Customer Reviews

Krups 872-42 Bravo Plus Espresso Maker

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

This is my first expresso machine. I have no point of reference other than a standard drip coffee maker.

#1. It is easy to use. Add the water, the expresso, push the switch and you're ready to go.

#2. You can run out of steam for frothing. Since this unit uses the steam that makes the expresso also to do the frothing, you can wind up without enough steam to froth the milk if you wait too long into the expresso making cycle. It is something you learn after you use it a couple of times.

#3. The steam section is a pain to clean, with 4 little parts to mess with. You do have to clean them each time (unless you do an immediate subsequent use), as the milk scalds to the hot steam pipe. I have to use a little scrubber to do this, as a dish cloth is insufficient.

#4. The quality of the expresso is very good. I'm comparing this to expresso purchased at a Starbucks or other expresso place.

#5. It does not come with a frothing pitcher. This was a pain, as you have to get just the right size. I found a cheap little 1/2 cup stainless pitcher from Target worked well. It is too bad they didn't include one.

#6. The drip area will not hold more than about 1/4 cup of liquid, so be careful, if you are depending on it.

All in all a nice little unit.

The Krups Bravo Plus is perfect for the type of espresso drinker who needs a serious caffeine buzz about once or twice a week. The four espresso-cup capacity will get about two people "high on bean" in about five minutes. The steamer works well too, but requires proper maintenance so that it doesn't get plugged with milk. The machine looks great and works great, but if you are an everyday drinker, or someone who wants to serve espresso to several people at once, I'd recommend moving to a higher capacity model. The general "bean-head" will be most pleased with this device as the price is right, and Krups is a well-known company that stands by each and every product.

I've used this terrific little machine for about a year now.

1. Lightly pack filter with finely ground premium coffee to between the "2" & "4" marks. Don't pack too tightly because the tiny filter holes can clog.

2. Fill glass carafe with water to bottom of metal band - pour into boiler - turn switch counter clockwise past "cup" symbol - (takes 2 to 3 minutes to boil).

3. Microwave 8 oz. cold milk about 60 seconds.

4. Pour warmed milk into a stainless steel pitcher (ours holds 20 oz). After espresso has almost stopped brewing, insert steam tube into milk and rotate knob fully clockwise to "steam" position. Steam milk 30 to 45 seconds to warm and froth. I don't use the "Perfect Froth" attachment on the steam tube. It's a pain to clean and I feel it's not necessary if you occasionally lower the pitcher to let the steam blow air into the milk.

5. Rotate knob counter clockwise and let espresso finish brewing.

6. Evenly pour steamed milk into two cups - add espresso, sweetener and/or mocha and stir. Spoon out foam into cups.

7. Immediately clean the hot steam tube with a very wet paper towel (cleaning is more difficult if the milk froth has hardened onto the cold metal tube - but there's no chance you'll burn your fingers!). There's probably a little steam left in the boiler...carefully turn knob back to "steam" postion and blow out any sticky milk froth from steam tube (again, don't burn yourself with hot steam!).

To make cafe mocha, we like the Ghirardelli brand "sweet, ground chocolate and cocoa". It comes in a 1 lb. can and is available at many supermarkets where the cocoa for baking is sold. Don't add too much cocoa...half a rounded teaspoon is about right for me. A little goes a long way!

Well I've only recently got my machine in but I've already run it through the loop several times and have a few things to say about it. First of all the "Perfect Froth" attachment came off after the first batch of steamers that I made. Let me just say that if you're idea of perfect is "Lots of" then the "Perfect Froth" attachement does just that, but it makes great steamers without it, althogh milk steaming jars are rather expensive. A word on capacity - this unit is not meant for making large quantities of espresso or steamed milk. The pressure chamber has run out on me making milk already, so you need to fill it all the way even when only steaming milk to have enough steam to make it through.

A Common Complaint which I now understand is that the steamer attachement is not adjustable. Not only is it not adjustable it's horribly designed. You can't get a milk steaming jar underneath it without lifting it up, and then, if you're using the appropriate amount of milk, the head doesn't reach..... so that's really quite annoying. Maybe puting an axis on the arm will make it cost more, but it would make it 100x easier to use the milk steamer.

Despite these facts this thing works remakably well. The espresso is yummy and rich and comes out exactly as espresso should. The steamed milk is as good as what I've had in coffee houses with the really expensive steamer machines, and the way you can phase the two together to make cappuccino without letting either element get cold is very nice. The clip that holds the grounds basket in place is PRICELESS during cleanup, especially when you're going to do another batchand the brewing element is still ~ 200 F. Overall if you want to make mocha/cappuccino/espresso type drinks at home and don't want to spend a lot of money on a machine and don't need a coffee pot too, this is a GREAT way to go.

