Affordable Home Starbucks (Krups Superiore)

Member Name: Alasn

Product:	Krups Superiore
Date:	03/07/01 (742 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Price, Blazing Speed , Convienience and consistency

Disadvantages: Size, Plastic Parts, Rubber jet nozzle

Big, fast and efficient Swiss made monolith. As many cups of expresso as you can drink at the touch of a button within 30 seconds from off (faster when left on). This machine keeps the coffee coming by dumping spent grounds at the twist of a knob and opening up to allow you to drop in more grounds. The next twist allows you to ease down a lever and pump it into the one or two cups at a time.

This machine sells for £79 at Currys - it's around $350 in the States - so it's incredible value and the only cost-effective alternative to automatic grinding machines costing £350 - £550 (e.g. Orchestro and Siemens models).

Advantages: Krups 1.2.3 system is simple to use - dump n' clean, drop in grounds, pump and compact. The thermoblock system heats and regulates within seconds. Useful reservoir @ 1.4 litres holds enough for lots of expressos and can be removed and carried or topped-up easily - even when the machine is in use. Easy cleaning - the whole rotating mechanism comes off with one movement for flushing under tap. Drainage tray with pop-up full warning and neon coffee bin full indicator are useful features.

Disadvantages: Needs a fair bit of worktop space (very deep). Plastic parts in abundance (durability to be proved). Silly rubber stopper at end of frothing jet - with flat top which retains milk and makes cleaning jet less convenient than it might be. Lack of cup warmer ( you have to use a jet of steam or hot tap water). Loose fitting plastic end cap on frothing breather.

This machine has changed my life. Constant easy expresso and boundless steam for cappuccino in moments. The machine lacks one or two refinements found on the best models (particularly a strength:water adjustment). But at the price - there is no other machine available which offers so much. The expresso's really good by the way - with heaps of crema - and froth to the top of the jug. Buy it! - but be warned,it inspires one to spend a lot on good co
ffee. Almost as easy and fast as a coin machine - except cafe quality which (with the right beans (e.g. Piazza D'Oro from Sainsburys) beats average outlets like Stabucks and Costa for a few pennies a cup.

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