Customer Reviews

Krups 880-42 Gusto Pump Espresso Machine

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This machine seems to work just fine. Simple physics here folks.
One circuit heats the water to the correct temperature. The second circuit controls the pump. You have total control of the amount of water that you allow to pass through under pressure.
Don't blame the machine if you try to get too much out of the coffee bean. The quality of your expresso depends on the quality of the bean that you buy, how well you grind your bean, and the amount of water that you choose to pass through the grinds. The crema comes out on every shot so far. The flavor and the caffeine definetly give you the buzz. I use a clear (from my other krups steam unit) container that is marked appropriately for expresso portions so that I can see the crema and see when to stop pumping water through. Obviously, if you pass too much water through and try to get too much out of your bean you will end up diluting your expresso. I imagine that, that is what the people who are not happy with the unit are doing. I bought my unit for under 50.00 on ebay. I don't think that you can beat the price to value ratio on this unit. It does what it was designed to do. I am very satisfied with the unit and have made numerous shots of expresso for friends already.
No complaints and plenty of compliments.
In summary, buy quality beans (I like Peets coffee), don't dilute the crema and you will get a very nice espresso drink everytime.

I had many of the same problems mentioned in previous reviews and was ready to give up and get another espresso maker but kept tinkering. Now I am able to get a perfect crema shot everytime. This machine is not very forgiving. But if you can get the hang of it you can get a great cup of crema without spending $200 for the next level up in pump espresso makers. Maybe this is the case with all of them. I do not have experience with other brands. The secret was the grind of coffee, the amount in the portafilter and proper tamping. I did not have a grinder before last week and just ordered "espresso grind" from local coffee shop. This was too course. I now use 3.5 setting on a Capresso Burr Grinder which does the trick. BTW. YOu will not be able to grind fine enough with a blade grinder. Specifically ask for pump espresso grind if you buy coffee ground. A Coffee Shop in North Beach SF knew the difference. I bought a metal tamper from William Sonoma that makes it much easier to evenly tamp grinds. The pressure is firm but not too hard. There is a delicate balance between the grind and amount of pressure to tamp with this machine to get a perfect cup. Do not fill the portafilter to the very top. It is important to leave about 2-3mm space. As with all espresso machines, cup must be prewarmed before using. I run hot water over demi tasse before filling with espresso. Otherwise relatively small amount of hot liquid in a cold cup gives you tepid espresso.

My husband bought me this machine for Mother's Day. I had a very old DeLonghi Cafe Vario that had just plum wore out. This was the old steam driven style. I was excited to get a pump machine! At first I was impressed with the Krups Bravo. The directions were a bit long-winded, but it turns out they just over did it and could have combined many of the steps.

The disappointments began when I realized that you had to use a wrench built into the plastic scoop to remove the milk frother head to clean. What a pain! My DeLonghi had just unscrewed. The frothing wasn't the greatest either.

Now, to the espresso. Weak. My coffee maker makes stronger coffee than I got espresso. .... Now, typically, if you have weak espresso, you grind your coffee to a finer grade, however, the instruction booklet says NOT to use finely ground espresso or you may clog up the machine. I returned this machine and went with DeLonghi again. For just a few more bucks, I got the DeLonghi L'Espresso (BAR140). I'm much happier with it.

I'm new to making espresso so I was a little intimidated about the process. The directions are fairly decent and it is actually a really easy machine to learn how to use. Selecting the correct coffee ground is the hardest part. I ended up mixing coursely ground beans with espresso ground beans and it has worked well so far.

After you're done, clean up is fast as well. Just wipe the steam nozzle clean and empty the water resevoir and you're done!

I highly recommend this machine!

I've been using my Gusto daily for about a year, at the office, mostly for straight espresso shots. It works best when I use the "double" basket in the portafilter, PRE-WARMED, with 2 scoops of freshly roasted coffee, ground three clicks back from 0 on a Starbuck's Barista low-speed conical burr grinder. Add one scoop, level, tamp lightly, add the second scoop, level, and tamp using aprox. 30 pounds of pressure. Then polish the grounds by twisting the tamper while pushing down. Space between top surface of coffee and top of portafilter should be about 3-4mm. (if you install the portafilter, then take it back off and the imprint of the screen retaining screw is in your coffee, you're using too much coffee) Pull the shot for 18-23 sec. into a PRE-WARMED shot glass and Oh YEAH! Gotta go...just talking about it and I'm jonesin' for the stuff! But I'm not addicted. Nope...
good luck!

I was excited when I bought this new coffee maker. I thought that it would give a better and stronger coffee than my old Brava maker. I was wrong. In my opinion, the espresso was pretty weak (I like it strong).

Also, the Gutso only does 2 cups of espresso (4 for the Bravo) which means that you're always making new coffee. Sadly I'm returning this espresso machine and hopefully I'll found a better machine eventually .

Bought this machine last september and thought it was horrible at first. Turns out that it's actually pretty good once you learn how to use it properly. Make sure to prime the machine by letting the water heat up, then turn the pump on and let it run through the empty filter basket until the water temp light comes back on. This also lets you pre-warm your espresso cups (or shot glasses). I have Starbucks grind the espresso beans to espresso-grind (don't use coarser grinds unless you like weak espresso). I use the double filter as well...do not over-pack it or over-tamp the grounds or else the pump gets stuck (put in one scoop, lightly tamp, then add second level scoop and tamp a little harder). Draw for about 30 seconds, and you should get a nice crema on top. Sometimes the pump "squeals," but it hasn't blown up yet or stopped working. Good luck!

Figured I'd save myself $ instead of padding [coffee shop] coffers. I'm now back to [a coffee shop] and here sits an expensive paperweight. After researching and reading about many different machines AND getting a recommendation from a co-worker, I bought this machine. The espresso is VERY weak - no matter what you do. I have a grinder that goes from very, very fine to coarse (professional grade). Doesn't matter what I do, I cannot get the espresso strong! I've tried for over a month and I can't return it now. Doesn't even TASTE like espresso, tastes like strong coffee. If like me, you are trying to find a machine at a reasonable price, pay a bit more and get another machine. Otherwise, like me, you will be buying a replacement or forking over the $ to your local coffee shop.

I'm reading all of these reviews and I'm surprised. If you want a professional espresso machine, spend a few hundred, or thousand, dollars. For under $100, this machine makes a pretty good espresso. It's not the best espresso that I've ever had, but it's good. I've used other machines that made lousy espresso. This isn't one. I'm happy with this machine.

I have had my Gusto for 6 months now and use it every single day. It is true that the key to quality espresso is which bean you buy and how fine you grind. I find "Espresso Italia" from Peaberry's here in Denver to be the best bean for Mocha's. Krups suggests not grinding too fine, I however disregard this advice and go just short of turkish. I get excellent crema and love the way the steamer works. The pump is noisy, but considerring the quality of the espresso I am getting, I feel it's a fair trade. Another key point is... where else can you get a 15 bar pump espresso maker for ($$$$) I am satisfied with my unit enough that I am buying another one to have on hand for backup in case this one ever wears out.