After owning one for about half a year, I can say that this machine is absolutely wonderful for a steam machine. With a little work and experimentation, it can make a really great cup. Here's what I recommend for this little machine:

Free things:
1. Make sure that, after tamping, there is still a little excess of grounds.
2. Grind finer than normal machine espresso. I use the "3" setting.
3. Tamp a little more firmly. A firm finger tap all the way around works for me. This gives me better crema.
4. You only want 2oz. or slightly less of espresso per cup. I wouldn't go over with this machine.
5. When making just one cup, let the espresso pour out until you hear the obnoxious gurgling sound. This happens precisely at 2oz. At this point, switch to "off" or to "froth".
6. When making more than one cup, smell the espresso every moment or so as it pours. When it starts to smell bad, switch to "off" or "froth". When the scent is bad, the coffee is bitter.
7. When you're done and take the grounds out, give them a little sniff. If they seem pretty much neutral, neither coffee-ish nor bitter, you've made a good cup. If they smell terrible, you put too much water through for the amount of grounds you've used.
8. When using the frothing nozzle to heat milk with something in it (for instance, chocolate, sugar, or flavored syrup), hold your finger over the air intake whole until the mug or carafe gets noticeably warm. This keeps the milk from becoming frothy. Then take your finger off the whole and let the air flow in normally to finish the now flavored froth. I use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature. I usually starting frothing after the milk reaching 120F. Be careful not to burn yourself, and don't let the milk boil!

Slightly more expensive things:
1. Buy good beans. These probably won't come from your local suburban grocery store, and they certainly won't come from Starbucks. You might have to look in the phone book or online. I find $10+/lb beans to be adequate. I currently use Barrington Coffee Roasting Co. beans. I highly recommend this company.
2. Grind the beans yourself. Spend the extra money and order one of Amazon's bean grinders. The difference between the beginning of a bag of good beans ground at your favorite store and the end of the bag is tremendous.
3. If you use sugar, white sugar is ok, but I recommend unbleached, broken pieces of cane. This is more syrupy, but it's harder to find. Remember: if your cup is a little bitter, a little bit of sugar will combat that nicely without being overly sweet.

That's all I can think of for now. Enjoy your Bravo Plus!

First and foremost, the espresso produced is excellent. This is also a very easy to use machine. A very good product, especially for the price. There are ,however, some downfalls that are apparent as even mentioned in some of the other reviews I have read. The steam used for the milk frothing should have a longer duration for better results. You really have to be right on the ball with this task to get it "Perfect" and have enough time. Second, I do like the fact that this unit has a carafe, but the surface upon which it sits is very slippery and the glass carafe will easily slid off and break if not careful all of the time. I broke mine right away and the replacement carafes are very expensive. The surface should be indented the way that normal coffee makers are. But then if one wanted to use coffee cups instead of the carafe it would then be difficult to manage. It's a horse a piece. All in all, I would highly recommend this product to those who want a quality espresso w/o taking out a loan to buy those really expensive machines.

I do not understand what the other reviewers see in this product. The 'espresso' it turns our cannot even rival the product of a $... stovetop espresso-maker (you all know those traditional aluminum cast screwtop versions used in Italy/France). Crema is incidental at best. It can only be used to either make a couple of cups of terribly strong and not very hot thick black coffee, or to froth some milk. There is no way of stopping or interrupting the process.

The machine does not create any pressure (as any pump mechanism would). Water is filled into the tank, where it is heated and subsequently boils through the filter. The entire feel of the appliance is very cheapish ... a true disappointment. I will give mine to the corner thrift shop, after having used it only for a few times; it is that useless. My advice to anyone looking for a decent espresso, get a Nespresso Machine, even though the capsules are somewhat pricey, but the result is always steady and better than the stuff they serve in most decent restaurants. Or go for a pump machine ($... min.) that exerts true pressure as in 'ESPRESSO'

I really like the machine, it makes much better espresso than Starbucks, but nowhere as good as it's made in Italy (oh well, I suppose I need the $600 commercial machine for that - and better beans!). Measuring out the beans and disposing of them is not as big a hassle as I thought it would be, but the one major downfall is that the water is not pre-measured for you. If you don't turn the water off, it will keep dispensing it and weaken your drink (but I think all of the machines at this level are like this). It takes some getting used to - stopping the water flow soon enough to make a strong drink.

I bought this machine in an attempt to save my wallet from the damage my local Starbucks store was doing. And I have to say it has performed wonderfully and met all my expectations.

Once I got comfortable with what amount of espresso, milk and other ingredients to use, I have found the mocha I can make with this machine to be excellent and satisfying.

I have not had any other kind of experience with espresso makers in the past, so it's hard to say how it measures up to others (easier to use, espresso tastes funny, etc), but I can say that for a first time user it works just fine.

If you are a true espresso connoisseur, this is probably not the machine for you. Go ahead and spend a ton of money to get your espresso to the exact taste and consistency that you require. If you are someone who just wants a decent latte, mocha, cappuccino or other espresso based drink and don't want to break the bank, you can't go wrong with this machine...

I purchased the orginal version of this Krups 4 cup espresso/cappucino about 10 years ago. I've used it an average 4 times a week for the last 10 years and it's still working as good as the day I bought it. The best part is that I lost my perfect froth attachment about 4 years ago and it doesn't matter. In fact, I think it works better without it. I have friends who purchased other more expensive machines and have had pretty good sucess, however nothing brews a more delicious, rich, creamy latte better than this little guy. With any luck, this may be the first and last espresso machine I ever buy. Cudos to Krups!