| Brand: | Capresso | ||
| Average Rating |
|
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. more info
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Love this machine
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this machine about 6 months ago and love it. Yes, it is a bit quirky to get used to, but once you get used to the system, it works great.
The expresso has perfect crema, and is quick to do the shots. My only real pet peeve is that it sometimes does not froth milk hot enough.
Otherwise, I would recommend this machine to anyone wanting great expresso.
Wonderful machine for home use
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is a great espresso machine. My wife and I have used it for 2 years without any problems. The machine works just as advertised, and it is simple to use. Cleaning the machine is also easy.
My only word of caution is about the machine’s ability to rapidly produce lots of steamed milk. For two mochas, the machine can steam milk from the fridge up to about 120 degrees, but then the steam runs out and the machine needs a minute to steam again. I’ve found that by steaming the milk first, then making the espresso shots, the machine is ready to steam again and will get the milk easily to 160 (when I stop because that’s where I like it). So if you’re planning on making lots of drinks at once, you might need a machine that is more powerful, but for two coffee drinkers, this one has been great.
We make the best espresso in town with this machine
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
You can call us espresso afficcionados, although not the type who would spend a thousand dollars on a machine. None of the restaurants and cafes in Hoboken (which is very near NYC and has plenty yuppies) make as good espresso as our Capresso Ultima. We’ve had this machine 4 years! We’ve contacted customer service once and they sent us a replacement o-ring immediately but I didn’t need it, just had to clean the machine a bit better. It’s so easy to use, clean and maintain. I’ve owned a few machines along the way, but this one beats them all hands down. You really can’t go wrong, as long as you get a (Capresso) burr grinder or good quality espresso coffee.
Fantastic but quirky
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This unit makes great tasting coffee drinks, makes them quickly and easily. For this, it deserves at least four stars. My wife and I love this maker. I would vote for it for president of awesome.
This review will focus more on the negative points (i.e. “why it’s not 5 stars”), but make no mistake that I love this espresso maker. There are a few things you should know before taking the plunge:
1) For starters, know that Capresso’s customer service is *fantastic*. A real person answers the support line (after a brief menu system). For warranty service, they ship the replacement parts with a return UPS label. Let’s see… awesome, fab-oo, terrific, um… did I say awesome yet?
2) It *is* sensitive to the grind of the coffee. I was having temperature and flavor problems until I started using a finer grind. When purchasing at Starbucks, ask for #4. Their standard espresso grind will not work (no liquid comes out). If the grind is too coarse, the coffee doesn’t get hot enough, and extraction is poor. For best results, get a burr grinder (I have a Breville that works fabulously).
3) DO NOT EVER turn the handle the wrong way. If the handle binds up when turning the correct way, it means the waste hopper is full — clean it before making another cup. If you fail at either of these caveats, you may be sending it in for repair.
4) Make sure you keep coffee grinds out of the water hopper. If a grind or some other grit gets into the water valve, the Ultima will pee all over your countertop.
5) Remove the carousel and clean out the waste grinds at least once a week. They tend to cake up, especially if you get lazy about dumping the hopper.
Super easy Espresso drinks
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This machine makes espresso drinks very easy, fast, and tasty. I have a very nice tradional espresso machine with portafilter. I can make a fantasic shot of espresso with The tradional machine but it takes me about three times longer to prepar then with the Capresso Ultima. The Capresso makes a pretty darn good shot also. Its so easy to use and it cleans up easy. It looks and feels sort of cheap with all the plasic but if it works flawlessly for a few years I can overlook the cheap plastic feel. My tradional machine wheights about 35lbs the Capresso wheights about 1/3 of that wheight. I talk about the weight a lot becous in my exprince heavy steel things tend to last longer the cheap plasic. Not to say that the Capresso Ultima is cheap, Its not. I just dont trust all the plastic. I gess that if they would have used more steel the price would have been a lot higher. At the price point it is, its very afordable for the quality of the drinks you can make with it.
Expresso Love
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
If you like expresso than this machine is well worth having in your kitchen.
It is amazingly easy to use to prepare anything you would like, including expresso and cappuccino which I had found a bit intimidating/not successful with before I got this machine.
It is pretty easy to set up and get ready to make your drink, takes me a couple of minutes or so at this point, and the machine is quick and easy to maintain.
All in all one of the better items that I use often in the kitchen.
