Toastess DLFC381 Coffee Maker, Stainless Steel

I love that you can remove the water tank, makes it easier and less of a mess. The coffee comes out hot and fresh and there have been no leaks. I also appreciate the permanent coffee filter that it comes with. All in all a great buy.

Just got this the other day. Yes, it is dark gray color, and not black. The dark gray actually compliments the stainless steel accents very well. Enough of the cosmetics, how well does it brew coffee? Great! The removable water tank is neat, but I still just pour in filtered water from a pitcher. Although it comes with a screen filter, I prefer to use the paper filters and they fit the basket just fine. It brews quickly, and a full 12 cup pot from start to finish (IE adding coffee, water, etc) takes around 10 minutes. The carafe is nice in that you can pour your coffee without it spreading around the lid and spilling over like my Braun carafe used to do. The programming is super simple and the auto cycle works as it is supposed to. It cost half as much as my Braun cost, it makes 2 more cups of coffee, and it looks better. I am happy!

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I bought this particular model because it had a removable water container and was under $50.

It's not as solid/heavy as high-end coffee makers, but frankly, I like it. It's probably worth no more than about $35, but I was willing to pay another $15 for the removable container. It turns out I don't even remove the container, because the opening for pouring in water is so generous.

So I'm content with the coffee maker. Since I've had so many, across the price spectrum, I know that none of them last forever anymore. So I buy them under $50 and replace them when necessary.

I like this one for now. I've used it nearly 3 months now. So far, no problem. If a generous space for pouring water into is important to you, or removing the water container to clean it, this is the pot for you!

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I have been using my Delfino coffee maker for a week now. It replaced a Braun. They were about the same price. The removable water tank of the Delfino makes this coffee maker very convenient. But more important, the coffee tastes so much better. The maker itself is easy to clean, and the stainless steel casing of the housing makes it look neat and sharp. I like the gray plastic part of the housing because it keeps the maker from shouting out on the counter, like my white Braun and the black Black and Decker of old. I give this maker five stars.

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I still have this, but I use it as a spare pot.

I was not a big fan of this pot. The coffee

grounds came through into the coffee. I've

always used Cuisinart coffeemakers and I went

back to that brand.

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BUNN MCU Single Cup Multi-Use Brewer

I purchased this Bunn My Café MCU brewer to replace my problematic Keurig B70 machine, and I am very pleased with it here on day one. I felt the same way with my B70 when I got it, however, after a few months, and ongoing failures, those machines have been nothing but problems. As this was a replacement for my Keurig machine, I will be comparing this new Bunn My Café MCU machine to the old Keurig.

First, everyone hates instruction manuals, but take the time to read the first few pages. It will only take a few minutes, and it makes it easier to understand which drawer works with the different formats.

Out of the box, this brewer is a bit different as it uses drawers for the different coffee brewing formats. It can use K-Cups, pods, tea bags, and ground coffee. The different drawers provide that functionality. On page 4 of my manual, it shows a picture of each drawer, and their purpose. It can also provide hot water to mix with hot chocolate or oatmeal in the morning.

The Bunn My Café MCU does not have all the bells and whistles that the Keurig machine has. While I would appreciate having some of those features, I would rather have a machine that actually works and isn't always broken. The features the Bunn My Café MCU does NOT have are:

No storage reservoir. Like the B70, it has the internal tank, so brewing a cup is quick. However, you need to pour in the desired amount of water into the top each time you make a cup of coffee. The amount you pour in will control how much is pumped out.

There is no automatic on/off time. The unit is always on, but automatically sets back after six (6) hours of no use. After twenty-six (26) hours of no use, it goes to sleep. Later when you go to use it, it automatically wakes up, and returns to normal temperature.

The internal water temperature is set to 200°F. The only adjustment is for high altitudes above 4000 feet.

The Bunn My Café MCU requires an initial setup before you can brew your coffee. The brewer has an internal hot water tank that needs filled. They provide step by step instructions on page 3. You will need to add a few cups of water overall to get it filled. Once filled, it will begin to heat the water in the tank. This takes a few minutes, and the brew button turns a solid red. Red usually means problems, but now, it is just heating the water for the first time. Once heated, it will turn green, and it is ready to go.

