After a long affair with a gaggia machine bought for me about 5 years ago and all of the hassle that went with it, I tried a number of other options, in search of that shop bought coffee experience at home.
I wouldn't call myself a coffee afficionado, a decaf addict is more like it - however, having tried a number of machines to no avail, I bit the bullet and bought the Magimix M200C with auto frother device.
If you are looking for a machine that is easy to use, produces consistent results time after time, is a breeze to clean and gives you that perfect taste ala barista in coffee chain, then this machine is for you. I've had about 4 other brand machines in search of my perfect brew. None of them come anywhere close to this machine. In terms of price, yes, there are cheaper machines on the market, but you get what you pay for.
One thing that makes this machine special is the Nespressocoffee pods this machine and other Nespresso machines use. They are hermetically sealed foil pods, so the coffee cannot go stale, there is no freezing of beans or trying desparately to keep coffee fresh once opened. The pods are available online which might put some people off, however, at just 23p per cup and small delivery charge, I think this is a fab way of purchasing coffee. It comes through the post a few days later, and saves the hassle of shopping and forgetting to buy coffee.
The machine is dead easy to use. You switch on, open the jaw and pop in the pod, close the jaw and place the cup underneath and pull the lever forward. The rich aroma fills the air, and the luscious dark liquid pours from a little spout. Spent pods are shot down a little shoot into a little bin located under the drip tray for emptying later - a little alarm sounds to remind you to empty the bin - nifty!
The machine's pressure is rated at 19 bar. Most domestic coffee machines are rated at between 9- 12 bar. This is the pressure at which the water is forced through the coffee and also the pressure of the water in the boiler for frothing/steaming milk (I really must get out more!).
For Cappucino afficionado's out there the Magimix M200 C machine comes with a nifty frothing device (again I've had numerous 'so called' frothing devices over the years, and again this one beats them all). A genius piece of engineering means that a little rubber tube goes into your milk bottle and then a selector dial selects between latte and cappucino. Put your cup under the spout, switch over to frothing mode, and 30 seconds later, perfectly frothed and steamed milk comes out of the nozzle.
Again this is really easy and produces the same kind of dense milk you only get from professsionals - there's no swirling of jugs and dipping in and out of spouts etc, no technique at all - and washing up is easy too - just replace the milk with some plain water and flush through the system a few times - even I can do this at the crack of dawn!
When you get the machine, you get an introduction pack with a selection of all the blends available, an espresso cup and saucer and a larger cup and saucer. This comes with a handy file for keeping bits of paper in - it's all a bit 'lifestyle' for my liking, but nice to get the free gift. I understand that Nespresso have a cash back offer on at the moment - until sometime in 2007 where you can get £40 cash back on a machine purchased - I took advantage of this, and bought the more expensive machine from John Lewis for the price of the basic model. Just one thing though, there was no paperwork in my pack for the cashback offer, I had to download a form from Nespresso.com and do it that way. There are lots of accessories and the Nespresso website is easy to use for ordering extra capsules.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
* Stainless Steel botton tray * Removable water tank * Pull/push water pressure lever ... more
* Head lift coffee capsule holder * Used capsule removable container * Includes a selection of coffee capsules and 2 cups and saucers * Cappuccino venturi...
Postage & Packaging: £ 0.00 Availability: In Stock
Black and silver, or chrome body You can now make the finest espresso, cappuccino or café ... more
latte you’ve ever tasted ... in no time. Stainless Steel botton tray Removable water tank Pull/push water pressure lever Head lift coffee capsule holder Features ...
Postage & Packaging: 0.00 GBP Availability: In Stock
very helpful by (33%):
helpful by (67%):