The right compromise between manual and fully automatic !!!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have either owned or used several fully automatic espresso machines and can say that I’m much happier
with the “semi-automatic” Ultima. Why? Because the fully automatic machines (the ones that grind for you) are just too finicky in one regards or another. For example, using a bean thats too oily will gum up the works very easily, so the I’ve told to “dont use oily beans” … huh? Further more no matter which bean I used the automatic dosing was never consistent. So my solution to this problem was using the bypass doser (i.e. grind your own). So much for fully automatic. My personal experience was with a fully automatic Capresso and it despite my complaints, once I learned its quirks and what to keep clean and when, it made great espresso/coffee. But when it finally need some refurbing I decided that trying the Ultima was more of what I wanted. My conclusion regarding Super Automatics … just not worth the expense and quirky behavior.
So I got the semi automatic Ultima (refurbed). So far no regrets. Other than the automatic grinding/doing, the Ultima is more convenient for me than the super automatic. Its easier to clean. So easy that I dont mind cleaning it every time I use it!!! But it does not need it that often. Once / twice a week should be fine depending on usage.
The coffee is on par with the Super automatic although I did find the grind needs to be finer to obtain the same results that I’m used to.
As with my other (Super Automatic) Capresso, I also found that the temp of the coffee/espresso was a little cool for me.
The only feature I wish it did have was a way to adjust the amount of water to use for crema coffee. As it is, you either use the same cup or measure the quantity produced to get the exact results. It would be fantastic to have a water dial (I think this is showing up on other brands) so it puts out the same quantity every time.
Otherwise, this is a great machine (so far, only had it for a few weeks).
Pro’s: great coffee/espresso, easy to use, easy to clean, heats up quickly. great value compared to Super Auto machines. Also the customer service for Capresso is excellent!
Con’s: coffee to cool (for me), no water output setting.
I would definitely recommend this machine. I’d give it 5 stars if it had the water output control.
Great cappuccino machine for home
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
If you want a no-fail cappuccino machine – this is the machine for you. You won’t get the richest coffee and the frothiest milk (although you can get pretty close) but you are going to get rid of the hassle which is more important in a machine used over and over throughout the day for you and all your family members + guests.
Be careful not to fill up the machine with too much coffee, or it will be brewed straight into the bin… We’ve wasted a lot of coffee this way…
Make sure you buy a milk pitcher along with the machine. It will come in handy. Rattleware 12-Ounce Latte Art Pitcher
Altogether it’s a great machine, easy to use and more importantly – EASY TO MAINTAIN. I’ll recommend it to my friends…
GREAT customer service
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Have had this machine for over two years and did experience the o-ring problem mentioned in other reviews (torn). Called customer service number in the booklet provided–a human answered, said they were sorry we had a problem and sent us two new rings which we got in two days at no charge. Customer service alone would make me buy this again, as well as other Capresso products. On top of this, it makes THE BEST coffee ever and is extremely user friendly and easy to clean.
Great Engineering. Great Espresso & Coffee!! Price can’t be Beat!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I was compelled to leave a review for the Ultima because I just have to say how pleased I am with it. This little machine is awesome! I’m a self proclaimed coffee snob and perfectionist. I reviewed several machines before settling on the Ultima. I’m definitely glad I did. Makes a great espresso with nice layer of crema. If you want a great cup of coffee it’ll do that too as you can control when to stop the pump. Prep is easy and the more comfortable you get with it the easier it gets. I recommend it 100%. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because it’ll only take 2 scoops of coffee at a time limiting the amount of coffee you can make a time. Also not the prettiest machine but you’ll get over that as soon as you start making coffee. I had a Krups pump driven before this that cost around the same and was slicker looking but an inferior product. These are minor points though. Overall, price and quality wise, it can’t be beat.
Update: 08/16/2009
OK so I’ve had this thing for about 3 months now and I have my cappucinos perfected. I’ll say it again, This machine is awesome!
Couldn’t live without it. I have the equivalent of a $4.00 cup of coffee everyday, anytime, and it tastes much better than Starbucks too. Buy one!!
dependably good coffee
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
had this machine for 10 yrs. and replaced it with the same. it is that good and dependeble.
I love this machine
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I love this machine. I read several reviews prior to buying it. Most were good. One stated that her machine wouldn’t work no matter what the grind. It clogged. I was concerned about this, but it never happened to me. My machine is not at all picky. I like that it’s semi-automatic so that I have control over how to make my coffee. It’s easy to make and easy to clean.
Best espresso machine for the price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This machine was recommended to me by my best friend who owns a coffee company, and supplies and sets up hotels and high end restaurants with expensive espresso machines, and who is quite the perfectionist. He was going to set me up with one of his commercial machines, which would have taken up a lot of room, and would require a water feed, etc, and he had owned one of these machines a few years ago a told me to buy it. It’s so easy to use. Tamps the grind to the correct pressure, disposes of the grounds with no mess, easy to clean, easy to load the coffee,easy to load the water, nice crema, great pressure. My only two complaints are that it is initially not quite as hot as I would like for Americanos, but I just steam the final brew a little, and it is plenty hot, and I wish the steam spout was just a little bit longer. The initial heat cycle is only 30 seconds, so by the time you have the coffee loaded and tamped, it is ready to go. I just don’t think you can find a better designed, easy to use machine for the price that will make espresso this well.
