Convinced my brother to get one too, and he NEVER takes my advice. This time he thanked me. Two more friends are almost convinced.
Positive Product Points
Excellent, *hot* coffee. Easy to clean. Easier to use than expected, given the command-central appearance.
Negative Product Points
Some controls are small and seem a bit flimsy; time will tell. Really irritates me I could not find a new one for a discount price...
Detailed Commentary
This is really a wonderful product. I had diligently looked at every drip machine I could find or read about, discovering one or another fatal flaw in every one, including the other Capresso products. (The reviews at coffeekeek are amazingly helpful. thankyou thankyou thankyou.)
Re-reviewing the reviews (...) for the CoffeeTEC caused me to consider it more and boy am I glad I did. Coffee is hot and excellent. The machine is easy (enough) to use and clean. The pot is comfortable, pours well and keeps the coffee hot.
Until the Kitchenaid grind-and-brew, I had not fully appreciated what it means to have a difficult time cleaning a coffeemaker. The CoffeeTEC has renewed my faith in small appliance industrial design.
I get a little bit of grounds tossed around the basket, but nothing serious.
One or another review commented that the frothing paraphenalia looked more daunting that it really is. They were right. It is all well designed. Takes a bit of getting used to, but the effort to use the frother (with the container) is pretty small and the results are just dandy! It entirely an indulgence, but adds to the aesthetics of the morning routine.
Fresh gound and fresh brewed pots from this always get appreciative reactions from new visitors.
