Krups 985-71 Il Caffe Duomo Coffee and Espresso Machine, White

Comment: I paid 150CAD for mine, perhaps a bit more than I should have done, but I was in a hurry and had no time to research.

I use it for 50% drip, 50% cappucino. I don't drink neat espresso. I've had it for a week now.

Pros
1)Two-in-one function. Both sort of work.
2)Space saving!
3)Fantastic froth every time, easily.

Cons
I like my cappucino with a small amount of dark espresso, and plenty of very hot frothy milk. In order to achive this, I have to do the following.
1) Warm up milk in microwave first.
2) Set fine-ground coffee, press it down QUITE a bit.
User manual tells you not to, but my espresso comes out too weak and waterly otherwise.
3) Put small amount of water in the tank. Just how much is try and error.
4) Switch on, steam is ready in less than a minute, espresso starts to drip slowly, start frothing at the same time.
5) Milk is hot and frothy, right amount of espresso produced with a BIT OF crema (not much), and I run out of steam just in a good time, so I can turn the machine off.

8~10 times of try and error, different combination of just about everything. The most difficult part is to estimate how much steam is needed to froth the milk, while making sure there's enough steam (but not too much) left for espresso at the same time. This is because there's only one control for both. Basically, it's either on (steam!) or off (no steam). When I get it right, it tastes very good indeed.

Dear Mr.Krups, for future models, please can I have 2 steam switches, one for espresso and the other for froth.

What I really want is a Delonghi pump-espresso / drip 2-in-1, with proper froth nozzle (not that wierd froth dispenser!), under 200CAD. Oneday, maybe, eh? Until then, this Duomo will have to do.

Cheers.

Comment: We have had this machine for over 5 years and have really enjoyed the wonderful espresso and delicious coffee it makes--by far the best we have ever served. We have probably made about 2000 pots of espresso and 300 carafes of coffee, so we have found it quite dependable. Nothing has gone wrong despite the frequent use. We use the gold filters with the coffee maker, and the coffee is excellent and keeps its flavor for up to 30 minutes in the warmer. It does have some design flaws, though. First of all, the external fill marks on the coffee carafe are all but invisible, and pouring the water in the machine is very liable to result in water on the counter. Second, both types of carafes are poorly designed in that they dribble, rather than pour, at all but the slowest rates. Overall, this machine represents excellent value, but there are a couple of more things to be aware of--namely do not put the plastic tops of the espresso caraffes or the metal brewbasket in the dishwasher, and the frothing attachment is more trouble than it's worth. All in all, if really excellent coffee at a reasonable price is your goal, I think this is your machine. I would recommend buying a couple of additional caraffes and metal brew baskets to make it easy to make multiple pots of espresso when you have guests.

Comment: Espresso comes out lukewarm - frother seems to work well but what good is it when your drink is cold. I guess i could microwave it so that its warm/hot. I used to associate Krups with a high quality product but not anymore.

Comment: I owned it for 2 years now and it never breaked down. I read other reviews about it being slow but its not true it makes a great expresso in about 5 muinets.

Comment: Today I was a half hour late for work. I insisted on getting a cup of espresso before I left. It took a half hour. It took a half hour because either a) the espresso maker works or b) the steamer works. But never both a and b. And when I say "works", I don't mean that it works well. I just mean that stuff comes out. It's not particularly hot stuff. Nor is it really any good (not the fault of the beans by the way). Other complaints: espresso dispenses almost at random from the basket -- typically it makes a troubling screeching sound and steam comes out of every crack of the amazingly poorly constructed device. Since I have pronounced it dead, I took it apart tonight, just to get a peek at the dreaded thing that has caused me so much strife. It's ugly. Get it out of your house now. It is evil.