Reunion Island RI58551 Extra Bold Fair Trade and Organic French Roast Single Cup Coffee Pods, 16-co

This is excellent for Senseo if you use a two-pod holder and wet the pod before you put it in the machine. Doing this, I found it to yeild one mug of the strongest coffee I've found. It's my favorite of al the Amazon dark roasts I've tried.

Please note that these pods are not compatible with Tassimo single cup brewers even though they are presented with a Tassimo t-disk search.

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This is the lightest coffee I've ever seen, so much so that it was not drinkable. After this disappointing brew I read reviews and tried pre moistening the pods but it had no effect. Using with a Hamilton Beach single serve machine designed for senseo pods. What gives?

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Reunion Island Extra Bold Decaf is the best I've tried. One secret is to premoisen the pods before brewing. The coffee is full bodied and tastes great!

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SENSEO owners be aware these pods won't fit in your machine. They are just too big for the single pod holder but yet too small for the double pod holder. The standard SENSEO pods have about 7.5-8 g of coffee per pod, these have 10g. I used 10g pods before (e.g. Barnie's 58006 Hazelnut Flavored Single Cup Coffee Pods) which fit if you press them into the holder before you close the lid, but these are just too large.

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Turkish Coffee Cup with Saucer

I have received this cup today. It's small and light, and the inner porcelain cup is somehow attached to the outer shell, which is nice because it will not fall out and break. The saucer is very light and pretty. The decoration is simple and not too much. Overall, it's a wonderful dainty cup for Turkish Coffee drinking time!

Pretty much what I expected. A little pricey though, but a good product. I guess they want seven more words.

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Cuisinart GTF Gold Tone Filter

I have used this filter with my Grind-n-Brew for 2 years. I put it in the dishwasher at least twice and have never had any problems with it. I have no idea what these other reviewers are doing wrong, but I love this filter. I never have grounds in my coffee. There is always a little darker/thicker coffee in the bottom of a good cup of coffee!

As for price, $20 is NOT the actual price for this filter. $10 is the "real" price, so you are not getting a deal on Amazon especially when you add shipping (unless you are getting free shipping). I have seen the same $10 filter at Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Ace Hardware, and Publix.

Overall, if you enjoy a good cup of coffee and do not want to put the chemicals added to paper filters in your body, buy this coffee filter!

The first one I had I frequently put in the dishwasher and it lasted a little over a year, so I will hand wash this one. The price here is the same as the manufacturer's site, but for now you save on the shipping.

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There are pros and cons to this conical, gold-coated filter. I'm still using mine after 7 years, with one replacement, so overall, I prefer this to paper filters with some comments on pros and cons:

Pros:

You can reduce the use of paper products.

You never run out of paper filters

Makes a decent cup of coffee

Fits machine that use number 4 cone filters (I use a DeLonghi drip machine; this will fit a number of coffee machines, not just Cuisinart.)

Cons:

Finer grinds make their way through this filter. So there is more sludge in the bottom of the carafe. The paper filters seem to retain more of the fines, and you get less sludge. The last, let's say, quarter cup of cofee in the bottom of the carafe is not drinkable.

The gold eventually wears off. It is bonded to the mesh, but gold is relatively inert and doesn't bond well to anything. So I have replaced this filter once, when the gold wore off. Once in six years, which isn't bad.

Summary: I like this filter enough to replace my number 4 paper filters and I use it every day.

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what can you say about a replacement filter? it works, fits just right and is cheap. kind of like my husband.

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I've had this filter for almost two years now. I usually hand wash it, but it holds up to the dishwasher as well. The only complaint I have is that it has a tendency to get grounds caught in the bottom of the filter, where the plastic joins the screen. Overall, I've been very happy with this filter, and if it wears out, I plan on replacing it with another Cuisinart.

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Meseta CREM03 Cremaccino, Black

The Meseta is a wonderful cremaccino. I bought it mainly to make latte's and occasional capuciono;s. I live by myself so the use it one a day at max.

At first it was great, with 1% milk (had heard from my kids to use low fat milk for a frothier milk) I got a nice thick mass for the capuchin and a little froth on the milkier latte. Always good and warm.

After 3 months (bought it on December 31) it does not get foamy at all for a latte, not warm enough, more like luke warm milk. The machine shakes a little on the counter.

If there are people out there with the same problem who have solved this, I would like to know them.

I bought this for $ 49.95. My kids all have Nespressino's with the attached frothers. Buying those separately I saw them the other day for a little more than 59.00. Ten dollars for that product does not seem so bad.

