots of coffee, then broke again. We called the shop and were told to send in again. This time it's worked (still working) for 3 weeks..now the black plastic lid above the filter area is warped and sticks/pops when you open it to put water/coffee inside. I should also mention that when they sent it back to us, they wrapped it with a plastic film and it apparently had moisture inside because now the machine has water stains all over it and looks pretty bad. I think we're giving this machine away when we move next month..did I say how it smokes and huffs/puffs when it's brewing (and it's descaled regulary)? It's too bad, because this machine looked great to start with and had such great potential!

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I bought the XP 2070 with the hopes of having better coffee and the espresso option. Within one week of purchase (one round of capuccinos), I am unable to turn on the espresso maker. I called customer service, and they asked me to ship the machine back and wait a month-and-a-half because "the warehouse has closed," even though this is the newest model. Very reluctantly, they threw in a few free coffee filters in the deal. I wish I had read other Amazon customer posts, that indicate that not even the CEO responds to customer service complaints.

They also said they had no information on troubleshooting the machine "because we just introduced it." It seems that any decent machine testing would check to see that you could turn on the machine. Please do not make the same mistake I did, especially with a holiday gift!

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This machine is absolute garbage. There are not enough pejoratives or expletives in the world for me to describe my feelings for this device with anything like the right level of detail.

The user interface is like trying to decode an alien artifact. The manual is terrible. The customer service and support is unbelievably bad. It is unreliable and expensive.

Get a different espresso machine, go to a coffeeshop, heck, boil coffee in a 55 gallon drum over a pile of oily rags any of these is a much more satisfactory way to get a coffee drink than using this (insert chain of imaginative diminutives) thing.

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I must echo the comments in previous reviews. This is a fine machine at first -does the job and does it well -but the instructions were very complicated, the pot is poorly designed & you end up pouring just as much coffee on the counter as you do in your cup, and after 4 months of use, mine just stopped working. I really thought this $300 machine would be the last coffee maker I would have to purchase for awhile considering my $50.00 "Mr Coffee" machine worked for 5 years and is now being used as my "backup" while I try to get a resolution with Krups. (Thank goodness I decided to hold onto it!!)

Think twice before sinking so much money into this product.

Van Gogh Starry Night Espresso Maker

Very nice pot and good quality, the starry night paint of van gogh looks beautiful I just think that it's cost too much too much money for the size of the pot !! I paid almost $90 Dollard in total including shipping and this pot its only 4 cups !!! Perfect if it were 6 espresso cups

KRUPS XS3000 Cleaning Tablets

A little expensive, but does the job. The water came out crystal clear after the clean cycle on my Krups machine.

These tablets do a good job, but they are ridiculously expensive. Buy them because you have to keep your espresso machine clean.

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No surprises. The tablets do what they are meant to do. They arrived sealed and undamaged and as required by the manufacturer.

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Jura-Capresso Impressa F9 Fully Automatic Coffee and Espresso Center

This machine is excellent. Produces above average espresso on every shot. Foams milk well too.

I was an early buyer of this machine, and 8,513 shots later (yes it counts them), I know it is an excellent value.

I also would comment that the customer service is excellent. Sent in the machine once, and for $100.00 received a complete overhaul. (Sent in for a pump leak after a house move.) Came back like new, on time, and they paid for the return shipping. Can't ask for much more.

I will buy another super auto, from Jura/Capresso, when the time comes for a new machine. It might be many years from now...

I have owned this for about 9 months and gotten nearly 1000 uses out of it (it counts for you). It can equal most coffeehouse product you are likely to find, but as others point out, it is far short of what an enthusiast can create from more traditional equipment. You may also find the crema coffee settings to be something of an acquired taste (but you can make an Americano in just one more step, which is always great).

Also, we went through a brief episode in which it would refuse to brew anything (as if it didn't have the power to punch the water through the puck of coffee). I remedied this with a descaling cycle as well as wiping out the parts above the removable tray thoroughly. (I use filtered water in the machine, but the descaling seems to be a more serious cleaning than the normal automatic cleaning.)

Given this, I would recommend keeping large stock of cleaning supplies and at least doing the normal cleaning every couple of weeks, rather than awaiting the machine's automated recommendation to clean. My understanding is that there are no dirt sensors driving these messages. It is just a function of the amount of use.

Overall, I would buy this again for certain, and if/when it dies I will be looking at one of its more expensive siblings, not at other brands.

UPDATE OCT 2012: I am up to nearly 5,000 runs. The only change is that it heats up a little slower. What a quality machine!

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Saw a demo of this at a local Sur la Table and very impressed. The coffee it makes is outstanding. I plan to buy one later this year.

Amazon is being deceptive about price. They state list price is $2400, and they're selling it for $1798.95, at a savings of $601.05. NOT! Look at the Jura-Capresso website. The list for the Impressa F9 is $1799. That brings Amazon's big discount down to a whole $0.05. The higher end Impressa S9 is $2399 (and Amazon claims it is $3200). Do your research. Don't trust Amazon's claims for MSRP.

