Imusa Espresso Cappuccino Maker
by admin on Saturday, March 20th, 2010 | 15 Comments
| Brand: | Imusa | ||
| Average Rating |
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Espresso or cappuccino in only minutes with the IMUSA Espresso & cappuccino Maker. The stylish design is ideal for storing on your countertop. The steam tube makes for an ideal froth for your favorite cappuccino or latte. The removeable filter is easy to clean and convenient glass jar with pouring feature makes handling a snap. more info
Exactly what I was looking for
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is (and continues to be) a fantastic entry-level cappuccino machine. It is easy to operate, straight-forward, and just plain turns out a great shot of espresso. Get the Terry’s Tamper to go with it (doesn’t include one), as well as the 20oz stainless steel pitcher… I got the 12oz, and while it works very well, the 20oz would be better.
A FEW FLAWS, BUT WORKABLE.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I purchased this to replace a $40 Duncan Hines cappuccino maker I have used almost daily since 1994. My goal was to find one that was as similar as possible to my old unit, since it worked so well for so long.
This is the closest I could find. It has a few flaws. For instance, you must pour the water s-l-o-w-l-y into the tank or it overflows because the opening is somewhat restricted. The carafe is about 1/8″ bigger than the base it rests on, which is really odd. My old one had a grippy rubberized base; this one is slick, which doesn’t help matters. Also, you must push on the little black thing that holds the basket in place when you are dumping out old grounds, or it doesn’t retain the basket.
I still give the unit 4 stars because it makes a very good cappuccino at a very reasonable price, and it’s competitors are worse.
It works quickly, the control knob is very smooth and allows you to modulate the force of the frothing wand. The wand itself comes with a silly rubber nipple that I promptly removed. The frother works well without it, and that’s one less thing to clean. It’s important that you wipe off the wand after frothing with a damp cloth as soon as your done. If you don’t it hardens and requires more cleaning effort. FYI, from time to time you’ll need to clear the little jets on the nozzle. I found a thin sewing needle works well.
I looked everywhere, online and off, and this is by far the best bang for the buck. I’ll update this review once I’ve owned it awhile.
So glad I discovered this machine!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Such a nice machine. I always bought Krups in the past but this machine works so much better.
Not Worth the $
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
We purchased this machine because it received mostly positive reviews. Our experience was otherwise! The 2nd time we used the machine it made an ear piercing squeeling noise and only produced 1/2 of the coffee because of steam leakage out of the top. We were sent a replacement (different looking machine?) After a couple uses the rubber seal on the cover fell off. I do not recommend this cheap quality machine.
from a happy go latte customer
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
for the past five years, i’ve strictly been a hot tea drinker, in spite of walking through airports and smelling the wonderful aromas of coffee shops. but just before the christmas holidays i decided to order another espresso machine, since the one i’d previously owned was misplaced or tossed when i moved. after reading the very positive reviews about this particular product, i ordered an imusa and am happy to report that it is even better than the krups that i used for so many years. the seal is NOT a problem, clean-up is very very easy (a must), and the compact size makes it nice for leaving out on the counter after use. the steamer produces fluffy, thick foamed skimmed milk within 30 seconds (i microwave the milk in a pyrex measuring cup first) and i happily pour my latte into a big cozy cup first thing in the morning to sit and enjoy while catching up with email. i see that this imusa machine is currently out of stock – most likely because it is a decent price for a good cuppa; hopefully it will be back in stock soon.
It worked great for the first week, then the pump lost power.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
It worked great for the first week, then the pump lost power. I returned it. I’m looking to get a different one.
love the machine but can’t find replacement carafe
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This machine is great to use, cheap to purchase and small enough to keep out with limited counter space. The foam works great. I have two complaints, one relatively minor and one significant. Minor one is that the base of the expressor grind holder became discolored; the shiny finish came off. The more serious problem is that somehow I broke the carafe and cannot find a replacement. Everywhere I look online the only replacement is the larger carafe that does not fit under the grind holder mechanism unless I don’t use the lid or take out the base part. If anyone has found a replacement for this small unit I would love to know where to go to purchase it.
