Krups 203 Electric Coffee and Spice Grinder with Stainless-Steel Blades

I have had my grinder for 12 years now. It works the same today as it did new, and I use it about 10 times a week. For the money, it can't be beat. That said, this grinder is not for everybody.

This grinder is perfect for anybody with a coffee maker that uses #4 paper CONE filters (or slightly bigger or smaller). I emphasize PAPER because a permanent filter is not good for this grinder. Like any blade grinder, it will produce some dust. That creeps through the permafilter and into your pot is makes sludge. It sloppies up your coffee. Nothing gets through paper filters though.

It also grinds coffee fine. You really don't have a choice. It is ok for espresso as well if you are not a connoisseur. If you try a coarse grind with this unit, you will be out of luck. If you don't grind long enough, you will leave a few beans whole or in large pieces.

If you need anything other than a fine grind and don't mind using paper filters (I prefer them), then look no further.

I deducted a star because it has limitations, but the truth is, for probably 80% of the coffee drinkers out there, this grinder is all you need.

A little over 6 months ago we read about the benefits of grinding flaxseed and eating it with cereal, and decided to try it. So we bought the Braun KSM-2 grinder for the purpose, and it worked reasonably well.

However, while staying at a friend's house we tried the same thing with a Krups grinder, and found that

1. it ground the flaxseeds more thoroughly (we think it is because of the oval shape), and

2. it was quieter

We like the Braun's space for winding up the cord, and the Braun seems sturdy enough, so it's not a bad unit. But we bought the Krups and have been using it for a few weeks now, and we prefer it.

Our theory is that the key to the Krups's better grinding is the shape -seen from above it is an oval with one end chopped off. This shape appears to stop the forward momentum of the flaxseeds (or whatever) so that the blades hit them with more impact. That is, in a circular grinder the seeds tend to pick up speed and swirl around with the blades, but the shape of the Krups doesn't let the speed build up so much.

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We are serious cooks and take our coffee seriously. Own two of these and the first one is at least ten years old and the newest one less than two. Grinds whole beans according to your desired taste. We own two simply because we like plain as well as flavoured whole bean coffee and simply wish to keep the flavors separate.

Two helpful hints someone suggested that I pass on. Place this grinder on a small towel or pot holder as it helps muffle the sound. Secondly, invest in a good quality nylon paint brush that you can use to "sweep" out your coffee grinder weekly so that you have no grounds left as these can turn rancid over months and leave an awful taste.

Oh and if this or any appliance breaks down contact the maker not Amazon.com and they will replace it. Krups is a reliable maker and I know firsthand that they stand by their products.

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There are two things I take very seriously in this life: one is books, the other is coffee (not surprisingly, the often go together). While the bulk of my reviews are children's books, I felt it necessary to go against type and review this coffee grinder. Most coffee experts as well as everyday, casual drinkers agree that the best tasting coffee is brewed with freshly ground beans. Once beans are ground, they begin to oxidize, much like an opened bottle of wine. Old preground coffee has a tendency to taste bitter, and with the proliferation of inexpensive grinders, more and more people are buying whole bean coffee to grind right before they brew. Of course, finding the RIGHT grinder for the price is the tough part. Grinders exist in every form and size and expense bracket. Quite a lot of round, domed grinders I've used have unsharpened blades on a mount that is too high to really grind beans fine enough for specialty coffee like espresso or Turkish. The Krups has a few advantages over other grinders, namely these: ** The blades are sharp and mounted low in the housing. Maybe other manufactures are saving a few pennies by putting flat tongues of metal in their grinders, but they don't have the edge to pulverize beans like the Krups can. ** The machine has a higher RPM than other machines. This makes it easier to reduce grind times and with additional speed, can reduce whole beans to powder in less than a minute (I've had a Black n' Decker that couldn't grind beans for Turkish coffee if you held the button for half an hour). ** the housing is oval and the lid is flat. I'm not an engineer or physicist, but I think the flat lid and oval shape allow the beans to fall back towards the blades for further grinding (again, my Black n' Decker allowed the beans to spin around the lid in a whirlpool pattern that was pretty to look at, but pointless for actually reducing the grounds to the small particles I wanted). ** it has a large capacity. Do you like strong coffee?? Use more grounds, then!! The box says that you can grind up to 20 cups of java at a time. I don't know about the sorts of demitasses they must be using to gauge the volume of a "cup", but I do know that this machine can grind up enough beans for a number of very stiff MUGS of coffee. In the disadvantages column, the only one I could site is that the housing cup is slanted down, I'm assuming for decorative purposes. Hence, I'm forever spilling beans out of the lower side. My new secret is to measure the beans out in the LID, first, then turn the whole thing upside down and put the housing into the lid. Since I only use it to grind coffee (and while I drink my fair share, I don't have the thing running nonstop day and night), I can't speak with any aplomb about how sturdy a machine is or how long it lasts. I once dropped one after a year and broke it, but it seemed nowhere near quitting, so I can't vouch for how long it would work under normal, non-butterfingered conditions. My assumption is that anything with such a high RPM rate isn't intended to be kept running for long periods of time-creates too much heat and friction-so if you plan to grind coffee night and day, it's probably best that you spend the money on a professional model intended for cafes. All in all, a fine piece of workmanship and definitely worth the extra few dollars over many of the other, cheaper, more poorly-designed grinders on the market today.

