A year ago, I purchased one of these for my fiancee. My initial impression was very positive, but I didn't want to rush into writing a review without putting it through the wringer (so to speak). Well, after countless latte's the Caffe Bistro is still pumping out quality espresso and foaming great quanities of milk. It's very solid in construction and brain-dead simple to use, even without its very well written owner's manual. I do have a few comments to make, however, that might serve as minor caveats to anyone seeking to purchase a combo espresso/coffee maker:[1] While the manual states that the handle assembly is dishwasher safe, I would strongly recommend *against* putting it in the dishwasher. I'm not sure what it is about my fiancee's dishwasher crystals, but after one go-around in the 'washer, the aluminum portion of the handle assembly turned very dark grey (almost a slate color)--completely oxidized. This doesn't affect performance in the least, but it does make the it somewhat less pretty to look at. Wash it by hand and all should go well. If you forget and find yourself with an oxidized cup, simply go at it with a brillo-type (mildly abrasive) pad and your favorite dishwashing soap (e.g. Palmolive, Ivory, etc.). After a few minutes of scrubbing, the aluminum cup will be back to its original lustre.
[2] The manual makes frequent mention of a "perfect froth attachment" but doesn't really explain what it is or what it does or why it's there. In short, it's the second little miniature stem to the side of the steam stem whose purpose is to funnel in cool air from the room via the top of the attachment via the Bernoulli effect (the same principle that perfume atomizers with the squishy rubber bulbs use), thus providing the "perfect" amount of air needed to make foam. While cleaning the frother, the little rubber tip on the top of the attachment rolled under the stove and was effectively lost. The next time I tried to froth some milk, I got a whole bunch of air and very little steam, resulting in just a rapidly moving cup of slightly warm milk (and a whole lot of noise). I figured out that if you just remove the "perfect froth" attachment, you can get "perfect froth" by simply holding the nozzle just a tiny bit above the surface of the milk--just the way one would do with a machine without such an attachment. I'm now actually glad we lost the tip of the PFA since now the steam nozzle is much easier to clean. :-)
[3] Regular cleaning of your frothing nozzle is imperative. I like to keep a straightened paper clip next to the machine to clean out the tip after every use. If you don't clean it regularly, old milk and hard water deposits will result in a partially or completely blocked nozzle. You should also use a small wrench to remove the tip of the nozzle once a month and make sure you clean it from the inside--a paper clip can only get so much.
[4] The nozzle on this unit is just a bit too long, even without the PFA in place. We purchased a stainless steel frothing pitcher from Fourbucks, er...Starbucks, and found it to be just about 1/4" too tall (or the nozzle just about 1/4" too long) to fit under without tipping either the pitcher or the machine. I'm sorry I don't have a measurement handy, but it's only a very minor annoyance, nothing worth losing sleep over.
[5] I am concerned about the use of aluminum in the unit. The grounds cup, the handle assembly and apparently the tank in which the water is heated are all made of aluminum, and aluminum is a known neurotoxin (i.e. it's bad for you) and it is thought to be a contributing factor in the contraction of Alzheimer's Disease. If I had known that the Caffe Bistro used so much aluminum in the parts that contact the water, I probably would not have purchased it, but buying an espresso machine with stainless steel parts would have been prohibitively expensive. :-(
In short, it's a great unit and has served wonderful lattes and coffees for the past year or so, and it's a great value...that is, if you don't mind ingesting material that is a known to do the body harm.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Krups 867-42 Il Caffe Bistro 10-Cup Coffee/4-Cup Espresso Maker
Product Description:
This dual function Krups coffeemaker brews ten cups of coffee or four cups of espresso/cappuccino at a time. Programmable with a digital clock, auto power off, deep brew, and stop and serve function. The espresso/cappuccino function serves directly into cups or carafe. The steam-pressurized system has asafety valve and makes perfect froth. Includes manufacturer's limited warranty. Style 867-42.
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