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This is not for your typical coffee drinker. It could be, but isn't. The thing that separates it is primarily the price, otherwise just about anybody who drinks coffee should absolutely love this machine.

This machine can and does make excellent coffee, cafe americano. It makes very good, but not excellent espresso. You can do as good or better with this machine than you'll probably get at a chain coffee shop.

The key to quality coffee on this is to use HIGH QUALITY coffee beans. I mean specifically beans that are recently roasted. The more recently roasted the beans, the better off you are (optimum use date is 2 days after roasting). I recommend coffee from www.intelligentsiacoffee.com (try their accidental/occidental and house blends) or www.victrolacoffee.com (streamline espresso).

Make sure you use the high temperature setting for best results, also. When making espresso, I think it helps to warm the machine up for making steam before you make the espresso (gives more flavor).

The steam wand is OK, but somewhat limited in that it's hard to get some frothing pitchers maneuvered in for frothing.

True coffee geeks will want a high-quality espresso machine where you can control the tamping of your grind, along with a quality burr grinder because you're not going to get a "God Shot" from the F9.

But for the rest of us, and even coffee geeks that enjoy the ease of single-button coffee/espresso quickly in the morning, this machine is very capable.

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I have had this espresso machine for nearly two years now, so I know all of its "quirks" and benefits/issues. I feel compelled to write a review since I relied so heavily on these reviews when making this purchase...so here goes:

1) After much research, I purchased the F9 at Williams Sonoma, primarily because they used to have a policy that you could return anything, at any time, if needed. So, I figured that if ever I had an issue, I could just return it to my local Williams Sonoma and get a replacement rather than returning the machine to the factory and waiting. Turns out I did indeed have to do this once for an electrical issue, which was actually an issue I had with the wiring at the outlet--not the machine afterall! In any event, I don't think Williams Sonoma still has that same open-ended return policy. Be sure to research the return policy wherever you make your purchase!

2) Overall, I have to say I absolutely LOVE this machine. Here's how I rationalized payment for such an expensive indulgence: if you figure a Starbucks costs approx. $3, and you buy one everyday (which I was), it would take 600 cups to break even. Well, with the automatic counter on my machine, I have made more than 1600 cups! This machine paid for itself in the first year..easily. ok, so now that you're past the issue of paying so much for a coffee machine, here's more...

3) This machine is crazy smart. It knows exactly when to clean itself, or tells you when to start the cleaning cycle. To clean it, all you do is insert a tablet in the coffee powder drawer and it does its thing. It knows when it needs water, when the filter needs to be changed, etc. In fact, since we have a water filter built into our refrigerator, we just use that filtered water in the coffee machine and therefore we don't need to use the expensive water filters. Bottom line, if you just pay attention and clean the machine on a regular basis when it tells you to, this is a no-brainer machine.

4) The coffee and espresso are great. I've learned to make a latte just like Starbuck's and I haven't been back since. Some people complain that the frother doesn't work well, but here's the trick: first, you should use non-fat or low-fat milk. For some reason, lower fat milk froths better every time; second, be sure to clean the frothing nozzle after each use. Kind of a no-brainer, I know. Third, there are two settings on the frother, and you can change the setting by sliding the sleeve on the frothing tip up or down. Experiment with this and you will get the perfect froth, really.

5) As for the beans, we don't use overly oily beans as I have read that they can cause a build up and make the machine tough to clean, etc. I believe the "Illy" brand that comes in the metal tin is supposed to be too oily. Others may have a different experience, but we just use whole espresso beans from the grocery store.

6) Believe it or not, this machine heats up in about 90 seconds, if not sooner. As a result, we use this for tea and hot cereal all the time. This is an added bonus for purchasing this machine.

As for issues, I honestly don't have many. I guess the only things that bug me are the fact that I have to remove the drawer from time to time and dump the water which is ejected after each use. I have learned to keep a black coffee cup under the spout so that it collects the rinse water and i just dump it as needed.

The only other issue I have had with the machine is that the touch screen sometimes works and sometimes 'sticks.' I've tried cleaning the face, washing my hands, but sometimes this just doesn't work right. Fortunately, when it does 'stick,' it gets stuck on the setting I use, so it's not a huge problem.

Net-net, I highly recommend this machine. It took us several days of research and at least a couple of weeks to build up enough nerve to spend this much on a freakin' coffee machine, but I have to say, this machine has become my new best friend in the kitchen. Sad, but true! Do yourself a favor and buy one. Enjoy!

UPDATE: This machine is still going stung after almost five years daily use and 4100 cups of coffee! The only issue we continue to have is the electronic display panel continues to go dark at times, or flash and flicker. I'm sure we could send it in for maintenance, but we can't stand the thought of not having our machine for 3+ weeks.

