The art of Italian Espresso

Advantages: Easy to use and maintain. Create delicious coffee and size is very convenient.
Disadvantages: Only make frothed milk for about 2-3 coffees

...I have been given this coffee maker for Christmas and I was delightfuly surprised by its look and functionality. The machine looks fabulous and very stylish as it is black and silver with curvy edges which gives it a smooth feel when you work with it. I love the feel of silver and black material which is also easily cleaned and maintained in general. I have never owed a coffee machine before but I am sure I will stick with this one. You can make real Italian espresso and cappuccinos at home without spending fortune on coffees in coffee houses. Coffee machine comes with clear instructions and you are able to make coffee in just 3 steps. I have worked in coffee house before so I always knew it takes some time to make coffee (water doesnt heat in a few seconds, does it?). You simply feel the water container, let it boil, add ground...

Amja 02.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of Delonghi EC330S

Espresso in an instant

Advantages: makes espresso, steamer, easy to use, safe, looks good, cheaper than most other similar models
Disadvantages: has a cappuncino milk frother but no thermometer

...I have always wanted my very own Espresso machine and after being a good boy all year Santa brought me one for Christmas after my wife informed him that I really wanted one. My wife may have told him I wanted one, but I did end up paying £129 for the pleasure of ensuring Santa left it in my stocking. Fed up to the back teeth with plain old filter coffee, or god forbid, instant freeze dried filth actually having the Cubika now sitting in my kitchen is nothing short of a godsend first thing in the morning and is officially the boys toy that my friends and I spent most of Chjristmas day playing with and frankly it is so user friendly, we had steaming hot espresso flowing freely within 30 minutes of removing it from the box. There are no fiddly parts that require construction so it is just a case of removing it from the box, placing...

thesquadronleader 01.01.2008 · Read review
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Review of Gaggia Cubika

Great budget performer

Advantages: Cheap, good pump pressure, easy as pie to use.
Disadvantages: Recent units use aluminium -can corrode

...We drink a hell of a lot of coffee here and this is the culprit! It is cheap, its pretty well made and is a great introduction to a good espresso (or cappucino, frothy hot choc etc) The unit design has not changed much since they were released but some are now shipped with an aluminium coffee ground holder. This isn't a big problem but it wont last forever as the old bronze and chrome ones will. The pressure is good enough to pour a great espresso with good crema provided you get the grind fine enough. This is pretty much the same as many of the 'better' models- including an aluminium boiler- so descale as little as possible! The unit is fast to heat up, the pump pressure is good but it does have only one boiler- so multiple cappucinos can be slow- you need to let the unit heat up and cool down between milk foaming and drawing...

tyneman 29.10.2008 · Read review
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Review of Gaggia Espresso

Short dark delight

Advantages: Instant, no messy machines
Disadvantages: Not to be drunk near bed time

...I stumbled upon this product purely by accident while looking for espresso coffee beans or ground to make a delicious drink that I had on an evening partaking of food and drink at an Italian restaurant in a local hotel. I am not a coffee connoisseur, in fact I hardly ever have anymore than 2 cups a day. I do however love my alcoholic coffee fixes and usually tend to stick to Irish or Gaelic Coffee, not so anymore, reason will evolve later. Unsure as to which category to do this review in I decided to do some research on the three main ingredients which make up the drink. I only got as far as researching the coffee angle and thought this could be interesting as I found out a lot of information and facts that I never knew, the first being the origins of coffee itself. Well they don't really know where it originated from but can...

Sunshine22 26.09.2004 (15.06.2005) · Read review
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Review of Nescafe Espresso Coffee

A Super Espresso Machine

Advantages: Very stylish and easy to use
Disadvantages: Slightly expensive

...The Delonghi EN 680 Latissima Nespresso can create a more or less perfect cup if espresso. It is completely unique with it's patented extraction to aid the flow of water through the ground coffee. Nespresso's specially designed coffee-filled capsules are used to give the unique taste you only get with Nespresso. A bit pricey at £300 but certainly a long term investment. Style The Latissima Nespresso is very stylish (see picture) and is a great add to any kitchen. The silver and black frame works very well together and the buttons make the machine very high tech when it is actually very easy to use. Ease of Use The Latissima Nespresso is very easy to use, just as easier or maybe even easier than other espresso makers - simply insert a capsule and the machine does all the work for you. After brewing is completed...

mikeywhitto 13.05.2008 · Read review
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Review of Delonghi EN 680 Lattissima Nespresso

