It ain't Starbucks, but it is pretty darn close!
Written: Mar 17 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fresh ground coffee, automatically! Very easy to use.
Cons: Water spillage.
The Bottom Line: I highly recommend this coffeemaker--it produces a great cup of coffee every time--it is easy to use and the end result is such a treat.
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| slc7's Full Review: Jura-Capresso CoffeeTeam Luxe 453 10-Cup Coffee Ma... |
Foremost is the ease of operation. One simply pours in the beans and water, sets it and forgets about it...voila, fresh ground coffee in the morning. For me, it really is that simple.
Noise: While some complain that it is noisy, I disagree. One must not forget the fact that it is grinding the beans, and will make noise. If this bothers you, put it in the garage... I find the noise factor to be much less than our old Cuisinart, which sounded like a jet taking off, and less offensive than a separate grinder. A side benefit to the noise is that I use it as an alarm in the morning. (We have a first floor master bedroom and hardwood floors, so sound travels...) The grinding does awaken me, but I am a mother and sleep very lightly anyway. I set it to go on 5 minutes before my regular alarm goes off, so I have a back up in case one or the other fails to wake me—and it has happened that my bedside alarm failed to go off, but the coffeemaker prevented me from oversleeping. It is so much easier to drag myself out of bed knowing that I will have a delicious cup of fresh coffee waiting for me!
Grinder: And while we are talking about the grinder, let me mention that this coffee maker employs a burr rather than blades, thus producing a much finer grind and a better tasting coffee. Because the grind is so fine, the coffee tends to be much stronger than blade ground or packaged ground coffee. There are controls on the maker that allow you to dictate how fine you want your coffee ground and how strong you want your coffee brewed. For my taste, the default coffee settings produce coffee that is much too strong, and I end up putting in 10 cups of water for a 6-cup grind setting. So those of you that like strong coffee, you will enjoy this machine; for those of you preferring a weaker brew, it is an easy fix by just adding more water. (Do keep in mind that this is NOT an espresso machine, so don’t expect your coffee to come out that strong.)
When the coffee is ground, it does go down a shoot and into the filter. I have never had an issue with the shoot clogging nor have I noticed the coffee remaining in the shoot to affect the flavor of my brew.
Filters: This machine comes with two filters—a gold filter for the ground beans and a charcoal filter for the water. I don’t use either. I tried the charcoal filter and found no difference in the flavor, so I either have good water and an indiscriminating palate or else this is just another consumable to add money to Capresso’s pocket. (Capresso recommends you replace the filter every six weeks) You will have to decide for yourself—since I can’t tell a difference, I don’t use it. I also don’t use the gold coffee filter—I find it messy, it retains the taste of old coffee and needs frequent vinegar cleaning to remove the oils and acidity. I prefer using the old-fashioned unbleached paper filters. Supposedly, the gold filter makes the taste smoother, but again, I can’t tell any difference in the taste or smoothness.
Operation and brewing: As mentioned previously, this machine allows you to set how fine you want your beans ground, and the strength of your coffee. Only experimentation will reap you the right combination, so don’t expect to get it right the first time you use it. Do keep in mind that fresh ground coffee is always stronger than the prepackaged stuff (which should be used only in the event of an emergency). It also lets you program how many cups of coffee you want brewed, provided you add the corresponding amount of water. If you want the coffee made automatically at a set time, this is also easily programmed. The negative here is that is does not have dual timers, so if you plan to sleep in on the weekend, or have to get up early, you must re-enter the start up time. Now this is a minor gripe, but it would have been so nice to have an “A” and “B” time setting to avoid having to make these changes. Also, the programming clock only goes forward on a 24 hour basis, so when the clock or timer is reset, you have to run through all twenty four hours just to delay or move up the brew time an hour. Again, a minor complaint, but one the company could have easily addressed.
One feature that I thoroughly appreciate is the ability to pour a cup of coffee while the machine is still brewing. The last Capresso I had would continue to drip if I removed the carafe to pour a cup—I am glad to see they changed this on the new model.
Temperature: I find that the Capresso holds the temperature of the brewed coffee near perfection. It keeps it hot enough to be enjoyable, but no so hot as to spoil the flavor. The heating plate automatically shuts off after two hours, which can be a pro or con depending on your drinking habits or your forgetfulness.
My biggest complaint about his machine is that the carafe spills water all over the place when the water chamber is being filled. It is a fair amount of water that ends up on the counter instead of in the machine. A wider and more rolled lip would have solved this problem. (This is my second Capresso, my first one, which I had for 10 years, did this too—I would have thought the manufacturers would have fixed this) I have had no problem with the coffee spilling when I pour it, just the water going into the chamber, so it must have something to do with the speed and volume at which I am pouring it.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
slc7
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Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 0 members
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