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This grinder was the top recommended spice grinder in Cooks' Illustrated, and it does a good job, but it just won't come clean. Some reviewers have said that it is difficult to clean, but that's an understatement: it is impossible to clean after using it for spices.

I bought this grinder last night and after just one use of grinding spices (a mixture of dried chili peppers, coriander, cumin and black pepper), it looks five years old. Even after soaking the plastic lid in warm, soapy water and scrubbing it, the bottom half of the lid is a dingy brown: this staining would occur even in the black model since the lids of both the black and white are the same. The plastic lid has two textures: smooth and cloudy; the staining occurs only on the cloudy portion, but not on the clear portion. Also, the interface between the metal bowl and the white plastic is stained and it smells strongly, even after I wiped it with soap and water and a toothpick. While I don't mind the smell, in a few months the oils from the spices could turn rancid.

Update: January 2011: Three years ago at a big box store, I bought a Black and Decker coffee grinder for half the price of this one. It has stayed clean even from grinding hot spices. It also works for grinding flax seeds.

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1500 Watt Deep Fryer (White)

I got this product for $25 at Freds. I thought i picked a fryer that the basket and the actual cooking pot could be taken out and cleaned seperately from the base. The fryer works GREAT! I love this fryer, although it is my first I feel it is a very good buy.

Eric

my fry daddy died after about 7 years of loyal service. so i bought this from a local discount store in town. they sell reconditioned equipment, so that might have had something to do with it. bottom line it just did not get hot enough. i would put frys in, but they never would "float", they just came out soggy and rubbery. i am returning it and going back to the tried and true fry daddy. i suggest you do the same.

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Cuisaid Xpress-O Stove-Top 3 Cup Espresso Maker

Exactly what the europeans use at home! Does a great job making authentic at-home european espresso. Easy to use and does exactly the same thing those big clunky and expensive machines do.

This is certainly not one of the pricey stovetop espresso makers that are popular. I think the quality is OK for the price. The finishing is a little crude, but I don't see that as a problem with daily coffee making.

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It was smaller than I have expected. I haven't used it yet so I don't know if it works well. The inside was neat.

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B150 Brewer

I drink coffee pretty much all day and until I got a Keurig, I used a commercial Bunn coffee brewer and ground my own beans.

My kids got me a cinnamon colored Keurig B70 about 9 months ago. Truly, if it hadn't been a gift from my kids, I would have returned it unopened. I had read too many reviews about malfunctioning machine. Reluctantly, I set up the machine and brewed my first cup of coffee. That was it I was hooked! However, I was ready to battle Keurig if my machine began to malfunction, as so many others have.

