iPhone friendly EMR? We never thought we'd see the day!

The team at Espresso Machines Reviewed.com would like to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy New Year.  We’ve had a thoroughly enjoyable (and well deserved?!) break and now we’re ready to bring you all the coffee news that 2010 sends our way.

We have already made a slight change that will benefit our mobile readers.  If you have an iPhone then you can now check out our site wherever you may be with an iPhone friendly theme.  This will cut loading times and make the site much easier to navigate on the move.  Whether you are in a store and want to read our reviews while you are looking at the machines you are interested in or simply want to check up on us from your favorite coffee house, now you can do it quickly and easily!

We will be adding lots more features like this throughout the year.  If you have any suggestions, please get in touch!  We’d love to here from you.

Here’s to a great 2010.

The Espresso Machines Reviewed.com team.

The Nissan range is great for those often on the move...

For those that tend to enjoy their coffee on the road, a quality travel mug is a must have accessory.  In this article, Espresso Machines Reviewed.com invites our friends at best small coffee makers to tell you a bit mroe about finding a perfect travel mug… … …

There are a variety of mugs available for purchase, some good and some not so good. The last thing you want to do is to purchase a cheap $5.00 mug that will later disappoint you with its inability to keep your beverage hot for more than a few minutes. Some of the cheaper travel mugs are also prone to spills and leaks due to the way they are designed. So, how do you find the perfect travel mug to accompany your small coffee maker? The following article will detail some of the things to look for in a travel mug and will list a couple of examples of mugs that have received praise from real life users.

While there are some small coffee makers that come with their own travel mug, you will want a mug that does more than any free mug can. When searching for a travel mug you should consider how effective the mug is at keeping your beverage hot. Believe it or not, many of the top mug manufacturers put their products through detailed trials to measure their heat retention properties. Apart from the effectiveness of the mug, you should consider how well the mug holds on to the beverage itself. You don’t want a mug that easily leaks or spills as you’re driving down the road. Lastly, consider how the mug feels in your hands and how well it fits in the cup holders in your vehicle.

One of the top manufacturers of quality travel mugs is the Nissan Thermos Company. Nissan produces several stainless steel travel mugs, most of which use vacuum sealing to achieve maximum heat retention while also preventing spillage. Most Nissan travel mugs can be purchasing for around $30 from local and online retailers.

For more information on small coffee makers, coffee grinders and coffee accessories, please visit Best Small Coffee Maker.

A quality coffee grinder is vital to making a good cup of coffee...

In this post Espresso Machines Reviewed.com invites our friends at coffeegrindershop.co.uk to post and article about the benefits of coffee grinders… … …

If you are a fan of making great coffee at home then you should really use whole beans rather than the ready ground stuff you find on the supermarket shelves. The major problem with pre-ground beans is that the grinds soon lose the freshness and aroma that is present in freshly ground beans.

If you are interested in producing the best cup of coffee possible you could even go so far as to roast whole beans at home, although few people are willing to take this extra step. Obviously this will give you even more control over the final product.

Roasting and grinding at home allows you to control many aspects of the flavor of the final cup of coffee. From a dark roast to a light roast and coarse to fine grind you will be able to tailor the drink to suit your preference.

When it comes to grinding coffee at home, there are two main machine designs that you can choose from: burr coffee grinders or the blade equivalent. Blade grinders chop the coffee bean whilst burr grinders crush them.

In general, burr grinders should be your first choice and although they tend to be more expensive there are several advantages to make up for this. The main advantage is consistency of the grind. Burr grinders can consistently achieve a uniform and consistent product which is exceptionally important when you are looking for quality. The second benefit is that it is possible to select a precise coarseness. Whether you want a fine grind for espresso making or a coarse grind for a French press, a burr grinder will allow you to achieve that goal.

Cuisinart, Krups, Breville and others all have burr grinder offerings starting in the $40 region. Most of these have a bean hopper that you can store whole coffee beans in. This way you don’t have to fill the machine each time you want to use it; you simply select the coarseness of the grind you want, turn the machine on and there you have it.