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Gaggia 102533 Espresso-Dose Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine, Warm Silver

My husband and I were very excited about this purchase. We decided we wanted to spend a little more money and replace our old espresso machine and stovetop espresso makers and he'd read great reviews about the product at that time.

We bought this product from wholelattelove. After the first month the machine started leaking from the filter basket. We disassembled the parts and cleaned them out just in case grinds had made their way up there. This didn't solve the problem. Next we figured it might be a bad seal so we tried to find a replacement. We ordered replacement seals from the same company only to have to cancel the order when we noticed they were for another machine. We couldn't find the seals anywhere. So we've had to keep a plastic tupperware container to catch the excess (and I do mean excess) water from spilling all over the countertop.

After about 6 months the machine started to have some kind of electrical failure as well. One of the button lights goes out so that you can't tell when the machine is ready to make coffee.

Another thing, the machine is made from a flimsy plastic. Feels cheap.

Positives are hard to pinpoint but when the machine actually worked it produced decent crema and the steam wand still makes decent froths as well.

Our recommendation is you spend your money elsewhere.

I have owned a number of Gaggia machines and liked them. I bought this for my girlfriend and it is the worst espresso machine I have used. it is a poorly manufactured plastic imitation of a Gaggia machine.

It is too light and you have to hold it down to attach the porta-filter.

The heating tray on top is practically useless as it doesn't get hot.

the Filter seal started leaking after 2 months and I have waited 3 months for a replacement.

It does not siphon water into the tank so you have to prime it everytime you use it.

Don't waste your money spend more and get the Gaggia Baby or Coffee. both of these are great machines that will make better espresso.

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I bought this machine from Wholelattelove and am very dissapointed. It failed after 30 days. It started pumping spontaneously, pumped itself dry and then quit pumping. So far its taken Wholelattelove 2 months to repair it and I still dont have it.

Its a lightweight flimsy machine, with some odd quirks. Why is the on/off switch in the back where you cant reach it. The water reservoir leaks, and steamer fell off.

I dont recommend the machine or Wholelattelove.com They dont respond to emails, and dont seem to care about customer service.

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I purchased this from Amazon in January and found it makes great espresso for a relatively small and light weight machine. I also have a Sirena which is much sturdier and more expensive but I think that the Gaggia makes a better espresso. I initially gave this product a lower rating because the lights failed to operate after a few uses and I was frustrated because it wasn't clear how to trouble shoot the machine from the Gaggia website. Thanks to Google, I found the customer support number in the US. They called me back promptly and were very helpful. They were able to resolve the problem with me over the phone with a simple screwdriver in about 5 minutes. They actually knew a lot about the machine and I didn't need to send it back and wait 5 weeks! Despite the issue with the lights, I think the machine has been well worth it.

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Gaggia has a reputation for building relatively solid though finicky espresso makers. This machine is one of the new generation of Gaggias, which evidently are attempting to retreat from the reputation of solidity. This machine the Espresso has three iterations: the Pure (the simple black plastic cheap one), the Color (one color, red, costs more than the Pure evidently because of the color), and the Dose (which can be calibrated to deliver a fixed amount of liquid per button press, which costs even more. The units all have the same mechanicals stainless steel boiler, roughly 3.5 ounces in size, a brass coated brewing group, and (note well) a non-pressurized 58mm "commercial" portafilter.

Right out of the box, the Espresso feels cheap and flimsy. No metal in sight, and the machine (in my case the Dose) looks like a big ugly hunk of plastic. The steam control knob feels like a child's toy and is so poorly mounted on its stem that it feels like you could twist it off. The water reservoir is a skimpy 42 ounces, and the alleged warming plate is ugly white plastic and produces markedly little warmth. This by far is the ugliest appliance in my kitchen and is also among the most expensive. Most importantly, the machine weighs only 10 pounds, which makes tightening the portafilter a chore as you have to pin the machine down to keep it from tipping over or just being shoved around the counter.

The mechanicals inside appear to be solid, and the portafilter is sturdy and serviceable. The boiler appears willing enough, though it is really tiny, and the steaming wand is excellent. The dosing function on my Dose model appears mainly useless, as my brewing results worked better with manual operation, and this pointless features adds about $50 to the price of the base model. Eyeball your cup's fluid level and save $50. No three way valve, but the filter puck is reasonably dry and easily emptied.

