Cuisinart Espresso Maker – You Need One!

Cuisinart Espresso Maker – You Need One!

I like my coffee. In fact, I freely admit to being a coffee addict. And before I say anything else, let me say this machine makes great coffee. With the right beans and a bit of practice, this machine makes a great cup of coffee. The only negative thing I can say is that the warming tray doesn’t seem to get really warm, but I do like being able to store my cups on top of the machine(more space in the cabinets now, plus a certain caf© aesthetic is always nice), so I don’t mind. Positives are it’s fast, it’s quiet, everything is sturdy and well designed (and clicks or locks solidly in place so you know things are seated correctly), and the espresso is truly caf© quality – an enormous difference from the more basic espresso machines on the market.
Positives:
#1 Well built (it’s actually quite heavy)
#2 easy to use, filters allow for a single or double shot to be made – also comes with a pod filter but I’ve never used it
#3 large water reservoir that has allowed me to make 4 or 5 espressos and steam milk too
#4 comes with a DVD that teaches you how to use it (much easier than reading the booklet) – this is especially helpful if you’re new at making your own drinks
#5 easy to clean
#6 has a warming plate on top (good if you need to make more than one double shot cups or two single shot cup
Negatives:
#1 the steam nozzle is too long – you kind of have to tilt the pitcher to get the nozzle out – this isn’t a problem so long as you know so you can use less milk or you can place the machine so the nozzle can be used on a non-countered space. The nozzle has a good range of movement so this does help counteract.
#2 the distance between the portal filter (where the coffee comes out) and the drip tray is not very tall – I’ve found that I have to use a smaller cup to brew and then dump it into a larger cup if I’m going to make a latte and want to fit in a decent amount of frothed milk.
None of the cons take away from the overall satisfaction of this espresso maker, but they are things you should be aware of. With regular desalinizing this espresso machine should last a few years. The current price is just under USD90, an ideal price. I’ve seen similar machine cost as much as USD160, which at that price may be less ideal for a starter espresso machine.
Overall if you just want to see if you would use an espresso machine or only want one for casual use and do not want a large investment this is the perfect machine. I would purchase it again in a heartbeat. Be warned; you too may fall in love with espresso and fall prey to the continuing desire to upgrade. This machine simply can’t compete with the flexibility of the higher end models, but that shouldn’t be surprising at this price point. I give it 4 stars; since it probably shouldn’t blow grounds all over the kitchen, until I learned to use it correctly.