 Excellent product |
| Review Date: February 28, 2010 |
| Reviewer: lucy c, SD |
| Ease to use after studying the detailed instructions a bit. Every cup of coffee tastes fresh and is perfectly hot. I feel like I waste a lot less coffee, because you make it as you go versus brewing a full pot of coffee and dumping half of it down the drain because it is cold or old. The machine is easy to clean. I clean all the removable parts about once a week. On the downside, it is a little bulky for my small countertop. Also, I wish it had an indicator for low water level beside the fact that coffee no longer fills your cup. Not a big deal though. Otherwise, excellent product!!! |
Amazing at home espresso drinks
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| Review Date: December 27, 2009 |
| Reviewer: S. A. Ryan, Pittsburgh, PA |
| Be sure to watch the 10 minute dvd about the machine as soon as you unpack it. Follow the start up directions and don't try to just "figure it out by winging it". The DVD is very helpful to understand the process of using this coffee/espresso maker and its parts. My two favorite parts are the disposal bin for the used grounds (no more filters!) and the frothing wand. The heat is fantastic with both the water output and the steam/frother. My only complaint is that while the espresso dispenser is adjustable to accommodate taller cups, it does not accommodate a travel mug size. So if my husband wants a full 16 ounce travel mug, he has to brew 2 8 oz small mugs then pour the coffee into his mug. The maximum amount of grounds you can brew are two scoops (the scoop is provided for you) which is two servings. If we have company, though, it is not a hassle to reload with two more scoops to brew more espresso and the frother is ready to use again in only 90 seconds. Essentially for the price, this machine produces a great cup of espresso and frothy milk or coffee which makes this a great multitasking machine that still fits (with clearance) under your cabinets. I am glad we got this instead of a tassimo or keurig. We don't have to worry about buying the pods or k-cups and all the plastic waste from the cups. |
Great machine, better service from 1st in coffee.
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| Review Date: May 7, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Rolf Gruller, Scottsdale, AZ USA |
I purchased this as a refurbished machine. When I set it up and used it a few times I found It to have a water leak. I e-mailed the vendor and he immediately sent out a replacement and arranged a UPS pickup for the defective unit. I contacted the vendor on a Monday, the old machine was picked up on Tuesday and the new machine arrived on Thursday. In other words, this vendor shipped a replacement before he had received my return. Wow!!! I couldn't ask for better service than that.
The replacement machine works perfectly, makes delicious espresso and is a great and easy to work with semi-automatic coffee maker. I replaced a standard style espresso machine with this and I could not be happier with my choice. |
loving lattes
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| Review Date: January 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: M. Barragan, Los Angeles, CA |
I thank my husband everyday for buying this machine for me. It makes the best tasting coffee so easily. At first, I thought he'd spent too much, but I'm actually saving money now by not buying $3.00 coffee drinks at the store. It's an incentive to get up early, just so I can brew my own on this machine.
It heats up quickly, is a snap to clean, and very easy to use. Don't give it a second thought unless you can afford the more expensive, fully automatic version of this machine. |
I have been using the Ultima for over 4 years......
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| Review Date: October 15, 2008 |
| Reviewer: BernieBear, Tulsa, OK |
I enjoyed the taste of lattes having lived in San Francisco for many years and found myself in withdrawal when I had to return to St. Louis rather unexpectedly. I purchased the Capresso Ultima about the end of 2002 or early 2003 and was and have been fairly satisfied with this product from the get go. Here are a few things I've found in having brewed well in excess of a 1000+ cups and probably 75+ or more pounds of coffee in this machine:
1. Your coffee selection is key. If you like the Starbucks or Peet's or Border's latte taste, purchase a good dark roast.
2. Buy a burr grinder so you can get the right grind, not too fine and certainly not course. I use the DeLonghi. One word of caution, after using the finest turkish grind on my burr grinder for several cups, one day I discovered the coffe would not flow no matter how long I left the pump on. By the way, don't do this because your excess coffee simply flows into the overflow tray and gets wasted. To fix the problem I called the factory in New Jersey (I think) and was told to just return the central unit--nothing else. For $65, my charges, they sent back a new unit even though I had almost 2 years of use on it. It was returned within about 10 days. Excellent customer service.
3. If you like milky, thick foam then stick with 1 or 2 percent to get the best froth which you cannot get with whole milk or soy or rice milk for that matter.
4. DO NOT OVERHEAT THE MILK!!! This breaks down the fat molecules within the milk making it impossible to build a good froth.
5. Use a small colletor to gather the espresso and not the cup you used to steam the milk. I use this to collect the espresso and then pour it into the steamed milk. After a few cups you will quickly determine how much coffee to brew. Also, if you want an absolute great surprise, make a cappacino and let the machine brew the "crema" that seems to be the rage in espresso circles. The Ultima does an excellent job making crema.
For those who don't know, it's the tasty lighter coffee that is brewed at the end of the brewing cycle and has a wonderful milky-coffee taste.
6. The coffee is always HOT, HOT, HOT so please be careful when initially drinking it.
7. The hot water heater works wonders for the likes of hot chocolate mix.
8. I should add about the frother that you will experience a lot of steamiing water which probably shouldn't be there and disappears if you let the steamer run for a few minutes--do this in a separate container and dump the water, the steam will follow. Also the frothing wand is a two stage affair that generally heats the milk at first and then after a slight adjustment on the wand will produce a thick froth. Also, I move the cup with the milk around the wand to get good even heat to the milk.
9 From a cold start, to finished cup takes about 3 minutes--the heating element works extremely fast.
10. Always use distilled water not tap. This will result in a calcium deposit which will destroy the unit. If you drink a lot of this coffee, I'd recommend buying your own countertop water distiller.
11. All in all, I could not be more happy with this machine. My son who lives in Brooklyn uses a much more expensive model, over $1,000, and it produces a great cup of espresso---the Capresso Ultima does the same at almost one-fourth the price.
12. It is because of the water wastege that I gave this unit a four star rating.
13. To ensure consistent coffee taste, do take off the top, very easy procedure, and then rinse it under the faucet. The black, grounds container on the bottom tray should be emptied and rinsed daily after
each use.
14. If and when the time comes to replace, I'll go right back to the same unit--Love it, love it.
15. Finally, the plastic water container holds near perfect amounts of water to make approximately 7 cups of coffee.
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