Some notes:

The Bunn My Café MCU brewer makes a bit more noise compared with the B70 when brewing, but nothing objectionable.

The drawer for the K-Cups is easy to use. Inside, it has a handle that you may want to pull towards you. I have found that it works best if pulled more straight up first.

Unlike the B70, you can also use soft pods and tea bags. The ground coffee drawer is also nicer to use compared with the older basket I used in the B70.

This machine is probably only 2/3rd's the size of the Keurig. Overall, it is a nice size on the counter.

One feature the Bunn My Café MCU has that the B70 does not is a Pulse mode. This brews at a slower speed to extract a stronger, bolder flavor from the coffee or tea. I used this feature with one of my Columbian K-cups, and the coffee actually has a better, smoother flavor.

As for the warranty, the Bunn My Café MCU has a two (2) year warranty, compared with the B70's one year warranty. I have used Bunn commercial systems in restaurants for years, and they have been one of the most reliable appliances. I am hoping that same dedication to quality will exist in this home use machine too. As time goes on, I will update this review if I have any issues with this new Bunn My Café MCU brewer.

As a side note. This unit has been on back order from Amazon for some time now. I found it locally, and purchased it from a local retailer.

Update December 2012

After a month or so, I have had no problems with the Bunn. The only feature I have missed is that the Bunn does not have a water reservoir. Also, my tall 7½" insulated travel mugs do not fit in it for brewing. The largest mug that you can put in when using the K-Cup drawer is about 4 3/4" with the drip tray. Pull out the drip tray, and you can get a 6" mug in. If you use some of the other optional drawers, like the hot water one, you can get a slightly larger mug in. Right now, I have a 2 cup Pyrex glass measuring cup that sits with the coffee maker that I use to fill it. And when I need my travel mugs, I just brew into that cup and pour it into the mug. However, in no way would these missing features make me go back to the Keurig. I works every time, and heats hotter and faster.

Since my initial review, I have used the drawer for ground coffee. I purchased a new bag of Starbucks Sumatra beans, grind them myself as needed, and works well. It took a few tries to get the perfect setting in my Burr grinder to get it just the way I like it. I like my coffee dark and strong. I ground it a bit finer compared to what you normally get in pre-ground coffee. I did that too with the Keurig when I first got it. Bought the extra do it yourself pod for the Keurig, but could never get anything really good out of it. I'm guessing it's just because the Keurig does not get as hot as the Bunn machine.

It's only been a month or so since I got the Bunn, but so far, no disappointments, and very satisfied!

I did my homework and researched all of the single cup brewers. After spending a lot of time reading, I decided what I really wanted was the My Cafe MCU. Had to wait for the release, but pre-ordered it on Amazon. So very glad that I waited, it was well worth it. Bunn sent 4 sample pods with the coffee and I found that if you used the pulse option with the brew that they make a good 14 oz. cup of coffee. I also have used my own ground coffee and, I don't know how Bunn did it, but the bitterness that was in the coffee when I used my multi-cup coffee maker was gone. I don't know if I'll be using the K-Cups, they're very pricey and I don't really need them, maybe for a party, but right now I'm happy with the pods and ground coffee.

I was used to having a larger cup of coffee in the morning and I thought that only being able to brew 14 oz. was going to mean that I would have to brew a second cup, but it was more than enough. As I sat with coffee and took the last sip, I realized that this was the first time in a long time that I had actually finished my morning coffee. If I wanted, it would only take a minute or so to have another fresh cup.

The only down side that I see, is that I now need a shorter travel mug. When using the ground coffee attachment, the clearance is only about 7" and that's a lot shorter than the travel mugs I have now. That being said, I love the My Cafe MCU.

Would I recommend this? Absolutely, I recommend this to anyone who loves a GREAT cup of coffee!

UPDATE: Found this on Amazon: Contigo Autoseal Randolph Stainless Steel Travel Mug Vacuum Insulated, 16-Ounce and it works perfectly with the My Cafe MCU!