In summary then, burr grinders are far more versatile. If you are looking for an easy way to gain more control over your cup of coffee and want to experience the vast variety of different coffee bean products on offer, then a burr grinder is a perfect kitchen appliance for you.

All the best for 2010!

Espresso Machines Reviewed.com would like to wish all our readers a happy new year and a great 2010.

We have a lot of great new features and reviews in the pipeline for early in the new year. We’ll be adding reviews of the lates machines in time for all the sales and we will be updating the site to format automatically for iPhones and mobile users. This way you’ll be able to keep abreast of all the latest coffee news wherever you might be (even in your favorite coffee shop!).

We hope you continue to enjoy the site as it grows over the coming months. Thanks for your support and keep the comments flowing.

Have a fantastic coffee filled 2010…

THE ESPRESSO MACHINES REVIEWED.COM TEAM

The Krups Dolce Gusto Nespresso machine...

In this review Espresso Machines Reviewed.com takes a look at the disappointing Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto… … …

The Krups Dolce Gusto Nespresso machine is produced by a coffee brand with great providence.  Krups has been in existence since 1846; surely if it has been around so long it will have learned a few things along the way?

Unfortunately the Dolce Gusto disappoints almost universally.

The machine is pump-driven and operates at 15 Bar.  Like most pump machines it is quick, producing an espresso in under a minute, and it has a removable water tank.  The tank has a generous holding capacity (1.3 liters).  We’re just not sure we’d want that much coffee from a machine like this; the coffee produced just isn’t up to the standard we would like or expect.

That this machine can handle only Nespresso capsules does not help.  If you want to grind your own coffee or use preground coffee you will have to purchase a different machine.  Nespresso capsules are also more expensive in the long run.

The coffee produced seemed fairly flavorless and lacked the aroma and crema we think an espresso should have.  In addition the Dolce Gusto has no steam pipe.  It still claims to make excellent cappuccino automatically from the appropriate Nespresso capsule but we were very unimpressed.  Because the capsules have to have an acceptable shelf life, they can only contain UHT milk and a small volume at that.  To make a truly pleasing cappuccino, buy a machine with a steam pipe and froth up some fresh milk yourself.  The difference will be huge.

The Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto is available in red, silver, white, ivory and black but it’s equally unimpressive in every colour.  We’d recommend avoiding this one.

If you do want to give it a shot it will set you back around $149.99 from www.dolce-gusto.us although you might manage a $30 rebate.  In the UK you can pick one up online for around £80.98.

In this review, Espresso Machines Reviewed takes a look at something a bit more unusual;  the Handpresso!

The video above should give you a good idea of what the Handpresso can do.  Basically it allows you to create an impressive espresso on the move.  No need for fancy espresso machines that require electricity to operate; this baby will fit in your rucksack and can go with you wherever you may be.

Using a clever hand pumping system, this is effectively a piston driven machine.  You pump the system to the right pressure (16 Bar), add hot water from a thermos flask (if you are on the go; which after all is the whole point!), put in an ESE pod (or ground coffee depending on your model) and press the button to allow the pressurised hot water to pass through the coffee.  Repeat as necessary to obtain the number of crema rich espressos you desire!

It really is fantastic to be able to obtain decent espresso anywhere you go and this machine is a must for all true coffee fans.  If your worst nightmare is the thought of been stuck far from home without good coffee, buy a Handpresso and you’ll never need to worry again!

It may take a fair bit of vigorous pumping (about 35 full pumps to reach 16 Bar) to get one measly shot but we think it’s worth it!

As we alluded to earlier there are two versions of this machine; the Handpresso Wild ESE (which utilises ESE pods) and the newer Handpresso Wild (which opens up new worlds of possibilities for coffee on the go by allowing you to use ground coffee).

There are also a lot of cool accessories available at the <a href=”www.handpresso.com”>Handpresso Website</a>.  You’ll find carrying cases, cups, coffee holders and a lot more there so check it out.  You can even find a limited edition red Handpresso!

The Handpresso Wild ESE retails for $89 at Amazon.com (£72 at Amazon.co.uk)

A tidy way to store your Nespresso capsules...

