From The Netherlands to rural Minnesota: The Technivorm finally arrived, yesterday. (I ordered it in November.)
I read a great review of this coffee maker in Cook's Illustrated back in September, and was intrigued enough to order one.
My daily driver for the past few years has been a DeLonghi espresso pump. Lately, though, I've craved a simpler, quicker, less messy process---but I didn't want to sacrifice the great flavor and boldness of the espresso method.
Let me assure you, the rave reviews from users (as well as Cook's Illustrated) are accurate. This baby makes a fantastic cup of coffee. The flavor is very nuanced, with a lot of body. It's like the difference between drinking skim milk and whole milk; nothing wrong with skim milk, it's just that whole milk has more body, flavor, and a silkier mouth-feel.
I do miss the steamed/frothed milk that went along with the DeLonghi; but the Technivorm is so simple and quick that it's worth the trade. There is certainly nothing high-tech about it; no programming timer, clock, or grinder.
It does have a 1400-watt copper boiler, which allows it to heat the water to the perfect temp (195-to-205 degrees) from the very beginning of the cycle. It also completes the brewing process within a few seconds of the 6-minute ideal.
Highly recommended to say the least---but it's pricey. Mine was $265, from Clive Coffee in Portland, OR. (clivecoffee.com) I think you can find it for a little less elsewhere (around $225), but Clive promised the fastest delivery. Getting your hands on one of these is like trying to procure a Wii, LOL.
It came with a pound of fantastic Sumatran coffee (from the Clive Coffee roasters, of course) and a box of unbleached filters---although I think I may use the gold fine mesh filter I kept from an ancient Braun drip machine. I read that paper filters can tend to absorb some of the oils/flavor during the brewing process.
I read a great review of this coffee maker in Cook's Illustrated back in September, and was intrigued enough to order one.
My daily driver for the past few years has been a DeLonghi espresso pump. Lately, though, I've craved a simpler, quicker, less messy process---but I didn't want to sacrifice the great flavor and boldness of the espresso method.
Let me assure you, the rave reviews from users (as well as Cook's Illustrated) are accurate. This baby makes a fantastic cup of coffee. The flavor is very nuanced, with a lot of body. It's like the difference between drinking skim milk and whole milk; nothing wrong with skim milk, it's just that whole milk has more body, flavor, and a silkier mouth-feel.
I do miss the steamed/frothed milk that went along with the DeLonghi; but the Technivorm is so simple and quick that it's worth the trade. There is certainly nothing high-tech about it; no programming timer, clock, or grinder.
It does have a 1400-watt copper boiler, which allows it to heat the water to the perfect temp (195-to-205 degrees) from the very beginning of the cycle. It also completes the brewing process within a few seconds of the 6-minute ideal.
Highly recommended to say the least---but it's pricey. Mine was $265, from Clive Coffee in Portland, OR. (clivecoffee.com) I think you can find it for a little less elsewhere (around $225), but Clive promised the fastest delivery. Getting your hands on one of these is like trying to procure a Wii, LOL.
It came with a pound of fantastic Sumatran coffee (from the Clive Coffee roasters, of course) and a box of unbleached filters---although I think I may use the gold fine mesh filter I kept from an ancient Braun drip machine. I read that paper filters can tend to absorb some of the oils/flavor during the brewing process.