Now the real problem if you plan to use your own beans for this, you need a $300 grinder from Gaggia. That's it, end of story. My $90 Capresso Infinity after much experimentation with tamping and grind proved incapable of making anything other than sludge due to the non-pressurized portafilter. I called the vendor up and their service staff informed me (in a sympathetic and polite manner) that the Infinity simply couldn't produce a consistent fine grind. Even the popular Baratzas (in the $100-$200 range) can't produce a "Gaggia grind" without being disassembled and modified by the user. (This is true check the Baratza website FAQs). Upshot: nothing less than a $300 grinder can produce home ground coffee for this machine.

The vendor told me to try pre-ground espresso, and sure enough the commercially ground coffee I tried was much much better, but this means dealing with a short lifespan and keeping the coffee in an airtight container in the freezer. Even after trying that, I found that the pre-ground produced nice crema only when very fresh, like 1-2 days, and generally not after it came out of the freezer. If you don't mind running off to a local store for a small dose of commercially ground coffee every day, this is your machine. Or you can buy a grinder that costs as much or more than your Gaggia machine does.

Anyway, the disappointment for me here was not necessarily that the machine has such extensive "special needs". If it was elegant and solidly made, I would still give it a pass, though maybe not for me personally as buying $600 worth of home espresso equipment is beyond my budget. However, even if we factor out the demanding grind requirement, the flimsiness of this machine and its ugly plastic frame simply is unacceptable at the $250-$300 price point. A Saeco Aroma in the same price range is made of metal, has a bigger steel boiler, weighs 30% more, and uses a pressurized portafilter that works nicely with less finely ground coffee.

The Gaggia has a better reputation for durability, but the new Gaggia Espressos look like they are made on the same assembly lines as Saeco's (the companies are commonly held) with the main difference being the portafilters, so I have little reason to assume that this cheap plastic eyesore will prove any more durable than a comparable Saeco. The Aroma is much easier to use, does not need a grinder that costs as much as it does, IMO is more attractive, and is at the same price point. I don't know why anyone would buy one of these Gaggias. Maybe if you have an expensive grinder, and your old espresso machine died, and you need a cheap replacement? Whatever. I am underwhelmed.

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Mind Reader "Anchor" Coffee Pack Drawer for Keurig Vue Packs, Keurig K-Cups, Nespresso Capsules, CB

I wanted something that was more convenient for my Nespresso pods' storage having the boxes stacked up was a non-option. I like Nespresso's wooden box, but it just isn't practical and the place I have my machine set up is already pretty loaded up with kitchen gadgets, so I didn't want an organizer that would require a space of it's own. Viola enter this product! It sits about 2" on each side farther out than the Nespresso machine itself (I have the Pixie model) and looks outstanding. Very sturdy build and the drawer opens smoothly. Also, this is plastic (just in case anyone is wondering) but it really does look sharp I'm very pleased with the appearance! It can also hold more than the 50 capsules it advertises if you alternate the pods with every other one being upside down this somewhat increases your storage capacity without at all impacting it's ability to open and close smoothly.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for a nice looking unit to hold your pods without being the center of attention. This is a great find and I'm sure you'll be delighted with it, too!

Holds 36 K cups, and looks stylish doing it. Perfect for storing a variety or your entire inventory. Looks nice also.

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Works great under the Nespresso machine, sleek and compact. I don't have a lot of counter space so this is perfect in a compact space.

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Finally a great looking drawer to put under my Keurig coffee machine. I

just got this and I love it already. I way recommend this bad boy!

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This drawer is the perfect solution to store the Kcups. My husband and I like different roast so I gave him the middle drawer and I use the other two. One for my light roast and flavored coffees and the third one for cocoa, teas and varieties for guests. The look is "built-in" space saver. The drawers glide easily. The only improvement I would make would be to have the drawers deep enough to store double. which would work for me since I have enough counter space without overhead cabinets. Very pleased with this purchase.

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illy Medium Roast Ground Coffee for Drip Coffeemakers

Confession: I have been a true fan of Starbucks. I used to think Starbucks was the best coffee ever and the many bags of Starbucks in my pantry will prove that! However, I recently received a gift of a half pound of illy Caffe Normale Drip/Medium Grind (Blue Band) Coffee, 8.8 Ounce Tins (Pack of 2)and I was for once in my life, truly impressed with the quality, flavor, and aroma of this coffee. I also find this to be heartbreaking as I do not know what to do with all my Starbucks that I have on hand. I just gave 3 pounds of my Starbucks to my mother-in-law since I will not be drinking it anymore. If you are a true coffee conesseiur then you will love Illy coffee. If I ever open a coffee shop, I would be more than happy to invest in this company.

