Showing posts with label professional espresso machine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label professional espresso machine. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

CucinaPro Stovetop Espresso Machine

CucinaPro 270-01 Stovetop Espresso Machine, 1-CupAfter a long and painful search I finally found a 1 cup mochaor stovetop expresso machine. The CucinaPro 270-01 is a one cup marvel. While it is very light, as it is not stainless steel, it does the job it is supposed to do: make a strong 1 demi-tasse full of coffee. This is the perfect size for those who don't like to drink reheated coffee-the coffee brews in a few minutes on a low flame, and tastes great. The only problem with this little marvel is that there seems to be a defect in the pouring spout, and I lose a bit of coffee when pouring it into the demi-tasse. But, a part from that. it is a good little piece of equipment.

I ordered an Italian Coffee Maker. On other websites this coffee maker is listed as "Made in Italy," sadly Amazon has no requirements for listing country of origin. I thought I would get an Italian coffee maker, instead I received a very thin metal coffee maker that was very careful to hide its Chinese origin. Made in China was not printed on the box. Made in China was not marked on the coffee maker. Made in China was printed on a very small slip of paper placed inside the box. It appears as though they were trying to hide this important information. I returned all three Chinese coffee pots manufactured of very thin metal. The quality of the pressure vessel was extremely thin and appeared dangerous. The description of the item was deceptive.

Buy CucinaPro Stovetop Espresso Machine Now

This tiny expresso machine is quite handy for when I am the only one who needs a good cup of expresso. The tiny machine is also quite cute.

Read Best Reviews of CucinaPro Stovetop Espresso Machine Here

It's efficient, it's compact, it's inexpensive and it's rad! this is the thing you want if you like your coffee strong and your espresso portable, man!

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ordered this because I remember my parents have something that looks very similar and makes outstanding espresso. This is functional but the lightweight aluminum just isn't the same, would definitely spend the extra dollars to upgrade to the stainless (think different brand) but for $30, whatever, it works

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Nespresso C91 Essenza Espresso Machine

Nespresso Essenza C91 Manual Espresso Maker, BlackIn my opinion, the coffee made by this machine is as perfect as you can make in approximately the space of time it takes to make instant coffee (and in approximately the same physical space). The noise is also much less than I have heard with some other Nespresso machines.

No doubt if you choose to grind/roast/grow your own beans you can make better espresso, but for the rest of us the quality is near perfection.

The only issue I have is that you are limited in the height of a cup you can fit under the spout. A standard coffee cup fits fine, but if you want to use anything that is much taller, then most cups do not fit and I prefer to use the espresso capsules to make a big cup. Even my shortest non-coffee cups do not fit unless I jam them in at an angle. An extra 1/4" of height would be nice....

Oh, and buy your capsules from Nespresso.com. The Amazon.com merchants are reselling genuine capsules at a significant markup. Each capsule is somewhere around 50c or so each and while that is not cheap, it is not bad for me. Not mentioned in the product description is you get an assortment of 16 capsules, so you can decide what you like before you place an order.

edit: Maximum cup height; about 3.25"

It may not cause you to forget your favorite Italian or French cafe espresso, but this machine comes pretty close, without the airfare and hotel. Easy to use, the Essenza pumps out crema-laden coffee time after time. With a $130 price tag and the capsules that go for $.55 each, you're even financially with Starbuck's after 100 cups, and from there the savings mount up. (A back-of-the-envelope calculation is that if you buy this machine and drink roughly an espresso a day during the first year -versus going to Starbuck's for the same thing -you will save over $300.) Moreover, the quality of Essenza's espresso is more consistent than espressos I've had at Starbuck's, Caribou, etc. The only question now is the machine's durability, but for now, after a month of use, I'm definitely sold!

Buy Nespresso C91 Essenza Espresso Machine Now

I have had a nespresso machine for 3 years now at the house. I bought this machine as a second machine for the office. There are now alot of nespresso machines on the market, however my experience with friends who have the more expensive, higher end automatic machines is that the simple manual machine is better. Why is it better ? You can adjust the volume of coffee as you like, or depending what type of cup you are using. It aso tends to be a few degrees hotter than the automatic machines. The automatic machines also add the milk first I like to add any milk last after the espresso shot has been poured.

Overall, great quality and pricing. Recommended.

Read Best Reviews of Nespresso C91 Essenza Espresso Machine Here

I bought the Nespresso Essenza after two failed attempts with a less expensive, yet highly rated expresso maker, the DeLonghi EC155. I originally wanted to use the ESE pods, but the DeLonghi just couldn't handle them well and both machines died. Now I have the Nespresso, and I am so much happier with the reliability and quality of the machine and coffee. The machine feels solid and produces a very nice crema on every shot (that never happened with my previous unit). While you have to buy Nespresso branded pods, I have found them to taste far better than anything I had been using previously (Illy and LaVazza). I can justify the pods as they tend to cost less than the K-Cups my husband needs for his drinks, and I'm still saving money over going to the coffee shop. I also like that Nespresso has a wide assortment of coffees to choose from, and they bring out specialty flavors during the holidays.

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I bought this unit to have in my office. I have a more sophisticated espresso maker at home, but it's quite a production to get from bean-to-coffee in the morning. With this, you pop in a capsule, make sure you have enough water in the pitcher, and you're good to go.

