Great looks but weak in the brew!
Written: Mar 10 '03 (Updated Mar 14 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Conversation piece and unique design
Cons: Weak brew
The Bottom Line: A beautiful conversation piece that requires a doubling of the coffee proportion to avoid a weak, insipid brew.
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| garydl's Full Review: Starbucks Barista Utopia |
I so wanted to love this machine. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of my mother using a stove top vacuum coffee maker on special occasions. The Utopia is a real conversation piece and a beautiful example of product design engineering.
The vacuum brewing process is also interesting and fun to watch---and never fails to gather a crowd. I will try to describe it: you fill the lower pot with water. The amount of water is crucial, because if there is too much (over 10 cups) or too little (less than 4 cups) a proper vacuum will not be created and the thing will not work. You next place the upper bowl on the pot, being careful that the two are joined together properly and that the seal between then is tight. A permanent filter resides at the bottom of the upper bowl. Coffee is added to the upper bowl (I find, unfortunately, that you need to use almost twice as much as in a drip system) and you cover it with the lid. The water heats quickly and as it does, it travels, by vacuum, up a tube to the upper bowl where the now hot water mixes with the coffee. When the mixing ends, the vacuum disappears and the now brewed coffee drains back into the pot, leaving the grounds in the upper bowl. Remove (and then clean) the upper bowl and enjoy the coffee!
However, the weakness and lack of flavor in the brew makes it clear that the Utopia was not designed by a coffee lover who did not work for a coffee vendor! In my case, this machine replaced a venerable Braun Flavor Select 12 cup that made an absolutely delicious cup of coffee with almost no effort with almost any coffee. Using the same amount of water and coffee, the Utopia made a weak, too-hot, insipid brew. Yes---it was fun to watch it brew, but I bought this thing for the drink, not the show it provides! I needed to almost double the amount of coffee I previously used to get a brew of the same taste and quality. This is incredibly expensive and I a not sure it is worth it.
I will also note that the design of the mouth of the carafe makes it impossible to thoroughly scrub its insides. All you can do is swish the water around (mine did NOT come with a brush!). It is thus impossible to get the Utopia really clean. This is clearly an instance where the design team's desire to create a unique product completely ignored the need for a clean pot: an important part of the brewing process!
I am disappointed. There is no disputing the Utopia's "Wow" factor: its looks are striking and it is a truly unique and one-of-a-kind appliance in both form and in the way it functions. I will use the Utopia when company comes if for no other reason than its conversation piece characteristics. As for me, on a daily basis: I am returning to the world of drip coffee with a Capresso machine. I am just not prepared to routinely use double the amount of coffee - an expensive proposition - to get a decent cup of coffee at home.
UPDATE ALERT: For the last several years, this coffee maker was available exclusively at Starbuck's I have just learned that this exclusive arrangement has ended and that while Starbuck's will no longer sell the Utopia, it will be available, as the "Santos" through many traditional retail outlets. I have been advised that its manufacturer, Bodum, simply wanted the machine to have a wider sales distribution despite its great success at Starbuck's.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
garydl
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Location: Springfield, Virginia
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Lawyer, father, coffee fanatic long before it was fahionable, love high-tech stuff.
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