Krups put the “K” in Kwality
Written: Sep 19 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: looks ok on the counter.
Cons: Poor product that makes mediocre coffee, watery espresso and has no possibility for improvement.
The Bottom Line: Don't waste your money. $80 will buy you 20 trips to Starbucks!
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| dkaakd's Full Review: Krups Caffe Duomo 985-42 Espresso Machine & Coffee... |
The Krups Cafe Dumo is a poorly made mass produced product that lacks the artistic appeal that many gourmet coffee drinkers look for in a kitchen machine.
My wife bought me this machine for my birthday this summer, after two uses I returned it to the store. This is our second Krups machine and I will never buy another.
Let’s be honest if you buy this machine thinking you’re going to make great coffee or espresso you are either fooling yourself, or you have never tasted great coffee. There is a scientific process that goes into producing good tasting coffee and espresso. That said, for most of us the process is as important as the product. In other words, the act of making a great latte justifies the reward of drinking a great latte.
The Krups machine offers little or no control over water temperature, water pressure, or water quantity. These three things are critical and the key to a great shot of espresso.
If you are looking for a drip coffee maker that will fill your morning urge for caffeine, then the Dumo may do the trick. Of course if you wanted your coffee hot and strong, that may be a problem, because the Dumo just does not get the water hot enough to extract the rich flavor from the grind. In fact, the warmer under the pot heated the coffee hotter than the boiler in the coffee maker.
The espresso side of the machine has more serious issues.
The portafilter that holds the grind is a metal inner with a plastic handle and surround. Think about this for a second, there is plastic touching a hot metal plate that produces steam and hot liquid. This is just a bad idea, and one would expect, melting occurs after only one or two uses. Of course the fact that the water doesn’t get all that hot helps prevent the plastic from melting to badly, but that makes the espresso watery.
One criterion for judging a good shot of espresso is by the amount of creama in the shot. It is not the only requirement, but it is important. The Krups will not produce creama. No matter what you do, no matter how you grind your beans, or tamp them down you will never get rich flavorful creama with this machine.
Also, care should be taken when removing the portafilter or else you my burn yourself with hot water and coffee grounds. There is a substantial amount of pressure (although not enough) in the portafilter that pushes the hot water through the coffee grind. This is what is supposed to produce the espresso. The Krups does not push the water all the way through which leaves just enough pressure to spray everything in the portafilter around the room when it is loosened from the machine.
I know this machine sell from around $80.00 - $100.00 at stores everywhere and I will admit they look ok sitting on the counter but resist the temptation of a pretty face. Make a decision whether you want a coffee maker or espresso machine. If the answer is a coffee maker then $100 will buy you a decent coffee maker, but if you are looking for great espresso you will need to reconsider your budget. The low-end espresso machines that are capable of making decent espresso start at around $300.00 and go up rapidly from there.
If this is a gift for someone, give him or her $80. worth of Starbucks coupons they will appreciate it much more.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
dkaakd
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Location: Frisco, Texas, USA
Reviews written: 41
Trusted by: 5 members
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I'm just a dude that lives in Texas.
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