Programmable 10 Cup Recessed Coffee Maker Review

Average Reviews:

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We own a BE-110 and love it! I make coffee twice a day, and my wife makes tea in the cup. Because it comes with two brew baskets, there is no coffee taste in her tea. We use to own a BE-112 and upgraded to the new model. Brew Express has done an excellant job with the new improvements. My wife loves the blue night light. I like never adding water.

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Product Description

Making the perfect cup of coffee is now as simple as ever. With the award winning 10 cup Brew Express, simply pour in the coffee grounds and let the fully programmable base take care of the rest. The unit is attached to your home's water supply through a refrigerator or under-sink supply line, and is hard wired to your home's power supply. You never have to measure the correct amount of water again. Simply select the amount of coffee you want brewed, from a single cup to a full carafe. The water is spread evenly over the coffee grounds to ensure a consistent brew every time, and brews the coffee in half the time of conventional coffee makers. A built-in pause-n-brew infrared sensor prevents overflows and allows you to remove the carafe or mug at any time, without the mess of dripping coffee collecting on the base. A fully programmable timer/clock ensures that next cup of coffee is ready and waiting at the exact moment of your choosing. For added convenience, a soft-blue nightlight makes reaching for that first cup of coffee in the morning that much easier with a touch sensitive on/off switch on the base. The recessed design saves counter space for cooking and other appliances and includes a rough-in box for wall mounting. An improved carafe design increases heat retention, allowing you to set the carafe on a table or take it to a distant room without significant heat loss. The satin chrome finish matches popular appliances. Also included is a single cup brew basket. An optional carafe lock for child protection or slide prevention in RV's and yachts is available. For homes upgrading from the 12 cup model number BE-112; this unit retrofits into the same housing. A mounting plate must be purchased to complete the installation. Please contact customer service to special order model number MP110 if you are needing to upgrade to the new model from the 12-cup version. DL # 310547.

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D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths

Breville BES820XL Die-Cast 15-Bar Programmable Espresso Machine Review

Average Reviews:

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This is a review about the quality of the espresso the machine makes, and not about
the short or long term reliability of the machine, since I have only had it for about a month.

I bought coffee beans from a starbuck coffee shop and asked the barista to grind the beans for an espresso maker. Decided not to buy a grinder (since reviews on grinders seem to indicate nothing but trouble). The first results I got were disappointing. No matter how well I packed the 2 shot coffee filter, or how much coffee I packed into it, the pressure on the indicator dial never reached even the beginning of the "optimum" range.

Then I decide to ask the barista if they had a finer espresso grind. They said their finest was # "2". With that grind, I filled the 2 shot filter with coffee to the top of the filter, and packed the grinds as hard as I could. Started the machine. The needle started to rise, reached the optimum range, went all the way up the optimum range and beyond it before finally stopping when the machine stopped pouring coffee! I also noticed that the amount of coffee poured was somewhat less than 2 shots of coffee. Removing the filter holder from the machine, it was clear that the filter had water, that had not pressed through the coffee, mixed in with the spent grinds.

The next cup of espresso I made, I did not pack the coffee as hard, or fill as high. I left about an 1/8" between the coffee and the filter rim . That did it. After starting up the scale the needle stopped 3/4 up the optimum level scale, and the coffee it made looked like 2 full shots and, when I removed the filter holder the coffee filter was mostly dry! The espresso had a nice layer of crema, added a little Milk, lots of foam...perfect!

What did it for me was 1) the right grind, 2) the right packing pressure, 3) the right amount of coffee.

I hope this helps some fellow home baristas!


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Product Description

This die-cast stainless steel programmable espresso machine extracts the perfect volume of coffee at the touch of a button. Choose from Auto Shot, Custom Shot, or Manual, Shot, the Espresso Pressure Gauge assists in obtaining the most favorable extraction pressure, to create the ideal espresso.

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Nespresso CitiZ C110 Automatic/Programmable Coffee Espresso and Lungo Machine, Titanium Review

Average Reviews:

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This machine looks cool, industrial, somewhat retro and couldn't be easier to use. All it takes is to turn it on, pop in a capsule, and then press either the Espresso (small cup) or the Lungo (bigger cup) button. A few moments later, the coffee pours into the cup. That's all there is to it.

The Citiz also feels high quality. For example, the tray that holds the espresso cup feels nice and heavy, and not like some flimsy cheap piece of plastic. Oftentimes smaller parts like that reveal the true quality of a machine and the Nespresso Citiz delivers here without question, high marks for that.

The machine comes with 16 sample capsules, i.e. one of each of the 16 permanently available flavors. It is fun trying these out and deciding on personal favorites. The machine produces rich crema for all flavors, so no complaints here. Each cup looks and tastes like the real thing, i.e. a nice and strong espresso or lungo.

