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NOTE: I have the blue/silver model shown here in the photo I uploaded - the front is medium blue and the remainder is silver, with the water tank being clear plastic. It's a beautiful shade of blue.
If you are short on counter space in your kitchen and you want both a single serve coffeemaker and an espresso machine, this unit is something you may want to consider. The manufacturer-supplied pictures are deceiving and make the machine look larger, I was happy that it was much smaller in footprint when I un-boxed it.
Set-up was easy, especially if you are already familiar with machines such as the Keurig. I had no trouble inserting the screen in the bottom of the water tank. Give everything a good rinse, pour in some water up to the fill line - 40 ounces- (I prefer using filtered water), plug it in and follow the simple directions in either the manual or the quick start guide.
Once the machine has primed itself, you are ready to choose your brew. Pull the handle back all the way, drop in the pod with the top facing the front of the machine, snap the handle back down, and choose your size by pressing one of the 3 selections:
Top button: 1.5 ounces for espresso
Middle button: 3 ounces for a long espresso
Bottom button: 8 ounces for coffee, 9 ounces for tea
The next time you brew another cup, when you lift the handle backwards, that disposes of the previously brewed capsule into the storage bin behind the drip tray. This should be dumped into the trash as part of your daily maintenance, in addition to always making sure you have adequate water in the tank (you don't want to burn-up your pump).
The coffee and espresso flavors I've tried so far are very good. I'm not much of a tea drinker but I tried the Tropical Passion Tea as iced tea and it could turn me into a tea drinker; my friend says the Chai was very good, but there were some small tea particles in his cup. The vanilla and chocolate flavored powders I probably won't try as they add a considerable amount of calories when added to the coffee.
I'm concerned about availability of coffee capsules and the expense of having to order them from CBTL - I'm not on the West Coast, but if they were available at my local Wal-Mart that would be great, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.
Would an espresso snob love this? I'm not quite so sure. I'm not a snob but I still think my Breville Barista Express machine makes the best coffee drinks, and I like to grind my own beans. However, this machine is a close second as it costs considerably less than the Breville and it's convenient to use.
NOTE: This seems to need descaling much sooner than a normal coffeemaker. I use filtered water in this and I've only run through 19 pods, and I've already received my first descaling warning. I am using this descaler and it works great - takes about 45 minutes from start to finish - Urnex Dezcal Home Activated Descaler, For Home Coffee & Espresso Equipt., 4 - 1 oz Packets
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Merges timeless design and effortless functionality.
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