How long do i need to pump before I can get a cup of espresso?
$113.00 at amazon with so-so reviews
http://www.amazon.com/KRUPS-XP3200-Boiler-Espresso-Machine/dp/B0052WJ2SC
This is nothing more than a glorified steam toy… A real espresso machine operates at 9 bars of pressure without the use of a rubber disc in the portafilter to artificially generate that pressure.
If you enjoy what this machine makes, so be it, but please don’t call it espresso because it simply isn’t.
Krupus website. I looked for a product manual, no dice so far. I’ll keep looking.
[youtube=mEdhRc_Dc1k][/youtube]
What a shock A video demo/review from Zappos
this machine will save much more time to make coffee, it is ideal to be used in office.
I had a Krups espresso machine many many mons ago and it served me very well for almost 10 years.
It’s a far cry from the $3K setup I have now but it’s a great machine for someone just starting to get into making espresso, for someone with little room, or for someone who doesn’t make many drinks.
Offer 4 friends a latte after dinner however, plan on it taking a solid 20 minutes for this machine to make them. The thermoblock is slow to create steam and frothing milk will take some time.
I’ve owned a half-dozen of these kind of(Chinese made)units, some bought new on sale, others found at Goodwill for a few dollars.
Most have the same basic Chinese mechanism and most are mediocre.
This situation is similar to the burr grinders, all made in China with several names and minor cosmetic changes, that simply can’t grind quite fine enough to use in a pump maker.
My (Portuguese-made) Capresso blows these out of the water, but it is around $199.
And one Hamilton Beach that was assembled in China but had an Italian pump was OK.
This is an OK machine, but don’t expect much from it. Older models were made in Europe and were better.
There is this big debate among “purists” (some call them “snobs”) and the rest of us about crema.
Crema is a foam created with back-pressure, and the purists do it “naturally” by carefully grinding fresh beans and precise tamping of the grounds (I have a La Pavoni that requires this.)
Machines with gaskets in the portafilter (the coffee chamber) produce the back pressure even when the grounds are not quite right. Purists refer to the result as “false crema.”
You will need to spend about as much as the cost of 3 or 4 iPads to get all the gear you need to do this the way the purists advise. Any scrimping along the way breaks the chain, they claim.
Ah Krups!!! The reviews on this don’t look so good!
There is a reason the words “Krups” and “Craps” are so similar.
Think about it… And a steam nozzle (instead of a wand)? It’s a kid’s toy.
I will say that I’ve had a very similar Krups machine for almost 10 years and it works great. I paid like $60 for it and have had no problems.
Got mine today, and I am sad. I think the pump has broken before I could even get my first cup out.
Edit: OK, I spoke too soon. After leaving the machine off for a while (15 minutes, maybe), the pump is working now. It seems to be operating fine, so we’ll see how it goes from here.