Superb design, fantastic espresso!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this for Christmas after reading the reviews here on Amazon. I had looked at several cheaper models and several more expensive (some MUCH more) models, and after reading so many positive reviews, I decided on the Capresso Ultima 121.01. If you’re looking for an espresso/cappuccino/latte machine, look no further.
Seriously, just put this in your basket and check out now. Okay, maybe get some espresso cups to go along with your Ultima.
We only opened it this morning, and already we’ve made about 4 espressos and 4 cappuccinos. That’s a testament to its ease of use. It looks complicated, and at first glance it is. But less than 5 minutes after reading through the instruction manual, I was enjoying a hot, creamy espresso. And a delicious espresso it was. A few minutes later I made my first cappuccino, and it was just as delicious.
While I obviously can’t comment on its durability, I do have some doubts as a good portion of the machine is made of plastic. While that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I’ll reserve judgment for now.
As for the design, it’s simply brilliant. Grounds go in the funnel, and when you rotate it around for your next cup, the well-tamped and quite dry puck gets deposited in the waste bin. The water reservoir is also very easy to fill. The frother/steamer takes a little getting used to, but once you figure it out, it’s a breeze.
True, you can get a regular coffee machine for ten bucks, but those just make regular coffee. If espresso is your thing, this should be your machine. What I can say about the Ultima is that it’s incredibly easy to use and makes delicious espresso and cappuccino for about $300. If $300 seems like a lot, look around at some of the other espresso machines around. You’re looking at well over $1000 for a fully automatic, and this one is darn close.
To say the least, this has exceeded my wildest expectations.
Versatile Long Lasting Machine
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have had one of these in my office for about 7 years. I use it, as do some colleagues several times a day. It looks like pretty cheap plastic, but it is a workhorse and easy to use without the need to develop a technique, as is the case with most.
It is really versatile as to the size of the grind, and forgiving. In fact, it is so forgiving that I am really tempted to put loose leaf tea in it to see if it can make quick, pressure brewed tea like the Keurig. Has anyone tried this?
[...]
Could not make froth! ugliest- cheapest looking machine ever deserves only 1 star.
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Honestly people, do not buy this. Not only did it fail at making even a half-way decent cappucinno, it is honestly god-awful-ugly and incredibly cheap looking. After a day or two of trying relentlessly to “pull” a decent espresso and telling myself, it’ll blend in, I decided it was one of the worst purchases I have ever made. It served espresso luke warm, and the frother never got enough steam to create a decent head of foam. I am not sure why they claim it is an automatic, as it is so weird ti is more work to figure it all out. Before you write me off as a technophobe, I am definitely, not- I even read the entire manual and watched the video twice! So sad.
Thank goodness Amazon will easily take items back within 30 days. This is my only 1 star listing ever.
Very good machine
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Our first unit was initially damaged during shipping, but amazon sent us another one very quickly and it works great. I can’t give it 5 stars because we’ve only had it 2 months, but so far it works really well. Love that frother!
Capresso Failure
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I purchased my Capresso in October of 2007 and was initially very satisfied. I worked at the time so only used it on Saturday and Sunday mornings. I moved in August of 2008 so my Capresso was packed and shipped. I took delivery in October of 2008 and used it from then until January when it went belly-up. Of course, it was no longer under warranty. I called the company and for an $80 charge, which included the repair charge and shipping, they offered to refurbish it. Once returned to me it was guaranteed for three months. Within 6-8 weeks it failed. I sent it back again under the new warranty. I spent most of April and May traveling. After I returned I began using it again — each morning because we are now retired. I have no complaint about the quality of the brew or froth — only that the plastic machine parts do not hold up. I am about to order a new espresso machine and this time around I will make sure that there is no plastic involved. This machine was a big disappointment and I paid the full $300 for it.
Amazing machine, great customer service!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I got the Capresso Ultima for Christmas of 2007 and I have had only one issue (which was fixed 5 minutes after I called the customer service line). This machine works amazingly well and it produced amazing espresso for my lattes. The cleaning is quick and easy.
I use this machine almost everyday and has been so dependable. If for some reason it ever fails me I will PROMPTLY buy another one in a heart beat!
Thanks Capresso for making an AMAZING product! You have a customer for life!
I was dissapointed
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I had to return this machine, unfortunately. It was disappointing that clogged after every brew, and you had to take the machine totally apart and clean it. Also, the grind of the espresso had to be very course or else it would not go through the filter.