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I actually left the pot on all day when I was at work, and everything was fine when I got home, though I would not recommend doing that. Real PITA when you want to make fancy coffee.The regular side works great, never once had a problem. But the steam just sometimes does not want to come out of the steamer spout.
My little espresso carafe actually broke, the little plastic part holding the handle to the metal band snapped. Period. The espresso/cappuccino side, well, it sucks.
Oh, the pressure will build up, and there really is no way to release the pressure, other than to remove the coffee basket and blast coffee grinds everywhere (done it, twice) or try to untwist the cap off (not easy with that pressure), and risk steam burning. All in all, not bad, but if I could re-buy a Krups machine, I would have just gotten the regular machine.Also, because it is a double machine, it is a bit cumbersome, and takes up a lot of room, and can be difficult to clean. After only using it twice.
Also, sometimes, the steamer just does not want to work.
I always have to microwave the coffee after it's made. After six years I decided it was time to replace both when I broke the carafes to each machine. When I turn it on, the hot plate doesn't heat and the water doesn't get sucked through the hose into the pot. The coffee pot just stopped working.
I used to have a separate krups coffee make and espresso maker. So, now I'm looking for separate machines less then two years after I bought this. The espresso maker still works, but the coffee is never hot enough. I love the espresso maker because I can make more coffee then most.
I clean it out with vinegar on a regular basis so I know it wasn't calcified water. I don't know if I just got a bad machine or if there's something about the way this is designed, but it's never given me hot coffee. The frother works well, you just have to learn how to do it right. So, I decided to get this double machine.
And they don't have any kind of warrantee on the carafe. Then the handle and lid break off of the carafe. It does an ok job at a fast shot of really strong coffee. You can call Krups and ask for one, but their customer service is pretty rude about it. I'm pretty careful about how I take care of my things. Here's the skinny - This is the least expensive coffee/espresso maker I could find.
It just doesn't crank out enough pressure to give you an authentic espresso. Replacements for the carafe are $20 or so. I use it daily. But repeated heat + washing makes the plastic handle on the espresso carafe get a little brittle. That effort will not be met with success. It's a steam driven machine, so if you are a serious espresso fiend, you'll be disappointed.
The thing that really and truly is disappointing is the glassware.
Rep said my grind was too fine. Holding the sieves to a light, it is obvious that the new sieve's holes are larger which is the reason that coffee grind passes through the sieve. Using espresso grind, there is a nasty, unacceptable residue that mixes with the coffee.
There is no steam left for froth after the espresso it made. The only reason I bought a new one is that the on/off switches were broken on the old machine, and I used it by plugging and unplugging it for each use. If you want froth, you have to reload more water in the machine and wait for it to heat up again.I have a previous generation Krups 985 machine.
The holes in the sieve for the espresso are too large. As others mentioned, the froth doesn't work correctly. I'm using the old machine once again.Pass this model up, or try it and return it.
I called Krups customer service. If the machine can't use espresso grind for expresso, it is designed wrong.
It makes a great cup of coffee and an awesome latte. After reading other reviews about the handle breaking off the espresso pitcher I've been gentle with mine and haven't run into a problem.I'd recommend this machine if you want a combo unit and don't want to pay $100s more. I might have given it a higher rating if it had a thermal caffe. I've had this machine for about two weeks and it works great. Granted it's not a high-end machine, but it gets the job done.
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