Love it!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This item is perfect for a small family! I lived in Italy for years and this machine truly makes an authentic espresso/capuccino!
Perfect for the non-barista
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I am by no means an expert on coffee, so when looking at the reviews for this one I thought I might have found the right espresso/cappuccino machine for me. I was right. Right out of the box, I was able to figure this thing out with a glance at the manual, and 5 minutes later I was drinking an amazing cappuccino for something I made myself. I’m going to save myself a fortune!
Frother tube stopped working on third use
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Bought this despite some of the negative reviews figuring even if it lasted a year would be worth the money. First two times using it, it did well. Brews nicely and frothed the milk OK, not great. Third time I went to use it, the frothing tube did absolutely nothing.
Another reviewer here mentioned a similar issue, with the top of the tube being hot, but the end of it cold. I did not expect this on the third use! We are planning to clean it with vinegar based on the manual. I’m guessing after using it, some milk stayed in the tube and dried up?
Has anyone found a cure for this? Does it need to be flushed through after each use? Besides this little problem, the size of the machine is great, and it does brew well. I’d like to be able to give it 4 or 5 stars.
Good, inexpensive espresso-only maker
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
My Krups coffee/espresso maker finally gave up the ghost so I went searching to find a replacement. There were 2 problems with the Krups – 1) the water reservoir is too small so you run out of steam, literally, in the middle of steaming a second latte and 2) I don’t need the coffee maker. A friend has an Imusa and liked it so I bought one.
First, no coffee maker so I saved a little on the cost and second, the reservoir is large enough for 2 large lattes. Can’t comment on the durability of the unit, but it functions quite well.
DON’T BUY!!!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I purchased this in May of 2009 and it stopped working three weeks ago. The heating element stopped working. CANNOT GET THE PART, NOT AVAILABLE ANYWHERE. As it turns out this is suppose to be used only for “occasional” use. Whatever that means, once a year I guess.
Decent espresso but poorly designed
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I agree with other people’s reviews that this machine makes a nice cup of espresso but I am less than impressed with the overall design. The filter handle points in the direction of the steamer, making it extremely difficult to steam you milk. The steamer wand is also very low, so it’s hard to use a larger pitcher to froth your milk for lattes. The machine also makes you steam your milk IN BETWEEN making the espresso… so you have to sit there and wait for a few minutes for half the amount to brew, turn the control knob to steam (which is on the other side of the machine and not so easy to turn left handed), steam and froth your milk and then turn the knob back to brew (WHILE holding the steaming hot milk so you don’t burn yourself with either the liquid or the wand)….then wait another minute or two for the brew cycle to complete… HOPING that you didn’t use too much water/steam for your milk and have enough left over for an accurate pour. I’m not sure about other designs but that seems like a lot of unnecessary steps and a lot of standing by your machine and waiting. I dunno. Espresso is decent enough but I am definitely upgrading to a less-of-a-hassle machine as soon as I can.
Great for the money!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I wanted to buy an espresso maker that wouldn’t cost too much. I got great value for a great price. Makes great espresso and I have made lattes that taste like I have been to a coffee house.
Solidly Mediocre
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Solidly mediocre … that says it all.
I was excited to get my first espresso machine, and to saving some money over the expensive local brews.
First problem — the directions are well nigh incomprehensible. If you’ve owned an espresso machine before or otherwise know what you’re doing, that should not pose a problem. Otherwise, good luck figuring out what it means to use the marks on the carafe to add a certain amount of water to the tank, when the carafe’s measurements don’t correspond correctly to the instructions.
Once I figured it out, the machine did make a decent espresso or latte, but not a cappuccino. Note the past tense. After about 10 uses, the steamer arm simply stopped working. It was strange; the top of the arm became hot, but the bottom remained stone cold, and no steam came out to steam/froth milk. I ran the machine a couple of times turning it to steam to try to fix the problem, and it did eventually start to work again, but I have no faith that it will continue to do so.