For awesome coffee (Krups Dolce Gusto KP200040)

Member Name: Zack131

Product:	Krups Dolce Gusto KP200040
Date:	23/10/09 (146 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tasty coffee, not boiling temperature

Disadvantages: Cost of capsules

Before the Dolce Gusto machine arrived in my house one Christmas, I honestly thought that instant coffee was all there was. 3 - 4 years of drinking instant nescafe coffee and I was oblivious to the fact that other coffee existed. Now that we have this machine; I want coffee from it whenever it is possible.

The machine itself looked quite modern and fitted in well with the rest of the kitchen. It reminds me of some kind of tortoise, but, a tortoise it really is not. After filling the tank and placing it on the machine you must push the button to start it up. I was startled and shocked that it only took about 10 - 15 seconds to be ready for action. The tray for your mug is adjustable in height for different kinds of mugs and can also be removed to clean any excess coffee that might have dripped down the sides. The lever on the top lets you choose between hot and cold water. The Dolce Gusto machine has to use Dolce Gusto capsules of coffee which you can buy in stores. There is a welcome box of capsules with the machine to let you try different flavours.

There are a variety of different drinks that you can buy such as:

Hot Chocolate
Espresso
Caffee Lungo
Caffee Lungo Decaffeinato
Cappuccino
Cappccino Skinny
Cappuccino Ice
Latte Macchiato
Latte Macchiato Skinny
Mocha

Each drink requires 2 capsules. One which contains the coffee (black base) whilst the other contains milk and sweeteners (white base). The Caffee Lungo and Espresso however do not require a second capsule so in a typical box you can get 16 drinks rather than 8.

Preparing a coffee is very easy and probably just as fast, or if not faster than making a typical coffee from instant granules. Each drink may have different combinations of how to make which is usually outlined on the side of the box. I'll use Cappuccino as an example as I have had most experience with this type. The milk capsule is put in first and locked into place. By flicking the switch to the hot side you will begin to hear the machine opening the capsule which is followed by a sound you will become to enjoy since you associate it with the coffee being made. It can be quite loud and makes a noise I can only describe as "BZZAAAARRRROOOOOUUUUUUBBBZZZ". A stream of white will begin to pour into the mug. For a cappuccino the milk is usually up to about 70% of the cup, or depending on your tastes you could do as you please. You must stop it by moving the lever to centre. The capsule is removed and replaced by the coffee capsule, turned on and poured until you feel like it is enough. The result will be a frothy white cup with a patch of brown where the cappuccino went in. If you have a glass cup then you will see that the coffee is layered. Such as it will be white up the top, brown in the middle and white at the bottom. You could stir for a constant colour or taste however like I enjoy doing.

Taking a sip of your very appealing looking cappucino you may be pleasantly surprised that it is at a drinkable temperature straight off. I really dislike waiting for my coffee to cool down with a kettle so this was a huge plus for me. This coffee tastes fantastic and is my favourite of the bunch of types. Although I tend to add a little sugar to it since I have quite the likeness to sweet tasting coffee. Even with something like adding sugar you can see the quality of the coffee. The sugar just sits on top of the cup for a few seconds before plumitting down into the tasty and warm cappuccino. Sadly with quality comes a quantity. These capsules cost about £4 for a box of 8 / 16 (Espresso / Lungo) so they aren't your everyday coffee but perhaps an uplifting Monday morning coffee.

The machine can be cleaned easily by cleaning the pod that the water goes into and wiping down the nozzle.

By joining the Dolce Gusto 'club' you get benefits. By collecting points you can spend them on items from the store such as capsules, mugs, capsule holders etc. You can collect points by using the codes on the inside of the capsule boxes. Just recently I got a package from Dolce Gusto for me to be one of the first to try their new coffees which were cappuccino skinny and latte skinny which to me tasted pretty much the same. It was the first new flavour since I signed up so I assume you get to sample for each. Only enough capsules for one of each however which was a shame since I hadn't had any in a long time and really wanted more.

I am entirely happy with this machine and would take its coffee over instant coffee any day. If only cost wasn't a barrier, but then you do pay for what you get.

Summary: Make this your purchase if you are considering buying a coffee machine.

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