Capresso CoffeeTeam.. yay or nay?

[veraderock]

I like coffee.
Now I want to be able to step up my game at home, but as a blue collar coffee drinker. I'm not in a position to spend $1G+ (or even half that) on a fancy coffee maker, no matter how much I'd like to.
Reading some of the other posts here I understand that it's more important to get a good burr grinder first, then work up to an expresso machine. That's cool, although I'm more often looking for a to-go cup with a good 2 cups worth of liquid in it then a simple shot of espresso to sip on. I've looked at the Baratzas line of burr grinders and am considering one, however then I came across the Capresso 464.05 CoffeeTeam GS with Canonical Burr Grinder.. The reviews sound good with the exception of "will wake your wife". At a price point of around $160 I'm seriously considering this.
Alternatively I could purchase a refurbished Baratza (approx $80) along with a simple coffee or expresso maker (approx $80) totalling a similar price point ($160).

What to do?

 

[PinkRose]

Hello,

Welcome to the Coffee Forum website.

One thing to keep in mind with the grind and brew machines, is that they are certainly noisy. If you're concerned about waking your wife up (and you should be) you may want to stay away from that kind of brewer. I have a Cuisinart DGB-600BC Grind and Brew, Brushed Chrome coffee maker at home, but it doesn't have a burr grinder. I'm happy woth the coffee that I get from it....but it does make a lot of noise as it's grinding the beans. They also make one with a burr grinder. As a comparison with the one that you're considering...Take a look at the Cuisinart video on this page:

Amazon.com: Cuisinart DGB-900BC Grind-and-Brew Thermal 12-Cup Automatic Coffeemaker, Brushed Chrome/Black: Kitchen & Dining

Scroll down the page and listen to the video demonstration. Pay attention to the sound of the beans grinding. I would imagine that most grind and brew machines make the same type of sound. Depending on where the bedrooms are situated in your house, you wife may or may not hear the machine. If you live in an apartment, the neighbors probably will hear it.

By the way, you didn't need to create a poll to get a response to your questions about coffee makers. All you needed to do was post your question telling us what you're considering. That way people are more likely to offer suggestions for other machines...as you know, there are many other choices!

Good luck.

Rose

 

[alsterling]

Vera... please let me play "Devil's Advocate."

The key word here should be "De-Centralize." Know that your coffee desires are shared by many. "I just want to push a button... or maybe even just think about my dream cup of coffee..." and like on Startrek after saying, "Computer, a deep-rich cup of French roast please!", it appears. Grind-and-Brews and Super-Automatic machines fall into that category of "The moderately OK of all worlds." And when they're judged and reviewed by the general public, who've been brewing store-bought ground coffee in a can, and using a Mr. Coffee, they don't really have a fair base-level of what a properly brewed cup of "still fresh coffee beans" actually tastes like.

The "Best of all Worlds" is achievable, but you have to seperate functions, and for very good reasons. Let's just talk grinding. Grinding uniform size grounds sounds simple, but it's only that way if the burrs on your grinder are properly engineered, which includes being as large as possible. Grinders integrated into a machine can use the term "burr" and "conical", but that only refers to configuration, not even close to quality. Coffee that you store in the grind/brew machines suffers an even "earlier death of freshness" because they're housed in/near a device that generate heat and moisture, day after day. Grounds get retained in the grinding device and clog the machine, inhibiting a full dose of grounds. Even worse, and because there's no simple way to clear the machine of retained grounds, they go stale rapidly and either clog or get flushed into your next brewing cycle. All this contributes to poor coffee in the cup.

Just on grinder points alone, I always point my family and friends in the direction of buying a "minimally competent grinder" (Baratza is one, even the Maestro model, although I'd aim higher.), and then work on brewing. Do you really save any time with a grind and brew? Not really. Eventually you have to do a cleaning, and with more little plastic parts, there are more things to get sticky from coffee oils, and more things to break. Easy access to, and cleaning of the grinder is important. What if you want to switch to a different coffee this morning.... try decafe or a blend your friend wants to share? Cleaning out the entire chamber areas of an integrated machine is not that easy, plus, you have stale grounds and coffee oil remaining in the grind chambers and chutes; moreso than with a stand-alone grinder. Cheap grinder mechanisms, because of the small grinding blades/burrs, run fast, heat the beans, and that can kill a great roast. And the grounds? They are very irregular in their grind size. It sounds anal, but trust us, it really matters.

I say, expect to spend $200 to $300 on the grinder, and remember that a great cup of coffee can actually be brewed using 200 degree F hot water poured through a Melitta plastic filter system fitted over your favorite cup. We also brew Brasilian cafe' in the morning "Tropeiro Style", which includes boiling the water in an aluminum open pot, bringing it off boil and dropping in our coffee grounds and sugar, stirring, and then pouring through either a traditional linen filter/sock, or a Melitta filter into a carafe. Some people would laugh at the tricked out brewing machines that Americans buy. It's so far from the most basic and effective brewing actually required for drip or pour-over. Even more important..... rethink where you're getting your beans. Buy from either a local roaster or from proven national roasters like Stumptown or Intelligensia, which sell and ship nationally. Store the coffee beans in a cool dry place. (sealed Tupper in the fridge is OK) Only grind what you need for your brewing at the time. "De-Centralize!"