The only caveat I see is with the Nespresso marketing system. The Grand Cru capsules this machine uses are exclusively available through Nespresso's website. They cannot be purchased anywhere else. That's one thing. I was also put off by the brouhaha Nespresso creates on its website - as if one were purchasing the crown jewels of coffee. Example: One cannot even order capsules before one has registered a machine, serial no. and all (i.e. no buying capsules ahead of time, before the machine is delivered). In addition to that, one only receives a membership number after the first order was placed. It feels too exclusive for its own good and the graphic-rich website with visible load times (even through very fast connections) gets in the way of efficiency. Add to that all the other marketing efforts on that website - from promoting exclusive Nespresso boutiques in the most expensive cities in the world to selling shamelessly overpriced accessories such as cups and carrying cases, and I can't help but slightly regret having decided on this machine. All I wanted was a machine that makes good espresso. I really do not care about Nespresso boutiques and simple machine carriers for a whopping $90.

I assume this is supposed to create exclusivity and make the customer feel like someone with a discerning taste. To me it borders on ridiculous. That said, the coffee is good and the design of the machine works. So I am still giving it 4 stars. Other than that I am trying my hardest to ignore all the rest...

UPDATE 6/2011:
It looks like there have been some changes made to the Nespresso website. It seems that now one actually can order the capsules without first having registered a machine.


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Product Description

Automatic and programmable coffee quantity (Espresso and Lungo)

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Nespresso CitiZ C120 Automatic and programmable Espresso and Lungo Machine w/Frother, Fire-engine red Review

Average Reviews:

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I wanted an automatic espresso machine, and was prepared to spend up to a $1500, but my problem was that I couldn't find anything in that price range that was reliable and had consistently good reviews. The Saeco Talea came up a few times, and I have a friend who has one, but that (like every other model I looked at) seemed to have only 60% or so positive reviews, or no reviews. I wanted something that would make espresso, required little to no maintenance and would last. I own a conventional espresso maker, and a semi-automatic. The conventional (stove top) works just fine, but I rarely use it because it takes too much time when I'm trying to get out the door in the morning. Virtually every seal in the semi-automatic has worn out, it was messy to clean up, and the milk frother was just a disaster (forget the constant cleaning, water bubbles out of it even when I'm not using it).

My wife recently started to like coffee, but she likes lattes and cappuccinos, which is why I went with this model, rather than one that just made espresso. I liked that everything was on one stand, and there was only one cord, unlike getting the Nespressor C101 with Aeroccino. That's probably a better deal, but I wanted simple. I should note the machine also makes lungo, a long shot, but I prefer good old fashioned espresso, so I won't mention lungo again.

The only downside to the machine is that the espresso comes out at pretty much the perfect temperature. Same with the liquid from the milk frother. If you want scalding hot this machine isn't for you. I've used the machine to make americanos by just not putting in a coffee capsule, but when I'm running out the door to work that's not quite hot enough, so I just boil a pot of water. For espresso, and anything with the milk frother it's fast, and ready to go. I haven't used the frother to cool much stuff, but it works.

The capsules are more expensive than buying coffee by the pound, and setting up a nespresso account is annoying, but it's still cheaper than Starbucks (which I personally don't like), and by the time my coffee costs equal the cost of a fully automatic machine that machine would have died (according to all of the reviews). Standard capsules are $0.55, and specialty capsules are $0.62. Between the two of us we typically use less than 20 shots a week. Call it less than $12. $500 or so a year. We were spending at least half of that a year on coffee beans (more when you add in buying coffee by the cup), so at $250 more a year than a fully automatic espresso machine (and I think our coffee consumption would have gone up) it would have been 2 - 3 years before we the bottom of the line fully automatic espresso machines would have been cheaper. My guess is that I would have spent more like $2000 if I wanted that kind of reliability, that's more than 6 years.

Anyway, I purchased this model for its reliability. I looked at the Delonghi version, which is like a mini-fully automatic espresso machine, but it seems to have all of the faults of the fully automatic machine. The nespresso series seemed to have the best overall reviews and I've been very happy. My wife uses it, and she never touched the semi-automatic machine that we had. It's easy to use, clean, etc. To operate you hit the on switch, then for espresso press the espresso button. To froth or cool milk (or another liquid) you fill the milk frother and press the button to heat, or hold it down for a couple of seconds to cool. That's it.

My best friend turned me on to this. He has the same model but in fire engine red. After owning his for a year he still hasn't had an issue. A co-worker has had his for years and still no problems. I wish that nespresso sold capsules that I could fill, or that there was a better way to recycle the capsules, but oh well. I haven't used a descaling kit, but I can't imagine that will be a problem.

On the nespresso website you don't need to provide all of the information they ask for. They will still let you create an account and order. I would skip the introduction variety kit. You get a sampler with your purchase.

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Automatic and programmable coffee quantity (Espresso and Lungo)

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