Coffee (Italian Style) (Russell Hobbs Classic Espresso Cappuccino Maker)

Member Name: kenjohn

Product:	Russell Hobbs Classic Espresso Cappuccino Maker
Date:	09/02/01 (916 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lovely "Italian Style" coffee.

Disadvantages: None that I've found so far

~ ~ My wife and I received a present of this wonderful piece of equipment from a friend for Christmas.
It's just as well it has a year's guarantee as it has been in constant use ever since. I am a caffeine junky of long standing, and I shudder to think what would happen to my system if I was suddenly forced to go cold turkey.

~ ~ Having long been a lover of Italy and all things Italian, when we go on our family holiday each year, one of the things I look forward to most is the coffee, which in Italy is totally delicious, especially their cappuccino and tiny cups of expresso.
Up until now, I have never been able to get the same taste or flavour from any of my own coffee at home, despite owning an elaborate and expensive “Krups” filter machine, and experimenting with all different types and blends of coffee.
But this has all changed now we have this little "Russell Hobbs" masterpiece.
I personally use the “LavAzza” brand of genuine Italian expresso, (freely obtainable) but you can pick your own brand to suit your personal taste.
Most of the supermarkets these days have an extensive range of coffee on offer to suit most every palate.

~ ~ This is a compact little machine, which doesn’t take up a lot of space on your kitchen worktop, and is very easy to use.
No more messing with paper filters; the Russell Hobbs has a removable stainless steel filter that you only need run under the tap to clean.
If you want, it can make up to four cups of coffee, by simply making your mix stronger. Or you can make a strong expresso by simply using a lot of coffee and very little water.
A little bit of experimenting will soon tell you how much coffee to use to get that perfect blend every time.

~ ~ To make beautiful cappuccino (a la Italia) there is a spout placed at the right hand side of the blender. This uses the steam from the boiling water, and shoots it into your cold milk
at fairly high pressure, until eventually the milk boils up and foams.
Be just a little careful with this on your first few attempts, as if the milk actually boils over the side of your cup, you could possibly end up burning your hand.
Then simply add the lovely frothy milk to your coffee and sprinkle with some powdered chocolate. Lovely !!
It also has a small drip tray to catch any spillage, which is removeable for simple cleaning.
I must admit that using this device took a bit of practice to get it right, but half a dozen attempts and I was quite the budding expert. Now I can have my “Italian style” coffee all year round, and not only when I’m on holiday.

~ ~ I’m not a hundred percent sure of the actual cost as we were given this wee cracker as a gift, but my wife tells me that it was bought in Argos for around the £40 (Irish Punts) mark, or the equivalent of about £32 (Sterling)

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