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I purchased this to replace my problematic Cuisinart Keurig brewer. Received the brewer today from Amazon. (ordered mid October before it was released) I followed the setup instructions and ran a few cycles before doing a side by side taste test with the Cuisinart. I brewed two 10oz cups, one with the Cuisinart and one with the Bunn, using the same variety of K-cup (Green Mountain Dark Magic) For the first test, I used the regular brew on the Bunn, not the pulse brew. The coffee from the Bunn was hotter after brewing than the Cuisinart, it was also more aromatic, and had a fuller flavor with no bitterness. The Cuisinart brew was a bit flat in flavor compared to the Bunn, and had just a touch of bitterness. I haven't tried the other trays for pods/tea bags or ground coffee/loose tea yet, but so far, it definitely makes a better cuppa joe than the Cuisinart.

Pulse brew produces a richer cup with still no hint of bitterness. I like the fact that on pulse or regular, it does a pre-burst to wet the grounds. It will also make anywhere from 4-14 oz of coffee. My Keuring would only go up to 12 oz, although there is probably not enough coffee in your typical K-cup to brew a 14oz cup, the option to use the ground coffee tray to hold up to 20 grams of ground coffee will greatly increase my options.

Now I can finally get rid of the partially dismantled Cuisinart I have been using. I have taken that thing apart so many times to fix it, it was becoming a pain, so I would just leave it partially dismantled so I could directly rap on the valves when it started acting up again.

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Just picked this up two weeks ago and I love it. Have had four single cup coffee makers in the past: two Keurigs, one Hamilton Beach, and one Tassimo. This one is the best by far. The Tassimo was good but the coffee pods were very limited in terms of brands. The Hamilton Beach made very weak coffee. The two Keurigs were absolutely horrible. Neither made it more than a year due to pump failure. So far the Bunn MCU has been the best ever. It gives you complete control over the brewing process, from the type of coffee and tea to the amount of water you use. Pods, loose tea, tea bags, K-cups or ground coffee can be brewed in the unit. The amount of ground coffee can be determined by the user and coffee grounds are easily removed from the container by tapping the side of the container cup before emptying it out. Very easy to fill the coffee container as the top will stay open while you scoop the coffee in. Design of the machine is centered on giving the user total control over the brewing process. As long as the pump lasts it will be a big winner.

Just an update: coffee maker started to short cup my drinks. I use 8 ounces per cup and it was only brewing about 5 or 6 ounces. Water would then spill out of the coffee drawer when I removed it. Thought it was a pump issue like with the Keurigs. Called Bunn customer service. They were very professional and courteous. They diagnosed the problem as a dirty valve and sent me a link to a video showing how to clean it. After doing so machine works perfectly again. Keeping my rating at 5 stars for the machine and an additional 5 stars for the customer service. If you need the video link go to youtube and search for a video with this title: MCP Check Valve Cleaning

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Yes this one, unlike my Keurig, makes a great single cup of coffee using my own ground coffee. Sludge is minimal compared to a french press or a "My K-cup". The best cup is delivered using the "pulse" feature.

I had to buy mine at the Lowes in Dalton, Georgia because Amazon did not have it in stock at the time. I've used every "drawer" so far except the one used for water.

I didn't like the first couple of pods that I tried (the machine came with a package of free pods). Never had a pod machine, but I wasn't digging the ones it came with. Do pods always taste like this or did they include only the cheap, gross ones?

I've used the K-Cup drawer and the ground coffee drawer several times and have loved every cup. K-cups taste really good using this machine. I use the pulse feature constantly now since it makes such a great tasting cup of coffee.

I suppose that my biggest shock is how great a single cup can be using my own ground coffee. I tried this so many times with the Keurig. I tried several grind levels, several brands of coffee YUCK! But with this machine, it is awesome. I can almost see myself drifting away from my k-cup addiction! Although, coffee is my guilty pleasure, so I will happily purchase items that produce a great cup of coffee, and k-cups are da bomb.

For ground coffee I will say that I use small, disc shaped filters that are designed for a coffee-press that I use, but they fit wonderfully in the ground coffee drawer. I do this to reduce any sludge I can possibly avoid; however, compared to other machines, this one produces the least amount of sludge I've seen so far even without the little filter I have on hand. Not to mention, unfiltered coffee raises cholesterol. Did you know that? It's true.

