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Hamilton Beach 40729 Espresso/Cappuccino Maker with Pod Holder

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Brand: Hamilton Beach
Category: Kitchen

List Price: ~~$83.00~~
Buy New: $79.72
You Save: $3.28 (4%)

New (7) Used (2) from $50.00

Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

90 reviews
Sales Rank: 25931

Color: Black
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Number Of Items: 1
Batteries Included: No
Size: Medium
Shipping Weight (lbs): 16
Dimensions (in): 11.1 x 10.2 x 13.8
Warranty: 1

MPN: 40729
Model: 40729
UPC: 040094407293
EAN: 0040094407293
ASIN: B0006FU8AG

Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Customer Reviews:

Showing reviews 31-35 of 90

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It's a good machine, but it has some problems May 17, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I bought mine a few months ago, so have now had a good opportunity to try it out. Overall, I like it a lot and use it often. There are, however, a few problems:
1) Mine arrived with a small scratch on the front face (minor, but annoying)
2) It took a while to get the steaming technique down...
3) This problem is the worst, and the reason for the low rating: it works terribly with pods. At first the espresso comes out diluted. What you then have to do is remove the pod holder, throw out the excess water, and then do it again. The second, or sometimes the third time, it usually works with the pod, but you have to be careful to put your cup in the front section of the machine as while the espresso is flowing, the machine leaks streams of hot water from the back, and that can get into your cup if you're not careful. Pods are supposed to be easy. This machine makes it painful.

Also, I find that I get one shot rather than two from the machine, before it starts getting watery (that's with filling the filter to the 2 cup level-usually Illy- and tamping).

Overall, I do like the machine. It's small which is good for my small counter space, and has a nice look to it,has a functional design with the storage space in the top of it for scoops and such...and since I read many reviews before hand, I bought a good tamper right from the start and am careful to always tamp beforehand, and to make sure there is no loose coffee dust around the filter.

Also, it's a good idea to let the unit heat for longer than the lights indicate to ensure proper espresso brewing or milk steaming. I still need to try out what others said about running some hot water through the filter first - that might help...but i never expected this much hassle...

Next time round, I'll probably get a better machine, but for the size and the price, I've definitely already gotten my money's worth out of it.

Don't buy this machine if you want to use pods.

1 out of 5 stars

No better than a $10 dripping coffee machine March 25, 2007
2 out of 5 found this review helpful

I bought this machine after reading all the good reviews here. But it turned out to be a big disappointment. I have a stove-top espresso maker that gives me good flavor espresso all the time. And the so-called "espresso" coming out of this machine doesn't even come close to the stove-top one. It tastes no better than the stuff coming out of a cheap coffee machine. Tried a few times and couldn't get any better results. So I returned it and stick with my stove-top espresso maker.

5 out of 5 stars

Good machine March 10, 2007
I purchased this espresso/cappuccino machine about a month ago and it has worked very well. It makes very nice coffee and the steamer workes well. One word of advise...heat the milk in the microwave before using the steamer. I guess the steaming capacity is on the smaller size and I had to steam - wait - steam - wait a few times because the steam ran out. If you heat the milk first, you will be able to froth the milk in one shot. Other than that, the machine is great and I have no problems with it and enjoy it a lot. I have made cappuccino's every night for about a month and have had no problems. Very nice machine for the price.

5 out of 5 stars

Worth the value.................Good Crema (needs tamping)......No problem February 27, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

I have owned over 5 espresso machines, in the past, but most have been 4 bar pressure machines. This time I wanted to upgrade to a 15 bar machine and came across the Hamilton Beach 40729 and given its price and reviews, there was no looking back. Only one review (about the machine not producing any crema) caused a little bit of hesitation in my mind before ordering. But after reading the other reviews, I bought a "Cuisi Pro" coffee tamper. After adequate tamping, the machine produces a rich, thick, frothy, dark red, creamy layer of "Crema". By the way, I use Illy's fine grind dark roast espresso coffee. I tried another Columbian organic decaf espresso fine grind coffee, but it didn't taste any good on this machine nor did it produce any crema, so came back to Illy.

Word of caution: The pod holder on this machine doesn't work well. While closing the pod holder, the pod always slips from its place and causes steam to leak on the sides, making the coffee potion diluted. But the machine works perfectly well with Premium "ground" coffee like Illy.

4 out of 5 stars

Perfect Gift February 21, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

Bought this for my husband for Christmas and he loves it - you can use ground espresso or the pods which is perfect since he loves to try different coffees. The directions are a bit hard to understand and you must follow them very closely to get that perfect cup of espresso. Not as big in price or size as some of the other ones but it sure is the perfect gift for someone that loves espresso!

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