Showing posts with label breville. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breville. Show all posts

4/07/2011

Rancilio Silvia Espresso Machine Review

Rancilio Silvia Espresso Machinevery good machine. if you don't invest in, or already have, a good coffee grinder, you might have to work with the local grocer or starbucks to get a grind that is perfect (i use starbucks).i've had my machine almost two years. it is solid quality construction, and it pulls a perfect shot every single time. the steamer is much faster than my last machine and doesn't loose power after the first pitcher of foam.

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Product Description:
Rancilio Silvia Espresso Machine FeaturesSpecificationsRancilio Silvia Espresso Machine The Rancilio Silvia is making the news as one the best single boiler machines in production. Like more commercial brand machines, its all in the brass facts. Brass boiler, brass lines and chromed brass brewing head all help to maintain temperature and heat distribution for the perfect espresso.The Silvia will deliver consistently fine espresso, lattes, cappuccinos and more, just with the touch of a button. Its beautiful to behold and simple to use. Youll be making your favorite espresso to the raves of family and friends. This is a quality machine at a terrific price.Simple to Use Controls - Push the large central power button and an orange light comes on and stays on until the Silvia is at operating temperature for espresso, steam or hot water. Three more professional grade rocker switches now let you chose which one of those options you want. Top is for espresso, the middle for hot water and the bottom one is for steam.Flip the espresso button and that rich, hot liquid will start to flow. Switch it off when you have the amount you want. For hot water, simply flip the middle switch open the steam valve knob and hot water gushes from the steam wand. For lattes and cappuccinos, flip the bottom steam button. When the orange light goes off, open the steam valve and start frothing milk.Milk Frothing and Hot Water - The Rancilio Silvia features a straightforward chrome plated steam wand that delivers plenty of ready steam for milk foam. In 1.5 minutes the Silvia will have enough milk to make the average sized latte up to temperature. Simply put, the Silvia out performs almost every espresso machine under $500 in the steaming and frothing race!The steam wand also doubles as the outlet for hot water. Simply press the hot water button and hot water will be dispensed for making beverages such as the popular Americano or tea.Quality Brewing Group - The grouphead (or the component that

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2/04/2011

Grindmaster OPOD PrecisionBrewTM Single Cup Coffee / Tea Brewing System - with 10 FREE Pods Review

Grindmaster OPOD PrecisionBrewTM Single Cup Coffee / Tea Brewing System - with 10 FREE PodsI bought this to replace my Bunn pod brewer.I liked the Bunn, but after going through three in two years, I figured it was time to try another brand. The Grindmaster is somewhat of a commercial-grade product and hopefully it will last longer.

Grindmaster pros include:

- Quickly brews good-tasting and very hot coffee (adjustable)
- Works with every brand of pods we've tried
- Has a large water tank, and can be plumbed for automatic fillup
- Reasonably good looking, although a bit larger than others
- Lets you program the unit to exactly fill your favorite cup

On the negative side, about the only thing I've noticed is that the unit is a bit loud when running, and there's no way to turn off the (relatively bright) blue water level indicator lamp on the front of the unit.

I'd rate the overall quality as somewhat above the Bunn and other brands, but it's not necessarily in a completely different league.

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Product Description:
PrecisionBrewTM - Innovative precision pod brewing and infusion technology provides the ideal cup every time. Open-Pod System accepts a variety of pod brands and sizes. BrewControlTM - Adjustable brew strength control allows users to fine tune their flavor preferences. Smartstop Automatic Water Shutoff-Water shuts off when pod drawer is open. Programmable cup size - Control the volume of beverage dispensed into the cup. Stylish, high performance design. Dual water system brewer can be plumbed into a water line or manually filled. Great for coffee and tea.

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8/12/2010

Breville BKC700XL Gourmet Single-Serve Coffeemaker with Iced-Beverage Function Review

Breville BKC700XL Gourmet Single-Serve Coffeemaker with Iced-Beverage FunctionI've owned a Keurig Platinum B70 since January 2007 and have liked it a lot since getting it.K-cups are very convenient and aren't overly expensive when purchased from Amazon.My primary complaint about it is the pump noise and vibration.Keurig updated the design and greatly reduced the noise and vibration in their latest model of the Platinum and in this Breville model, and I wanted to find out just how much of an improvement there was.In my opinion, the improvement is huge.It is much, much quieter.I also liked the addition of the smaller cup size of four ounces, as well as the option to use a built-in water filter.Functionally, the Keurig Platinum and Breville BKC700XL are identical.The Breville adds a couple of nice convenience features (such as a supplied My K-Cup with a storage bin), and the cosmetics are clearly different.After using both, the cosmetics are a wash for me (some pluses for one model, and some pluses for the other), so it comes down to the difference in price.Right now, the Breville costs over $90 more than the Platinum.I don't think it's worth it, but it certainly might be for anyone that prefers the looks of the Breville.Either way, the coffee is good and easy to make!