Vev Vigano Vespress Nero 3-Cup Espresso Coffee Maker OH

we've owned and used a 6-cup bialetti moka express for some years now. both the bialetti and vev vigano work the same way, but to my surprise coffee tastes much better on the vev. the bialetti is aluminum while the vev is stainless steel, so maybe it's because of the material. since this is a 3-cup, it makes the coffee faster, and unlike the bialetti, I can open it right after pouring the coffee using two kitchen clothes to clean and refill to make another cup. on the bialetti, I have to wait until it gets cold to be able to open it. I suppose aluminum expands more under heat than steel.

the only reason I am not rating this coffee maker five stars is that the gasket has melted a little bit onto the upper part of the coffee maker. this also happened on the bialetti but only if I left it by mistake on the stove longer than needed to make the coffee. I use the lowest heat setting that my stove allows and still I continue to see the gasket deteriorate. I think I'll have to replace it for another gasket which is more resistant to heat. I hope they seller has silicone gaskets for this model or regular rubber which can withstand heat better.

I would buy this product again because of the price and it was the size I was looking for. I bought it because I was looking for a stainless steel espresso maker. However, there is an odd laque in the water holder of this esperesso maker that slowly vanishes... which means it is basically coming out in your coffee. I am not happy about this, but because I am in obscure places in Africa i couldnt send it back. Except for this latter I am happy with the maker. Makes 2-3 shots of espresso (rather on the side of 2).

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I've been making espresso daily for 15 years with a machine, (Pavoni, Breville, Saeco) and when the last machine crapped out I decided to try a stove top maker. The coffee tastes fantastic, I didn't realize how weak my machine espresso had gotten. BUT, due to deterioration of the white rubber gasket after only a couple of days, it's extremely difficult to unscrew the bottom and top after making coffee, unless you do it right after. I run the pot under cool water then unscrew the parts. I've also been careful not to screw the top and bottom together too tightly. The gasket got crumbly and sticky, possibly to using medium-low heat on my gas stove. Perhaps this wouldn't have happened if I only used the absolute lowest setting which takes about 8 minutes to brew. UPDATE: Amazon was great about giving me a partial refund since I had a problem with the gasket. I ordered the silicone replacement gaskets after confirming with the seller that they are 2.5" in diameter, so they should fit. Other than the gasket problem, I would give this a 5 star rating. It's beautiful and well made and makes great espresso.

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Starbucks Barista Home Espresso Machine - Stainless Steel

My family loves its espresso and we've tried around 4-5 espresso machines over the last 20 years. So what makes the Starbucks Barista fabulous? It flat-out works!

Additionally:

* Reasonably priced

* There is no auto-anything. (ie, no frills that'll just break later)

* It's heavy and solid a quality piece of workmanship

* Actually made by Saeco (and just re-branded by Starbucks)

How does it compare to other machines I've used?

We've tried the cheap models (~$100) and they broke or wore out after a year or so. We've tried the really expensive models (~$1000) and with a bunch of internal moving parts and auto-grinder, auto-tamper, auto-cleaner, etc. etc. These often gum up, break, or insist some internal plastic piece is out of place (think "PC LOAD LETTER" for an espresso machine).

I've owned a Starbucks Barista for about ten years now. In fact, I decided to find a second one in case the 1st one decides to give it up. It's a workhorse of a machine, which I use at least five times a day for Americano-style regular cups on-demand and for espresso on occasion. The white version is probably the most practical since it is easiest to keep looking clean, whereas the graphite or stainless versions are somewhat more "perpetual care." The color finishes are extremely durable and made to last for many years. The stainless version case is about 2mm thick nice and strong.

Since these are no longer being made (at least not under the Starbucks name, and I'm not finding them elsewhere) it seems a good idea to locate a little-used one because a comparable machine would be at least twice the price this model sold for when new, and even then, those higher priced ones are not highly rated unless you get to the commercial end of the market, four or more times the price.

It's worth cleaning the upper gasket-seal regularly so it doesn't get worn away by trapped grounds and to check the stainless insert that receives the coffee grounds to ensure that the holes are not being plugged-up with too finely ground coffee. A tiny fishing float added to the tank will aid in monitoring the water level in low-light situations.

The Starbucks Barista can't be beat for good, clean design and functionality.

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We've been using one of these for about six or seven years. Actually my wife uses it every day; I generally use a Keurig, but now and then I make a latte. I was hesitant to spend this much money on an espresso machine, but this model is nothing if not durable. We've never had even a single minor issue with it.

It makes the best espresso because it uses a pump. Cheaper models simply heat the water until it is too hot, and the resulting espresso is not as good. This model heats the water to the exact right pressure and then pumps it through the coffee. The result is espresso that tastes exactly like it does at Starbucks.

My biggest concern was that the pump would give out. But as I said, my wife has used it every single day for at least the past six years. That means more than 2000 times now. And it still works just as well now as it did when it was new. Calculate the cost of buying a coffee from Starbucks every day (which my wife would do if we didn't have this), and the savings per cup by making it at home, and it has paid for itself many times over.

We have broken the glass receptacle more than once, and now we have a metal replacement. Other than that, it's exactly as it was the day we bought it.

Another plus is that it's not made of cheap materials. We can give it a vigorous cleaning and it still looks almost brand new. Virtually no visible signs of wear. Built like a tank!

When this thing does finally break down, I have no doubt we will buy an exact replacement, if it's still available.

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