Capresso.01 Ultima Semi-automatic Coffee Maker and Espresso Cappuccino Machine - Capresso 121

Measures 15 by 16 by 12-inch; 1-year limited warranty.

Steaming wand froths milk for cappuccinos and caffe lattes

Removable 53-ounce water tank; double brewing spout fills 2 cups at once

No-mess, no-fuss: automatically tamps coffee and discards used grounds

Brews from 1-1/2 to 12-ounce of espresso or regular coffee in seconds

Average Customer Review: ( 164 customer reviews )
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In fact, we have experienced only two problems with the Capresso since we bought it: a torn o-ring and clogging. The o-ring tore because I did not clean the rotation mechanism for several months. The accumulated grounds eventually tore into the o-ring, breaking the pressure seal. However, when I called the Capresso help line to discuss our broken o-ring, the help desk agent immediately sent us two replacements in the mail with no questions asked. Total down time for the machine was a mere two days. The clogging was fixed with a complete cleaning, and if truth be told, it did say in the instruction booklet not to use very finely ground coffee.

Our last espresso machine, besides breaking after two years, was so difficult to use and clean we only made espresso on special occasions. The Capresso is convenient enough that we use it all the time. In fact, we have used our Mr. Coffee only twice (note the broken o-ring comment above) since we bought the Capresso.

After a year of use, I can still strongly recommend this product.

112 of 117 found the following review helpful:

Extremely fast&easy to use, excellent coffeeMay 14, 2001

I bought this machine after looking around for the perfect one for quite some time. This Espressomaker is unique because of a clever semiautomatic mechanism that doesn't require the usual, messy tampering and cleaning innate to traditional machines. This device comes at a fraction of the cost of the fully automated ones, but is almost as easy to use. The only little flaw I noted is that the frother will spill a relatively large amount of water (5cc or so) during the first couple of seconds before the full steam gets going. Usually no big deal, but if you froth a small amount of milk, you may want to "catch" these first cc's first. Otherwise, this machine is perfect. The pump is very strong 18bar, I think) and the crema is excellent. Baseline: If you want a traditional machine, go for a Gaggia or something similar; if you are a (lazy) millionaire, consider one of the fully automated machines ($1000-2000). Otherwise, there is currently no alternative to the "Ultima".

72 of 74 found the following review helpful:

The only cappuccino machine you'll ever want to see at 5amMay 16, 2001

If the technical aspects of a cappuccino before the crack of dawn have you actually contemplating drip coffee again, check out this machine. You'll have to re-learn how to make a cappuccino, but once you get the hang of it, you can break speed records. For double caps, two scoops of pre-ground espresso go in the coffee spout. Turn the bizarre looking top a quarter turn, push down the lever and turn the pump on. You'll instantly get a perfect espresso with more crema than I was able to get with any kind of consistently from our many previous machines. And it takes less than a minute for the water to heat in the unit for making coffee or arming the frother with steam in this sturdy machine. The best part comes in the clean-up. When you're ready to make the next cup, turn the lever on top a 3/4 turn and it will simultaneously dump your old grounds in a hidden bin and stage itself automatically for the next cup. That's zero coffee grounds on the sink and the ability to crank out a cappuccino every two minutes.

32 of 32 found the following review helpful:

Exceeded our expectations by a large marginOct 22, 2003

My wife and I are extremely pleased with this machine from Capresso. It makes excellent espressos, cappuccinos, and lattes, boils water for tea faster than any microwave, and is generally a breeze to operate and maintain. The speed of the unit is quite amazing; I can froth milk and prepare a large cappucino in less time than it takes to make my toast in the morning. And if you just want a really great cup of "American-style" coffe, this machine will do that too -- topped off with a substantial layer of "crema" and no bitter-tasting oils. Warning: After using this machine for a few weeks, you'll never be able to drink drip or percolated coffee again.