Fortunately, my B70 worked so well that my grown kids began hinting that they would like one, too. Since the cinnamon color didn't fit especially well with the colors in my kitchen, I began looking for another Keurig so that I could gift the B70 to one of the kids.

I decided to purchase the B150 because of the larger, 90 oz. water reservoir and the fact that it would brew 5 different cup sizes (4 oz., 6 oz., 8 oz., 10 oz. and 12 oz.). I also felt that perhaps since this is a commercial machine, it might be more durable than a home machine. I've had it for about 6 months now and probably use it 15 to 20 times a day between all the family members.

Upon unpacking, I was very pleased with the heft of the machine. It feels very solid. The handle is thick, stainless steel, the water reservoir is much thicker plastic than the B70, and has double layer sides. It's obvious that this machine is meant for heavy use. The black and silver color looks well in my industrial style kitchen. It is a little larger than the B70, but not so large that it looks out of place in a home kitchen.

I really like the color, LCD touch screen. It prompts you to insert a K-cup, then you use it to select your cup size and then push the illuminated Brew button. That's it. As a side note, there are all sorts of lovely, coffee related pictures that run slide-show fashion across the LCD screen while your coffee is brewing.

The LCD screen will alert you to low water levels and when it's time to de-scale. You can also access the menu settings through the LCD screen.

This machine can be direct plumbed with an optional kit so that you never even have to fill the water reservoir. I haven't done this because my city has freakishly hard water so I only use filtered water in my Keurig. In fact, I would recommend using filtered water no matter where you live. I simply keep a Britta filter pitcher next to my machine and keep it filled throughout the day. It works perfectly because I have never seen white calcium deposits anywhere on my machine, in the reservoir, or on the puncture needle. Mineral deposits will kill appliances so filtered water is cheap insurance against that. Also, it makes your coffee taste better.

Another maintenance tip is to run 4 oz. of just water through after every cup, especially after hot cocoa. It keeps the tip from clogging and prevents transfer of flavor from one cup to the next.

If you are new to Keurig machines, one thing to keep in mind is that there is a wide variance in the quality of the K-cups. Some even have instant coffee in them (ugh)! Read reviews and then buy small quantities before you buy a huge box. Some varieties I like are Keurig Wild Mountain Blueberry (seriously good despite the way it sounds), Keurig Kahlua Original, and Folgers Gourmet Caramel Drizzle. Tazo also makes some killer tea K-cups. If you sample a number of different flavors, you are bound to find some favorites.

Also, experiment with the cup size with each brand. Some taste their best with a smaller cup size and others require the full 12 ounces of water.

The Ekobrew Reusable Filter works very well, too, and I use it for a special blend of coffee I particularly like that isn't available in K-cups yet. It's more trouble than regular K-cups but less trouble than making a conventional pot of coffee.

You will find a wild range of reviews for Keurig machines and I believe there is a quality control issue during manufacturing. I think I got lucky that both machines I purchased function perfectly (so far). I was certainly ready to return my machines, repeatedly if necessary, if they malfunctioned as so many others have mentioned and I think any buyer should be aware of the fact that there are a relatively high number of machine failures. But when they work, I think they are wonderful!

We purchased this brewer recently and in less than two months began to have issues with it. It constantly gives a lift water reservoir message, will not pump water from the reservoir to the unitthe pump is audible but not moving any water! We paid over $200 for this unit. It was a replacement for a cheaper version that also developed problemsthought that a "commercial" system would be more durable and last. DON'T WASTE your money on this system! It's a shame because it did make good coffee for a very short time.

If I can prevent one person from wasting hard earned money on one of these pieces of junk, than I can feel like I've done something good!

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Received our Keurig in a timely manner and works awesome for a small office. We had a B70 and it worked well for over a year, but I think it was not big enough for our team of coffee/tea drinkers.

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This is a very nice device. I especially like the display/touchscreen and the graphic interface. The images make it VERY clear what is going on as well as what steps are necessary. I recommend this unit to ANYONE who wants a Keurig, not just the business community.

