try the Nirvana Utopia Buckmeister Barista Vacuumer Pretentious Name Mark One, you'll like it.
Written: Dec 12 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: best damn cup of joe than 95% coffee shops
Cons: pricey but acceptable if used 5/7 days
The Bottom Line: Otherwise, yeah it could be designed a little more practically and yeah it could be cheaper but hey, life is too short for a crappy cup of joe.
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| bongobcbeanboy's Full Review: Starbucks Barista Utopia |
Well.
After coveting Bucky's Funky Bean Brew Bucket since I first saw it earlier in the spring I finally succumed and purchased it for the wonderfully reduced x-mas sale price of $129 cnd.,(reg $225).
Actually I socially engineered a further 40% price reduction by concocting an elaborate tale to the bucky's manager of how I used to work for the mighty BrewMonster in seattle and had "forgotten" my "partner staff discount card". I discovered about the staff discount by watching cheapo buckys employees whipping out their little yellow card when buying a scone or dbl choc-latte (pays to be nosey folks). So it is possible I paid the lowest price for the utopia barrista blah blah in bucky's history.
I am so EVIL (play lightening sound effect from 1940's frankenstein movie in the background as I say "I am so EVIL").
But really folks, it is rather pricey since it is made my swiss workers (also a positive feature imho); I think it would be priced at $49 if made in kuala lumpur or somewhere else 3d worldish.
Ok, so I get it home and open the elaborate box and read the manual. I see there is a videotape as well but I think that is really overkill so I do not watch it. I season the machine with water as directed and proceed to brew a cup of joe. Quite exciting actually and it is extremely fast compared to other drip coffee makers I have used; and boy is the coffee hot.
The taste test reveals the startling fact that this is indeed a most fine cup of joe. After only the first attempt the coffee blows the vast majority of coffee shop dredge out the window, I look forward to experimenting with water levels and grind amounts. And you know what else, contrary to what another coffeekid reviewer said about the Buckmeister Vacuumer Mark One being as noisey as "jet engine", I find the machine to be rather reasonable in the sound department - my light sleeping roomie next to the kitchen says it does not bother him. So maybe the other reviewer should return his possibly faulty unit, should not be loud at all.
Ok, what else....the buttons/numbers on the unit could be bigger as I think design dictated practicality in this area. Really, do they need to be so small? I'm not nearsighted or anything, though I am going to get older and I may be using the spectacles soon. One caveat though, it is very very simple to program and setup to brew; a one button operation to make it go. So after you have done the initial work you just press it and let it bubble.
Cleaning up the vacuumated grounds in the the top half poly-carb-on-ated fishbowl must be done over a big garbage can, tapped gently on the sides, brushed off with a non-scratching thingy. Then you put it under the faucet and rinse it off; not really that long but a chore if you are a "not like to do dishes" kind of person.
And I think if you buy this contraption you really ought to use it as much as possible to take advantage of the 2-year warranty. While I have had no problems so far, the constant wear of attaching the rubber seal to the carafe and back (in order to ensure a proper fit for the vaccum effect) makes be suspicious (no facts, just suspicion your honour) of the possibilty of deterioration over time. I am likely wrong, but play it safe and use it 5/7 days.
Hmmm, I think that is about it. Oh, and I believe it is possible to use the vaccumer brewmachina to make loose leaf tea on occassion but you may have some mixing of flavours with the coffee so be sure to clean it well. This brings up the general issue of the whole plastic thing. I have to say it is a good idea because if it was glass it would weigh a ton in order to make it fairly break proof. This unit gets more handling than the average glass coffee maker and as such more susceptible to dropping, so it is safer and lighter with plastic. Does it hold the smell of the coffee in the plastic? A little but that is not a bad thing since you are mainly making joe. So overall the poly-carb design way gets an "ok" in my books (can you imagine how expensive it would be to replace any portion of the vaccumer if cracked...yike$$$).
Well that's about it; I'll submit an update in the future if something worth writing about occurs (like it explodes and burns my house down killing my roomates in firey maelstorm of jagged poly-carb chunks and atrophied coffee grounds).
Otherwise, yeah it could be designed a little more practically and yeah it could be cheaper but hey, life is too short for a crappy cup of joe. So, try the Nirvana Utopia Buckmeister Barista Vacuumer Pretentious Name Mark One, you'll like it.
regards
Bongo the BC Beanboy
wisdom@suicidelolita.net
ps...I'd probably discovered the answer for this if I watched the video (but that is just too martha stewart for me): what's the little swingy-arm thing on the base for?
Recommended:
Yes
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bongobcbeanboy
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