The best of coffee culture in one convenient package. Eliminating all the strenuous steps of conventional espresso/cappuccino machines tamping, hot filters and stubborn sieves this all-in-one center lets you pour in the coffee, switch on the pump and enjoy! One-year warranty. Model 121.
By eliminating the usual fuss and mess, this 1,200-watt machine makes it easy to brew espresso and make cappuccinos and lattes at home or in the office. … More >>
Capresso 121.01 Ultima Semi-Automatic Coffee and Espresso/Cappuccino Machine
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5 Comments until now
About a year ago I wanted an espresso machine that was easy to use, however I was unwilling to pay 1k or more for a fully automatic machine. The Capresso turned out to be an excellent value, providing ease of use with semi-automatic ground disposal and a reasonably sized water container.
In fact, we have experienced only two problems with the Capresso since we bought it: a torn o-ring and clogging. The o-ring tore because I did not clean the rotation mechanism for several months. The accumulated grounds eventually tore into the o-ring, breaking the pressure seal. However, when I called the Capresso help line to discuss our broken o-ring, the help desk agent immediately sent us two replacements in the mail with no questions asked. Total down time for the machine was a mere two days. The clogging was fixed with a complete cleaning, and if truth be told, it did say in the instruction booklet not to use very finely ground coffee.
Our last espresso machine, besides breaking after two years, was so difficult to use and clean we only made espresso on special occasions. The Capresso is convenient enough that we use it all the time. In fact, we have used our Mr. Coffee only twice (note the broken o-ring comment above) since we bought the Capresso.
After a year of use, I can still strongly recommend this product.
Rating: 5 / 5
I bought this machine after looking around for the perfect one for quite some time. This Espressomaker is unique because of a clever semiautomatic mechanism that doesn’t require the usual, messy tampering and cleaning innate to traditional machines. This device comes at a fraction of the cost of the fully automated ones, but is almost as easy to use. The only little flaw I noted is that the frother will spill a relatively large amount of water (5cc or so) during the first couple of seconds before the full steam gets going. Usually no big deal, but if you froth a small amount of milk, you may want to “catch” these first cc’s first. Otherwise, this machine is perfect. The pump is very strong 18bar, I think) and the crema is excellent. Baseline: If you want a traditional machine, go for a Gaggia or something similar; if you are a (lazy) millionaire, consider one of the fully automated machines ($1000-2000). Otherwise, there is currently no alternative to the “Ultima”.
Rating: 5 / 5
If the technical aspects of a cappuccino before the crack of dawn have you actually contemplating drip coffee again, check out this machine. You’ll have to re-learn how to make a cappuccino, but once you get the hang of it, you can break speed records. For double caps, two scoops of pre-ground espresso go in the coffee spout. Turn the bizarre looking top a quarter turn, push down the lever and turn the pump on. You’ll instantly get a perfect espresso with more crema than I was able to get with any kind of consistently from our many previous machines. And it takes less than a minute for the water to heat in the unit for making coffee or arming the frother with steam in this sturdy machine. The best part comes in the clean-up. When you’re ready to make the next cup, turn the lever on top a 3/4 turn and it will simultaneously dump your old grounds in a hidden bin and stage itself automatically for the next cup. That’s zero coffee grounds on the sink and the ability to crank out a cappuccino every two minutes.
Rating: 5 / 5
Wow, so this machine makes GREAT cappuccinos! Just a few points from a non expert who loves to have her morning cappuccino:
1. The coffee/espresso is really good! There is a good crema layer and it comes out very strong (not too strong) in my opinion. I haven’t alwys found it to be 100% consistent, but, nonetheless, over 95% of the time it has been great.
2. The unit is kinda…. ugly! I’m sorry, but this is the truth. It’s not like soemthing you would display in a very nice kitchen – it’s a bit cheap looking. It doesn’t even look like a traditional espresso machine. Also, what is up with the blue strip on the tray? That really makes it look cheap. Nonetheless, because I am so plesed with this product, I am willing to overlook this flaw.
3. When they said semi-automatic, I thought I would have to do a lot of work. Not true! This is the EASIEST espresso/cappuccino to make – even over my sister’s semi-automatic that she paid a lot more money for (not to mention the espresso/cappuccinos taste the same, except hers is much better looking!) All you have to do is rotate the handle on top, put in coffee, rotate it 90 degrees counterclockwise, push the knob down and turn on the espresso switch. When done, you turn the knob 270 degrees and it dumps the coffee. VOILA! No coffee cleanup today or tomorrow… or for a while (this is my FAVORITE part).
4. A few annoying things Whoever it was that says when you froth milk, there is first a spurt of water is correct. However, when you have frothed an entire cup of milk, you can’t tell the water was added. Also, when pushing the know down to make espresso, sometimes it has been a crap shoot and no espresso came out. I had to repress the knob down and try again.
All in all, I give this a B+ because it is ugly and a bit cheap looking. However, if I rated it on taste, it would be an A. If I rated it considering that I got a great price on it and relative to other units and prices, A+!
Rating: 5 / 5
My wife and I are extremely pleased with this machine from Capresso. It makes excellent espressos, cappuccinos, and lattes, boils water for tea faster than any microwave, and is generally a breeze to operate and maintain. The speed of the unit is quite amazing; I can froth milk and prepare a large cappucino in less time than it takes to make my toast in the morning. And if you just want a really great cup of “American-style” coffe, this machine will do that too — topped off with a substantial layer of “crema” and no bitter-tasting oils. Warning: After using this machine for a few weeks, you’ll never be able to drink drip or percolated coffee again.
The overall design and construction of the unit is first-rate for a consumer product. If Hewlett-Packard decided to start making cappucino machines in addition to their printers, I imagine they would be of similar quality and design to Capresso’s. I have two minor quibbles with the steamer/frother tube — it’s a bit short for frothing in a deep container but this also means the overall height of the machine is less, and I’m okay with that trade off, since the machine fits comfortably under most overhead kitchen cabinets. The insulating grip on the tube is quite small, however, and since it must be slid up and down to change from frothing to steaming, it’s easy to ‘sting’ a finger or two — though I’ve yet to actually burn myself.
As other reviewers have noted, I also wish there was an interlock on the pump switch to disable it if the tamping lever is not depressed. It’s very easy to forget this step for the first week or two of ownership, especially in the morning… This is no longer a problem for my wife or I, but it does mean that guests need supervision if they want to try the machine (and they will) — otherwise they’ll blissfully stand there with an expectant look on their face as they pump water into the grounds discard bin (which unfortunately looks like it has a smaller capacity than the water supply tank — I hope never to find out for sure).
The water tank is extremely well-designed; remove the cover, grab the handle, lift the tank out, refill, and replace. I’ve yet to spill a drop of water. Daily cleanup involves removing the upper carousel and hand cleaning/rinsing in the sink (forget to do this for a day or two and you’ll notice a deterioration in the quality of the coffee). The bottom front of the unit slides forward to expose the grounds bin and the overflow sump — these need emptying every few days, depending on usage (a red-light comes on when the bin needs emptying).
I’ve used Customer Service to order some of Capresso’s coffee and an extra frother tube and was quite satisifed with the service — everything shipped within 48 hours. The coffee was very smooth, but a bit pricey.
Rating: 4 / 5
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