Product Description
Prepare the night before and use the Krups Bistro 867-42 Combination Coffee & Espresso Machine to mak wake-up coffee using its 24 hours programmable clock & timer. Deep Brew technology heats water to the ideal temperature, then pulses it through the coffee grounds at precisely timed intervals to provide you with coffee full of rich, robust flavor. The Stop & Serve feature lets you remove the carafe at any time during the brewing cycle. Swing-out the filter holder to add coffee grounds quickly and easily. Use the convenient 3-way safety switch to instantly and easily goes from brewing espresso to frothing milk. Patented Perfect Froth attachment ensures fool-proof frothing of milk for cappuccinos and lattes by precise delivery of steam and air. Prepare 2-4 cups directly into carafe or cups.
Product Details
* Amazon Sales Rank: #135609 in Kitchen & Housewares
* Brand: Krups
* Model: 867-42
* Dimensions: 12.00" h x 10.00" w x 13.00" l, 4.75 pounds
Features
* Dual-purpose machine brews 10 5-ounce cups regular coffee, 4 cups espresso
* Separate water tanks permit simultaneous coffee and espresso brewing
* Steam nozzle with frothing attachment covers making cappuccino and caffe latte
* Programmable 24-hour clock/timer for "wake-up" coffee; 20-second pause for mid-brew pour
* Measures 13 by 12 by 10 inches; 1-year limited warranty, 90 days for parts and service
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
By combining a regular coffeemaker and espresso machine, this 1500-watt appliance makes it possible to satisfy every coffee craving with a single, compact unit. Separate water tanks permit simultaneous coffee and espresso brewing for satisfying everyone at once. The espresso-machine side includes a steam nozzle with a foolproof frothing attachment for creating coffee drinks like cappuccino and café latté. Making espresso follows tradition: tamping the proper amount of coffee into a filter basket inside a filter holder, twisting the filter holder onto the machine, pouring water into the machine's boiler, and twisting the control knob, which instantly goes from the off position to brewing espresso or frothing milk. Depending on the amount of water, up to four 2-ounce cups will then be brewed into an 8-ounce glass carafe.
Making regular coffee also adheres to tradition: inserting a filter into the filter basket, spooning in coffee, pouring water into the coffeemaker's tank, and pressing a button. Depending on the amount of water, up to ten 5-ounce cups of coffee will then be brewed into a 50-ounce glass carafe, which sits on a warming plate. Removing the carafe from the warming plate pauses the brewing process for 20 seconds to accommodate a midbrew pour. A programmable digital clock/timer makes it possible to brew wake-up coffee at a selected time up to 24 hours in advance. For safety, the machine automatically shuts off two hours after brewing. The machine has a bright plastic exterior, measures 13 inches wide, 12 inches high, and 10 inches deep, weighs 4-3/4 pounds, and carries a one-year warranty against defects. An illustrated booklet provides clear operating instructions. --Fred Brack
Editor's note: This item may arrive with water inside from the manufacturer's pressure test. This is a normal occurrence and doesn't indicate a problem with the machine.
Customer Reviews
Great unit despite the neurotoxic tank and handle assembly4
A year ago, I purchased one of these for my fiancee. My initial impression was very positive, but I didn't want to rush into writing a review without putting it through the wringer (so to speak). Well, after countless latte's the Caffe Bistro is still pumping out quality espresso and foaming great quanities of milk. It's very solid in construction and brain-dead simple to use, even without its very well written owner's manual. I do have a few comments to make, however, that might serve as minor caveats to anyone seeking to purchase a combo espresso/coffee maker:
[1] While the manual states that the handle assembly is dishwasher safe, I would strongly recommend *against* putting it in the dishwasher. I'm not sure what it is about my fiancee's dishwasher crystals, but after one go-around in the 'washer, the aluminum portion of the handle assembly turned very dark grey (almost a slate color)--completely oxidized. This doesn't affect performance in the least, but it does make the it somewhat less pretty to look at. Wash it by hand and all should go well. If you forget and find yourself with an oxidized cup, simply go at it with a brillo-type (mildly abrasive) pad and your favorite dishwashing soap (e.g. Palmolive, Ivory, etc.). After a few minutes of scrubbing, the aluminum cup will be back to its original lustre.
