Customer Reviews

Krups FNC2 Novo 3000 Espresso/Cappuccino/Latte Maker

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

If, like me, you love coffee, especially lattes and cappucinos, but have more taste than dollars, this is the espresso maker for you.

It's an inexpensive pump machine which really does deliver the goods: fast espresso and frothy milk.

After testing it out today, I feel fully caffinated for the first time since I moved to the Great Plains from the Northwest.

I used the bottom of the line Krups espresso maker back in the day, and then used an inexpensive Capresso for the last six years, until it finally died.

Shopping at my local housewares store, I was drawn to this one because of its attractive form factor, and the fact that it wouldn't overpower my small kitchen. I'm an artist and aesthetics are important to me and this machine has a nice clean design.

I was skeptical that an inexpensive pump machine could really deliver, but this one does. I love not having to wait to pull a second espresso.

And let's face it: Krups has the milk frothing thing down. Nobody makes a frothier frother than Krups.

I confess I thought that espresso pods were overpriced and entirely unnecessary. I'm glad that Krups included a sample of the Illy pods, because after using them, I'm hooked. Just 20 seconds, and you have a lovely espresso with a nice crema.

There's a lot to be said, especially in the morning, for no measuring or cleanup and there are sources for more affordable pods at amazon.com from Espressione and Terrafazione. I've ordered the Terrafazione ones, as I'm homesick for the Northwest, and I intend to try them both.

Some hints:

Do warm up the machine, as instructed. Then you'll have nice, HOT espresso.

The see through water window is almost impossible to see in my kitchen. Others have suggested putting a ping pong ball (!) or other plastic ball inside as a gauge. I think I'll just get in the habit of topping off the water level before I make coffee.

If you have a large milk steaming pitcher, as I do, I find it much easier to use the frother if I put the entire coffee maker on a wooden cutting board. This raises the frother another 3/4 of an inch or so, making it easier to get the pitcher underneath.

Be warned that there isn't a lot of clearance between the filter holder and the bottom of the machine, so you won't be able to use tall cups. I have some oversize but wide cups I like to use for lattes, and they just fit.

With this espresso maker, and a low tech French press, all my coffee desires are satisfied.

I love my Krups machine but more two months ago the steam valve failed. The authorized service people have been doing their best to get a new valve but they can't get Krups to say when and and if a replacement valve can be obtained. Ther service manager complains that all the Krups people he knows have left, that there is no modern order tracking system, and Krups US organization seems to be in disarray.

I love my machine but I've now waited for ten weeks with no solution in sight. Companies win and loose long-term customers through customer service. Krups has lost me.

I purchased the Novo 3000 due to its compact size and my experience with another Krups espresso maker that I loved.
When I first used the 3000 I was very unhappy with the temperature of the espresso, and the froth I was getting.
My wife suggested I use it a little longer and see - if with experience using the machine I might obtain the results I was looking for.
She was right.
One of the things I love about the Krups is how fast it heats up.
I followed the instructions and ran plain water through for one cup before I made the espresso. This took care of the temperature. Even with doing this I am enjoying espresso in about 5 minutes, and the quality of the espresso is as good as any I have ever had anywhere.

After a couple of uses I got used to making froth. The frother is easy to use and produces a foth as good as any commercial machine I have seen.

This is one of the best buys on the market for its performance, size, and price.

I purchased this item for my husband for his birthday in June 2004. It worked fine for about 3 months, but often would produce only dripping espresso. After 1 year and 2 months, the pump gave out completely. We almost tossed it; however, I decided to take it apart one day. To do this I needed 2 special torq security screw drivers (they only cost about $3 each at a hardware store). Once I had these tools, it was easy to take apart. I replaced my pump by myself for $49 and it's working better than it ever has(don't bother trying to get the pump directly from Krups...their customer service is horrible. I got it online from one of the authorized service representatives and it took about 3 weeks to arrive).

Anyway...a couple of things to remember when using this item:

--you must let it warm up properly. Because I have well water that is very cold, I found that it is best to use lukewarm water or heat the machine up on the setting you would use if you were steaming the milk. Particularly when using the 2 cup filter basket.

