Nespresso CitiZ C110 Espresso Maker, Red

Try it and buy it!
I wanted to purchase this machine a while ago, but couldn't find coffee capsules that I liked. That's changed.

I took a second look at Nespresso when the Pixie came out, but after using the Pixie in the store on multiple occasions, I wouldn't purchase it. (Please see my Pixie review). I instead purchased the Citiz.

It's a great machine, producing consistent quality coffee from cup to cup with a lovely crema at the top. When you test the coffees, read the descriptions, and look for the intensity numbers (which can be found in the descriptions and on the sleeve which contains the capsules). If you can get the brochure with a wheel on the back page, it gives you acidity and bitterness ratings for each blend. I found that I do not like the "citrus" and "flowery" blends, but prefer the more intense blends which are still not bitter.

A couple of tips:

if you want more of an Americano, brew as directed for the different varieties, then eject...

Beautiful
The CitiZ Nespresso machine is a beautiful, simple, small, and well designed espresso maker.

This machine does exactly one thing, and does it extremely well; it makes the best darn espresso. There are two buttons one for espresso the other for lungo. Essentially they are two different timers; lungo runs the pump for a longer time. These buttons are easily programmed to longer or shorter delivery times.

In use, there is nothing easier. Lift the black handle on the top of the machine. Drop a Nespresso capsule into the slot. Close the lever down. Press the button for the size of drink. When finished, lift the lever and the used capsule drops in a clear plastic reservoir (seen just behind the cup of espresso in the product picture).

From cold machine to a cup of espresso is roughly 1.5 minutes. Warm up time is around a minute, and brew time for the cup is about 30 seconds. Couldn't be faster, couldn't be easier.

On to the quality. You will never...

"For people who have a doorman.".
COFFEE. It's fine. My standard is Peets -- a much darker roast than Starbucks. Nespresso is not quite as strong, but ristretto shots of their darkest blend come close to the Italian, not French, flavor I like. On a good day, I could do better grinding beans with a $300 Italian grinder and pulling shots through a $700 Italian espresso machine, but the average was no better.

CONVENIENCE. Nespresso wins running away. That's because this is not the greenest purchase you will ever make. The capsules are hard to recycle unless your rinse them, which defeats the major benefit, which is convenient quality coffee.

COST. It's a rip off. Nespresso is building and aggressively defending a razors and razor-blade franchise (or a printer and cartridge franchise). As the Times quoted a marketing executive at goo.gl/nHesc "The idea was to keep it to the level of people who have a doorman.". See goo.gl/rhors for an explanation of the Nespresso marketing model. Nespresso has sold...

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Sunbeam CKSBWFMP25 Mini Pancake Maker, Red

Cocktail Pancakes, Anyone?
My initial response upon opening, cleaning and making my first batch of pancakes was, "now I remember why I threw away my waffle maker and George Foreman grill".

The plates are not removable and it cannot be immersed in water, so it will take all kinds of contortions to clean it properly. And if you overfill which is very easy given its size, be prepared for the drips and spill all over the sides and that area just beyond the plates where crud easily gathers. (Area is not non-stick, so anything here needs to be wetted down and the water "soaked" in to remove. I needed a scrub pad to clean.). Though, one way to minimize spills is to pour in the batter, let the pancakes set up, then close the lid.

To be fair, I figured given the price that it didn't come with removable plates. So, it only accounts for a small portion of my disappointment. My biggest issue is that it doesn't make particularly good pancakes. And that's mostly related to size.

The machine...

Very fun, very fast
This is so easy and quick, the grandkids love it, and I found there are a lot of things you can do. I used strawberries with marscapone between two with a fancy tootpick for appetizers. I have also made blini for my caviar obsession. It's so easy to clean. I would suggest using a squeeze bottle to load the mix, makes it a lot easier. I have made up to 200 at a time, no problems whatsoever.

Sunbeam mini pancakes
I choose this item to make small pancakes for my great grand children and love it. Works great and it is fast and easy. I would recommend this to any one that likes the dollar pancakes. It only takes a couple of minutes to make 8 dollar pancakes and it very easy to clean..

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Paragon International Classic Dog Steamer and Merchandiser

Great value
We purchased two of these for the high school concession stands. They work quite well, although the stated capacity of 90 something dogs, would take a pretty long time to warm. The reality is that we are able to heat up about 30, 1/4 pound dogs in about 15 minutes. Stacking it full would take a lot longer , so, it can be done, just make sure you get them started early so they're ready in time. Also, it has many sharp edges, I have cut myself several times, so handle with care.

Disappointed
We purchased this unit for our new convenience store. It's been in use for about 10 days, and has already begun to rust where screws are connected to the handle on the door. As this is a STEAMER, one would think it would be designed with rust avoidance in mind. Please see attached photo - after only 10 days. In addition, the edges of the stainless racks and trays are almost knife-sharp; we have cut our hands on them several times. From a cooking standpoint, it does a nice job on hotdogs (which is why I gave it 2 stars instead of 1), but buns quickly become a soggy mess.

While it's not the most expensive unit on the market, it wasn't cheap, either. Cannot recommend this item.



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