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<> My Purchase : <>
The Morphy Richards 47003 CAFE RICO Espresso maker , at a cost of just £39.95 .
<> The reasons for the purchase : <>
1) The looks
Heart shaped , black with the odd bit of silver finish ( top of unit and control switches ) .This really looks cool and will ... Read review
Advantages: Adjustable coffee strength , milk frother Disadvantages: Milk jug
...<>
The Morphy Richards 47003 CAFE RICO Espresso maker , at a cost of just £39.95 .
<> The reasons for the purchase : <>
1) The looks
Heart shaped , black with the odd bit of silver finish ( top of unit and control switches ) .This really looks cool and will fit into most surroundings .
Maximum dimentions are 30cm - this applies to height , depth and width .
... ...litres ( <= 1 pint ) , which allows for six cups of espresso , or four decent size cups of cappuccino .
Coffee strength selector ( see further on ).
Milk frother ( 0.3 litres capacity ) .
3) Price
At its purchase price of just £39.95 ( original selling price £44.95 ) it was a good deal , however it is now available at just £34.95 at Sainsburys and even lower via on-line stores .
A few months ago my old filter coffee maker decided to proceed to the electrical heaven ( AKA the dustbin ) after many a years great service So off to the local retail outlets in search of a suitable replacement I went. You name it I tried it , Argos , Index ( now defunct ) , Curry's , Comet , Powerhouse and the larger local supermarkets . In the end , I made my purchase from Sainsbury's .
<> My Purchase : <>
The Morphy Richards 47003 CAFE RICO Espresso maker , at a cost of just £39.95 .
<> The reasons for the purchase : <>
1) The looks
Heart shaped , black with the odd bit of silver finish ( top of unit and control switches ) .This really looks cool and will fit into most surroundings . Maximum dimentions are 30cm - this applies to height , depth and width .
2) Features
Capicity - 0.4 litres ( <= 1 pint ) , which allows for six cups of espresso , or four decent size cups of cappuccino . Coffee strength selector ( see further on ). Milk frother ( 0.3 litres capacity ) .
3) Price
At its purchase price of just £39.95 ( original selling price £44.95 ) it was a good deal , however it is now available at just £34.95 at Sainsburys and even lower via on-line stores .
<> In Use : <>
To set up / use : ( you may or may not use milk - depending on tastes )
1) Attach milk frother whisk ( scrw thread ) 2) Plug in 3) Add milk to milk jug , place on its heat mat , switch on. 4) Add coffee to permenant filter ( Push and twist to position ) 5) Place water in tank , close tasnk lid ( a pressure tank is used with sealed screw top lid ) 6) Site coffee jug under the coffee filter . 7) Turn on and wait for the coffee to materialise in the coffe jug . 8) Once coffee is prepared , froth milk and make your coffee .
The whole process take about 10 minutes from start to finish .
It really is simple to use and can produce a superb cup of coffee - however this is dependant on your ground coffee choice . When making the coffee the aroma given off is just wonderful - you really can't beat the smell of freshly made coffee.
The reason why the milk is done first is it takes longer to heat up than the coffee takes to be prepared .
Frothing of milk is by way of small built in whisk , which is operated using on on/off push button . Do not go above the indicated milk level else when frothing , the milk will spill over onto the hot plate and is then quiite difficult to remove . Using too little milk makes life difficult as the whist does not fully reach the base of the milk jug , even when lifted .
For those not sure which strength of coffee to buy , I would recommend you start with a medium roast , and adjust the strength using the sliding strength selector available . Control of strength is via the speed the processed steam takes to penetrate the coffee grounds - the weaker the selector setting the quicker the steam passes through . A little trial and error and soon you'll find your ideal setting.
<> Cleaning <>
Cleaning is relatively easy , all you have to do is remove all removable items ( jugs , whisk , filter , drip tray ) and clean these as per usual methods , then wipe the rest of the unit using a damp cloth.