HEATING TIME: I thought I would miss having the big tank of water constantly filled up on my Keurig so that I could have a delicious cup of coffe whenever I wanted it. I am not missing it. The internal tank keeps the water really hot, and even after you've just made a cup, it is ready to make a second cup almost right away. Not sure how this is possible. How does it heat water that fast? It's magic! How big is the internal tank? I have an idea I had to prime it (important for the initial setup) twice before I could get things going. So the internal tank must be at least 14 ounces plus a bit more. Not quite twice that amount, but more than 14oz for sure.

My boyfriend said I should add a con, so here it is: It takes too many coffee grounds to make a single cup. Two scoops are recommended, so that is what I used, and I loved the taste. I can hardly stand the coffee he makes in his drip machine. It is just too weak (he is trying to save money but gets a yucky taste think the coffee-drinking scene in Pulp Fiction). Maybe if we self-ground our coffee to an espresso type ground we wouldn't have to use so much coffee to get the taste we desire. Who knows?

My own con, but not so bad: Whatever size coffee you want, you must pour that amount in for every cup. This is not a horrible thing. Not like I thought it would be. You pour the water in and boom! Your coffee gets brewed. This is not like the first edition Keurig that makes one cup at a time. No long waits for hot water. This one is instantaneous. Actually this is not a con at all, is it? I can make a 14 ounce cup of coffee!!! No Keurig can do that!!!!

I keep waiting for this machine to break down. It is almost too good to be true. We'll see! I was in this honeymoon phase forever with my Keurig, so maybe that is where I am now. I will update if it suddenly stops working and breaks my heart. I'll be upset and very honest and prepared to vent when it happens.

Sorry for the long review, but I'm really pleased so far and had to tell the world.

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Jura-Capresso 13214 Impressa Z5 Automatic Coffee Center

Yes, you'll flinch when you see the price tag! Right now this is the king of super automatics. My work hours are all over the place and many times there is just no time to devote to pulling the perfect espresso from a manual or semi machine. Add to that I drink cappuccino's or lattes 95% of the time. This machine was made for those who drink mostly cappuccino's or lattes and it couldn't be easier. Many long time aficionados on the coffeegeek.com forums will tell you that you cannot pull anything close to a "god shot" from a super automatic and they are correct. But what you get is pretty darn good especially if you love the taste of espresso but don't want to devote your life to making perfect shots every pull. The Z5 is the model of simplicity and produces consistent very good shots of espresso and excellent latte's & cappuccino's every time with little time. I had this machine programmed, up and going just 10 minutes out of the box. I am not an expert on pulling shots manually. Setting the knob to the hottest setting, strongest espresso and finest grind yielded a very tasty shot that was far better than any I have had at Starbuck's. I used Coffee Emergency espresso roast. The crema was good and the temperature excellent. I used a Capressa S9 a year ago and was not happy with the temperature of the shots coming out of the machine. They are much improved on the Z5. Back to cappuccino's... Fill the milk thermos with your choice of milk...set knob to cappuccino and hit the button. A gorgeous cappuccino was produced on the very first try. I didn't have to move the cup...it was all automatic! It took me ages to learn to make a decent cappuccino on same thing manually. Again...much better than at Starbuck's and any of the local coffee houses. The Z5 has a timer that can be set to turn the machine on and off when you want it to. Settings for water level, brewing time, amount of heated milk and foam, can all be pre set or adjusted with a knob live as your beverage is being made. The unit is whisper silent even when grinding beans. It is a well built piece of equipment that is UL approved for both residential and commercial use. I couldn't be happier with it. Should you get this machine? Bottom line is that if you want to make espresso's as a hobby and are going for that ultimate "god shot" every time don't even think about this machine. If you are a working professional who just wants a great cappuccino, latte and espresso with absolute minimum fuss that will beat Starbuck's and your local coffee shop.... think about buying this machine.

I have just replaced my Gaggia Titanium which after 3 months decided to break down. I decided rather than replace with the same machine to go with the much-praised Jura machines. The Z5 particularly appealed with it's unique One-Touch Cappucino function, which avoids the clumsy looking "automatic frothing attachments" found on so many machines.

The machine was easy to set up, and has almost the same footprint as the Titanium, so doesn't take up too much space. It comes with a classy looking thermal milk container (1 litre) which keeps milk at the ready and chilled for up to 8 hours. The front of the machine is brushed aluminium (not plastic as in many of the Jura machines) which is far easier to keep clean than the Titanium's brushed stainless steel (fingerprints!).