We use Illy in both drip and espresso machines. Their darker roasts are wonderful, not bitter, and form a nice crema when used in our espresso machines.

Drink Illy any time of the day--use decaf at night as needed!

Do not feel pressured to buy whole beans and grind them every day. This ground coffee is great! The Illy canisters are vacuum-sealed and have a long shelf life. Buy several at a time if you see a good price, and enjoy!

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This is my default brand of coffee. It's just right, not too strong and no burnt taste. Starbucks was good 10+ years ago, but now I only go if I'm desperate for caffeine. Peets is a bit too strong for my taste. Illy is perfect, esp. their medium roast, fine grind. Hmmm.

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I keep coming back to this espresso as one of the smoothest, medium-bodied but full flavored coffees I've tried. I make it in a 4-cup drip coffeemaker, not an espresso machine, and the results are still great.

I have tried the dark roast version but find that one is too much for me (at least brewed this way). I just wish it were cheaper or came in a larger quantity; it's not the kind of price that you're comfortable making extra cups worth and not drinking them.

Definitely one you should try if you have not.

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The Illy company was set up in 1933 in Italy by a Hungarian officer who had come to Trieste with the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I, and stayed. Today, the company remains with the Illy family, with the founder's grandson at the helm. They have 700 employees and sell their brand in over 100 countries. The company uses only Arabica beans, purchased directly from the farmer, rather then the middleman, and produces only one superiour blend.

So much for Google info ;o)... Now, here is my personal Illy "journey":

I am down to only one cup of coffee a day and so I need its taste to be perfect (quality vs quantity). I like my coffee very strong, but dread the bitter aftertaste many strong brands induce (Starbucks would be one). I was introduced to Illy by a co-worker a few years ago, and have not looked back... It provides the strength I crave, with a sweet and smooth aftertaste. Yes, this coffee will grow hair on your chest(figuratively...). The coffee is packed in air free conditions (with nitrogen gas), to help preserve the taste. When you pull of the inner metal seal, you will hear the air hissing its way into the can. The metal cap is a twist off. It is designed to be air tight as well, to prolong the freshness after the can has been opened.

Regarding the brewing process: for a decade now I have been using the French press exclusively (I believe it delivers a stronger/sweeter brew). I find the medium grind/medium roast "blue band" Illy to be perfect for the purpose. The instructions on the back of the can help you with coffee to water ratio for both the drip machine and the French press. Do not over-agitate the French press after brewing and you will be ok. Alternately, you may purchase whole Illy beans and grind them to your satisfaction (sadly, I am too lazy for that...).

Regarding Amazon price and service: Illy is not easy to find in certain parts of the country. Where I live, it requires a trip to the local mall... So, I was happy to find that Amazon offered this product at the same price as my mall, with the cost free, directly to my door, service. The item arrived promptly, with the "open by" date fourteen months away. I am a happy customer!

I hope the coffee will work for you as well!

Gaggia 90501 Titanium SS Super Automatic Espresso and Cappuccino Machine, Stainless Steel

I've lusted after a Super Auto for years. When I finally decided to get one, I did a fare amount of investigating. The Gaggia Titanium had the best spec's for the price and good reviews. I decided to spend the extra money for the Stainless unit. I haven't seen the painted plastic model so I can't comment on the appearance. I do think the Stainless looks great! You can find reviews of the non-stainless here on Amazon and other than the outside appearance, the device is the same.

I've only had the unit for a few days but so far, I'm very happy. To the negatives first. The manual is awful! It's not just the Italian to English translation! The text is skimpy and the illustrations not so great. I spent a fair amount of time making sure I understood how to setup and use the unit. I'm pretty technically savvy and in the end, I figured it all out. But don't rush into using this product until you've figured out how to set it up, clean it and adjust all the settings (there are many).

The only issue I've had is whereby the auto bean grinder thinks it's empty when it's not. Open the lid (which could be a bit better designed) and stir and it works. Could be the beans I'm using not sure. It's an intermittent issue.

The good stuff: once you figure out the coffee strength and grind, the Gaggia makes a delicious cup. I wish the brew were a tad hotter (I have it set to max) but using the cup warmer helps. No issues making froth with the wand; much better than the older manual machine I had. You can't put a huge mug under the unit (the max size is 4.5 inches) but its so easy to make a cup you just make fresh when needed. You can set the unit for the amount of brew. However, I found that clicking the "large coffee" button twice, the unit thinks it's making 2 cups and that just about fills a decent size mug. It's much stronger too since the unit grinds two doses of coffee instead of just adding more hot water using the programmable size. You get a nice foam on top and as I said, the coffee is outstanding.

