Not perfect, but good for the price
Written: Feb 24 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good price, relatively straight forward, built in water filter
Cons: Clock gains time, milk tank hard to clean, ground basket falls open when removing pot
The Bottom Line: Although a good price on a combo unit, I advise spending an extra $50 and getting a better system.
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| thewizard16's Full Review: DeLonghi Caffe Figaro BCO110 Espresso Machine & Co... |
INTRODUCTION:
I recently decided I wanted a combo unit coffee maker after I developed an unhealthy addiction to espresso. At any rate, most combination units are expensive, running in the $150-$200 range, so I decided the DeLonghi Caffe Figaro was worth a try at the price.
COFFEE FUNCTIONALITY:
The coffee maker portion is relatively straight forward, and conveniently has a button that allows you to select whether you're brewing a half or full pot of coffee. There is an "Accuflavor" dial where you can select the strength of the coffee brewed, but I have yet to figure out how it makes any difference in the end, but the coffee tastes fine regardless, so I haven't worried about it. The only faults I've found with the coffee maker portion of the machine is the "stop and serve" function. The spring portion works fine, but the door storing the basket full of ground sometimes comes open and makes a heck of a mess if you're not careful when pulling the coffee pot out.
ESPRESSO FUNCTIONALITY:
As expected, it is a bit more complicated to make espresso than coffee, but the instructions that came with the machine were pretty clear, and after the first time, you realize it's not near as bad as it seems. Once again, there is a "vario" dial that adjusts the "strength" of the brewed espresso, and the vario knob has to be turned to cappuccino to froth milk for some reason, but I still can't tell that the knob actually affects the strength of coffee. At any rate, the espresso brewed tastes good and the milk frother works quite well, a weak point of most of these machines. Naturally, you do have to pay attention to the machine as you brew espresso, as you have to turn the steam valve knob when it's done brewing the the espresso so that you still have steam pressure to froth the milk. I was unclear on this the first time, but it's not too hard to figure out. As far as espresso functionality goes, I don't have any complaints.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
This coffee maker does have a built in water filter and removable water tank, which makes it a breeze to refill, no awkward pouring into the back of a maker as seen with some machines. The removable filter basket is easy to clean, as is the espresso ground basket. The milk storage tank is a bit more difficult to clean and remove. Naturally, the machine is programmable, but the clock gains time randomly and it is quite annoying. In an average month it probably gains 5-10 minutes. But, as long as you remember to watch that the clock is close to the right time, the programmable function works fine.
OVERALL:
This machine is certainly not perfect, and I'm still not quite sure if the coffee tastes bit weak, or if I'm just doing it wrong, but other than a slightly weak taste occasionally, the functionality of the maker is fine. The clock gaining time is irritating, as is the coffee ground basket opening when you try to use stop and serve, but for the price, it's not a bad system. If you're really wanting a combo unit for daily use that won't frustrate you though, I advise saving up an extra $50 and buying a nicer model like a Krups.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
thewizard16
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Member: Matt McNelley
Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas
Reviews written: 29
Trusted by: 0 members
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