Krups F 897 > Reviews > ignore the picture - this is a gorgeous machine

Author's product rating:   

Performance	Excellent
Ease of use	Very easy
Durability	Everlasting
Cleaning & Maintenance	Easy
Value for money	Good

Advantages:	perfect coffee, simple automated operation
Disadvantages:	expensive

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

If you enjoy really good coffee and have money to spend on an outstanding machine, look no further.

I was in Selfridges looking at coffee machines when a Nespresso rep beamed at me and asked if I’d like to try a Cappuccino … doh! I’d heard of Nespresso coffee but didn’t know much about it and had never seen one of the machines being operated so I was fascinated to be able to observe the whole process. A few simple questions enabled the rep to select from the range of 8 types of coffee she had to offer and within a few minutes she handed me a delicious cup of coffee. Despite the awesome £299.00 price tag (about twice what I was intending to pay for a machine) I bought this one and for 3 reasons: 1) I liked the taste of the coffee, 2) there are no messy coffee grounds to dispose of and 3) it was so easy to operate.

When I got it home I couldn’t wait to try it out for myself but first I had to unpack the accessories - a set of 3 espresso cups and saucers, a single cappuccino cup and saucer (yes only one, that was a bit disappointing) and the box of sample coffees, 10 of each of 4 varieties, the hexagonal key (for dismantling and cleaning once every 6 months or so), the cleaning needle and the welcome pack.

I finally got the machine out and my oh my it is a lovely looking thing (not at all like the product shot on this page which is a different machine altogether); sleek and shiny with lots of silver and chrome. There’s a removable water tank which slots into place at the back out of sight once you’ve filled it up, a hot (not very) plate on the top for warming your cups, a stainless steel holder for the coffee capsules (I’ll explain those in a bit), a drip tray with a grid at the bottom for placing your cup on as it fills with coffee, and to collect any mess, a stainless steel steam nozzle with frothing piece and a sort of hard rubbery rectangle at the front where the push button key pad style controls are located.

After I’d done all the initial prep (plugged it in, inserted the capsule holder, filled the water tank - which holds enough for about 25 espresso’s, run some water and steam through the machine and so on) I was ready to go. This is how you make your coffee:

~fill the water tank with fresh water and press it firmly into place
~switch the machine on - a red light will flash and green lights come on across all the controls, when the red light stops flashing it’s ready
~select your coffee (it comes in little hard foil totally sealed capsules holding the perfect amount of coffee for one espresso/cappuccino and they’re all colour coded to represent the flavour) and place it upside down in the capsule holder then slot the holder into place
~press the key with the picture of the big cup on it for a cappuccino (120mls of coffee) or the one with the small cup on it for an espresso (50 mls)
~watch the creamy coffee trickling into your cup and inhale that wonderful aroma
~unscrew the capsule holder and throw away the used capsule

If you’re making cappuccino you’ll need to froth some milk next:

~fit the rubber piece with the very thin steel tube onto the steam nozzle
~pour some cold milk (about 100 mls) into a cold small jug
~press the steam key on the control panel - the red on/off light will flash like it did before along with the green steam control key light, when the red light stops flashing the machine’s hot enough to froth your milk
~dip the steam nozzle into the milk and turn the steam control button to the on position and froth away turning the steam off when your froth is near the top of the jug
~add the frothy milk to your coffee (which has been on the warming plate), sprinkle on some chocolate shavings and ENJOY

You need to know where to get more coffee as the 40 capsules that come with the machine will not last long:

In your welcome pack you will find details of the Nespresso Club, log on at www.nespresso.com or free phone 0800 442442. There are 10 varieties of coffee ranging from rich and strong to mild and slightly fruity (I’ve tried them all and my favourite is Roma) and including 2 decaff. It’s certainly not cheap at 21p per capsule, in minimum quantities of 10 per flavour, but it really is the best I’ve ever tasted and I am very fussy about my coffee. I’ve always ordered my coffee on-line in large quantities (they're good for about 6 months) so I qualify for free delivery but you can post in an order form if you prefer.

This is so easy and makes perfect coffee every time, I’ve had my machine for over a year now with no problems whatsoever and when friends come round they not only enjoy the coffee they like to have a go at making their own.

You can read all about the coffees (including their history), find details about this and other machines, and where to buy them, on the Nespresso website.