I hate freeze dried coffee, it tastes like burnt toast scrapings, its vile. I also hate it when in somewhere like Starbucks, there is always one person who wants a skinny, Soya, hazelnut latte, whatever happened to coffee being coffee? You can tell I am not too much of a snob when it comes to coffee; I just like it to be a simple process.

That said, I work in an office, relatively small, with around 10-15 people on an average day and we are spread over three floors and have two kitchens. A few years a go we bought a coffee machine from Costco which was marked right down to £10, an offer too good to miss and one that has lasted longer than I ever expected it to, but as it spluttered its final breaths, we decided it was time to replace the faithful machine and buy a new one. The only rule being it needed to be straightforward and simple and not take hours to make a teacup sized portion of coffee.

The Kenwood kMix CM024 Filter Coffee Maker in black and chrome design was on offer in John Lewis, it only retails at around £63 anyway, but we had some vouchers to use and we paid just over £30 for it, oddly it is more expensive in Argos. It reminds me a Pacman with the way it is designed if you look at it side on, but is also quite stylish and matches all the other items in the kitchen. It has non-slip feet which makes it safe to use as it sticks to your kitchen side, there is space at the back to store the electric cord so you don't have leave it plugged in or with the cord on your side and it also has an auto-shut off mechanism, so once it has finished doing its job, it turns itself off, but keeps your coffee warm because it also has a 'keep warm' function too and an anti-drip valve which stops boiling water landing on your hands when removing and placing the carafe back. So far so good. Infact the manual that comes with the machine says:

"The ideal filter coffee should be brewed at 92-96°C, served at +80°C and take no longer than 6 minutes to brew a full carafe; Kenwood have carefully calibrated the CM024 to do precisely this, guaranteeing a beautifully balanced coffee."

Here in the office we have a rule, the first person in puts the coffee on, that is usually me as I am an early bird and this is why I wanted a machine that was simple and straightforward to use and because the instruction manual was fairly easy to follow and read the first time, I don't need to read it every time I now want to make coffee.

As I said there can be anywhere between 10-15 people in the office on any one day, though on my floor there is never more than 5 people who use the kitchen to drink coffee and this coffee machine has a 6 cup capacity and holds 0.7 litres of water. On the carafe which holds the coffee once brewed, is what is referred too as a sure grip handle which essentially means it is non-slip making it safe to lift too and from the machine to pour coffee. But before all that you need to put it all together. So using the carafe, I fill it with water from a jug in the fridge and then opening the lid on top of the coffee machine, you pour in the water, all 0.7 litres and there is a line which you can see, meaning you have put in enough water. Then in goes the permanent filter, which makes life easier, because you don't have to keep buying those paper filters, and this slots in place inside the machine too, but you can use paper filters if you prefer too, this machine does allow you that option. Then using the accompanying measuring spoon, you put your coffee into the filter and when doing this, if you like strong coffee then use your own measurements as opposed to those suggested, then close the lid and switch on the 'on' button which is displayed on the front of the machine and let it work its magic. No sooner have you pressed the on button, the machine comes to life and that wonderful aroma of coffee begins to filter around the room.

I love the smell of coffee, I think it is one of the nicest smells there is and the thing with freeze dried coffee is that it just doesn't smell right and it leaves an odd after taste in your mouth. Fresh coffee smells wonderful and it is smooth to drink with no nasty after taste and for me there is no alternative and this machine makes wonderful coffee, in 6 minutes.

Now for me the best thing about this machine, other than the fact it is really easy to use is the hot plate which is on the very top of the machine and it allows you to put your cups and mugs on it to keep them warm as you wait for your coffee. When I first read there was a hot plate, I thought it was a whole load of nonsense and a bit of a faff, erm no actually it is brilliant and I love having a warm cup to drink my coffee out of and so does everyone else in the office, it is a bit like having warm plates to eat your food off, makes it taste so much better and the same can be said for drinking coffee.

I guess you could say I am a big fan of this coffee machine. It is simple to use, easy to follow instructions when first using, it looks good, it is also dishwasher safe and it warms your cups most importantly of all. So, I think we got a bit of a bargain when in John Lewis and whilst I did have vouchers to use, I would still purchase this machine at full price because it is so good and you can have your coffee ready in 6 minutes.