 Great little machine |
| Review Date: December 31, 2004 |
| Reviewer: kidnugget, Bakersfield, CA USA |
I've been a coffee snob for several years have several brewing machines scattered throughout my kitchen. Since I got this machine xmas morning, all the others brewing systems have become obsolete.
It produces plenty of steam in a jiff, and the removable water tank is very handy (especially for use with my water filter). While I scoffed at the thought of using the ESE pre-packed espresso pods, it came with a tin of them, so I tried them out since all local coffee houses were closed (and I had no beans!). The ESEs make a pass-able cup of espresso--not the darkest roast, but the convenience of a pod is handy. I have some Major Dikason's blend from Peets which I made regular espresso and Americanos out of. Delicious, thick, creamy.
This machine is a steal at this price. I've had to get the hang of packing my grounds in the handle, however. If I pack too tightly, the cream only comes out as a trickle. I suppose that's the case with most home machines, however. Also, it has a built in tamper on the frame of the machine, and I consider that to be a bit of a mess and kind of sketchy. Go buy a tamper sperately.
This is a great little machine. For any price under $200 it's a steal. |
perfect first time / every time -- but not for long!
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| Review Date: October 20, 2005 |
| Reviewer: J. S. Radford, Woodside, CA USA |
(December 20, 2008) I've learned to live with it and it will work very well for a long time, apparently. Two things I have learned to do:
1 - time the drip once it starts flowing (16-20 seconds, then shut it off or turn to steam setting - this limits quantity to the desired 2 ounces)
2 - clean the water reservoir carefully every couple of months (this stops leaking onto the counter).
So ... now I feel I can control the machine so it works just fine all the time.
.........................
The next paragraphs are from my EARLY review. After 6 months, though, I found out that the machine is not reliable. Some valve or switch inside started to fail to shut off, causing the espresso-making function to continue twice as long as it should and even longer. This seriously diluted the expressed coffee (I overcome this now by removing my cup and catching the excess for disposal with a second cup). THEN, I discovered that the water reservoir valve leaked at times, resulting in leakage of water onto the counter. It doesn't leak all the time but every week or two I'll get a quarter or half cup of water leaking onto the kitchen counter. SO ... in all ... I'd say this machine is OK if one can adapt to the mentioned problems. Not a serious machine, really. But for an espresso machine under $200, maybe the best you can expect.
...............
The DeLonghi machine worked first time. It made the correct quantity and beautiful crema. Tastes right, too, though I'm not an expert and cannot say 100% sure it is something a veteran would embrace (tastes about like what you'd get at Starbucks, etc.).
BUT the machine, to me, looks nice and makes great looking espresso. DeLonghi has taken ALL the guesswork out of flawless espresso-making. I think the secret is in the portafilter, which has some parts I have I did not see on my first (junked) espresso machine.
After agonizing with my $200 Gaggia machine, attending to grind and tamp pressure and 2 booklets plus a CD of (nicely done but lengthy) directions, I never got a perfect espresso. Not once! I went through MANY different grinds brands of beans and on and on. I became so frustrated, I eventually "beat up" the poor thing.
So the DeLonghi came as a huge relief, espcially since I did not want to spend another $200+ on another experiment.
I see this is really the entry level machine for serious espresso (absolutely forget anything cheaper - they are toys at best - flimsy, non-espresso producers). Prices go on up to $1500 and more, I guess. But, from what I know of espresso, I simply cannot see how the result could be any better than what this machine puts out ... effortlessly.
Nice job, DeLonghi!!! |
Excellent coffee machine at a great price
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| Review Date: May 31, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Christine E. Nattrass, New Haven, CT United States |
I got this coffee machine to keep at my boyfriend's house so I could have cappuccino while at his house. I worked at a coffee shop in high school, so I pretty much know what I'm doing. At home I have an old Cappresso (roughly equivalent to the
Capresso 302.01 Mini-S 4-Cup Safety Espresso/Cappuccino Machine) that I'm quite fond of and that has lived through many college roommates.
