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Cuisinart EM-100 1000-Watt 15-Bar Espresso Maker, Stainless Steel
by Cuisinart
Product SummaryManufacturer: Cuisinart
Brand: Cuisinart
Model: EM-100
Color: Stainless Steel
Product features: - Espresso maker with 15 bars of pressure for perfect coffee drinks
- Brews 1 to 2 cups from either ground espresso or pods
- 53-ounce removable reservoir; porta-filter holder; cup-warming plate
- Steam nozzle; frothing cup; removable drip tray; tamping tool included
- Measures 8-1/5 by 11 by 12-5/9 inches; 3-year limited warranty
Accessories:
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Cuisinart EM-100 1000-Watt 15-Bar Espresso Maker, Stainless SteelCustomer Review: a well thought out and good product
Summary: 5 Stars
UPDATE June 24, 2010
I am not sure about this product even though it makes a good cup of coffee. I notice a small puddle of water underneath it everyday on my counter top! It collects on the grout between my tiles, which is not good. The puddle appears to come from a leak.
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After using Cuisinart EM-100 for a month I can say that it can make delicious coffee comparable to that bought in a coffee shop. I continue to be happy with the purchase, after using the espresso maker and getting to know it well.
* Ease of use
The espresso maker has many nice and useful touches. It is simple and fool proof to operate, which helps when making coffee when one is not fully awake. The controls allow one to continue or to stop pouring coffee, water, or steam when one wants to. A regular 8 ounce cup fits easily under the portafilter. Other nice touches are that the water tank can easily be removed or put back, and the drip tray can be slipped out easily and washed off. The length of the steam/hot water nozzle is suited to the frothing pitcher included in the purchase and is not really a problem in my experience. The espresso maker is fairly quiet.
It makes hot water and steam in an amazingly short time. I'd say in less than a minute; perhaps the solid 1000W specification has something to do with the internal boiler.
* Preparation and clean up
The preparation process for making espresso is very short: just pour water in the tank if there isn't enough left over from before, fill a clean portafilter with ground coffee and attach it in place, wait about a minute, turn the dial for coffee, and it pours out into the cup, presto!
Clean up is simple: the screen above the portafilter, the steamer nozzle and the portafilter need to be cleaned, all of which are easy to do.
* Coffee grind and clogging
All that is needed to make good coffee with the coffee maker, is to use the right grind of coffee, since everything else has been made simple to do. Some suggest that a burr grinder is required to grind the beans for superior coffee. It takes a short learning process to find the correct fineness of grind to make good coffee. I found that the finer the grind the tastier the coffee. A word of caution, as with any espresso maker, too fine a grind (Turkish grind, but not Espresso grind) will clog the basket for the portafilter and coffee will not pour out. I have now learned how fine to grind my coffee so that particles do not get through the holes of the strainer in the basket and get trapped inside its double wall.
When it is clogged, the pressure created by the pump can make it hard to remove the portafilter, but it must be removed in order to take steps to unclog it. This issue would be the same with any espresso maker. Instructions and a pin are sensibly provided. I was able to unclog the basket for the portafilter with the pin, so that one can make a mistake and recover from it.
It has not been my experience, as a couple of other reviewers have claimed, that you cannot tell when the pressure is more than usual, and coffee explodes as you remove the portafilter. If the portafilter is not clogged, it requires little effort to remove it, and there is no explosion or mess involved. However, if it is clogged, you will find from the outset that you need to use much more force, enough to tell the difference, due to the pressure created by the clog. When I removed a badly clogged portafilter, the coffee grounds stayed in the portafilter, and there was no mess to clean up. The high pressure that is naturally developed due to clogging makes it a problem to remove the portafilter. I once turned the machine off and waited for 15 minutes, and still found that the pressure was high. I haven't tried this, but if the water from the tank is emptied by passing it through the nozzle for example using the hot water setting, perhaps the pressure in the portafilter could be reduced enough to make it easier to remove a clogged portafilter.
* Tips on using hot water and steam for a hot cup of coffee
If one uses a cold cup and cold cream directly from the refrigerator, one's espresso will naturally not be as hot as one might want.
I use the hot water to heat up the cup first of all. I leave the hot water in to warm up the cup, until after I steam up the milk to heat it. I then move the dial to making espresso and proceed to pouring the coffee. Doing things in this order, heats up the boiler more and gets the water hotter.
A good froth can be made with steam, with the normal amount of noise caused by bubbling steam through cream, otherwise the unit if fairly quiet. I use the steam more to heat up the cream which is cold from the refrigerator, than for making a froth.
* Making more than one cup at a time
For making several cups of espresso in a row, the portafilter can be safely and easily removed as soon as one is made, so that you can go on to making the next one, and so on. The water tank is large enough for making several cups. The protafilter is naturally hot for a while after making a cup of coffee, so be aware of it while handling.
Description of Cuisinart EM-100 1000-Watt 15-Bar Espresso Maker, Stainless SteelImagine a cup of your favorite espresso, cappuccino or latte - hot, rich, fresh and flavorful- anytime you want it. The stainless steel Cuisinart Espresso Maker is the real thing and looks like the professional it is. Make espresso in your own kitchen, then use the stainless steam nozzle and frothing cup to turn it into cappuccino or latte. You can even heat the cups on the warming plate on top-just like the pros! 15 bars of pressure guarantee perfect results!