I love the clean up (or lack of) compared to the drip maker I had (a Bodum Vacuum unit). I still have that unit should I need to make a lot of coffee for company. But for the two mugs I drink in the morning, the Gaggia easily replaces this unit. And there's far less cleanup. The grinds sit in a canister and after a few days, you just tap it out into the trash and maybe rinse. So, you can use this Gaggia to replace a conventional coffee machine as long as you're making a cup or two. What I love is just pressing a button twice (for two large coffees) and walking away from the unit. A minute later, a great cup of Joe. It truly is super automatic.

I have the unit set for Energy savor whereby it's in a kind of sleep mode a few hours after I use it. I only drink in the morning. However, if you decide to "wake it up", it heats up in about 2 minutes. It also does a rinse cycle so I keep a small glass under the unit so it can clean itself and rinse out about 3oz of water. There is a little pan under which would catch the water but then you have to toss it out ever few days. There's also a "full Rinse" cycle that thoroughly cleans out the unit and uses about half the water in the reservoir. It's a menu item so don't select it unless you really want to do this (takes about 5 minutes and a lot of water goes into the catch pan or several cups if you so desire).

Yes it cost big bucks but as long as it works well for years and keeps its great looks, I'm very happy.

UPDATE. The issue with the grinder was the beans (too oily). I called the NY office and got someone in "tech support" in minutes. She knew her product. Sure enough, the inside of the grinder area was super oily making it hard for the beans to fall into the grinder area.

UPDATE: Dec 31st 2010. Approaching nearly 5 years with the unit, its preformed nearly perfectly and brewed 6377 cups of coffee! The only tiny issue I've had was the float in the water tank needed to be replaced (easy to do, cost $15). Over time, it gets water logged or something and stops floating, causing the unit to think there is no water in the tank. I was actually able to go quite awhile with a kludge fix using a small plastic tie to keep the float in the up position. Eventually I just ordered the part and replaced it in 5 minutes. Otherwise, the unit has worked preferably.

UPDATE: Dec 19th, 2012. 10377 cups of coffee and still going strong.

Unfortunately, like a 1970's Alpha Romeo, good looks and great performance don't add up to a hill of (coffee) beans over the long run when reliability is taken into account.

My first machine was dead on arrival with the fateful "Ventilate" issues seen by other purchasers. The second machine, which although shipped and sold by Amazon was manufactured 18 months prior to my purchase (Jan 2007). This started to give trouble after about 14 months with the boiler leaking steam and flooding the counter-top which, given the claims of a stainless steal "durable" boiler was risible. This, coupled with the fact that the brewunit has jammed three times (requiring a trip to the local repair shop) means that 18 months in to the purchase I've spent over $650 in maintenance fees. For 2-3 cups of coffee per day, a trip to Starbucks begins to look cheap!

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I bought my Gaggia Titanium about 1 year ago and hated it for the first month. The machine kept showing the "ventilate" sign (apparently a common problem) and I couldn't figure out what to do. (Manual is terrible!) I went to fix it.com and found someone who was able to solve the problem. Go in the menu and get the asterik to show next to factory settings. (Use the arrow buttons to get the asterik on factory settings. Push "yes." That should solve the problem. You will have to reset the cup sizes.

I haven't seen the ventilate sign for a long time now. My family has made over 1,500 cups now and we love our machine. It is very easy to clean too. We use Lavazza Super Crema beans ($27 for 2.2 pounds) It's a smooth, mellow tasting Italian bean that is not bitter or greasy. (Beans never get stuck in the hopper.) It makes a nice, authentic Italian "crema" too. Enjoy!

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I was very leery of spending this kind of money on a product that might or might not work...but I am very very happywe love the Gaggia and totally enjoy it...I have severe RA and cannot manage muchthis item is totally user friendly to anyone with hand strength problemsI have no trouble using it...it is a welcome surprise to a lot of items that are hard to usethe other user friendly products I find are all of kitchenaid....yes we enjoy the gaggia and coffee time is very specialthe frother works perfect i use it daily...anyone looking for the best out there should consider this machine!

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This has been an excellent trouble free product. The Lattes we can now make at home are better than ones bought in Starbucks, etc.. The unit has been flawless and we are very satisfied.

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