I am a self-confessed coffee junkie. With or w/o the caffeine (pregnancy and such) I love the taste; and the taste of the coffee that I''ve brewed with this machine was great. Loved it, loved it, loved it. The machine was easy to use and looked pretty darn cool sitting there on my counter. The only issue that i have is that the espresso side seems to need some encouragement. The knobs need to be fiddled with a bit in order to get the espresso to start dripping (even after 10 minutes during a holiday party full of thirsty coffee drinkers). Thought that was just b/c my machine was so new, but it''s been doing that ever since the first use. Still, it''s not terribly difficult, and the coffee is oh-so-yummy!
For a latte, you''ll need to have finely ground espresso, a stainless steel frothing pitcher, and cold milk (2% or non-fat work best). Remove the rubber end to the frothing nozzle -I never use it, and that may be one of the problems other reviewers have. Follow the instructions in the manual to fill your water reservoir and your espresso filter. Fill your frothing pitcher no more than halfway with milk. Turn the dial on the left to the "cup" setting, and as soon as your first drop of espresso falls, switch the dial to the frothing setting, and start frothing your milk. Keep the nozzle low in the pitcher, just heating -not frothing. Hold the pitcher in your hand and keep heating the milk until the pitcher is just about too hot to hold -(or you could buy a thermometer, but this works just as well, and for the price-conscious does the trick), then move the pitcher lower, letting the nozzle just skimming along the top of the milk. This will start your foam growing, and it will not take long before your pitcher is about to overflow. At that point, switch the dial back to the "cup" setting, and your espresso shot will fall. When all is done, pour your shot of espresso in a cup, add the milk, top with the foam, and add a little cocoa powder or cinnamon or your choice -and maybe even a drop or two of vanilla extract. You''re good to go. A delicious latte, at an extremely low price.
(I explained the above because the instructions in the manual are not that good, and I don''t have the time to build a how-to video. I hope it was helpful.)
Buy KRUPS XP1500 Coffee Maker and Espresso Machine Combination Now
We love this machine. We have limited space and need to have both a coffee maker and a cappucino maker in that space. We have had none of the difficulties that others mention. But we did take the black plastic sleeve off of the frother and that has made a huge difference. With it on we got bubbles. Now we get great froth. And if we pack the espresso well we get an excellent crema. It is a $100 machine that makes both coffee and espresso. It is not going to be like a $1000 Starbucks machine. We set our expectations appropriately and were delighted.Read Best Reviews of KRUPS XP1500 Coffee Maker and Espresso Machine Combination Here
My wife doesn''t drink coffee, so it is appropriate to say "I" received the XP1500 as a wedding gift. Like others, the SECOND TIME I made espresso, the handle cracked on the espresso grounds holder from the normal pressure of turning it into place. Customer service assured me that they could do nothing unless I had the receipt. This was two years ago, and the machine was a brand new item, so there should have been no question to the age of the machine for warranty purposes, but I had no receipt since it was a wedding gift. They wouldn''t even pay the shipping for a new holder. In short, they wouldn''t budge, and if I wanted a new grounds holder, I would have to pay full cost to do so. So I kept it, being very careful over the last couple of years to not turn it too hard. Today, it broke further, rendering it useless. To be fair, I have tried to make espresso and cappucino many times, but I have never been able to get a truly good cup from this machine.Other problems: the frother is too low. You need to angle the milk cup too much to be useful. A half cup of cold milk will turn into a counter full of frothed milk when it''s done.
You''re better off researching all products and choosing one that is made with better materials, has better reveiws for the quality of the resultant coffee, and going with a company that has BETTER CUSTOMER SUPPORT. There''s a reason that "customers who purchased this product also purchased..." "...REPLACEMENT ITEMS!!!"
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We replaced a Krup coffee/espresso combo which we purchased about 12 years ago. What a wonderful machine! Unfortunately, this model was no longer available. The model #985 was the recommended replacement. However, it doesn''t even come close.1) The basket for the coffee filter is too small in diameter for the filter, causeing grounds to fall into the brew. The basket also leaks, giving you a countertop lake to start your morning.
2) The espresso is okay provided you don''t want a cappuccino. The froth attachment is so low and it is difficult to get the milk pitcher under the spigot. The milk froths very quickly, and your container is overflowing with foam while the milk is still cold. It''s okay only if you froth enough milk for 1, maybe 2 shots, but if you need milk for the full pot (4 shots), you''ll need to froth milk one-half at a time.
The pot is will soon be available for sale at our local Goodwill.
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