Hamilton Beach 40729 Espresso Machine

Before I get to the good aspects of the Hamilton Beach Cappuccino Plus Espresso Maker, I'll start off with the bad: I used my Hamilton Beach Cappuccino Plus Espresso Maker [40729] less than six times when the rubber gaskets that hold on the plastic steamer cover fell off. Upon picking them up off the floor where I found them, I noticed they had simply broken apart, which made it impossible to fit the O-rings back into place. Consequently, the plastic sleeve will not remain secure over the milk steaming extension. And without the cap securely in place it is not possible to use the steamer, either. I'm concerned that if it happened once, it could happen again even if I exchange or repair the unit. Although no harm was done in this incident, such a failure, if it were to become widespread, may pose a danger if the rings were to break while the steamer is in use. Conceivably, the plastic cap over the steaming wand could come flying off when under pressure, causing hot steam or milk to spill or splash. For this reason, I contacted Hamilton Beach to request their assistance. Keep in mind that the company recalled this model's identical-looking predecessor (model 40714) because the steaming wand, when clogged by users who had allowed milk to become encrusted on it, could burst open when under pressure causing scalding steam to spew forth and potentially burn the user. Whereas the first cause for recall appears attributable to incorrect use, the issue I experienced is not one that can be anticipated or prevented by regular cleaning, which means, in the long run, that this particular problem may pose a greater potential hazard. Still, it's hard to talk poorly about this espresso maker considering that it is one of the few sub $100 machines — with a 15-bar pump — that is actually powerful enough to rival machines that start at $300.

As I quickly discovered while doing pre-purchase research, espresso maker reviews present a particularly striking mix of opinions, much of it centering around how hot the milk and coffee get. Specific to this model, however, is the complaint that the steaming wand is too short, which prevents one from getting it down into the depths of a decent size milk pitcher. But as nice as it would be to have a longer extension, I'm not sure if it would help. As best I can tell, the most you can steam out of ANY sub $300 machine is about 6 oz of milk at any one time, regardless of the size of the pitcher, because the duration of the steaming period is limited.

As for the issue of why the espresso tends to get cold before the milk is ready or vise versa, I went over to coffeegeek.com and found an article titled "My Espresso is Cold!". In the article, the author states that he receives a lot of email from espresso machine owners who are convinced they have a defective machine, when, in fact, the fault almost always lies in the documentation or use of the machine, rather than the machine itself.* The article advises, unlike the user documentation, to run water through the espresso machine beforehand to get the parts up to temperature. And rather than relying on the warming plate to get the serving cups hot, a lot of users find it useful to heat a spoonful of water in their cups before placing them on the warming tray to KEEP them at the temperature obtained in the microwave. It should also be noted that not all of these espresso makers will allow users to perform steaming and coffee-making functions simultaneously. One of the reviews here on ePinions for this model, for example, states that the user kept the "steam" button engaged at all times. Hamilton Beach's user manual, however, says that only one button at a time should be used because the espresso and the milk steaming require different temperatures.

With respect to this unit, I've found it useful to:

1. allow the unit sit in the "ON" position for a couple of minutes until the warming tray on the top becomes relatively hot to the touch. (NOTE: It will take longer for the warming tray to become hot than it will for temperature light to go out on the front to indicate that the unit has reached operational temperatures.). Alternately, before adding your pod or your espresso grounds, run water through beforehand to heat the group head, filter and related components, as advised by the article mentioned above.
2. add your pod or measure out your espresso and tamp down the grounds firmly using the included tamper. The freshness of the espresso and the correct grind and tamping are factors that will determine if you get a frothy layer of crema on top of your espresso. (I'm still not there yet myself.) Interestingly, the included instructional video advises that if you have your espresso commercially ground you should set the grinder one or two notches coarser.
3. partially steam the milk first (until the light goes out to indicate that the steamer needs time to reheat).
4. turn off the "steamer" and switch on the "espresso" button.
5. experiment to get the right timing down for the espresso. This machine will not automatically time itself and shut off since it allows YOU to select your own personal preference for the espresso. Typically, that means about 1.5 ounces per cup — if you can eyeball it — before you manually switch it off. In my case, because I prefer bigger cups than will fit side-by-side on the machine, I have found it helpful to brew the espresso into a gravy boat — the larger quanity of liquid seems to stay hot longer than when split between cups — after which I pour the espresso and the frothed milk into the mugs that have been keeping warm on the warming tray above. (Note: I turn the cups upside down on the warming tray to heat them on the INSIDE rather than the outside.)
6. steam the remainder of the milk, which has already reached lukewarm temperature from the initial run. (The steaming wand will work much more quickly the second time around due to the other components having pressurized during the espresso making.)
7. combine ingredients and serve.
8. remove spent coffee grounds or pods.
9. run water through to clean components.
10. expel the remaining steam into an empty cup to relieve pressure and to prevent milk from caking up the nozzle and bursting off unexpectedly (and dangerously) later on.
11. remove the plastic steaming wand cover and wash and replace.

Now all this might seem like too much work. But keep in mind that at Starbucks or like coffee shops, you have to be patient too. Coffee shop barristas are quick from all the practice they get, but there are still a lot of steps to be taken to make these sort of drinks — even with the use of commercial-grade equipment. The real question here is whether or not you want to enjoy the cost effectiveness of making these drinks at home versus the convenience of having someone else do the work for you.

Considering that you are getting a genuine pump-driven machine and not one of those pressurized thermoses sold in lower end models, this machine is a good value for the money, assuming you pay $80 or less. The only drawback I've found besides the short steaming wand are the rubber gaskets, which in short order have failed to hold the plastic sleeve securely onto the steaming wand. But in fairness, there are a lot of reviews for this machine here at ePinions and elsewhere online yet no other users have reported this malfunction. As a result, I am hopeful that my experience was a fluke and not the beginnings of yet another potential recall. Should anyone experience this problem, however, I urge them to report it to Hamilton Beach so that they can take the appropriate action to prevent damage or injury.

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* To view article, see http://www.coffeegeek.com/opinions/javajim/10-23-2002