Re: Krups Dahlstrom Power Brew Opinions?



On 2009-03-24 crescentbuilders@xxxxxxxxx said:
Newsgroups: alt.coffee
On Feb 16, 10:20=A0pm, pzla...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
On Feb 12, 6:25=A0pm, dasur...@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
Hi Everyone,
It seems that Krups has launched a new coffee maker that they are
only selling through Williams and Sonoma. It is called the Krups
Dahlstrom Power Brew. =A0http://www.williams-sonoma.
com/products/sku7444342/
=A0At least from the description Krups seemed to have finally
focused o= n
making really good coffee. ie right temp, right distribution of
water over the grounds, right amount of brew time, etc.
----SNIP----

All the features don't mean a thing to us. It is going back to W-S
because the carafe is so poorly designed, it dribbles/drips every
time (well, most times) you pour a cup of coffee!! What a bungle!
----SNIP----

Last month, I bought one of those brewers at my nearest W-S store. It was a
fairly compact machine and it looked fairly well built even though, under
that thin stainless steel fashion jacket, it was definitely a plas' act.
The heavy cover was held down by a thin dog-leg style plastic catch which
does not inspire any confidence for long-term durability.

Under that cover was a large oval drip head which looks good. I should
cover the entire brew basket area with the water spray guaranteeing even
distribution over all the coffee throughout the brewing cycle. That's a
good sign for starters. The controls seemed simple and straightforward,
unlike the overly complicated setup on some of the newest machines I've seen
in the stores in the last couple months.

I noticed that though they claim this to be a 12-cup brewer, the carafe
holds considerably less liquid than the carafes that came with the old Krups
Cafe Aroma and Pro Aroma models in the 1990's, maybe a full 20 percent less.
Even the Europeans must be making their demi-tasse cups smaller in recent
years.

I pulled out the machine and found that the old Krups metal mesh filter
won't fit this new machine. It is too tall and too fat at the top. I had
to use the filter made in a size that fits recent models of Braun or
Cuisinart brew baskets.

I brewed up a water brew with vinegar and used a digital thermometer with a
long probe to measure the temperature in the brew basket as it ran through
the cycle. I could not quite close the top completely because the nail-thin
probe prevented it.

Then, I tried coffee. The resulting brew was weak and wimpy, even though I
used the same amount of coffee and the same grind settings that I would have
used for the old Krups Cafe Aroma Model 234, and of course, this new
machines holds less water.

While the very slightly open cover might have allowed a little heat to
escape the brewing area, I could not get a temperature measurement any
higher than 193 degrees Fahrenheit, about 89.5 degrees Celsius, and that
only for a few seconds near the end of the brewing cycle.

The next day, this $129.70 exercise was concluded by a return of the unit to
Williams-Sonoma. The nice sales clerk insisted that I should try a
different sample. "We've haed no problems with this machine," etc., etc. I
declined since I was fairly sure that another unit would probably have come
from the same production run, maybe even the same lot.

In addition to the heavy cover held down by a flimsy latch mechanism, the
opening into which you pour the water for brewing is very small and
restricted, unlike previous Krups models I've seen, owned, and used.

Though it claimed to consume 1400 watts, and its market puffery boasts about
great care in assuring proper brewing temperatures, brewing time, and
distribution of water over the coffee during brewing, this machine did not
measure up to some machines that cost one-fourth its price and making no
special claims for anything other than that they are intended for use in
making automatic-drip-brewed coffee.

Brent Reynolds, Atlanta, GA USA
Email: dososaurus@xxxxxxxxxxxx Phone: 1-404-814-0768

.

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