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There are ridges inside the chamber. This is fine for the thin plastic k-cups because it forms it bends to the ridges. Because the refillable k-cups are thick plastic or metal and can't bend, they will not fit in this machine. This model is meant to be sold to a business. The intent is the business can sell it's employees k-cups instead of allowing them to bringing their own refillable ones because of machine limitations. Think of how much plastic they are waisting on a daily basis. Corporate greed at it's finest.

Frieling Gold Coffee Filter # 2

Mesh not fine enough. Lets a lot of sediment through. Does not fit in the Zojirushi coffee pot. Ok if you run out of paper filters, I went back to paper.

I was looking forward to using my gold filter instead of paper filters or a French press. My first cup was a disaster the coffee was too fine and a lot of grounds made it through the filter, plus the water passed through very quickly, picking up little of the coffee's flavor. I have tried adjusting the grind on my burr grinder, and a coarser grind works better in terms of keeping the coffee in the filter, but the water still runs through very quickly. I guess one option is to make coffee in a French press and then pour it through the gold filter, but that seems lame I may as well just use the plunger sieve in the French press.

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This filter saves a lot on paper (expensive) filters. I love it. It also saves on paper waste for the environment.

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I used mine for over a year now. Although it lets in the finely ground coffee bits, which end up on the bottom of my cup, I still prefer it to using a new filter every day.

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This filter will not work in the Zojirushi EC-DAC50 coffeemaker or my old Krups. So be sure when you buy this. Also its not worth sending back.

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La Pavoni EPBB-8 Europiccola 8-Cup Lever Style Espresso Machine, Black Base

PHOOEY to those who say this is only for the purists! Stuff and nonsense! The possibility for a more delightful relationship with a machine than a man can have with his La Pavoni espresso machine surely doesn't exist outside an Arthur C. Clarke novel. I really can think of no other mod con which is truly indispensible in the way that Ralph, our little Europiccola, is.

Difficult to use? Pshaw! Is a bicycle difficult to use? At first maybe, but all of a sudden you wonder what the fuss was about. With a little practice and practice is half the fun of it you will have the most beautiful espresso thick crema and all merrily widdling out the little spout everytime.

Ralph is delightfully simple to use, as a matter of fact: water in, turn on, coffee in, lever up, lever down, and you're done. How hard can that be?

Getting your espresso right comes down to a lot of other variables, which are the same for any espresso machine the sort of coffee you use, the correct grind, the correct grinder (if you grind yourself, the grinder is really critical) the correct pressure, even the type of water you put in the machine. If you're having trouble grinding your own then head down to the grocers, pick up a tin of Illy coffee, and BINGO you may as well be in a Palazzo San Giovanni with a pair of smart sunnies and a scooter shouting, "prego" at passers by, that's how Italian you'll feel. And the coffee is divine.

Honestly, the very sight of that cute little chappie sitting, glinting on our bench every morning, ready to gladden the very experience of waking up and getting ready for work is enough to make my heart sing. I love my little La Pavoni. You'll love yours, too. Depend on it. I know I do.

I have owned this machine for over ten years and everyday when I make my morning cappuccino I love it more. You can spend more for a machine that measures the coffee, tamps it, pulls the water through and steams the milk for you, but you can tip the kids behind the counter at Starbucks and they'll do the same thing. Making espresso should be a little art and a little science and this machine an impeccable balance of the two. If you aren't the kind of person who takes joy in mixing the perfect martini, making a risotto that whispers with flavor, or whipping a meringue to impossibly tall peaks, this probably isn't the machine for you.

The La Pavoni is for the person who will find tremendous joy in going to the lengths required to make a perfect cappuccino by hand everyday.

PS It always makes my day to know that people find these reviews helpful. So, please vote (the "Was this review helpful to you: Yes or No" buttons) and leave a comment if you'd like, even if it's just to say, "Hi!" I respond to all comments so feel free to ask a question about the product. Also, when you leave a comment, I will go to your reviews and pay you the same courtesy.