The display prompts are clear (product names such as "1 espresso" can be changed should you so desire I personally can't see the point of this, since the name isn't displayed until you press the key to dispense the drink.

The temperature (also adjustable) of the coffee, hot water and also the milk is fantastic I have mine set on the "normal" setting and it is very hot much more so than the Titanium and many other machines which even set to "Highest" still could be hotter.

The crema was good, and the taste great. The brew group is non-removable and self-cleaning (you are prompted when to run a rinse cycle or pop a cleaning tablet in).

You can program the quantity, temperature and strength of all drinks, and choose to override these on-the-fly should you wish, which is very handy.

The water container is larger than the Titanium and most other domestic machines and you can use Claris water filter cartridges, or alternatively opt to use descaling tablets every so often (again, you are prompted when to do this).

The dump box, and drip tray are suitably large so as to not have to be emptied too frequently (every 20 cups).

I only have 2 grumbles with this machine. One is that central coffee spout (which illuminates the cups during dispensing of coffee) does not adjust high enough for large mugs. The silly thing is that you can also dispense coffee from the cappuccino spout which offers 2 interchangeable spouts one for small cups and one for tall mugs. Why they couldn't make the central coffee spout raise to the same height is a shame, but not the end of the world. My second gripe is that the consumables ie. filters / descaling tablets / cappuccino cleaner / machine cleaning tablets are way over-priced. And since you have to use Jura-brand ones to keep within warranty conditions, you don't have much option but to pay these high prices.

Overall though, if you have the money, then go for it this machine is fantastic, looks great, and is the quietest fully automatic by far this doesn't wake up the whole house when you make a coffee!

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After returning both a Saeco Primea Touch Plus (it gave me an error message after less than 2 months, at which time I was told to return the machine to the manufacturer for repair), and the new DeLonghi Gran Dama, which has a serious problem with the milk carafe (it doesn't fit properly on the machine I had this problem with not one, but two machines), I think I've finally found the answer. I was always dissatisfied with the milk temperature (I use a lot of milk in my lattes), but now with this machine the milk is very hot, as is the espresso no need to microwave, as with some of the other super-automatics.

Set up was fairly fast (I wasn't as fast as one of the reviewers at 10 minutes, but had it pretty well figured out in less than an hour), the first few test drinks are excellent. I read somewhere that you couldn't store the thermal carafe in the refrigerator, but I think this is a fallacy. The Capresso DVD, as well as the instructions, say that you can, and I can't think of any reason that you can't.

If you want to make the coffee directly in a large (16 oz.) paper cup, you can do so with the left spouts another reviewer points out that the center spouts don't raise high enough to accomodate a very large cup, which is true, but with all of the customization features, you can program the machine to dispense the coffee from the left spout, which is tall enough.

After having terrible, rude, largely non-responsive customer service from Saeco, I asked was happy to hear from a number of sources that Jura Capresso has excellent customer service. I haven't had to test it yet, but from everything I heard, I'm hopeful that it'll be good.

Pros:

Great tasting espresso, cappucino and latte

Fairly easy to master

Great looking, titanium-faced, as opposed to the metal-clad plastic featured on many other expensive super automatics

Cons:

It's definitely expensive, but still seems in line with other similar machines, and it's better designed

Lastly, I would recommend the Z5 versus the Z6, unless you are totally sold on a chrome face the machine does splash a bit, as one would expect, and the matte finish on the Z5 seems much more practical and forgiving of fingerprints, splashes, etc.

UPDATE AS OF SEPTEMBER 5, 2008

I've now had the machine for over a year and wanted to update the review with some customer service feedback. It still works flawlessly (knock wood), but after recently moving, realized I had lost the coffee scoop. I called Capresso customer service, and they immediately sent me a new one at no charge. A small thing, certainly, but a great indicator of the respect with which they treat their customers. If you're in the market for a machine like this, I give this one the highest marks.