From the Manufacturer The Cuisinart EM-100 Espresso Maker  The Cuisinart EM-100 espresso maker Cuisinart lets you prepare gourmet quality espresso at home! With a system that allows you to pre-select serving size, 15 bars of pressure for maximum flavor and the option of using ground espresso or pods, you're in control. A separate steam function and stainless steel nozzle make it easy to froth milk for cappuccinos and smooth lattes. With a removable drip tray and cover, and a filter holder with a locking mechanism clean up is quick and easy. The Quest for a Perfect Espresso It is generally agreed that there are four basic elements critical to the perfect cup: Element 1: WATER When brewing espresso, make sure the water flows through the filter at the correct pace. The water flow can be adjusted by varying the pressure with which the coffee is taped in the filter or by altering the grind of coffee. If the speed of the water is slow the coffee will be over extracted and will be very dark and bitter, with a spotted and uneven creme (froth) on the top. If the speed of the water flow is too fast, the coffee will be under-extracted and the supreme flavor will not develop. The coffee will be diluted and there will be an inadequate amount of crème on the top. Element 2: COFFEE While the bulk of the liquid is water, all of the flavor should be from the coffee. To achieve the same great quality of coffee you receive at a cafe, you need to use the same quality beans. If you choose to grind your own beans, buy the beans fresh and whole, only about a two week supply at a time for maximum freshness. Once the coffee bean is broken, its flavor degrades very quickly. If it is not practical to buy smaller supplies, we recommend you separate larger amounts of beans and store them in airtight containers in a cool, dry area. They should not be kept for longer than 1 month as flavor will diminish. Do not refrigerate or freeze coffee beans. Element 3: GRIND The grind of the coffee is critical for proper flavor extraction. If using a pre-ground coffee, be sure to purchase an espresso grind that is specifically for espresso/cappuccino machines. If the grind is too fine, over extraction and bitterness will occur with a spotted and uneven crema on top. If the grind is too coarse, the water will pass through too rapidly and there will be an inadequate amount of crema on the top of the espresso. Element 4: TAMPING THE COFFEE GROUNDS If you choose to use ground espresso instead of pods, tamping the coffee is a very important part of the coffee making process. Use the scoop supplied to fill the filter basket, then using the tamping tool, tamp down the grounds with moderate pressure. Add more coffee and tamp again if necessary to bring coffee to level. Do not overfill the filter basket. The ground coffee should be tamped with moderate pressure. If the coffee is not tamped securely, there is a chance the water will flow through the coffee to rapidly and the coffee will be under-extracted. Note: if the coffee is tamped too firmly, the water will flow through the coffee too slowly and the coffee will be over-extracted.  The combination coffee scoop/tamping tool. Features and Benefits  Cup warming plate.  Multi-function knob. - Water reservoir lid
- Removable 53-ounce water reservoir
- Large cup warming plate
- 15-bar pump
- Heating light: Will illuminate indicating that espresso machine is adjusting the temperature of the heating system.
- Steam/Hot water knob: To use the hot water function, the Steam/Hot Water Knob must be turned the 'double drip' setting.
- Function knob: Three settings - steam, hot water, make coffee.
- Portafilter holder: Can be used with ground or pod espresso. Has two positions, lock and unlock, for ease of cleaning.
- Brew head: For easy fit of the portafilter holder.
- Commercial steam wand: Use to steam milk for cappuccinos and lattes.
- Removable drip tray: Removable drip tray with grate.
- Cleaning pins: Used to clean any excess milk that gets stuck inside the steam wand or any coffee particles that get stuck inside the filter basket.
- Stainless frothing pitcher: Used for steaming milk for cappuccinos and lattes.
- Measuring scoop/tamping tool: Use one side as a coffee scoop and the other to compact the coffee grounds in the filter basket prior to brewing.
- Filter baskets: Use the one cup filter for a single espresso and the two cup filter basket for the double espresso, and the pod filter basket for espresso pods.
Guide to the Perfect Espresso - You may want to preheat the cups by filling them with hot water; this will help preserve the crema of the espresso. Set the cups aside.
- Select the appropriate filter basket and insert it in the portafilter handle.
- Using the measuring scoop place finely ground coffee in the filter basket holder. Use one scoop for one cup and two scoops for two cups, or place espresso pod into filter basket holder.
- Rest the portafilter handle with the filter basket in position on the countertop. Using the tamping tool, apply moderate packing pressure. Add more coffee and tamp again if necessary to bring coffee to level.
- Brush any excess grounds form around the edge of the filter basket.
- Secure the portafilter holder onto the brew head.
- Check to see if the espresso machine is ready for use. Remember that if the heating light is on, the espresso machine is still adjusting the temperature of the heating system. Turn the function knob clockwise to the picture of the cup espresso setting to start the pour and turn it back to the off position to stop.
- Check the espresso pour and serve immediately.
 Milk steaming wand. Guide to Milk Texturing Milk texturing is the steaming of milk. The steam does two things: it heats the milk and mixes air with the milk to form a creamy texture. As with learning to make an espresso, perfecting the art of milk texturing takes time and practice. Easy to follow steps are outlined in the Instruction Booklet. Using the Hot Water Function When using the hot water function make sure that the steam/hot water knob is in the double drip hot water setting. Place the cup or container under the steam/hot water nozzle and turn the function knob to the steam/hot water setting. Once you have dispensed the required amount, stop the hot water by turning the function knob to the off position. Remove the cup or container and swing the steam/hot water wand over the drip tray to catch any drips of water.
Espresso Machines
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