Coffee Break

Bialetti Cafe Concerto on Sale?

Y’all might remember this very sexy machine from way back in the winter when I put it on my wish list. It’s the Bialetti Cafe Concerto espresso machine, styled after the stage in a traditional Italian opera house. Beautiful, but price-y, I said at the time - not terribly expensive for an espresso machine, but at $349, definitely out of my pocketbook’s range, even if it did come with a bunch of cool extras like espresso cups and three kinds of coffee.

Well - the Bialetti Shop dropped by to visit here at Coffee Break Blog and left a comment the other day with a heads up - keep your eye on Bialettishop.com for an upcoming deep discount on the Cafe Concerto, it said. Like.. really deep discount - about 40% off the regular price.  For anyone out there who’s thinking of me kindly and wants to shower me with gifts, the Cafe Concerto is -still- on my wish list.  If I getmy hands on one, I promise to give it a real review!

And as if Consumer Reports wasn’t enough vindication for my Eight O’Clock coffee, the Today Show recently weighed in with the Top Five Coffees to brew at home.

From April 25: Best Coffees to Brew at Home

Notice which one of my favorite coffees is there?Yep, 8 O’Clock does it again - this time as the best flavored coffee. Even Amy Robach, who drinks her coffee black and told Lester Holt that he drinks “coffee milkshakes” admitted that the Eight O’Clock Hazelnut coffee was “pretty nice”.

What else rated in the Today show’s segment? (more…)

So I always figured that most espresso machines are single serve espresso machines by default, but Bennoti takes it to the next level with the Bennoti Single Serve Espresso Machine.

Yes, espresso meets the single serve coffee machine. Bennoti is an Italian company that has been making small kitchen appliances - including coffee makers - for about 45 years. The Bennoti Single Serve Elite machine is their entry into the convenience coffee market which is currently cornered by Keurig, makers of the Keurig Single Serve Coffee System. The big difference between the Bennoti and other single serve machines is that the Bennoti Elite is made expressly to make espresso. The machine has a 20-bar pump, more powerful than most conventional home kitchen espresso machine. At less than $200, it’s on the inexpensive end of the home esperesso machine market.

Now, y’all know that I’m a do-it-yourself kind of gal. I roast my own coffee in a popcorn popper, and like it best made in a saucepan on the stove, so this is probably not the machine for me. However, the Bennoti may be the perfect machine for someone who loves fresh espresso but wishes that it wasn’t so much work. The Bennoti is as easy to use as the Keurig - just drop a capsule into the slot, close it and press a button. As you can see in the video above, you get real espresso, complete with that frothy, caramel colored crema. What the video doesn’t show is that you can also froth milk with the built-in steam wand, so you can make delicious cappuccino and lattes at home.

Like most single serve coffee machines, the Bennoti uses a proprietary coffee capsule that can only be used in its own machine - and it will only work with Bennoti coffee capsules. Bennoti makes four different coffee capsules for their espresso machine:

• Gran Aroma with a bold taste for those that like their espresso extra strong
• Top Classic, a medium blend with a lighter taste and hints of amaretto and chocolate
• Decaffeinato, a decaf espresso blend that is lighter in body and low in acid
• Long Cap, with double the coffee to make a full size cup of coffee rather than espresso

In addition, you can buy Indian tea capsules for the Bennoti espresso maker. I’ve seen prices for the Bennoti coffee capsules as low as $11 for 30 caps. The Bennoti company does have a coffee subscription service, but I’d recommend staying away - most of the complaints that I’ve read about the Bennoti espresso machine have to do with typical As Seen on TV type credit card scams and frustration trying to order or re-order coffee capsules from the company. The coffee quality and the quality of the Bennoti espresso machine seems to get great ratings - from anyone who didn’t buy it through As Seen on TV.

If you like the flavor of real Italian espresso and the convenience of single serve coffee makers, shop around online for good deals. You’ll usually find the Bennoti Elite single serve espresso machine for about $199, often with free shipping. The coffee caps are available at most major online retailers in 30 cap boxes for between $11 and $14.99 a box - that’s less than 50 cents a cup for real Italian espresso.

Ever have a hankering for an espresso somewhere really inconvenient? Like, somewhere that there’s no electricity? Or sitting at your desk in the office? I ran into this little beauty of a machine when I was doing research for a coffee blog that I often write for and promptly fell in love with it. Alas, the Handpresso is not something currently in my price range, even though it’s not completely outrageous at €99.

 Their European ads are sophisticated and funny - check out the couple in the movie theater above, with English subtitles.  The other ads are just as good - the cowboy? Totally yummy.

For any of my friends who are reading this — yeah. This is on my wishlist, just for the sheer love of gadgetry!

I love sexy machines, and this baby is one sexy beeyotch. Clean, sleek lines, smooth silver and totally post-modern, the Bialette Caffe Concerto espresso machine would just look so lovely sitting on my kitchen sideboard. Alas, at $349, she’s out of my price range, but maybe not yours?

The Bialetti Concerto was inspired by the stages at an Italian opera house, and the design certainly puts espresso exactly where it belongs - center stage and framed by the sleek aluminum waves of the espresos machine’s housing.  It’s designed for versatility–you can pack the group head with your own ground espresso coffee, use E.S.E. pods or pick a Bialetti capsule for easy measuring and cleanup.

Special Features include a 15-bar pump, 50 oz removable water tank and a steamer with easy to use frothing dial. It also allows you to decide exactly how much water to use so that you can adjust the flavor of your espresso from intense to rich and smooth.

If you buy now through Bialetti’s special offer, you get the machine with free shipping, plus all the following freebies:

Free set of 2 original Bialetti espresso cups & saucers
- Free set of 2 stainless steel Moka spoons
- Free selection of 15 Caffe Concerto Capsules
- Free pack of 18 Segafredo-Zanetti “Deca-Crem” Espresso Pods
- Free 8.8oz (250gr) pack of Segafredo-Zanetti ground Espresso
- Free FedEx ground shipping
- No sales tax for customers outside NC