You know, I've tried Crystal Aromes. I've tried Pro Cafes. I've tried Pro Aromas. All Krups machines. All cool looking. Almost all were digital / timer models.

And every single one that I put under the Fluke Therm test disappointed. Coffee machines made by Krups - at least the ones we've tested (six at last count) - simply cannot brew coffee at the proper brewing temperatures.

So I lost faith in Krups. Back in the day I thought Krups, along with Braun, were the uber cool of the small appliance world (don't even get me started on Braun!). As we come closer to present day, I not only learned but experienced how the difference in brewing temperatures can affect cup quality. Maybe my palate's tuned big time but I can notice big time sour notes from a coffee brewed only 10F below optimal. And I could taste that sourness, along with a lack of any real body in almost every pot of Krups - made coffee I've had in the last four years.

Quite the lead in, I know. But I'm setting something up here. I'm always willing to give a company a second chance. In Krups' case, it seems like it was going on seven chances when I got a call from Aabree Coffee about a new Krups brewer that I absolutely, positively had to test.

It's the Krups Moka Brew. It's not like any other Krups coffee maker you may have seen. It's a low pressure hybrid brewer, sharing traits between auto drip coffee and the venerable moka pot method of making poor-man's espresso.

I was intrigued. Recently, I've started coming around to appreciating moka coffee more (especially after it was my only coffee brewing method during a recent camping trip). I also have to admit that I was holding on to this seemingly futile hope that Krups, the cool brand of my youth, would somehow win me back and convince me they could make good coffee. I asked Aabree to send one up pronto. Problem was, they didn't have one yet - it was so darned new that they were waiting for their stock. But it's in stock now (though Aabree has decided not to carry it for the time being) and this machine is making a big first time appearance in North America.

That's not to say it's "new" per se. Germans know about this device. Aficionados in Germany have been using this kind of coffee brewer since the 1960s. But today, we in North America finally get a chance to play.

Download the product manual for the Moka Brew. (PDF, 360kb)

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