--definitely clean it at least once a month. I used a cleaner designed for coffee makers.

--do NOT grind the coffee too fine. Espresso grind by itself causes it to drip slowly and will drive you crazy. Use a fine grind. I've even gone so far as to mix a little coarse grind with espresso or fine grind. For perfectionists, it may compromise the flavor a little but will save you a great deal of frustration.

GOOD LUCK!

I too had virtually the same problem. My machine is only two months old. When I first bought it worked great. Then I started having water drip everywhere, steam coming out all over the place. It would take 4-5min to heat up milk for frothing, wouldn't froth. KRUPS website is horrible. Very little information, customer service hard to get a hold of.

So what changed? What is the solution?

Two things first when I bought the machine it came with the automatic frother attachment installed. After trying this method a few times, I wanted to try the manual attachment to see if it would do better. So I switched it by removing the screw underneath the attachment and then inserting the new attachment and putting the screw back into place.

I can tell you I was unhappy with the results. Tried this a couple of more times thinking it was just me. I got fed up and put back in the auto frother. Now this wouldn't work either. I was frustrated wanted to throw out machine!

Contacted KRUPS they told me to bring it in to a service center to checked maybe faulty.

Here's what they discovered:

The machine itself was working 100% within manufactures specs. They discovered that where the you insert the screw through the attachment and onto the machine there is supposed to be a small black rubber seal that goes with the screw into the attachment so it makes a good seal and all the pressure is then directed down the frothing tube. Without it its a mess! When chaging attachment sometimes this rubber seal is jammed inside the attachment so you don't even know its there (I know I didn't), and probably will eventually fall out and lose as in my case. They replaced the seal at no charge. Its maybe a 10cent seal at best.

I am happy to report that I am again making great frothy cappucino's. Everything works wonderfully!

I have had this unit for several months. It replaced a 14 year old Grangaggia that I had rebuilt several times. The quality of the espresso is very consistent and even makes common coffee taste good. If you like froth this machine will put a head on that steamed milk sometimes to excess. Easy to use and easy to clean. I use mine daily.

I have only used my machine 5 times in a month and it is already broken. Up until this point, I loved it! I turned it on this morning and it wouldn't heat up, in fact the orange light that is supposed to go off when it is heated never even came on.

We've been using this machine for about three weeks and have few complaints. The biggest problem is temperature. In order to get really hot coffee I recommend you run your espresso cups under scalding hot water for thirty seconds or so before you make the coffee. The "warming plate" on top of the machine is useless. There are some slight leaking problems but it's not that big a deal so long as you make sure that water doesn't leak into the cups while espresso is being made (you will dilute your drink). Heating milk and making froth is easy but you should read the instructions thoroughly and practice. I feel like I haven't yet figured out how to do this properly. The pods work great but aren't cheap. Wiping out coffee grinds when not using the pod can be cumbersome. Overall we're satisfied with the machine.

I've got the older, but looks the same, version of this machine and it's great! The cost savings over going to 'Bucks is worth it and I can have a latte anytime I want. I use espresso pods which are really handy as brewing and clean-up are a snap. I even have some decaf espresso pods for late night brews.

Some tips on using the machine: Make sure everything is tightened well when making espresso as leaks will reek havoc with your espresso and steamed milk/foam. Clean after every use. I can't stress this enough and it only takes a minute to wipe the brew area and to run clean water through the steamer section. Just put the hose into a clean cup of water and run the steam through it into another cup, rinse and repeat. If you don't clean that steamer it will clog with cooked milk (yuck!).

This machine is also good just for that steamer nozzle too. Fast hot water for hot chocolate mixes or tea.

Just don't get too carried away like I did when I first got it or you'll be so caffeined-up people will think you did crystal meth or look like Kramer on Seinfeld when he OD'd on free lattes.

I used this espresso maker daily for a bit over a year and then intermittently since. I use the frother almost every time and the entire unit still works perfectly. If you keep it clean and follow the instructions for maintenence you shouldn't have any problems. I love it. It makes great espresso and it saves money on my trips to coffee shops.