Nescafe Dolce Gusto by Krups KP1009 Piccolo Coffee Machine, Titanium Review
Nescafe Dolce Gusto by Krups KP1009 Piccolo Coffee Machine, Titanium
- Petite single-serve beverage machine for use with mess-free capsules
- 1500 watts of power for fast heating; 21-ounce removable water tank; hot/cold selection lever
- 15-bar Thermoblock pump pressure; auto shut-off; adjustable-height drip tray; dishwasher-safe parts
- Includes a six-count variety pack of capsules, quick start guide, instructions, and a welcome brochure
- Measures 8-2/3 by 6-1/4 by 11-2/7 inches; 1-year limited warranty
Enjoy a coffeehouse quality beverage in the comfort of your own home. New from Krups, the Dolce Gusto Piccolo is a petite version of the single serve multi-purpose beverage machine that allows you to customize your favorite hot or cold coffee, chocolate or tea drink at a fraction of the price of going out. Using the specially designed capsules from Nestle, enjoy a variety of flavors and drinks- cappuccino, americano, espresso, decaf, mocha, ice cappuccino, peach tea- without the mess and clean u
List Price: $ 125.00
Price: $ 209.99
Find More Coffee Machine Products
Not your favorite coffee shop..,
Have to admit, this is a pretty good machine.. Does a great job of producing an instant cup of your choice.
The Dolce heats up quickly and produces on demand.
There are many other options out there but the price for the unit itself was very affordable compared to others currently on the market.
The only negative is the price of the coffee/drink packets. I am being very conservative on my use of the Dolce because of the products themselves. (the reason to buy one is in effect to save money and enjoy your favorite cup of joe anytime) If I am going to pay top dollar I am going to get the real thing not an instant substitute.
So in short, the unit itself is great, no complaints.
But – would like to see a more affordable product to be used in the Dolce.
Was this review helpful to you?
|Compact, competitive and simple,
I bought this coffee machine yesterday at Walmart after much research into Keurig, Tassimo and Senseo units.
My first impression is that it’s compact and ideal for the counter top. It’s much simpler than the others in that there aren’t a great number of moving parts. It is basic, but I really didn’t need another LCD clock! The on-off switch glows red when the machine is thinking and goes green when ready. After 5 minutes it shuts itself off. This auto-shut-off can be disabled if you so choose. The simplicity should mean it’s more reliable. Time will tell!
It’s quick to brew (20-30 secs?) and makes little noise/vibration and the coffee is nice and hot. Keurig seems to have a lot of quality issues mechanically and with brew strength/temp. if you read the reviews. With the DG you turn it on, it thinks for about 20-30 secs then it’s ready to brew. The capsule drops into a plastic, but nicely solid and substantial holder that you slide out of the head of the machine after raising a lever that, when closed pierces the capsule and snugs it in place. You move another chunky lever to brew and stop brewing, choosing hot or cold with the lever direction, so you have direct control over the type, amount and strength of the brew.
I found the Caffee Americano way too strong for my liking at about the recommended 7 or so fl oz, so I continued to fill my cup with more to weaken it. The Chococino really tastes and feels like Hot Chocolate if you keep to the recommended water volume. It might take a while to get to know how you brew the drink to best suit your taste.
The price of the capsules is comparable to the competitors, though Nescafe hasn’t the variety offered by Keurig – give it time perhaps. Walmart has good stocks of the capsules. Nescafe also sends you a free box when you register and subsequent purchases earn reward points for more free capsules (1 free box for 10 bought). Their website is like a coffee lover’s club with a forum, shop, quizzes, FAQ and product information.
The coffee and chocolate is very good in that it is strong, hot and the milk capsules that accompany such drinks are smooth and creamy and not at all artificial in terms of taste/texture. You do have to control the relative quantities of milk/coffee/chocolate yourself with each capsule, so you have to watch over the brew, but then you have total control to make it like you like
The reservoir is 21 fl oz and is very easy to remove and fill, if a little small. But then you can’t have compact and water capacity!
The capsules make very little mess, though I note that when you remove the holder to throw away the capsule, there are a couple drips from the capsule to watch out for.
So far I like it and would recommend it if you want this type of coffee maker. It does make good coffee and chocolate quickly with no mess.
UPDATE: Dec 8 2010
So far so good. I have learned to control the strength of my Cappuccino Light by watching the color (hence strength) of the stream coming from the capsules and turning off the brew. It also helps using the same glass cup as I can also judge the volumes of the milk and coffee. I have eliminated the drips from the capsules when discarding; wait until the green light comes on, watch for the last couple drops to fall, then discard – no drips and the capsule holder remains nice and clean.
Everything really does feel solid and well-built. Very happy so far.
UPDATE Dec 29 2010
Still happy with it. No problems at all. I didn’t notice before but the capsule holder is magnetic in that when it is partially inserted, the magnet pulls it into position. This gives it a nice solid feel, which is my general opinion about this whole unit.
I use a large glass cup (so I can see how much milk Vs Coffee) that uses almost all the capacity of the water reservoir. I don’t like strong coffee and fill the cup 3/4 full with the milk (that’s why the Dolce Gusto is good; you choose how much water to flow through the capsules) and then I add the cappuccino. I still get a good flavor though as the capsules can make really strong coffee). This large cup requires the base to be set at the bottom, but is too tall for the next position up for the base. This leaves about a 2″ gap under the capsule holder. When the unit starts up, it looks like the 15 bar pressure blows the seal in the bottom of the capsule. There is a slight delay, then you can hear the seal give way and the milk or coffee starts to flow. Occasionally, the stream from the capsule is not straight and columnar. It is twisted and rough. This looks to me like the seal is not completely opened by the pressure and part of the seal is disturbing the flow pattern. This is when I see some spatter of tiny milk droplets onto the coffee machine and onto the table; splashes from the…
Read more
Was this review helpful to you?
|