[2] The manual makes frequent mention of a "perfect froth attachment" but doesn't really explain what it is or what it does or why it's there. In short, it's the second little miniature stem to the side of the steam stem whose purpose is to funnel in cool air from the room via the top of the attachment via the Bernoulli effect (the same principle that perfume atomizers with the squishy rubber bulbs use), thus providing the "perfect" amount of air needed to make foam. While cleaning the frother, the little rubber tip on the top of the attachment rolled under the stove and was effectively lost. The next time I tried to froth some milk, I got a whole bunch of air and very little steam, resulting in just a rapidly moving cup of slightly warm milk (and a whole lot of noise). I figured out that if you just remove the "perfect froth" attachment, you can get "perfect froth" by simply holding the nozzle just a tiny bit above the surface of the milk--just the way one would do with a machine without such an attachment. I'm now actually glad we lost the tip of the PFA since now the steam nozzle is much easier to clean. :-)
[3] Regular cleaning of your frothing nozzle is imperative. I like to keep a straightened paper clip next to the machine to clean out the tip after every use. If you don't clean it regularly, old milk and hard water deposits will result in a partially or completely blocked nozzle. You should also use a small wrench to remove the tip of the nozzle once a month and make sure you clean it from the inside--a paper clip can only get so much.
[4] The nozzle on this unit is just a bit too long, even without the PFA in place. We purchased a stainless steel frothing pitcher from Fourbucks, er...Starbucks, and found it to be just about 1/4" too tall (or the nozzle just about 1/4" too long) to fit under without tipping either the pitcher or the machine. I'm sorry I don't have a measurement handy, but it's only a very minor annoyance, nothing worth losing sleep over.
[5] I am concerned about the use of aluminum in the unit. The grounds cup, the handle assembly and apparently the tank in which the water is heated are all made of aluminum, and aluminum is a known neurotoxin (i.e. it's bad for you) and it is thought to be a contributing factor in the contraction of Alzheimer's Disease. If I had known that the Caffe Bistro used so much aluminum in the parts that contact the water, I probably would not have purchased it, but buying an espresso machine with stainless steel parts would have been prohibitively expensive. :-(
In short, it's a great unit and has served wonderful lattes and coffees for the past year or so, and it's a great value...that is, if you don't mind ingesting material that is a known to do the body harm.
Good reasons (and tips) to buy this machine4
If you want a machine that makes excellent espresso (for shots, machiattos, or espresso con panas) the Il Bistro is adequate. The espresso is somewhat diluted and you don't get a lot of crema. Of course, you could try adding more espresso grinds and cutting the brewing cycle short to get better espresso. However, this machine steams milk well and gives an impressive amount of froth. As a barista I've heard a lot of people complain about not getting enough froth from their espresso machines, but that is not a problem here. The instructions only tell you to steam for 1-2 mins., which is not going to get your milk hot enough so I suggest using a thermometer. It's also pretty easy to clean. If you want to keep the steam wand unclogged, remove the perfect frother attachment (after every use) and place under running water for several seconds, then briefly turn the steamer on to expel excess liquid from the wand (careful, the steam and wand are very hot). The other features, the digital clock and programable coffee machine, are great and very convenient. I'm an espresso lover, however, so the espresso machine features were enough to win me over. I've been using my machine almost everyday (sometimes 2-3 times a day during school exams) and I haven't had any problems. I've also been happy with my lattes, so I recommend this product.
Solid performer5
I have the previous version of this machine which I have used practically every day for about the last 10 YEARS! And it works just fine. The large 10 cup pot/section is easy to clean, easy to pour, makes good coffee. The espresso part I have used daily since returning from Spain this last April, and it works very well. I really can't think of anything this machine should do that it doesn't. When using the frothing milk attachment you are going to have to clean it, but you really can't make great coffee without making a little mess. Does everything it should, does it well, been doing it for a long time.
