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Krups Compact Espresseria XP7200A2

Gadget Guy, November 7, 2008

Reviewer: Sarah Cumberland

The Krups machine is compact so won't take up much bench space. The trade off is that its design uses very small lights and switches and cup space is a bit limited. It produces a very good espresso though.

Setting up

Getting started is not entirely intuitive. It is necessary to read the first page of the instruction manual to decipher the different flashing lights which indicate various maintenance requirements.

Fortunately, the printed instruction manual is well designed, with colour photographs to explain everything quite clearly. The clever plastic 'on-board' instruction manual slots into the side of the machine as a ready-reference. Although preset in the factory, it is recommended that the user set the machine for water hardness, coffee temperature and automatic power cut-off.

Features

The removable water reservoir has a lift-up handle for easy carrying, or it can be filled from a jug. Although you can't see the volume from the front of the machine, there is a light which alerts the user when the water level gets low.

Another light indicates when the used coffee grounds bin in the side of the machine is full. The machine needs to have space on this side for easy access to this bin and to the instruction manual. The drip tray is quite small and does not easily fit two latte glasses side-by-side. The pourer is height adjustable though so taller mugs will fit.

A handy feature is the little blue indicator float which pops up when the tray needs emptying.

Performance

Once we were underway, the machine was reasonably easy to operate and the results were very good. A good tasting coffee with an excellent crema was produced when the 'strong' option was selected.

The steam wand is quite short but is easy to access and articulate to the right angle for the milk jug. However, steam was slow to heat and its output seemed a little weak to produce a good froth. There is no control dial for varying steam strength either.

Conclusion

The compact Krups machine packs a decent punch with consistently good coffee produced from the word go. It may be most suitable for those who enjoy a straight espresso as, while the crema was very good, it didn?t perform quite as well in frothing milk.

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