<> Annoyances <>
1) While the milk has a heated pad to maintain heat ( also allows you to add more milk for a second cup if required , the coffee pot rests on a drip tray , with no heating pad available to keep any remaining coffee hot .
2) The milk jug has a base diameter of 11cm and a top diameter of 7.5cm . It's height is 8 cm.
Using semi-skimmed or skimmed milk results in burning at the jug base , which in turn requires scraping to remove . However the jug dimensions and my medium-large hands make this difficult , and trying to use a scourer in the jug has on one occasion reulted in a cut hand |( despite the jug rim not being sharp ) . I have to resort to a knife to scrape the burnt milk.
However using full cream milk does not result in the burning of the milk.
3) The milk whisk does not reach anywhere near the base of the jug , even when the jug is elevated . So for those requiring little milk , you have to make extra to obtain your frothy milk.
4) The on/off LED indicators are manual - having an auto shut off for the coffee making side would have been an added bonus.
<> Overall Verdict <>
9/10 - this produces a great cup of coffee , and having a choice of strength makes it suitable for all coffee lovers . The only downsides are lack of coffee heater pad and the milk jug dimensions .
Advantages: Cheap, Simple to use, Easy to Clean Disadvantages: Quite limited on variety of drinks
This gadget is really easy to use. It is perhaps a little bigger than I expected but sits quite nicely alongside a coffee grinder. It comes with a small booklet that informs you on how to produce various drinks such as lattes, cappucinos and of course espressos. The main water tank is only small so it has to be filled with the correct amount of water (ie use the glass coffee jug to fill exact water required). It does need freshly ground coffee to ... ...really simple to use... just fill with water, add coffee to filter, select "strong" or "weak" brew, press the "on" switch and it does the rest for you. All you have to worry about now is how frothy you want your milk to be.
The machine takes up about a 10" square on the work surface and sits 8" high. It is black and chrome and al surfaces are very easy to clean down. The machine is really easy to take apart to clean the appropriate pieces and goes ...
milky83 24.10.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Morphy Richards 47003 CAFE RICO
Advantages: Strength Adjuster Disadvantages: It only makes small cups
Its a lovely looking espresson machine and i\'ve had it a while now and it has never let me down. You do have to be a bit careful when taking the lid off to refill the water as it does get really hot but there is a warning about this on top of the machine. It makes six small cups of coffee so if you like a monster cup then this one might not be for you. It is quite a big machine so you do need to have a bit of space on your worktop for it. But overall ...
flybygirly 16.11.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Morphy Richards 47003 CAFE RICO
Advantages: cheap and cheerful, reliable, noyhing to go wrong Disadvantages: lack of steam jet, but I can live with that
If you are looking for an inexpensive , easy to use, inobtrusive,practical expresso coffee maker with a stylish appearance by a well known manufacturer, then you could do a lot worse than me. I originally only bought this one because it was one of the cheapest ones instore (asda). When I got it home, to be quite honest, I was a little bit on the disappointed side because what looked to be a steam jet for heating the milk shown on the box, turned ... ...I started to use it I think it is the bestest gadget in the kitchen. My wife can't believe her luck because I never used to make the coffee and now she never does.
The machine took about thirty seconds to figure out and I had the best cup of coffee I have ever tasted within 10 minutes. And there is no need for a steam jet because as long as you remember to put the milk on to heat first, by the time the coffee percolates, the milk temperature is ...
doctorloz 24.05.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Morphy Richards 47003 CAFE RICO
Advantages: cheap, easy to use, easy to clean Disadvantages: none i can think of
we bought one of these a few months back, and it has made some of the best coffee and milk-based hot drinks we have had (we've stopped going to starbucks now as we make them the same if not better with this machine! lol) for the price, you really cant grumble at the qualite if the coffee or the way it works (even i can use it and im a complete dunce with things like that :p)
I recomended this machine to many people when i was working for comet, ...
bennett86 27.02.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Morphy Richards 47003 CAFE RICO
