Brandon Gresham
20 de mayo de 2009
LOVE THIS MACHINE (replaced my old Krups)
I have to say, I absolutely love this machine! This is a preliminary review since I just got it today -- I will try to remember to do a follow-up review in about a month concerning the issues that others have brought up that seem to mainly appear only over a few weeks of use (i.e.: clogging filters). For now, these are my first impressions after having pulled 3 shots with frothed milk.Up-front, this is not my first espresso machine; this one replaced my old, small, a little beat-up (but still functional!) Krups. It made a decent cup -- but the Breville puts my Krups to shame! I also tried another couple brands from some big-box outlets and took them all back, unsatisfied. So I am familiar with brewing espresso, even if I'm not a full-fledged barista. :)These comparisons are mainly made as opposed to my Krups.1) The warming plate gets noticeably hotter2) The crema extracted is noticeably thicker and richer looking2a) In order to achieve this result, I don't have to grind as finely nor tamp nearly as hard -- indeed, I haven't had to tamp with much pressure at all3) The crema extracted stays a LOT warmer for longer4) The shot is noticeably less bitter (ie: not bitter at all)5) The frothed milk is absolutely better. My Krups required 2-3 frothing cycles per batch in order to get anything close to acceptable. This machine accomplishes MUCH BETTER... and in only 1 frothing cycle6) The drip tray is WONDERFUL... 2 holes for the grouphead to drip it's excess into without dirtying the tray-top and an overflow indicator to warn you before you create a mess7) With the exception of the measuring spoon/tamper, all of the other accessories were AWESOME. I love the double-walled espresso cups (2 included), and though I probably won't use the matching saucers, they are nice too. The included cleaning tool is SUPERB as it contains (all in one piece) the right sized tool to clean the froth-hole, a smaller tool to clean the pores of the filter-baskets should they become clogged, and a wrench to remove the frother-tip for periodic cleaning. The included spoon/tamper is "OK" -- it's certainly more durable than my Krups one, but it's still just plastic... I would have liked a nice stainless one to match the machine.8) The water reservoir is a bit larger... and easier to read the fill-level (still not ideal, though, it really should have had a small LED light shining out from inside... but it can be read with a little care... my Krups one pretty much I couldn't ever see the water-level.This machine is easy to use, easy to clean, and consists overall of less work than my Krups. It's obvious from just a few uses that when it comes time to give it a thorough cleaning (I usually do that about once/month) this one will be MUCH EASIER and the results will be superior.But in the end what matters most are the results: the product I produced from this machine tastes JUST AS GOOD (if not better) AS MY LOCAL BARISTA. I am *VERY* satisfied! :)All of that being said, let me emphasize that I am not comparing this to my old Krups as a way of suggesting that NEWER Krups's wouldn't also fare better; I'm sure they would. But my old Krups is what I have to compare this new machine to.Also, I am sure many of the complaints of other reviewers are probably somewhat valid; however, it should be remembered that this is NOT a $1000 machine... it's not going to do everything for you. You are still going to have to do much of the work, especially clean-up & maintenance. But you are going to get a FANTASTIC product if you are just willing to put forth a little effort... and all for a reasonable price!I am absolutely satisfied. I'll post my thoughts again in about a month.Ver másVer menos
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