 

[CCafe]

I helped my mother out several years ago and we went out and purchased the CoffeeTeam Luxe. Made great coffee for the price. Wasn't expecting anything phenomenal but was somewhat impressed with the machine. What we did get was a machine that would grind and brew a cup of coffee and help put my mother on the right path. As for being noisy, yeah it was a little loud but it wasn't waking anyone up in the house loud. To be honest it was about as loud as flushing those noisier toilets.

I would suggest it as a great starter machine for you. Down the road when you feel the De-Centralize is a path you want to take then I'd go the route alsterling has suggested.

Either way its up to you to decide which path you should choose.

 

[veraderock]

If you're concerned about waking your wife up (and you should be) you may want to stay away from that kind of brewer. ...Take a look at the Cuisinart video on this page: ...By the way, you didn't need to create a poll to get a response to your questions about coffee makers.

Hi Rose, thanks for the greeting! I will check that video. Many of my friends and family have that same Cuisinart coffee maker. The grinder is loud, and I am living in an apartment (or rather, will be by the time I buy the unit). I understand the Capresso unit's loudness is a lower tone which is a little easier on the ears (although likely to travel through walls better too I suppose..). In which case I might be better off with a decent burr grinder and cheap machine?

(lol.. you're right, the poll was probably overkill)

 

[veraderock]

Thank you alsterling, your comments are very insightful..!

I've been thinking as much, but have to stay on a budget, in which case I may be able to get a Maestro grinder.. I'm also going to look into the Melitta products and see if I can find something in my price range..

CCafe, that's great to hear first-hand experience with the CoffeeTeam unit. If I can't find a de-centralized solution within my price range I think I'll go with it!

 

[Randy G.]

If you like a rich, full-bodied cup, the best coffee for the least amount of money that I have found would be a grinder such as the economy-models from Baratza as you mentioned, and the Espro Press for $75. As I have stated in other threads, the Espro Press makes the French Press obsolete. Only negatives is that clean-up is somewhat like a FP, and it only makes a single cup at a time. But the coffee is amazing!

 

[coffeejoes]

Here is my two cents worth. I am very familiar with Capresso Cafe Team coffee makers. While it is a very convenient machine it has at least three problems. The first is that it cannot hold a consistent temp while brewing. Very few can with the exception of the Technivom brand. You need to hold at least 195 degrees to have a good extraction. The second problem is the quality of the grinder. It has a very inconsistent range of particle size. You would be much better off with a Baratza but not the cheap units. Spend an extra $100 to get a good one. The third problem is the amount of coffee deposited relative to the amount of water. With this machine you need to short the coffee maker water for each of the grind setting. For example if you are grinding for 8 cups of coffee, you need to put in 6 cups of water. Also forget using the water filter, you should be using filter water. My advice is to get a good burr grinder, a supply of filtered water, water kettle, and a manual brew system. It does not take that much more time but the results are miles ahead of Capresso. Manual systems would include Chemex, Clever, Press Pot, and Melitta just to name a few. Happy brewing.

 

[alsterling]

..... Vera ......... you said, I've been thinking as much, but have to stay on a budget, in which case I may be able to get a Maestro grinder.. I'm also going to look into the Melitta products and see if I can find something in my price range.

The Melitta plastic filter holder and #4 paper inserts can all be purchased for under $10. Five dollars of that is the box of paper filters. :coffee1:If you were to just get the more upscale grinder in the $2-300 range, the brewing device could be greatly simplified, as Randy mentioned in his post, and as others have alluded.

My cousin Amy and her husband own a vineyard and winery about an hour Northwest of Dallas. They're gurus when it comes to grapes and wine, but were lost with their drip brew coffee! They called me last year moaning about their morning brew. My fix for them was to refer them to the Baratza grinder, and a couple good roasters that sell their blends online. They then used their Mr. Coffee, and saw an incredible improvement overall. They thanked me by shipping some great wine to us. BTW, I've used the simpler drip machines like Senor Cafe' with good results.

I looked at the Technivorm and Capressa drip machines a couple years back, and ended up buying the Capressa TM550. (the Technivorm was just too ugly for my wife's taste... the Capressa is a friendlier looking machine, what with the faux-stainless finish. While it is rated alongside the Technivorm for holding that high temp for brewing, we don't believe it performs as well as the Technivorm regarding water temp and holding temp in the thermos-carafe. And I paid near $200. It wasn't worth it. I've had hotter, better brewed coffee from some $60 machines..... including the Mr. Coffee's.

The absolute hardest thing to convince newcomers of, is the incredible importance of the grinder and the quality and freshness of the beans. Bean freshness refers to beans used about 1 week out of roasting through their 2 to 3rd week, storing in a cool dry place in an air-tight container, and grinding only enough for each brewing cycle. I wish you the best of luck!

 

[alphawave7]

The absolute hardest thing to convince newcomers of, is the incredible importance of the grinder and the quality and freshness of the beans. Bean freshness refers to beans used about 1 week out of roasting through their 2 to 3rd week, storing in a cool dry place in an air-tight container, and grinding only enough for each brewing cycle. I wish you the best of luck!

This cannot be stressed enough! Without doing these things first, one is simply throwing away good money for bad coffee. Great job, Al.