- Café quality made easy
- Powerful 15 bar pump
- No-fuss frother
- Easy-fill reservoir
- Works with pre-measured pods or ground espresso
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Product Details
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Product Description
Making cafe-quality coffee drinks is quick and easy with this Italian-style espresso machine, which features 1100 watts of power and a 15-bar pump. The unit works with ground espresso or pre-measured pods and offers simple push-button operation. Its 2-cup removable water reservoir is easy to fill, and the adjustable steam/frothing dial allows for quickly steaming milk for cappuccinos and lattes. For added convenience, the appliance provides a cup-warming plate, an "on/off" switch, a power indicator light, a thermostat indicator light, a pressure safety valve, and a removable drip tray for easy cleanup. Accessories include a measuring scoop/tamper, two stainless-steel filters, an instructional video, and laminated recipe cards. The espresso machine measures 9 by 7-1/2 by 11-3/4 inches and carries a one-year warranty.
Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
84 of 87 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good machine + good price = Great deal!,
By
This review is from: Hamilton Beach 40729 Espresso/Cappuccino Maker with Pod Holder (Kitchen)
I've used this machine for two years now, and would buy it again in an instant. I'll add these comments to those previously written:
* Crema varies with coffee bean; shiney fresh beans give more crema and have more (but subtle) flavors. I don't get the best crema with Starbucks beans. Peets is great though, so is Nicholas. Even the generic beans ($5/lb when on sale at the local grocer) work OK. Remember, these espresso machines extract more flavor from coffee beans (than perk or drip machines); it's the nature of the pressure (vs temperature) process. * For a great double shot (actually, 4 oz), I fill the fresh-grounds filter to level (not heaping) with whole beans, grind them for 8 seconds in a cheapo spice grinder, and tamp them (not too hard, not too soft). The tamped grounds come up almost to the #2 line in the filter. I run the pump for 30 seconds after liquid starts coming out of the nozzel. The machine has been turned on and heating for only about 5-10 minutes prior to this. * I've used Starbucks pods. It does takes two (at 15 seconds of pumping per) to make a double shot. It tastes good (but not as strong as when I use fresh-ground.) Pods are quicker, but more expensive, than using grounds. You do need to be careful to press the pod in the filter so all water goes through, not around, the pod. Be aware that this machine comes with two different stainless steel filters; one for grounds, and a smaller one for pre-packaged pods. * These machines use ***PRESSURE*** not temperature to extract flavors. This results in smoother taste, but not scalding temperatures. If you want your espresso law-suit hot, nuke it afterward. * The included plastic tamper is too flimsy for the tamping pressure I've found works best; get a sturdier one (I got an aluminum one from a local kitchen store.) If you don't tamp hard enough, grounds float up and coat the nozzel that high-pressure water comes out of. If you grind and tamp just right, the used grounds will maintain their hockey-puck shape when you shake them out of the filter. * Coffee mugs don't fit under the spouts. Its not like this machine will make enough espresso in one batch to come close to filling a standard 10 oz mug. I just want to drink a strong brew from a manly mug ;-) I've had to resort to using the shorter, dainty, coffee cups from the fine china set. (Don't tell my buddies.) * If you're the analytical type, check out "The Complexity of Coffee" in Scientific American June 2002, Vol 286 Issue 6 p86. It contains good info you can use to perfect your brew. * Use some of that cafeine buzz to clean the machine after each use, and it will last for a long time. There was a recall (on the older 40714 version) because some people weren't cleaning milk off the frother, which resulted in scalding when the plug of old dried curdled milk suddenly erupted. Use common sense, keep this puppy clean, and it will make cup after cup of great brew. * The frothing wand is not the easiest to use, due to the funny angle, short length, and low height above counter. I had to search for a stainless pitcher of just the right size; 10 oz to the brim. Disclaimer: I don't use the frother much so this doesn't detract from my rating of this machine. * After years of use, hard water deposits build up on the nozzle just above where the coffee grounds sit. I noticed that water was spraying, rather than dripping, from here (during cleanup). There's no need to run special cleaners through the machine; I successfully remove deposits by rubbing the nozzel with a hand towel after every use. It's become part of the espresso-making ritual. * I've been burned on other items when chosing the cheapest, but not on this one. It has some drawbacks, but for the price I can easily overlook them. It has kept my picky self satisfied!
40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect (for me),
By
This review is from: Hamilton Beach 40729 Espresso/Cappuccino Maker with Pod Holder (Kitchen)
Ok, so here was my conundrum. I'm a soldier deployed to Iraq and during midtour leave visited Italy and became addicted to espresso. I drank it over there many times a day and really liked the effects. The bad news is that I had to come back to Iraq for 7 more months and I'm too lazy to walk to the Greenbeans Coffee Shop (yep, we have one) and I didn't really want to pay .75*6=4.50 every day. So, I knew I had to get a machine.
Now, given that I am in Iraq, the main things that I wanted were convenience and easy to clean. Given that I'm too lazy to walk to 50 or so yards to the bathroom to clean the thing, pretty much I have to rely mostly on water bottles. I'm not a huge coffee snob and I just learned about crema, so quality might not be a consideration. I bought this model, paid the exorbitant shipping costs and I've had it about a week. I seriously don't see any negatives. I am surprised to read other reviews about the temperature because my shots come out extremely HOT. There must be quite a lot of variation on models, wonder if Hamilton Beach is aware of this? It's convenient, cleans up nicely. I hate that I have to dump the grate at the bottom but that's just because I'm ...lazy. I will say that it takes some experimentation. I read about the crema so I worked to achieve this perfection. Let's just say that it's a work in progress. I don't have much access to coffee, so I have some Starbucks and some other Italian brand. Pre-grind because I don't have access to a grinder. My last pull which is sitting on my desk as we speak did have a nice crema head that I achieved by 2 scoops of coffee jammed down into the filter using that great plastic tool that they provide (tamper). Unfortunately...or maybe fortunately...I'll have to have an operation later to uncurl my toes. I haven't had any problems with leakage and I'm going to take the advice to use a black marker to mark the water lines on the tank. I don't really use the frother except to warm the cafe au laits that I sometimes make. The only other problems that I have are that I shake constantly, am jittery, can't sleep. But that's just because of the addiction. haha. I would highly recommend this machine to the average coffee drinker. It's cheap, easy to use and clean, and FAST. It might not be for the coffee snob who might benefit from a little more upscale model.
61 of 66 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Works fine for me!,
By M. Kelley "mpkelley20" (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Hamilton Beach 40729 Espresso/Cappuccino Maker with Pod Holder (Kitchen)
I'm not sure what the below reviewer is complaining about with the machine's heating element. I've had this for two weeks now and have made many great tasting cappucinos with it (I don't like straight espresso).
The espresso shots come out perfectly hot (but not too hot) and the steamer froths and steams milk beautifully. My only gripe with the steamer is that I need to run it once, let it heat up again and then run it through a second time in order to get my desired results. The whole process is no more than a minute or so which is very tolerable considering the price. I had read reviews on other sites that mentioned that this machine (actually an older model) did not produce decent crema. Well, I had no experience with making espresso in the past (I'm a home roaster for regular coffee) but my first try produced a great cup of espresso with a nice caramel colored froth on top. And this came from store bought, pre-ground espresso coffee! Cleanup is very easy and the unit is small enough to store away when not in use. It comes with a measuring spoon that stores away in the unit and the machine accepts both ground espresso and pods (never used them). For the amateur and social drinker of espresso and cappucinos, this machine should suffice. I would not be able to justify spending any additional money on an expensive machine.
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