In this post, Espresso Machines Reviewed.com takes a look at this Nespresso capsule storage system from Swissmar… … …

So you’ve plumped out your hard earned cash on one of the espresso machines we’ve recommended?  Great!  But if the machine you’ve chosen uses Nespresso capsules, then you may already have found that they take up a lot of space in the cupboard.

Why not get yourself a neat and attractive storage system that keeps your Nespresso capsules close by and at the ready whilst looking good at the same time!  That’s where the Swissmar 80011 Vista comes in.  A Nespresso capsule holding rack that holds up to forty Nespresso capsules at a time.

The stand has four sides allowing you to easily store four different capsule types.  You can obviously store as many capsule types as you like but since only the top capsule on each side is easily removed, you could find your self removing half the capsules to reach the one you want; not ideal!  So best to stick to four capsule types then but still a handy device.

Basically it allows you to display your Nespresso Capsules and turn them from an eyesore into a feature.  It also removes the clutter of assorted boxes of capsules lying around your kitchen.

The Vista is well made with a sturdy design and rotates on the base so you can twirl it until the capsules you are after face the front.  The frame is made from chrome and the base is weighted to ensure stability during even the most enthusiastic twirling!

A great accessory for owners of Nespresso machines!

This entry-level Magimix machine was a nice surprise...

We recently reviewed the Magimix CitiZ Nespresso machine. This time, Espresso Machines Reviewed.com takes a look at it’s less fully featured cousin the Magimix M100 Essenza… … …

At only £125/$200, this machine is certainly cheaper than some of the other machines we have reviewed.

Despite this, the Magimix Essenza (M100) is a worthy machine.  It retains the art deco architectural design theme that is common to the Magimix Nespresso range; a theme that we think works well.  It also comes in 4 different colours (silver, spicy orange, arctic blue and fizzy fuschia which is shown above).

So the machine definitely has some things going for it; but before we move on let’s get that common gripe of ours out of the way!  This machine only accepts Nespresso capsules.  This is a more expensive way of making your coffee and restricts you to the capsule varieties that are available for purchase.  Capsules are also less environmentally friendly than some other ways of making espresso .  On the other hand, capsules are a convenient way to make consistently good cups of coffee.

As with most modern consumer espresso machines, the Essenza is pump driven.  It operates at a pressure of 19 bar, has backlit control buttons, an auto-eject capsule system and a used capsule container.  The tank is removable which makes filling easy.

There are two buttons on the Essenza.  The first turns the machine on and off; the second controls the pump.  This makes the Essenza very easy to use.

We were happy with the coffee produced; it was rich and full bodied with a good crema.  Like the Magimix CitiZ and Milk (M190), this is a single cup at a time machine.  Read our review of the Magimix CitiZ and Co (M190) for a Magimix machine that will produce to cups simultaneously.

The last point to mention is that unlike a lot of it’s competitors, the Essenza does NOT have a steam pipe.  This is probably how the price was made possible.  We actually like the fact that Magimix have put out a machine where the ability to froth milk is an optional extra.  Lots of people like their coffee black and for them a steam pipe is generally a wasted feature.  If you do want to indulge in the odd cappuccino here and there you will have to splash out an extra £55.99/$90 (Aeroccino Plus).  We will probably put up a separate review of the Aeroccino Plus shortly so look out for that.

The problem is that by the time you do this, you will have spent enough to have obtained a better machine.

So is the Essenza for you?  If you like your coffee black and love the convenience of Nespresso capsules, the answer can only be yes!

P.S. Here is a bonus video; the official promo video for the Essenza and Aeroccino… don’t say we aren’t good to you!

This Lavazza branded machine is made by Saeco...

In this latest review, Espresso Machines Reviewed.com takes a look at this offering from Lavazza… … …

Although marketed as a Lavazza machine, the Lavazza A Modo Mio (literally ‘my way’ in Englinsh) is made by the Italian coffee machine company, Saeco.