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We bought the 16-cup version on our honeymoon in Italy. We've had it for five years. It makes great cappuccino. I bought some extra filters from Thomas Cara in San Francisco, and I can crank out 4 cappuccinos in a row. When we have guests over, they rave about the coffee, and swear it's the best they've ever had.

The machine isn't hard to use true, you need to learn how it works, it's not like Mr. Coffee, but that doesn't make it hard. It has good instructions, and you can mostly figure it out by looking at it water goes here, coffee goes there, lift and lower the handle for coffee, steam a little milk and cappuccino heaven! Ok, it's a little more work than Pop-Tarts, and you can infinitely play with the grind and techniques to create the perfect espresso... so what? You're going to make coffee with this machine for the next twenty years.

The machine is fussy about the grind, however too coarse, and the water just gushes out. Too fine, and the water won't come through at all! Of course, once you get your grinder set "just so", you never need to adjust it.

I never succeeded at steaming milk with the "wand." My Pavoni included a plastic "cappuccino automatic attachment," which consists of a tube which you put into the milk, and a black plastic aerator. This attachment makes fantastic, foamy milk.

The quality of the milk foaming depends on its freshness. Milk doesn't foam as well after 3 or 4 days (Funny milk tastes the same after 3 days, but it doesn't foam the same). Like most home machines, La Pavoni won't get the milk as hot as commercial machines will. By pre-heating the cup with steam or hot water before putting in the milk or espresso, you can overcome this.

Our Pavoni isn't just an appliance. It's beautiful to look at, and it's built with heirloom quality. It needed repairs once, but... refitted its worn gaskets, polished its chrome finish, and got it working like new.

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Finally there is a Espresso machine that makes a GREAT cup of coffee. Takes only 4 or 5 minutes to warm up, a "no brainer" process to pull a great espresso. Compared to stove top or other electric espresso makers, this company has spent the time and energy to develop a machine that gives GREAT coffee morning after morning. If you can remember to refill the water tank, clean out the basket, wipe off the steamer rod -you will have good coffee day after day.

My only regret is that I didn't buy the 16 cup maker. But life cannot always come up roses.

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For the hard core purist only. Using this machines is a skill. And, if you master it, you will be a barista in the truest sense of the word. Every variable, grind, tamp, pressure, length of pull, is crucial and requires close attention to detail. The most critical factor is the grind. If you can not obtain the proper grind, this machine will never produce good espresso. Be prepared to spend [more money] for a grinder capable of providing it. Zassenhaus hand grinders are the cheapest option.

The machine itself is gorgeous. The heavy chrome shines up beautifully after each use and all the levers and spigots and knobs sticking out in every direction baffle and intrigue all who see it. The only thing more fun than looking at it is driving it. Amaze your friends, dazzle your guests. Then, serve them REAL espresso.

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Saeco Incanto Deluxe Coffee Machine

When the unit arrived, I opened it up and followed the start up instructions. The "Close Door" message would not go out. The piece that contacts the switch when the door is closed did not make contact. I had to cut a small piece of paper, fold it, and put it in the switch so that when the door was closed, the switch would work and the error message would go out.

The steam/hot water knob fell off. It was easily put back on, but fell off several more times while trying to make the unit work.

I made my first cup of coffee. It came out lukewarm and weak. (Yes ... I preheated the cup.) I changed the settings to "hot" and "strong." The coffee came out lukewarm and bitter. I tried to make hot water, but the hot water dispenser did not work and neither did the steam function for frothing milk.

This is a cheaply made piece of garbage, especially considering the price. The menu system is ridiculous, but at least that worked. Sending the unit back and looking for something that actually works.

Love this coffee machine! Plenty of information and settings to create a great cup of coffee for any taste. Had others before, but this is simply the best. This is a winning machine...couldn't be happier.

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I have had my Saeco Incanto for 5 years. Just sent it in for a tune up but other than that, its been doing a great job. Just be careful not to get oily beans, they will cause the machine to not recognize them as coffee beans. I had to vaccum out the beans and put in less shiny looking beans.

There are several ways to control how strong of a coffee you get.

