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The coffee is great, and this machine makes all the difference in the world. Bad decision. We went to Europe last year and I tasted expresso for the 1st time. I intended to get a good machine after that but procrastinated.
In reading other reviews, everything they say is accurate. I am looking for a single-cup coffee brewer, probably the Breville. I got this machine as a Christmas present in December 07 and after using it for over a 1 1/2 years, there are some valid statements in the current reviews. The majority of it is plastic, except for the arm, drip grill, and drip dispenser. Ultimately, in asking the question 'Would you buy it again', the answer is no. The instructions say that a max of 2 cups (using the provided measuring spoon) should be used. This can get messy and it took a couple of times for me to figure it out.
Until the power button went out, I had to heat up the coffee in my microwave for 30 secs daily. The frother wasn't worth a darn and I ended up warming up my milk via my microwave.
When I first got it home, I was excited to try and it and have to say it took me a couple of times to figure out the loading of the espresso. Having the disgard bin is nice and makes it easy for a quick cup of Crema Coffee in the morning if espresso is not your thing.
On first opening of the box, I was disappointed in the cheap design of it. It is easy to maintain, it does need to be cleaned, but I had it for 1 1/2 years and cleaned it once a week, if not every two weeks.
Breville BKC600XL Gourmet Single-Cup Coffee Brewer For $300, I thought it would be designed better.
What they didn't say is that you have to make sure the arm 'locks' in place to disperse the espresso correctly instead of it draining into the grounds disgard bin and then overflows into the drip drain.
It arrived in 1 1/2 days. Coffee Expresso/ Cappuccino maker and it did not make a good froth. I have the mechanical ability of a gerbil and when I saw the words "must prime the pump" as well as other mysterious manuvers, I feared I would need to return to Rome for my cappuccino (Starbucks with their huge servings just doesn't cut it for me plus it's just not as good), or would need to spend upward of $1000 and more to purchase an automatic machine. Then I began doing some research on Amazon into other machines.
I got "into" tea in my teens and 40 years later I am a novice to the world of coffee. I made my first cup this morning and I had flashbacks of having my morning cappucchino at the cafe's under the old apartment buildings of Rome with their cascades of ivy tumbling from flower boxes. Then I read the reviews on the Capresso and was pleased at the price, ease of use and the kudos for the rich, thick froth, and I decided to purchase one. I got attached to the creamy beverage cappuccino while in Italy recently and decided to purchase a machine.
I almost bought a manual machine until the reviews indicated that a degree of mechanical skill was needed to operate the device. The I bought a Mr. I could have created better froth by placing a straw into the pitcher and blowing bubbles into the milk.
No more tamping, and super easy cleanup. I was hooked on lattes from Caribou, but the ones I make at home taste even better - at a very small fraction of the price.
I bought it several months ago, and it has already more than paid for itself. You get a very smooth, rich espresso flavor, and you can enjoy your coffee anytime - even when you're too tired to go out and get a latte.
Buying this machine was one of the nicest things I've ever done for myself. You do have to clean the steam spout after each use so that it doesn't get clogged or stuck on the machine, which only takes a minute.
Go ahead and get it - you'll only be sorry that you didn't do it sooner. It took a while to get the hang of using it - which way to crank the knob, which lever to use, etc., but the design is really ingenious.
I take it apart and clean it really well about once a week; in between I simply rinse out the drip tray and the container that holds the used grounds when the red light indicates it needs to be emptied.
Needless to say I try not to overfill with coffee. Don't put anything in the coffee loading area & push the plunger down & then brew, I have had to do this to get it brewing the right way. But I do like it very much & am glad I got it, maybe mine is just super sensitive. I like the expresso & the steamer used for heating the milk, they work great, but if you put just a little too much coffee in, the machine will brew it to the discard bin & the tray. It has done this several times & sometimes I have had to do what you do when it is first used.
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