Pulls yer gums away from your teeth..nice though

Advantages: Strong and wakes you up
Disadvantages: Relatively expensive

...I?d never tried an Espresso before I tried this. I suppose I was a bit scared of the ?short and very strong? type flavours that surrounds the coffee. I?m someone who likes a creamy coffee, with quite a bit of milk, and I?m a sucker for a cappuccino. But after giving Nescafe Espresso a go, I was pleasantly surprised and will probably be drinking a lot more of Espressos from now on! Nescafe host a wide range of different coffee?s, from their Original to coffees such as Costa Rican and others. Espresso is just one of their ?Black Jar? range. The coffee in the black jars are the ?better? coffee?s. or another way to put it, the more specialist coffees which are drunk less than the normal instant coffees. So what?s it like? Well as any coffee lover will tell you, all coffees taste different. I was expecting a watery black coffee, but...

GR-Design 29.08.2002 · Read review
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Review of Nescafe Espresso Coffee

Perfect for Espresso- the Dualit EL60

Advantages: Grinds to a super fine powder for the perfect espresso
Disadvantages: Sometimes can't grind enough coffee in one go for a coffee maker.

...I bought the Dualit EL60 from "Whittards of Chelsea" in September 2008 to grind coffee beans for my "Gaggia Baby Classic" espresso machine and paid £28 in the end of summer sale. When making espresso by hand using a machine with a handle, you need to ensure that the coffee grinds are in a fine powder as this lets you can maximise the crème layer on your espresso. Being aware of this I quizzed the assistants in both Whittards and my local speciality coffee shop who both recommended this grinder to achieve the finest grade of powder for the perfect espresso. Though I have only used this for espresso I should note that with multiple grind grades the grinder can be used to grind coffee for all sorts of purposes including cafetieres. When purchased the grinder came in a small box that essentially fitted it like a glove so it seemed...

bobbacon985 11.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of Dualit EL60

Rich, creamy espresso

Advantages: Cheap, easy to use, compact
Disadvantages: No automatic pump stop

...I'd been thinking about getting an espresso machine when I saw the Krups Espresso Vivo on offer in Tesco last week, reduced from £79 to £69. You can pay anything up to £400 for 'the full monty' of coffee makers, so I thought it looked pretty good value. It is a neat, compact, easy-to-use espresso and cappuccino maker, predominantly in matte black plastic. It has a large, removeable water tank which is easy to fill either at the tap or on the machine itself using, say, a Brita jug. There are two switches on the top, one which turns the machine on to heat the water, and one which starts the espresso pump. There are two lights, a red one to indicate it is switched on, and a yellow one which goes out when the water gets up to temperature. It has a 15 bar pump pressure, which helps give a richer taste and a creamy 'head' on the espresso...

Jaycey 22.11.2004 · Read review
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Review of Krups F88042 VIVO

Could this be the one..??

Advantages: Compact, easy to use, excellent price, free grinder
Disadvantages: For this level of product, nothing really.

...on this machine with the removable, back-mounted resevoir) and switched on. I've not got access to a decent grinder at the minute so I can't test it properly but it has produced some pretty decent espresso's so far. It has a manual button so you can control the flow of water yourself or there's a one cup and two cup setting like you'd expect on an automatic professional machine. The espresso appeared with a decent crema (even if the water seemed to flow a bit too freely through the coffee... need to experiment more there) and it tasted good. Not a "god shot" but it was pallatable. When you're done making espresso, press the steam button and wait for it to heat up to temp which is quite quick. When the light stops flashing you're good to go. Now I wasn't initially too impressed by the pressure of the steam but after a couple of trials I got...

sandman1600 26.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Cuisinart Espresso Maker EM200U

Coffee Break!

Advantages: Rich coffee flavour.
Disadvantages: No good if you don't like coffee....

...After a couple of DVDs reviews we are back on the beer once more. This is another beer I sampled at Chesterfield Beer Festival in February this year. I love trying beers I haven?t had before and I am partial to the odd pint of stout. It was no surprise that my eyes were drawn to a barrel up on the top of the stillage ~ Dark Star Espresso Stout! ~~~THE BREWERY. The Dark Star Brewing Company is based at Moonhill Farm, Haywards Heath, in West Sussex. Founded back in 1994 (but called Skinners Ales to start with) in the cellar of a pub called The Evening Star in Brighton. They moved on to Moonhill Farm in 2001 and have been brewing there ever since. Dark Star beers are regularly available in five or six pubs in the local area (Sussex), and also appear at Beer Festivals and as Guest Beers nationwide. They brew a range of regular...

tange 25.03.2005 · Read review
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Review of Dark Star Espresso Stout