Customer Reviews

Krups 888-43 Caffe Centro Time 10-Cup Coffee/Pump Espresso Machine

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

As a prior owner of a Krups Expresso/Coffee maker combo unit, I thought that this model, priced substantially more that my last one, would be far superior. The coffeemaker works well, but the expresso side was a disappointment. The expresso it made was only lukewarm, and the "perfect froth" attachment was harder to access than on my other machine. I heard about the other less expensive Krups machines having an aluminum core, and I know that could pose a health risk, but I feel the less expensive machine is at least equal to the one I purchased...and it has more attachments.With this machine, you only get one expresso nipple that makes two expressos at once. So basically you have to have two expresso cups underneath to fill since the machine doesn't come with an expresso carafe. I just don't see the value ...

Well After looking at other combination machines I settled on this one. I was rather nervous after reading some of the reviews on this site, as I hadn't seem them before ordering it. But as usual you have to take alot of the dribble on here with a grain of salt. After setting it up and running a couple of pots through it (no the handle didnt fall off of the pot)I made two demi's of espresso, even with a french roast and a hasty regrind of the "drip" ground coffee I had in the freezer it was one of the most delicious "shots" in recent memory. A fine crema on top, very hot and full of flavor. Clever storage under the lid for sieves and scoop. Makes coffee like a charm as well. The auto start feature is of couse a necessity for any one who hates waiting for a pot to finish in the morning . I have not had any problems with the drip stop as I always let the full pot brew, yes I am a coffee snob. But I would suspect that it would last for a long time if you dont jam the pot into it. I would recommend this quality machine to anyone.

I ordered this machine based on glowing recommendations and had pretty high expectations. It was bigger than I imagined, and showed a few areas of obvious cost-cuttingÑmostly on the coffee maker side. I first tried making cappucino, and it quickly and easily made two lukewarm cups. Next, I tried to set it up to make coffee the next morning. Since it doesn't have external water level markings, I had to use the carafe to measure the water. As I was starting to pour the water, the handle partially popped off, spilling water all over the counter. Luckilly it wasn't full of hot coffee! Braun coffee makers have a similar handle design, but they seem to be firmly glued on rather than clipped on like the Krups. That coupled with other cheaply made components got this coffee maker a trip back to Amazon.

I purchased the the Krups Caffe Centro because of its quality and price compared to other units. I was not disappointed with the styling and quality. It is very easy to use and makes excellent coffee/espresso. I was surpised by the major improvements in the quality of the drip coffee over previous Krups models. The esspresso, although it works very well, seems to deliver a bit less quantity than I had expected. After trying several different grinds and quantities of espresso, I still could only get about 1.5 oz with the single seive and around 3 oz with the double seive. Overall very nice, albeit a bit short in espresso.

I want to start by saying that it is probably not worth spending $...on this machine. But if you are able to find it for cheaper...It is definately worth it. The coffee is hot, not like other cheap models where the water for brewing is not hot enough. This is a very big problem with a lot of ~$20 coffee brewing maachines. As to espresso, the pump is very powerful and the steam is quick, strong and easily accessible. I am comparing these to the $... Birel Lido that I bought on Amazon a while ago and returned it eventually. The manual has clear figures and easy to read for beginners like me. I am very happy with this machine but, again, I probably won't pay $... for it since if you buy a coffee and espresso machine separately, it will cost you much less with the same functionality.

I would not recommend this product and wish I never purchased it. It is so poorly designed that I wonder if anyone even tested this before it hit the market.
First the milk steamer is not properly located making it impossible to steam more than one very small cup of milk at a time. There is just no room for a decent sized container to fit under the steamer nossle.
The perfect froth unit makes great froth if you like cold capuccino. It was designed to make froth but it doesn't heat the milk. You can preheat the milk and then use it but that is a real hassle. I've removed it and make the steamed milk without it.
The stop and serve feature broke twice the first two months I had the machine. The krups service center is excellent and freindly and sent me the part right away and free of charge. However, it is now broken again and I have given up using that feature.
The carafe on the coffee maker spills coffee everytime you use it. I thought it was flawed and since the krups service center was so professional I called and asked them about it. They explained that you have to pour the coffee very slowly to avoid spillage. It was obvious that they had recieved other complaints about this so why not fix the problem.
If this machine cost less then I would expect some deficiencies but for this price it is a real disappointment.

I'm a student at a college where things move very fast (we do 3 classes in a 7 week term, four terms). We're almost 14 weeks into this, and this machine has performed almost flawlessly both on the espresos and autodrip sides. I use Melitta #5 Natural Brown filters, and haven't had any of the problems with grounds clogging the Stop-N-Serve valve.

I use this machine for about a pot of autodrip and 2-4 doubleshots of espresso on most weekdays. Cappuccino also works well, but it's too much hassle when you've got an essay to write and it's 1 AM, or even when you want to sit down for a movie and enjoy great coffee.

With this duty load, one caveat - the espresso side has its quirks. I had been seeing a pressure problem develop over the last few weeks - that is, I was getting less and less flow through the sieve. I finally checked the manual (! good idea for those of you who have any issues with your stuff) and it suggested removing the sieve on the brewing head for decalcification (read: stuff builds up here). So I popped that off with a flathead screwdriver and found that it was the issue with my dribble of espresso-flavored-water from the spouts.

So, to all owners - if you have some trouble with the machine's espresso side, make sure you remove that brewing head sieve (the big screw where you usually stick the holder for the grounds is what you remove) and clean it out. When I held mine up to the light, maybe 1/5th of the holes were clear, the rest were totally caked. A needle or other small pointy object will clear those out pronto.

Other than that, we have one of these machines at home as well, and unless you feel like going for a top of the line Capresso, this unit will do you -VERY- well.

I bought this machine elsewhere, without first reading the reviews here, and was startled to see so many negative marks. Although I have only owned it for about a month, it has functioned wonderfully. It makes delicious espresso -- much better than the espresso that I used to make with a bargin machine that I used to own. Further, the frother is easy to use and clean. The drip coffee is also very tasty.

My only complaints are minor: I have to pull the machine out away from the wall so the lid won't hit the kitchen cabinets when I open it. Also, I wish it had a meter showing how much water was in the espresso reservoir (I just top it off before I start the machine).

As with a lower-priced Krups expresso maker I bought, this one started out OK but soon refused to extrude more than 1/3 an expresso cup of expresso. The coffee -- no matter how coarsely it was ground or how loosely I put it in or what amount I used -- became compacted into a brick that water could not pass. Removing the coffee from the expresso holder involved digging it out with a spoon. (This compaction doesn't happen at first -- only after the machine has been used about 20 times. What causes it to happen? Beats me.)

With the first machine, I thought it may have been something I had done. Now, I know better.

Conclusion: Don't take any Krup.

This machine is wonderful. It makes great coffee and wonderful espresso. You can also add water for the Espresso side for many uses and it heats up fast! Some have complained about the perfect froth unit. It works great but I reccomend the wider frothing pitcher (Krups 085-20) to hold more milk. It heats it up fine though...no problem. My only complaint is that if you pour from the coffee pot to quickly it dribbles (mentioned by another reviewer). Stupid design but not a problem if you go a little slower. All in all, I love this machine.