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First there is no doubt that this is a very expensive purchase, but if you have two Starbucks drinkers in the house it's worth consideration. After I determined that the ROI (given our SBUX frequency) on this machine was 3 years, we purchased our first machine (The Capresso 3000) about 4 years ago. It was love at first drink. We went from stopping for coffee every morning on the way to the office, to making it at home with some great to-go cups we purchased at Costco. When the C3000 finally broke, we boxed up the machine and took it right back to Williams Sonoma (sorry Amazon) and they happily took it back and upgraded us to the Z5 for the difference between what we paid for the first unit and the price of the new Z5 (about $350).

We love the Z5 !! My husband is a "straight" coffee guy, but I am a late girl who loves the how easy it is to hook up the milk container and make my late with the push of a button. I also purchased Starbuck vanilla syrup so I can make my own Vanilla Late's at home.

If you have the disposable income to consider this, it is a great machine. After reading the customer service stories in previous reviews, I would consider buying from Williams Sonoma who offers a lifetime guarantee on anything purchased through them. When my $2,699 Capresso failed after 4 years, they took it back without question and upgraded me to the Z5. Through the entire process they just thanked me for my business. I am a customer for life and can't say enough about how much we love this coffee machine !!

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Having had an amazing cup of coffee at a neighbors house (made by a Z5), I was sold. Two weeks later, our Starbucks solution had arrived. As mentioned by other reviewers, the coffee, lattes, caps, etc... were excellent and the machine performed as advertised. In fact, we had regular visits by our neighbors, just for the coffee.

But please be warned that these machines do not last and will require major repairs after the warranty has lapsed. Both my machine and that of my neighbors have stopped working, displaying "error 8" and refusing to do anything other than take up space on the kitchen counter. I realize that things aren't made like they used to be, but for $3,000+ I expect a heck of a lot more than one year's worth of light use. While lacking some of the features of the Z5, there are plenty of "super automatics" that are far more reliable and much cheaper. Don't bother with this machine.

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ESPRESSO MKR 6CUP SS

I've had it for a few weeks and it works great so far! No complaints at all. I had a hard time finding a stainless steel pot for a reasonable price, but this has proved to be a great choice.

Wanted a stovetop model because the electric ones kept dying. Tis is stainless steel, which I wanted, and has worked great. Recommend it.

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DeLonghi EC5 Steam-Driven 4-Cup Espresso and Cappuccino Maker, Black

I'm surprised at some of the negative reviews of this product. Perhaps the reviewers ended up with the occasional lemons. I've purchased two of these...one I bought for myself, and the other as a gift, and they've worked beautifully. The milk steamer is very effective (but as noted, the wand is a bit short, which would be my only complaint). It would be nice to have a separate bypass switch between brewing and steaming modes, but the lack of one is common in machines in this price range. Overall I'm very happy with mine and have had no problems at all. At the current price, I'd highly recommend purchasing one. If you want more features and better construction, then spend another $100 or more for a steam pump model, but for fast and easy coffee drinks from a functional, affordable machine, this is hard to beat.

January 2010 update: It's been over four years since purchasing two of these coffee makers, and both are still going strong. The one I purchased for myself is used almost daily, and still works perfectly.

This Espresso machine is great for people who love good espresso but can't afford fancy machines. In fact, I think I like this machine better than the fancy machine my mom has. It's super easy to use and quickI make a latte every morning before work. And in fact you CAN froth milk with the wandit takes a little finagling but the trick is to rotate the mug around the wand. It may take a couple of tries to get a routine down but by the third time you'll get the hang of it. And may I suggestif you're making lattes, make only one at a time to get good foam. Enjoy!

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I am far from a connoisseur of coffee, but I really like this machine. Unlike the Krupps that is similar priced (FND111 Allegro), it is make much more sturdy. I played with both in a feature to feature comparison and the DeLonghi is MUCH better made.

Best : Quality, quick espresso. Easy to clean, easy to use. Very attractive in the kitchen. Pretty darn quick. Great price for the quality.

OK : Frother is very short, so you need a short, stout cup to froth with. It is good for Cappuccino, but not really powerful enough for steaming a Latte's worth of milk. To get some extra steam, run it through an extra cycle just for steam.

Bad : Not really any for the price.

Overall, I am very, very pleased. I got it for only $39.99 here on Amazon and I think that is one heck of a good deal.