1. Adjust the grind

2. Adjust the aroma in the cup settings

3. Turn the valve to the right as the coffee is brewing

4. Use your favorite preground coffee

Its a dependable machine and well worth the price.

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Nespresso D90 Essenza Single-Serve Manual Espresso Machine

I have been using this machine for about a month now. The espressos are strong, aromatic and comparable to those produced by more expensive machines. The machine is also very easy to clean (barely requiring a rinse every now and then). As far as quality goes I'm very happy with it. A few caveats however:

Temperature: as other reviewers mentioned, they are barely warm. If you're used to sipping yours for more than a couple of minutes you'll be drinking cold coffee. In fact the low temperature my Nespresso produces is enough of an issue for me to regret my purchase. And warming the cup does about as much as you'd expect.

Variety: I think there are enough capsules in the Nespresso line to find an espresso that suits your taste but the lungos are not to be confused with full-cups. You will not be able to get even half of an average American coffee cup out of a lungo capsule without it starting to taste watered down. Therefore Nespresso isn't as versatile as it could be and if you or your guests prefer regular coffee to espresso you'll have to keep your other coffee maker.

Customer service: You will have to buy the capsules directly through the "Nespresso Club" which advertises itself as an exclusive and very attentive client service. In my experience they have been responsive but unusually impersonal and not helpful if you are dissatisfied with your machine or your casules orders. One almost gets the impression they're doing you a favor by dealing with you. Guess that's what they mean by that exclusive feeling...

Because of the above issues I would recommend comparing a few other brands and seeing whether this is really your best choice. Personally, I wouldn't buy mine again.

This review is based on my experience with the Nespresso Essenza C90, but the Nespresso Essenza D90 is quite similar, and I believe that the espresso making mechanism is exactly the same.

We all have our little passions. Over the years, I have devoted too much time, money, and study to perfecting the art of making the perfect coffee and espresso. I searched the world (and the internet) for the best beans, grinders, equipment, and even tried roasting my own beans and became able to produce better potions that one can ever find in the coffee boutiques. Still, as it turns out, my efforts were in vain. The Nespresso Essenza (and probably the other Nespresso machines similar in design) produces the perfect cup and the ease of doing so, sadly, puts my efforts to shame.

The secret seems to be in the strong pumping mechanism (19 bars of pressure, same as their more expensive machines) and their superb coffee capsules. After being such a stickler for the freshest roasted estate grown beans, I balked at the use of capsules and considered it the coffee for dummies approach. I also thought that they might be kind of similar in quality to the coffee "pods" used in the new single serve coffee machines, which range from bad (for the manufacturer and supermarket brands) to only fairly good (for the best of the gourmet, limited-edition pods at over $1 each).

Against all odds, the Nespresso pods are pure magic. I ordered new pods right away, but even the sampler pods that came with the machine were incredible, despite being past their "best before" expiration date. I'm equally mystified as to how they can have about twelve varieties and almost all be exquisite, despite noticeable differences not only in strength but in flavor. The "lungo"capsules are also fantastic (these produce 4 ounces of coffee-espresso instead of the classic 1 to 2 ounce espresso). Being partial to espresso and very dark coffee, I wasn't so impressed with the two or three pods weakest in strength, but those who like traditional American coffee might prefer them.

The Nespresso capsules completely dispelled my concern that they would be limiting compared to the use of coffee beans. It turns out that the opposite is true. Sure, there may be hundreds of different beans available, with infinite possibilities of blends and roasts, but they rarely reach the superior flavor these capsules achieve. Moreover, ordering coffee beans limits you to only one or two roasts for awhile, unless you buy a variety of green coffee beans (which last much longer than roasted beans) and roast them yourself in small quantities. With the capsules, a nice variety of espresso variations are available instantly.

Having been in the habit of ordering expensive coffee beans, I find the cost of the Nespresso capsules at $.50 each and the two-day shipping charge of only $5.95 (for any quantity) very reasonable. When buying roasted coffee beans, the shipping cost for one or two day air was much higher, and I had to reorder them every few weeks to keep fresh ones on hand. Since the Nespresso capsules stay fresh much longer, I can order a several month supply at one time.

