Reviews related to : Coffee
There was a time not that long back where coffee at home was either of the instant variety or involved lots of ground coffee, a filter machine or a cafeteria. The range you could produce was limited and there was no way you'd get that coffee shop cappuccino effect! In the age of convenience this has all changed with a huge variety of pod and capsule based devices that look like works of art on your kitchen work top. All the major brand from Krups to Nescafé to Braun and Kenwood have products to tempt you!
It was a rainy morning, more like an April downpour really but this was July, as I avoided the puddles on my way to check out the new products from Tefal, Krups and Rowenta under the banner of Beyond Innovation 2008.
Situated in , within a stone's throw of Oxford Street and
Bond Street, the Music Room is one of those locations that are often used by companies
to show off their wares to the press and trade customers. My previous visit had been to
check out new products from Sony Ericsson and now I was faced with various household gadgets
bearing the , Krups and Rowenta brands.
Over the last couple of months we've reviewed a number of coffee machines, across a wide
price range and with distinct capabilities and characteristics. We're just about
coming down from our caffeine high so now is a good time to offer a summary!
First of all a few terms so we're all singing from the same hymn sheet!
is the common 'brew' across the machines we reviewed. Think of this as a base coffee
from which others are made. Espresso is a short (40ml) strong black coffee. From this base
you can add hot frothy milk to make , for example. The machines we reviewed made coffee either from special proprietary 'capsules', such
as the system or the Braun Tassimo capsules, from fresh ground coffee or from
.
For those of you that like espresso, but often just want a jug of warm coffee then
Krups have combined both functions in a single unit.
The is a stylish brushed stainless steel and black plastic unit. The combination of espresso and filter means that it's physically bigger than other machines we've tested at 35x32x31cm (Width x Height x Depth) - my measurements from the actual unit and weighing in at 3Kg.
FrancisFrancis X6 Trio ESE espresso coffee machine
Published in Homes and Gardens
by petew
on Nov 5, 2007
In our continuing series reviewing the world of home coffee machines we're taking a look
at a stylish espresso machine from Illycaffè.
We've now covered a wide range of coffee machines - now is the turn of the FransisFrancis X6 Trio - designed by Italian architect Luca Trazzi for illy. This machine makes use of standard ESE coffee PODS. ESE standards for 'Easy Server Espresso'. Each pod is very similar to a tea-bag - except hard. Each pod contains compressed coffee between tow pieces of filter paper. Each pod is suitable for a single cup and are available from a number of companies.
Continuing our series reviewing the array of coffee machines available, this time
we take a look at a well made espresso machine from Kenwood.
The Kenwood Retro is available in three finishes : red, silver and cream. Unlike many
of the machines we've looked at, the Retro takes a very manual approach to preparing your
coffee. Other machines we've reviewed attempt to correctly measure a perfect espresso. This then
leads to complicated 'programming' options to allow you to alter that amount of water used.
With the Kenwood Retro, you get none of this.
Continuing our series on up-market coffee machines, today we're reviewing the elegant 'Le Cube' from Krups.
Krups has a long history in the coffee business, being formed back in 1846 as (according to their web site) 'a brand dedicated to precision and technical perfection'. They moved into coffee in the 1960s, giving them over four decades in which to hone their craft. They should know a thing or two when it comes to coffee and in this case they have leant their name to this Nespresso machine.
The Nespresso Lattissima builds in frothy milk
Published in Homes and Gardens
by petew
on Sep 27, 2007
Continuing with our review of up-market coffee machines, today I'm reviewing the Nespresso
DeLonghi Lattissima. Having worked my way through the various combination of options on this
machine I'm a little worried that sleep may elude me this evening!
The specific machine I'm reviewing today is the DeLonghi Lattissima EN660, designed
for Nespresso by the Italian design house DeLonghi. At a recommended price of £249 this
is a budget product and is aimed squarely at the coffee lover. Available in two finishes, silver (brushed aluminium) or 'creamy white' with
dimensions of approximately 20cm wide by 26cm tall and 34cm deep and a good weight at a full 5Kg. The design is basically symmetrical split into three roughly equal areas.
Gadgetspeak drinks from the cup of the UK's most popular coffee machine. Compact and easy to use, winner of Product of the Year 2007, as voted in a survey of 10,000 households
Now isn't coffee such a personal thing, and choosing the right coffee machine comes down to just how much of an aficionado you are and how much time you have on your hands. Here at GadgetSpeak we will be testing some of the best selling and newest coffee machines so that you don't have to! In the first of a series we have road tested the , winner of the Product of the Year 2007 (the UK's largest independent consumer vote on product innovation).
A futuristic coffee machine that has special coffee and dried milk capsules (pods) that quickly combine to make currently four kinds of coffee that are top notch.
Currently the comes with a starter pack of coffee and dried milk capsules as well as a cup/saucer and glass to give that coffee shop appearance. However the main thing with this machine is the speed of making a Cappuccino or Latte Macchiato both of which require a milk and a coffee capsule or an Espresso or Caffe Lungo that are drunk black and require just a single capsule. If the machine is switched on cold water is turned into a hot drink in around 20 seconds.
A coffee machine that does not require plumbing, a decent fresh hot cup of coffee whenever you want it in only 20 seconds, all you need is a 13amp plug. Philips and Douwe Egberts have combined to produce Senseo.
The shape of the is distinctive, in fact I
would go so far as to say unique. A little like a jug kettle, a little
like those thermos type jugs that keep coffee warm inordinately but in
truth nothing like either. Senseo from Philips The Senseo 'coffee pad system' to give
it it's full name can produce either one or two cups of delicious
coffee from 'ready' in 20 seconds.
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