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All the reviews I read before I purchased this item said that the coffee maker was purchased to make lattes. Several reviews mentioned the steaming wand being difficult to use, but that they managed in the long run. Well, I feel that the wand is impossible to use as there is no way to chose between the espresso selection and the steaming selection. If you follow the instruction regarding the coffee and the water portions, you have great espresso, but if you want to steam milk, you need to put in more water, but since there is no way to select steam, you have to try and steam the milk while the espresso is brewing and you end up having watered down espresso or steam milk that is not hot enough. I have resorted to just heating my milk up in the microwave and have more of an espresso with hot milk as opposed to a latte. If you want to make lattes, I recommend looking for another espresso maker.

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After working at Starbucks and getting free espresso drinks for 4 years, I needed an espresso machine to support my habit. This one was the most affordable with the best reviews, and so we went with it. I am so impressed! First of all, don't follow the directions on steaming the milk, instead of moving the pitcher up and down just keep the tip of the steam wand right below the surface of the milk. It should just barely look like the surface is stirring. If you have too many bubbles pull the wand out slightly at an angle. That will make foam instead of bubbles. The quality of the espresso shot isn't the best, so if you drink straight espresso I wouldn't recommend this. But for lattes, cappuccinos, or flavored americanos, it's so worth it. The money we're saving is great. (Even for a pro barista like me it took a few tries to get it right to make two at a time, so don't get discouraged at first!)

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Urnex Full Circle Biodegradable Single Cup Brewer Cleaning and Descaling Liquid

I use this cleaner for my Verismo single cup coffee maker. I think that it really did a good job cleaning it. I did have to rinse more times than the instructions recommended. The ease of use is one of the reasons I chose this cleaner. Would recommend for others with single cup coffee makers.

Our family uses our poor little Keurig like it is a commercial product... Between my husband and I, we must make 5 cups a day7 days a week. That's a lot of coffee going through that little guy but I was shocked to see that this product worked so well. It was basically a quick and easy two step processat the end of which you have a cup of coffee that actually tastes better than the same coffee you had before you cleaned. Seriously.

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I have to admit I have had my Keurig for about 4 years and clean it maybe once a year...not because I like dirty coffee machines, but because the vinegar odor makes me a little ill and the process is laborious. I recently found out about the Full Circle cleaning liquid and was very excited to try it out it out because it 'claimed' to be odorless. To my delight not only was it odorless, it was VERY fast and easy to use (a few simple steps described simply on the bottle.) Exactly what someone like me, a busy Mom trying to get four kids out the door early in the morning, needs. My coffee has never tasted better!! I did have to rinse the liquid out a few more times than the directions suggest, but I have heard the directions have been revised. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone that has a Keurig, likes good coffee and cares about the environment. I will certainly be using this product for many years.

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My Kuerig Platinum B70 brewer refused to pump water again despite using only filtered water in it and not using it more than 1-2 times per week. The first time, Costco replaced it for me and I didn't want to have to take a second unit back. My son saw that this product is HIGHLY recommended by Starbucks and who wouldn't think Starbucks would know about coffee stuff, right?!

This product purports to be biodegradable and odorless -it might be biodegradable but I could certainly smell an odor -it was a low-level chemical-type odor. Maybe I just have a sensitive snout... I followed the instructions precisely and the water did start pumping a little more but that could also have been due to my following the Kuerrig on-line maintenance videos as well as some YouTube videos to try to deep clean the machine that same morning.

The brewer was still running slow so it took me almost 75 minutes to run through enough cycles to get rid of the chemical odor. Then the machine stopped pumping water again entirely. BTW, the product indicates that you have to do about 3 cycles to fully remove the product/odor from the brewer -just wasn't my experience.

Maybe this product would work if you started using it on a maintenance basis instead of trying to fix a problem that already exists. Just not sure....

Note for Kuerig users: when my brewer stopped again after having been cleaned, I called Kuerig customer service to find out what else I could do. We went through my purchase history and then she asked what steps I had taken to try to fix the problem myself. Everything was fine until I got to the part where I used a cleaner (didn't identify this specific one) that morning and it hadn't fixed the problem either. She said, "you know, when you use anything but white vinegar and water to clean our brewers you VOID THE WARRANTY!" She still honored the warranty for me because (I think) this was the 2nd one to have a problem AND I was able to detail all the work I had done PRIOR to using the cleaner without having any success.

