written by lisiloo on 22/05/2008
Good Points
Makes great tasting coffee;
Looks fantastic on the worktop;
Easy to use
Bad Points
Water measure guide on right hand side of machine for filter coffee is useless, air bubbles quickly appear which makes the reading unreliable. It's easily overcome though, you just need to use the filter coffee jug provided to measure water (cup quide written on side of jug) and then use the recommended amount of coffee per cup - very easy to do.
You have to make sure frother arm is properly attached each time you use it as it can shoot off under power of steam. Mine has done it twice, but live and learn...check it each time and no more problems.
This machine has a heated plate for keeping the filter coffee warm in the jug - great in theory, but it REALLY affects the taste of the coffee. This is my first coffee machine so this may be the case for all brands/models. Coffee should be enjoyed immediately so I guess that's a minor fault.
Instruction booklet is pants, a little common sense will see you through though!
General Comments
Before I purchased this Krups XP2000 coffee machine, I did lots of research on similar priced models. Quite a lot of reviews commented on how poor the milk frother is, well, I actually find it's more than adequate. I use ice cold semi skimmed milk and get really good results. I have owned my machine for about 4 months and use it most days. The coffee it makes, whether espresso or filter, is wonderful (make sure you buy decent coffee in the first place though!). My Krups came with a free grinder too; you can't beat the flavour of freshly ground coffee.
It may have a couple of relatively minor faults, but overall I love this machine.