The unit doesn't take up much space; it's about the size of a small blender. Once you open the package, there really isn't any set-up involved (though it took me over five minutes to remove the plastic sheeting on the metal cup-holder). Just clean it, pop in a capsule, push the button, and you've got a hot beverage. Unlike a lot of other espresso makers, this doesn't take 15 minutes to heat up.

I took the advice of others and ordered my espresso capsules through Nespresso. I wish Amazon had a decent price on these, as it's so much easier than having to register with yet another website. The unit also comes with a sample packet of 16 flavors, so you can taste which you like the best.

I'm pleased with this purchase. It was a good price and the espresso tastes ok; maybe not suitable for dinner party guests, but for the office, it's fine.

As others have noted, you are limited to the size of cup you can use. If you have a larger one on hand, however, and are willing to sacrifice two capsules, you'll achieve the goal of having a larger cup of espresso.

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Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Melitta 64008 Red Ready Set Joe Filter Cone

Melitta 64008 Red Ready Set Joe Filter ConeI have been using one of these filter cones for a couple years at home and work. I recently bought a few extras and now take one with me (and my favorite brand of coffee) when I travel it's a great upgrade from hotel coffee. I use the Melitta #2 unbleached filters and get excellent coffee. You just put ground coffee (drip grind) in the filter, add hot water (appx 195 to 205 degrees F), and in a minute you have a perfect cup of coffee. I've used a number of different methods and gizmos over the years, until I started using this, my favorite was the French Press method.

This is quicker, simpler, easier to clean, and you can take it with you. The coffee tastes great, clean, full, no off tastes. You can of course vary the strength (both the caffeine and flavor) by adding more or less coffee to the filter, and varying the temperature of the water. I find I get the best taste when I bring the water to a full boil then let it sit about a minute. When you're done you toss the used filter with grounds into the garbage, and you're done. This is great if you and your spouse/kid/partner, etc drink different kinds of coffee or one likes decaf and another likes regular. And you make just one cup at a time so you're not brewing a whole 12 cup tank when you really only want a cup. I also like to use this with a 16 oz. travel cup which is 6 oz. larger than my normal cup. I simply add a bit more coffee a bit more water, and presto! I have exactly the right amount of coffee to hop in the car and off to work or whatever.

You can spend a ton of money for a high tech coffee maker, but you won't get better coffee.

Been using a one-cup coffee cone for decades, and I have a suggestion: Buy #4 filters instead of the #2 recommended ones. The smaller, #2 filters aren't tall enough, so it's too easy to slop boiling water over the edge of the smaller filter.

The #4 filter fits similarly except that the #4 extends above the rim of the cone to hold more water if you tend to over-pour.

I just purchased the cone featured here (mine is black) and bought it from Bed Bath and Beyond (please note that I've bought other, more costly items from Amazon.com whose prices and service are among the best).

Bought the new cone because the open space at the bottom should make it easy to see when the cup is full instead of lifting the unit from the cup. One thing I noticed is that the bottom is slightly rounded on mine, so it doesn't fit as well on the top of the coffee cup. Not sure if that'll matter much when there's coffee and water in it. That's why I give my new cone only 4 stars instead of 5.

In any case, inexpensive coffee cones make coffee as well or better than costly machines. Again, buy #4 filters.

Great for people who like to keep things simple!

Buy Melitta 64008 Red Ready Set Joe Filter Cone Now

This product is exactly what I've been looking for. The industrial strength coffee maker at work isn't used properly so I prefer to brew a fresh cup. Not a fan of the french press and graininess so tried this as an alternative. Works great! The strength of the coffee will depend on how much you put in the filter, so it will take some tries to get used it it. Awesome product!

Read Best Reviews of Melitta 64008 Red Ready Set Joe Filter Cone Here

I got two of these plastic coffee brewers cup, one for the office and one for home. I usually brew a whole pot of coffee in the mornings, but sometimes later at work, or in the afternoons and evenings at home, when I know I won't finish a whole pot or there's nobody to share with, I brew a single cup with this cup. Along with the filter cone filters, and a coffee grinder, this is a very quick method to have a freshly brewed single cup of coffee at any time without having to brew a whole pot of coffee. I have also traveled with it! very handy too in small hotels that provide hot water. If you are an avid coffee drinker, surely will get a lot of use from it.

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The Melitta Ready Set Joe filter cones are available in red or black, and I have one of each. In fact, I like thise cone so much that I even bought a third one for a coworker who loves it. So far I haven't detected a difference in coffee taste between coffee brewed with the two colors.

The cone is easy to use and easy to clean; as a bonus it even comes with a few starter filters included so you can make a cup of joe right out of the box. Interestingly the origin of "a cup of joe" is commonly thought to be traced back to the 1900s, when Admiral Josephus Daniels outlawed alcohol on all ships. Coffee became the drink of choice and hence a cup of "Joe." Other explanations of this term also exist.

To use the cone just place it over a cup, insert a cone filter, add coffee, and pour hot water over the coffee grounds. The water slowly drips into the cup, so the user would be advised to first heat the cup by letting some hot wate sit in it prior to making coffee. The resulting cup of coffee tastes great, and one doesn't have to clean out a coffee maker afterwards. Just rinse out the plastic cone and you're done.

The Melitta cones are suitable for making coffee only, not for adding oil to a car engine or for using as a garment enhancement.