Fill your coffee cup right up, right up! (Krups Dolce Gusto KP200040)

Member Name: Joodlebug

Product:	Krups Dolce Gusto KP200040
Date:	13/08/09 (102 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Delicious coffee, good range of flavours, easy to use.

Disadvantages: Quite expensive to buy initially.

My partner recently came home from a visit to a friends raving about the 'nicest cup of coffee he had ever had in his life' !Bearing in mind that in his opinion HE makes the best cup of coffee ever, this was high praise indeed!

On our next trip out into town we made our normal trip to Curry's to check out the usual - TV's we can't afford, digital cameras that do everything except the ironing etc, and found ourselves looking at kitchen appliances (purely by coincidence...not!). Amongst the huge range of cappucino makers, espresso makers and filter coffee machines stood the Krups Dolce Gusto. It had a hefty price tag of £99, but did look sleek and stylish and quite cute (on a good day it reminds me of a dog!). On a whim (during a weak moment) the plastic came out and we became the proud owners of this little beauty!

The box is absolutely massive and contains the machine, a glass cup, an espresso cup and saucer and a starter variety pack of coffee pods. Once out of its box however, it takes little more space than a kettle, although slightly wider and taller. It fits nicely on my worktop, standing a similar height to my microwave. It takes less space than my filter coffee maker (who may find itself being car-booted very son!!)

You can join the 'dolce gusto club' online and that also gives you a free voucher to redeem at any supermarket selling the pods, which is sent to you by post.

There are a variety of flavours of coffee to choose from both in supermarkets and on-line and since getting our machine a couple of months ago I have noticed a couple more. The flavours I have tried are :-

Latte Maciatto (impressive layered coffee - really needs to be served in a transparent cup to show it off to best effect - is a little sweet)

Cappucino (rich, creamy, delicious)

Cafe lungo (for black coffee lovers)

Chococino (hot chocolate - probably best served on a cold winters night, creamy and sweet)

Cafe Classico (coffee that can be served black or white and is a fantastic start to the day - my favourite everyday drink!).

You can also get Mocha and Espresso but I haven't tried them my self.

The machine is very easy to use, simply fill the pod with water, switch on the button which flashes red to tell you its on, then green to tell you that the water is at the correct temperature.Put your cup under the spout on the silver tray. Place the pod in the holder, pull down a handle which pierces the pod, the move the nozzle to the right and steaming coffee fills your senses and your cup! The fancier, creamy coffees take 2 pods and at first you will need to follow the instructions to get the proportions right, but you will soon be able to estimate to perfection!

The pods are available in boxes of 16 which cost around £3.20 which makes a fancy cup for 40p and the plainer coffees 20p. Each box also contains a unique code that you can enter into the dolce-gusto website (once registered) and will give you 11 points towards other dolce-gusto products. It will take some serious coffee drinking to get anything worthwhile by redeeming points, and despite having enough points to redeem for a free box of coffee - the site charges £3.50 for post and packaging on orders below £35. My plan is to save enough points to buy £35 worth of goodies, but I fear the Olympic will be over and done with and a distant memory by the time I have achieved this!!!

The dolce-gusto is really easy to clean, a double bonus as it doesn't really get dirty in the first place!!!. The part where you place the pods can easily be removed for a rinse under the tap. The only other bit that may need a wipe is the 'drip' tray where you put your cup, but again it simply lifts off for a wash in the sink. The nozzle where the coffee comes from just needs a wipe with a cloth. Easy peasy, low maintenance.


This is a luxury item, not at all necessary, but if you love coffee I believe its worth it.

Summary: Much cheaper than a coffee house in the comfort of your own home

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