So my advice is this -if you have a Kuerig, start early on a maintenance program -before you have problems -using white vinegar as directed in the manuals. If you DO use a cleaner and you call customer service, if you tell them you used any other cleaner, be prepared to be turned away without getting a replacement brewer should it truly fail, even during the 1 year warranty period.

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I have to admit, I was pre-disposed to love this product. I was given the opportunity to test it as long as I promised to write a review here. My Keurig desperately needed descaling so I thought this was going to be very win-win. Imagine my disappointment when things didn't go as well as I'd hoped. Here's why: The directions were so basic, they were actually confusing. So, before using the product, I called the number on the bottle and spoke to someone in customer service for clarification. I was told to go through 2 brewing cycles with the product, then dump the remainder, add a chamber of fresh water and brew one cycle. I did that but actually decided to brew the fresh water until the chamber needed a refill (I wanted to be on the safe side). After that, I again rinsed the chamber and added fresh water. This time I put in a K cup and brewed my coffee. The good news is that the coffee brewed in the normal amount of time (which it hadn't been doing because I needed to descale). But the bad news is the coffee was a very weird color and made my milk curdle. So I dumped it out (1 wasted K Cup) and tried another. This time the coffee looked ok but when I tasted it, it tasted awful. I tried a second sip and had to dump this cup as well (2nd wasted K cup). I called the company back, got another rep who said, "well with some machines you need to brew through to rinse reservoirs". Now if the first person had told me that before I both wasted coffee and drank toxic residue, I'd probably be able to give the cleanser itself a few more stars...

UPDATE: THE COMPANY WANTS TO DO WELL BY ITS CUSTOMERS AND ADDRESSED THE PRODUCT INSTRUCTIONS SO THAT THEY ARE EASY-TO-FOLLOW/MORE USER-FRIENDLY. THE RESULT IS A MUCH IMPROVED EXPERIENCE; THE PRODUCT WORKED WELL ALL ALONG, NOW THE USER-INTERFACE IS EASY INSTEAD OF FRUSTRATING. THEREFORE, I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT. AND I APPLAUD THE COMPANY FOR ITS PRO-ACTIVE RESPONSE TO CUSTOMER FEEDBACK.

Espressione Luna Wall-Mount Pump Espresso Machine

I saw the Luna in England, and fell in love with it, but I didn't think I would be happy with coffee pods I'm truly a coffee snob. But I ordered the machine from Espressione here in the states, and installed it at the office. Fantastic! Lots of crema, very little time to warm up, fast and simple. The frothing/steaming arm has tons of power it takes seconds. As for the coffee, I've tried both the pods available through Espressione and the Italian Illy brand, both are great. The espresso is fresh, and I've found that I'm waiting to make my morning espresso until I can use the Luna at my office ignoring my home machine ( a very nice Swiss semi-commerical espresso machine). My only complaint is the lack of availability of organic, fair trade & shade grown coffee pods, but I'm trying to locate a European source (they are way ahead of the US in organics). The trade off is the pod no spilled coffee grounds equals no mess at the office!

As mentioned befor the unit looks great and works well, for a short time anyway. Bought in Feb 2008. First the leak was a few drops down the mounting plate from under the unit then steam pressure decreassed and then leak got worse. Must find service center. Should have listened to past reviews. Since it looks great and makes good espresso why has it been discontinued? Could it be design flaw???

Save your money invest in a reliable machine.

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Beautiful european design with brilliant space-saving implementation. How could I resist? I couldn't. I should have. The shots were always good until it started to leak hot water all down the wall and onto my countertop. The steam was always marginal, needing to pause several times during steaming to allow the boiler to recharge. Finally the leaking water and impotent steam forced me to send it in for repair. It has never been the same since. After several weeks it now leaks water worse than ever. The steam is slightly improved but nothing to get excited about. Looking back on the whole experience, I would have to say that the first year was pretty good and then it was down hill ever since. Many a man has been beguiled by beauty that in time fades to remorse and anguish. In the case of the Luna that time frame is about 1 year and the remorse and anguish are in the form of leaking hot water and lackluster froth.

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