The overall design and construction of the unit is first-rate for a consumer product. If Hewlett-Packard decided to start making cappucino machines in addition to their printers, I imagine they would be of similar quality and design to Capresso's. I have two minor quibbles with the steamer/frother tube -- it's a bit short for frothing in a deep container but this also means the overall height of the machine is less, and I'm okay with that trade off, since the machine fits comfortably under most overhead kitchen cabinets. The insulating grip on the tube is quite small, however, and since it must be slid up and down to change from frothing to steaming, it's easy to 'sting' a finger or two -- though I've yet to actually burn myself.

As other reviewers have noted, I also wish there was an interlock on the pump switch to disable it if the tamping lever is not depressed. It's very easy to forget this step for the first week or two of ownership, especially in the morning... This is no longer a problem for my wife or I, but it does mean that guests need supervision if they want to try the machine (and they will) -- otherwise they'll blissfully stand there with an expectant look on their face as they pump water into the grounds discard bin (which unfortunately looks like it has a smaller capacity than the water supply tank -- I hope never to find out for sure).

The water tank is extremely well-designed; remove the cover, grab the handle, lift the tank out, refill, and replace. I've yet to spill a drop of water. Daily cleanup involves removing the upper carousel and hand cleaning/rinsing in the sink (forget to do this for a day or two and you'll notice a deterioration in the quality of the coffee). The bottom front of the unit slides forward to expose the grounds bin and the overflow sump -- these need emptying every few days, depending on usage (a red-light comes on when the bin needs emptying).

I've used Customer Service to order some of Capresso's coffee and an extra frother tube and was quite satisifed with the service -- everything shipped within 48 hours. The coffee was very smooth, but a bit pricey.

41 of 43 found the following review helpful:

I am an engineer and I am a very picky guy too but ...Jan 22, 2006
By J. Seto
... the Capresso Ultima is just a wonderful espresso machine regardless of the price/performance ratio. It is very well engineered. You can tell the refinement of the design simply by looking at the layout of the compartments, the water tank with a clever fold-in handle that is very well balanced while you are adding water, the perfect tamping mechanism, the layout and feel of pressing the buttons and rotating the lever arm, and the matte surface finish. All accolades about this machine from previous reviewers are true so I won't be repeating them here.

Some reviewers have pointed out, however, that (1) the espresso and/or the milk is not hot enough to their liking; and (2) the frother spills large amount of water. These claims are just not true.

The espresso that comes out of my machine is just so hot that it burns my tongue, not to mention the perfect crema that comes out with it. I actually tried to stick my finger (like a naughty boy) inside the espresso glass and it burns my finger like boiling water. The "secret" is to push the pump button right after the thermostat light (yellow) goes off. It's really no secret because that's what the manual receommends.

Also, the steamer/frother is capable of heating up a cup of milk that is so hot that practically you can't drink it right away. Note that the steamer/frother has got an automatic 80sec cut-off. Everytime the milk is really hot after this 80sec of steaming/frothing (not to mention how nice and thick the froth becomes - I usually froth half a cup of cold 2% milk and the froth is like 2/5 cup thick - YES. CLOSE TO HALF A CUP OF FROTH within 80sec of frothing). For those who really want to burn their tongue, they could always repeat this steaming/frothing for another 80sec (again read the manual to see how). I tried this and it always ends up boiling the milk (implying that it has reached 100C or over). Frankly, I don't know who would like to drink practically boiling coffee. It just takes the taste away.

For the water spill problem from the frother, I actually experienced once. But quickly I found out that it's due to the fact that I didn't screw the frothing tip tight enough so the steam leaks into the metal slieve and as soon as it gets to the rubber holder on top, the steam condenses and becomes water spill. From then on, I screw it finger tight and it does not spill any more.

What more can I say? For those who are in the market to buy an excellent espresso machine at a good price, stop searching right now. This is THE ONE.

After you got the machine, Get excited, Read the manual, Practice a few times, Enjoy the coffee, and Stop complaining!

Cheers!

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