29 out of 29 people found this review helpful.
I need to trade this BEAST in.
Date of Review: Jun 8, 2005
The Bottom Line: Stick to a nice coffee maker and save the rest for lattes made to order at your favorite cafe and some good 100% Kona or Jamaican Blue Mountain beans! Yum.
I bought the Capresso C1000 from Williams-Sonoma on sale for about $800 + tax. Still expensive but the fact that I know many were purchased at full retail felt really nice. In all honesty, the sale made this machine even more appealing and was a strong deciding factor in eliminating the competitors and finalizing the purchase of this one... I completely went against my rule of not making purchases based on the item being on sale.
Williams-Sonoma had a Capresso C1000 on display and ready to make shots of espresso for customers, so I watched a staff member as she made me a sample. Yum. I'll take one.
I was parked close and was given help getting the machine (in a box, of course) in to the car. After arriving home, I was not looking forward to unpacking the machine, but I knew it had to be done. The open box revealed a VHS instructional video tape which I tossed aside as if I were a pro.
The machine set up pretty easily. I did utilize the user's manual - a booklet which was also provided. Upon realizing the abundance of buttons and controls, I popped the video in, though I hated to have to give in. The video was instructional and simple to understand. I felt like I should be following along, waiting to hear the chime to turn the page! All in all, YES it was helpful and necessary.
The machine was super heavy, which was pleasing to me since it gave the machine a solid, sturdy feel. The rectangular shape allows for a good looking, neat appearance while sitting on the counter in plain view. If counter space is limited, the machine is probably not a good option since the weight and size is substantial. The C1000 is made to remain stationary.
The machine has a boxy appearance. The model I bought is black with silver on the front. The silver is a matte metallic. Unlike true brushed stainless steel or brushed nickel, this is plastic, which I don't care for, but it's not actually ugly and I have noticed an increase in manufacturers using this type of material on things from television sets to washing machines. Probably cheaper than true metal and also not as heavy.
The buttons are all hard plastic as opposed to the "mushy" buttons I have come across. There are little lights which are green when everything is good to go, red when something requires attention. There are a total of five buttons and two knobs.
Buttons: 1. On/Off 2. Grind/Brew one serving 3. Grind/Brew two servings 4. Causes brewing without grinding when using ground coffee rather than whole beans. 5. Hot water/Steam
Knobs: 1. Adjust coffee servings in ounces 2. Specifies whether steam or hot water will come out when water button is pushed.
In addition there is a steam "wand" which I avoid using because it is very limited in adjustment ability and it is also not long enough. Adjustments are limited in that it does not protrude or allow you to pull it away to get the steam in the middle of your liquid's container. It's quite awkward. The steam is not produced under adjustable pressure, another negative. There is only the button to begin the steam rather than a knob which would allow the pressure to be maximized and/or reduced under your control. The steam wand is also odd in that there is a small outer metal tube which you are to lift up or pull down depending on if you are heating frothing. I've never succeeded in having it automatically froth and I instead use the traditional method of lowering the milk slowly so that the steam can pull in air at the top level of milk.
Finally, the wand and the spouts that pour the espresso, are too close to the bottom of the machine's drain. You need short mugs or actual espresso cups to avoid overflow. Also for steaming milk, you must use a smaller than average pitcher or it won't fit. Very bad design flaw.
Okay, I know that was all pretty technical and I may sound somewhat like Andy Rooney ("Did you ever notice...?") but they were observations that dramatically (and negatively) influenced my opinion of the Capresso C1000! Seeing them all listed here rather than just noticing them one by one actually shocks me, too.
Moving on to more of the everyday issues like brewing coffee and espresso! It's very convenient and nice to have the built in grinder that automatically grinds beans to your (limited) specification and desire. There is a small knob inside the bean holder which is located on the right of the machine. For a finer grind you turn it up. It also says to do this if you want to get coffee to come out hotter in temperature, though I have found that it makes no noticeable difference. Actually, I didn't find much of a difference in the grind setting, either. I like my coffees and coffee drinks extra hot, like 160 degrees and there's no way to get coffee this hot using this machine unless you steam it or microwave it afterward! The coffee and espresso comes out warm, nothing more no matter what.
The machine suggests NOT using flavored whole beans because the oils may clog the machine. Same goes with darker roasted beans... But aren't all espresso beans a darker roast??? Uh, yeah. So that's kind of odd. Any beans which are extra shiny (oily) risk clogging the machine unless so you are advised to pre-grind the beans and then use the scoop (included) to put them in the top. You then continue as normal, minus the grinding stage. A press of the specified button turns grinding off. Lesson here: Don't throw your old grinder out in all the glory of bringing this bad boy home!
I should probably mention that the oily bean problem isn't just a threat. It has happened to me. Because I love hard earned, hands-on lessons of trial and error! They do in fact clog the machine up a prevent the espresso from pouring. You then must stick your hand up and blindly feel around and wipe off a metal disk with a damp cloth or paper towel. NOT pleasant.
As far as the finished product (that being the coffee and espresso)... It's good. There is a true crema each time. It's quick. It's... still not near worth the asking price or the sale price I paid.
Sure, it appears impressive. Guests have no choice but to make a complimentary comment on the obtrusive "beast". Then, in no time, you'll need to run the cleaning cycle! Agh! The lights will blink and you'll see once green lights turn red and you'll think you have done something wrong and broken your investment. But it only needs to run through its cleaning cycle which consists of using a special pellet and pressing a button to start it. Several minutes later, relief and accomplishment. Yay.
The water reservoir is on the left side of the machine. There's a fill line and a built in filter so you can simply take the container out and fill it up with plain old sink water. Finally something simple!
Turning on the machine will require a few seconds of waiting while it warms up (or I guess that's what it's doing). You then need to press a lit button to clean it one time. This spits out a bit of "dirty" looking water. Then you can make your coffee/espresso. This gets old after a while and I have found that if I turn if off and then back on again I can actually get around this whole procedure. I don't recommend this, of course!
I have used the hot water spout to make a cup of tea and I have used the steam wand to heat milk for hot chocolate, but these days I strictly make my morning coffee. No latte, cappuccino, etc. I also continue to buy specialty coffee drinks when I'm out or near a coffee shop so that whole thought of justifying the cost with the savings from Cafe's are long gone.
Overall, I'd have passed on the Capresso C1000 had I known all the pesky little details I've discovered along the way. In fact I've since purchased a Kitchen Aid Coffee Maker (highly recommended) and you know what made a kick butt cup of coffee? A 100% Kona coffee purchased on-line from the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (coffeebean.com)! And to think how much I Kona coffee I could have bought for the price of this Capresso machine!
I have seen the new updated models of the Capresso C1000 in Williams-Sonoma and I immediately noticed several changes. The area where the cup/mug sits and catches the coffee/espress is now of adjustable height so that taller cups can also fit but for smaller espresso cups you can still pull it closer to prevent splashing. The E8 is now the most basic model offered at Williams Sonoma and is listed at $999.00. However, at the very top of the line, the Z5 has a swivel nozzle for frothing but is priced at a whopping $3,199! The price alone woke me up faster than a double shot of espresso! If given the choice to trade up to a newer model, like car dealerships offer, I'd still really have to think about it. Okay, I have my answer. No.