The only criticism of the machine is that the espresso might not be quite hot enough for some aficionados. However, it is just hot enough for me, and the temperature can be raised slightly by heating the cup first.

It is amazing that I can now enjoy the best espresso almost instantly. This is truly the perfect way to enjoy espresso, even if I can no longer take credit for concocting it.

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I have bought several exact same model in France when I was living there earlier this year, and the build quality (i.e. fit and finish) are much better. The ones in Europe are made in Switzerland, and the one I recently bought on Amazon is made in China. Not sure why, but the fit and finish just didn't measure up. Otherwise the machine works great. I also would recommend getting the manual vs the automatic version. The manual model lets you control how much water you let pass thru the capsule.

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We go out to eat frequently and my husband likes to order an after dinner demitasse. This gets kind of expensive in NYC. We were skeptical about the longevity of espresso machines but figured if we got a year out of this gadget, it would be worth it. We opted for this model because it was the least expensive but were told that its pressure capacity was the same as the fancier automatic models. That was over 4 years ago and the D90 is still going strong. It makes a consistantly good cup.

The price of the capsules aren't as reasonable as they used to be: In 2005, they were 48 cents. There were two subsequent 2 cent jumps. Now I see they just went up another 3 cents to 55 cents which is a 15% increase over 4 years. The cost of shipping, IMHO, is ridiculously high. Fortunately, I was able to go Nespresso's office in Manhattan to pick up the orders. Recently,they have opened a cafe/retail store on Madison Ave, which is even more convenient. Perhaps Nespresso will open other retail stores nationwide. I hope they don't get it into their heads that they are free to raise the capsule price at will because they have a captive clientelle.

When we first got the D90, I had a few questions that were satisfactorily answered by their "Club's" tech support. But, as another reviewer indicated, their operators/salespeople do have a bit of a snooty "Euopean-ish" affect that is not really necessary.

Some tips:

1)Do warm your cup first.

2)Regular descaling is important and the kit is rather expensive, but you can get around the process by using only DISTILLED water...the coffee tastes better, too.

3) Flush the unit out (as per instructions)after every few cups.

4) Don't forget to turn the unit's power off between uses!

5) Ristretto and Arpegio are the strongest...no need to bother with the others if you like your drink strong. We like to stir a tiny bit of heavy cream in as the cup is filling...it makes a reapectable, creamy froth on top.

Since we no longer order restaurant coffee, this machine has indeed paid for itself several times over. Even when you include the nominal cost of electricty for the brewing and in our case, water distillation, it is less than 1/2 the price that they charge even in moderately priced restaurants or Starbucks.

On the other hand, if you're not a big expresso drinker, but like to entertain, have a little extra counter space and money to spend, it is a nice indulgence.

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I've had the machine for a year now, so this is not a hasty review. Nor need it be long. Having this machine is a constant source of pleasure every single morning. Plain and simple, it supplies excellent-tasting espresso for less effort than making regular coffee from a coffee machine. No grinding, not messy grounds, no waste, and essentially no cleanup. If you're like me and don't have the time, energy, or patience to be screwing around in the kitchen in the morning, a Nespresso machine is as good as it gets. Regarding cost: let's say you average one espresso drink a day like I do, it works out to about $18/mo i cannot imagine spending significantly less than that with ANY alternative coffee-making method short of Folgers. Commenting on other eomplaints: environmental waste and "Fair Trade" coffee. If discarding the equivalent of 1/13th of a soda can's worth of aluminum bothers your conscience, then after each use scrape out the coffee and recycle the pod. If you're worried about whether or not Nespresso coffee is harvested sustainably, their processes do aim at ensuring this through their own AAA Sustainable Quality

Program. Unless you're into conspiracies, then you can be confident they are at least showing some concern for sustainability. If none of it is good enough for you, then what are you doing on a computer looking at Amazon.com?? You should be living in a tent snuggling prairie dogs in your handmade hemp blanket. Hope you're having fun!