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Product Description:
The best coffee is always the freshest coffee. That's why it makes no sense to brew by the pot: by the time you get around to drinking most of the joe, it's been sitting in a carafe (or worse, on top of a burner), going more bitter and stale with each minute. The Breville single-cup brewer takes a different approach. It makes coffee one cup at a time, so each cup tastes as fresh as the first one in the pot. The unit's LCD control panel includes a digital clock with auto on/off time, five brew strengths, and variable brew temperature, which allows for customizing each cup--perfect for households or dinner parties in which everyone likes a different brew. Best of all, the brewing process is very, very difficult to mess up. The Breville's patented "showerhead" sprays a precisely calibrated amount of water through a "K-Cup," a technology made famous by Keurig's single-cup brewers, using temperature and pressure designed to extract the maximum amount of flavor from the grounds. The unit provides a sample variety pack of single-use K-Cup coffee pods, including cocoa and tea, as well as a reusable My K-Cup that accepts any variety of ground coffee. The included My K-Cup and measuring spoon conveniently store in the brewer's top compartment. Furthermore, the machine comes with an iced-beverage function that dispenses a concentrated 3-1/2-ounce shot of tea or coffee. Simply dilute with ice and add water, milk, or sweeteners for an iced tea or coffee. Other highlights include low-noise pump technology for quiet brewing, a removable 60-ounce water tank that can brew up to 10 cups before it needs refilling, and a charcoal water-filtration system to reduce impurities for optimal taste. Made from heavy-duty stainless steel in a sleek, stylish design, the 1500-watt single-cup coffeemaker measures approximately 14-3/4 by 12-3/4 by 16-3/4 inches.

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7/08/2010

Breville Cafe Roma Espresso/ Cappuccino Maker ESP8XL Review

Breville Cafe Roma Espresso/ Cappuccino Maker ESP8XLI've owned 4 machines over a period of 30 years, starting with an old(er)-fashion piston-pump Riviera, a now expensive classic (the kind with the big lever arm you pull down) that I had completely rebuilt twice until I retired it for a Briel Lido (cheap & plain but reliable).

I had high hopes for this unit. It looks elegant in style with a metal body & clean lines & seems to operate in a straightforward way. But in actual usage it verges on the nightmarish. A previous poster has already eloquently described 2 of the ESP8XL's biggest shortcomings: its spring-loaded filter holder & its redesigned foaming wand.

I always make multiple cups of espresso, be it for straight shots, cappucinos or lattes. Therefore I fill & use at least 2 filters every time I make espresso. I had even already purchased the extra filters from Breville before even trying the unit for the first time. Disappointment quickly turned to frustration then to anger when I discovered how difficult it was just to *fit* the filter full with grounds into the holder (force was more like it) so tight was the spring. After considerable struggling I managed to get it in & make a cup. But to remove the now-heated (& full of damp grounds) filter was a real nightmare. I wound up having to use a paring knife to pry the filter from the holder, holding it with a kitchen towel to keep from burning myself. What a mess!

I called customer support & explained my problem. The chap on the line, while friendly enough, never seemed to have used an espresso machine, to say nothing of this model, suggesting such things as taking hold of the (burning hot) filter rim at the 2 indentations (about 1/8") in the holder. When I pointed out that the image of the filter holder in the manual showed a latch release while mine had none, he said that Breville had discontinued that feature & replaced it with the spring, they just hadn't updated the manual. Great! What lunacy. What I wouldn't give for the ability to pop the filter using that latch. Sadists at work.

I received this unit as a gift several months ago so can not return it, but have solved the problem of the filter holder by prying off the spring. Now the filters go in & come out easily as they should.

I rarely use the Breville to make espresso, mostly just to foam milk for my wife who likes it in her coffee. I should add that the previous reviewer was also correct in his assessment of the foamer. It does need to be turned on initially to release stored up water in order to get well-pressured steam.

Next time back to a European espresso machine (preferably Italian-made)for me. No more falling for the blandishments of clever marketing.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Breville Cafe Roma Espresso/ Cappuccino Maker ESP8XL

Product Description:
The Cafe Roma Espresso/Cappuccino machine by Breville is for the style conscious coffee lover. It is ideal for making a variety of coffee drinks from espresso and cappuccino, to lattes and machiattos.This espresso machine features a 15 bar Italian Thermoblock pump system, an advanced crema system with a froth enhancer, a removable 1.2 litre water tank, a removable drip tray with a water level indicator, a cup warming plate, 2 stainless steel espresso cups and a frothing jug.

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