You can basically divide espresso machines into a few groups by price:
1. Mostly manual, basic machines. Typically these make 1-2 cups of coffee at a time. Sometimes difficult to use, may not make great crema (the brown foam on top of a good up of espresso), and may not get temperatures quite right for milk foaming and espresso. $50-200
2. Automatic machines and more fancy manual machines, capable of making multiple cups of coffee at a time. Usually there's a trade-off between proper temperatures and a good milk frothing wand and automation. $500-1200
3. Restaurant quality machines. The perfect machine, capable of high volume and maintaining all temperatures and pressures properly. Often a little difficult to service. >$2000
This machine fits into the first category, but it has some features which make it better than the other machines in that category. This is a pump machine, and many have already commented on the benefits of pump machines in terms of flavor. But it also has benefits in terms of use.
1. Easy of use
This machine is not quite push-button, but it's close. Once you have coffee in the portafilter and water in the tank, you turn on the machine. There's a green light that tells you when it's ready to make coffee. Then you flip the knob to another setting to make coffee. You have to stop it when it has extracted enough water. (This is the one feature I would improve; I would prefer if it had a default setting so that I did not have to keep an eye on the machine to determine when it is done making coffee.) The directions in the manual actually make it sound more difficult to use than it is.
2. Can be used for entertaining
You can only make one espresso drink at a time, *but* you can refill the water tank before it's empty. With my old Capresso, since it is a boiler pot machine (water is heated until it's forced through the coffee), you have to wait until the water tank is empty or cooled down to refill the machine. With this machine, if you have ten friends over and wanted to make them coffee, you could just refill the water tank when it gets low. It's not as automated as some of the fancier machines, but realistically, it still would make coffee about as fast as the more expensive machines.
3. Excellent milk frothing wand
The milk frothing wand is plastic and I'm not too fond of that, but the wand is exceptionally easy to use. When I was working at the coffee shop, this was one of the hardest skills to learn and to teach others. With most wands you have to tilt the milk container just right and hold it at just the right height to get the milk to froth properly and it's difficult to learn how to get sufficient foam. This milk frothing wand made coffee as good as I can do with my Capresso, but much easier. This is actually important because a lot of the cheaper machines and even many of the expensive ones have really lousy milk frothing wands that just don't work, even when you know what you're doing.
4. Good coffee
This machine seems to keep the temperatures right and makes very good coffee. This is in contrast to some of the cheaper machines, which often scald the coffee and/or milk. It's better than the more expensive machine (Gaggia 9306 Syncrony Compact Super-Automatic Espresso Machine, Silver) that we have at work.
The one thing I'm not certain of is durability, since this machine is less than a week old. The body and a lot of parts are plastic. I don't worry about using it now that I'm a little more stationary and don't have roommates to destroy my property, but I still might prefer the Capresso if I were still living the undergraduate life.
So if you're looking for a household espresso machine and you don't want to spend more than $500 (and in many cases even if you're willing to) this is an excellent choice. |
The one to buy!!!
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| Review Date: September 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: G. L. Munn, Chesapeake, VA USA |
Like many of you, I pored over the Amazon customer reviews of many espresso makers before making my purchase. I was replacing a cheap Mr. Coffee device that was a lemon. I have been making espresso and cappuccino for many years using the department store-grade articles that come with a four (espresso)-cup carafe and controls consisting of an on-off switch and a steam valve and I was very satisfied with the flavor of the product. However, I was never able to reproduce the lovely crema of the espresso I enjoyed in Italy or of our better baristas in the U.S. but that was just an aesthetic compromise. Other customers' comments encouraged me to consider a pump-driven espresso maker, so I took a chance with this one: it seemed to be in the middle of the price range and most customers were pleased with the results they got, although some unhappy folks obviously bought defective devices and were dissatisfied with DeLonghi's customer service. For me, so far, so good and I am delighted with the results. Although making espresso with the DeLonghi requires a bit more attention than the less expensive basic models I'd grown used to, it is a minor compromise. This machine makes superb and beautiful espresso. Because the water is drawn from a 35-oz. reservoir, you cannot just wait until all the water you've poured into the machine runs through (like you can with the machines that hold only a cup of water in their reservoir) but you have to stand by to shut off the water flowing through the grounds when you've made enough. Therefore, you can make your espresso as strong or as weak (that defies logic!) as you prefer. Don't worry; your "wait" will amount to less than a minute.
