Krups Allegro FND112 Espresso Machine

Steaming right next to me as I type these words is yet another excellent cappuccino that was brought into this world via the kind pressure and steam built up inside this excellent little Krups Espresso Machine. Lets get serious: creating steam and forcing it through a little cup filled with finely ground particles of coffee beans, dare I say coffee dust, is not terribly difficult. Even though I have only ever owned Krups espresso makers, I will grant that probably many other brands are good. But what makes this particular espresso maker so excellent in my opinion is not just the dependable way in which it performs time after time, or its incredible durability but what I like best about this machine is its ease of use.

I have been asked to help other people figure out their complicated espresso makers and I always show up proudly, years of home espresso making under my belt. I will confess here that after I fill the little coffee filter cup with coffee and try to attach it to the body of many espresso makers, there is a problem. It just doesn't "flow." Yes, flow is in quotes for a reason. When I'm making cappuccino, I want the whole process to flow smoothly from the bean grinding to the attaching of the cup, to the steaming of the milk, to the pouring of the rich flavored coffee. And I can testify here that many other espresso machines have difficulty when someone attempts to attach the filter cup holders.

The Krups filter cup holder slides onto the body of this espresso machine the way Cinderella's glass slipper slid onto her foot when the prince leaned down in front of her. It is smooth and easy every time. There is no awkward catching and rearranging. Some other espresso machines need to have the cup holder perfectly alligned -- not so with the Krups. It is engineered in such a way that it feels like it guides itself into place.

If you think that I am making too big a deal about the incredible precision of this machine, please think about what time of day you are most likely to be wanting your coffee: bleary eyed and early in the morning. If you have an espresso machine that makes you start off your day with a wrestling match, you are not going to be happy. Take my word for it, the Krups is helpful in this regard and never causes you to wrestle the cup holder onto the machine.

I hate to heap too much praise on this inexpensive coffee maker but it's milk steaming is also excellent. I always have enough steam, whether I am making strong tasting cappuccinos or light colored lattes for up to for people -- yes, that small carafe can service four people with lattes and clever attachment on the filter cup holder means that I never burn my fingers, even if I have to reload and fire up another pot really quickly.

So, I'm a long time fan of Krups espresso makers and this model is a great one. It is small enough that when not in use it's almost invisible but powerful enough when in use that it can fuel a whole party of coffee lovers with excellent variations of their favorite beverage. And it can fuel them quickly, easily and with little mess and very easy cleanup. And I know from experience that Krups espresso makers work for decades (I hate to give my age away -- but I have done the research on this myself).

And dare I say, it is inexpensive enough that you can give it as a wedding gift at the wedding of your second cousin, twice removed, that you only met once, ever.