Saeco was started in 1981 and in 1999 it acquired the control of Gaggia.  As Gaggia is probably a more recognisable household brand, this acquisition has reinforced Saeco’s position in the coffee machine sector; whilst allowing the Gaggia name to continue.  The group is the current leader in the production of espresso machines for home use, with a market share (according to their website) of 65%.

This machine then is made by the same people as Gaggia machines and has a Lavazza label on it!  Highly confusing but there you have it!

So… onto the machine itself.

The styling is typically Italian (in a good way!).  The model shown here is the manual, black version but there is also an automatic, red or silver version available.

One of the biggest pluses with this machine is its simplicity and value for money.  It cost only £119/190 for the black version (£159/$260 fpr the premium red or silver version) which is pretty good value.  As with most of the home espresso machines we review this is a pump driven machine and has a steam pipe for cappuccino making/cup heating.  It has a 0.9 liter tank capacity so you can churn out a fair few espressos without having to refill it; that said it’s not the larges tank we’ve ever seen on a machine.  That said, the flavour of the coffee the machine produces is not bad at all.

The main disadvantage in our opinion is that this is a capsule only machine.  You can use ground coffee or any other coffee product with this machine.  The machine doesn’t use the most common Nespresso format of capsule but rather Lavazza’s own capsules.  These are slightly cheaper than Nespresso capsules but you are still paying a premium for convenience AND limiting yourself to only a few different capsule varieties at the same time.

As we’ve said before, if you like convenient coffee and are not too fussed about how much choice you have when it comes to buying coffee, then a machine like this is fine for you.  If on the other hand you like to experiment with all the different coffee that is out there then it is worth investing in a machine that has ground coffee capability (or even dual functionality).

A plethora of different machines exist on the market...

In this article, Espresso Machines Reviewed.com will discuss the different types of espresso machine that are available on the market today; as well as the relative advantages and disadvantages of each… … …

Since 1901, espresso machines in one shape or form have been churning out coffee to be enjoyed by the masses.  Today navigating all the various types of espresso machine can be difficult.  Here we will discuss some of the most popular current designs.

1) Steam/Pressure Driven espresso machines

These machines rely on the build up of high pressure steam which then forces its way through the waiting coffee resulting in a hot shot of espresso at the other end.  The first espresso machines ever made were of this type.  Since there is no need for moving parts with this design, machines of this type tend to be cheaper.  However, since the water in the tank has to be vaporised, these machines usually only have the capability to make one or two cups of coffee at one time.

In addition, the water tank in these machines is fixed.  This means you can’t fill it from the tap; instead you need to decant water into the tank from a jug (usually the jug that the coffee will subsequently drip into).

The final disadvantage of this design is that they are manual machines.  As we will see some of the other designs are fully automated.

2) Piston Driven espresso machines

This design was pioneered by Achille Gaggia in the mid 1940’s.  As you probably know the Gaggia company which he founded is still going strong today and you will find reviews of several Gaggia products elsewhere on this site.

This is a primitive forebear of the pump design (see below).  In this design the hot water is pressurised by hand.  Pulling a long handle produces a shot of espresso.  The pressure used in these machines is usually around 8 to 10 bar (in other words; 8 to 10 times atmospheric pressure at sea level!)

3) Pump Driven espresso machines

This design is probably the most ubiquitous today and is found in most espresso bars and coffee houses.

With this design a motor forces the hot water through the coffee thereby achieving consistent pressures (usually 10 to 20 bar) and therefore a more consistent espresso.  The downside to this is that these machines are bulkier and noisy.

Commercial machines of this design often connect directly to the mains water supply; making filling a water tank a thing of the past.  Most machines intended for home use still have water tanks however.  On the plus side, these tanks can be considerably larger than the tanks in steam driven machines.  The tank can also be removed from the machine which makes filling less of a hassle.

These machines are good if you are looking to make espresso for a few of your friends at once.

And that’s it!  You’re now ready to start reading some of our reviews.  We will mostly be covering pump driven machines but we will be sure to review other designs too (including perhaps some more unusual designs we haven’t featured here!).

Until next time… Happy coffee drinking!!