The controls are simple, yet efficient. The silver knob on the front has four positions, left to right: preheating water for steam - off - preheating water for coffee - water flowing through the coffee. A red light indicates that the heating element is energized. A green light indicates that the water has reached its desired temperature for steaming or coffee, depending on the mode you've selected. The valve/knob on the top of the machine regulates the flow of steam through the nozzle to froth your milk.
The milk frothing nozzle is superior to any I have ever used. The frothing starts almost immediately and is a very efficient process. When the milk is frothed, click the control knob over two positions and you will probably find that the water temperature is ready to make coffee immediately. Less than a minute later, you're done.
The DeLonghi does not come with a milk frothing pitcher. It does have an attached grounds-tamper which is a convenient perk. My only complaint is that when making espresso, a few drops of water tend to drip out of the milk frothing nozzle, as if there is minor leak-by the valve. Also, before frothing milk, I drain the steam line into a separate cup to purge a teaspoon to a tablespoon of water from the line before the steam is expressed.
I am delighted with this DeLonghi Espresso Maker and recommend it highly. |
Wonderful machine
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| Review Date: April 11, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Jennifer, Michigan, USA |
I recently purchased the DeLonghi BAR32 Retro Pump-Driven espresso maker, which was previously owned. The machine is relatively small, it does not take up any more space than a standard coffee maker, and it heats quickly. I am able to heat water warm enough to warm my coffee mug before pulling a shot within about two minutes of turning it on. I have not had any training as a barista, and have never used an espresso machine before. I found the instruction booklet provided with the maker to be lack luster, but instructive enough in the basics of operating the machine. I found more details though simple internet searches, as well as by asking a few coffee enthusiast friends.
Pulling a single shot of espresso is quick and simple. I have found that if I ask for my coffee shop to grind the beans just under the typical setting for espresso (slightly more coarse) the flow is steady, and produces a wonderful crema. As far as pulling a double shot, I have not had any trouble. I use about one full scoop and one scoop slightly less than full, loosely packed, and then I tamp it just enough to level the beans in the filter. (Which is very lightly) I believe I timed the single shot around 25 seconds, and the double around 30-35 seconds. I watch the shot more than the time. When the color turns from dark brown to caramel, it usually only takes a few more seconds to lighten from caramel to an ivory/whitish color. That's when I turn it off. I let the cup sit a moment or two to insure no drips (even with the drip tray, I don't like messes...) then I remove the mug and turn the dial to steam. It takes a minute or two to get hot enough to steam. I've read that a good crema will hold a teaspoon of sugar, and the crema provided by the BAR32 does just this.
Steaming milk took some practice. I suggest investing in a frothing pitcher. Being able to place the vessel, (ideally the pitcher) into the freezer to chill before adding the milk seems to help. I've used whole milk and skim, and skim seems to froth better. The frothing wand is tricky, but I've found that placing the head of the wand in the middle of the pitcher with the pitcher level to start gets the microfoam growing (starts to stretch the milk) and keeping the wand just under the surface of the milk (so you hear a kind of "sipping" noise) stretches the milk sufficiently. If the bubbles get too large, tilt the pitcher so the milk swirls into itself like a whirlpool and then stretch it until the pitcher is almost too hot to hold. I did not find it necessary to use a thermometer. Once you're done, let it rest a few seconds before pouring into the espresso. I've also added any syrup flavorings to the milk prior to frothing.
All in all, I've found this maker to be easy to use, easy to clean up, and that it makes a great espresso/cappuccino/latte. The only issue I've had is the steaming wand starts to swing back towards the right after pushing it to the left to steam milk. I did burn myself the first time I used it because I didn't notice it swinging back.
I have read that the machine should be descaled, but only every "300 uses" which for me would be about once a year. I won't have to try this until about next March.
I would definitely recommend this product. |
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