Excelvan 4-Cup Steam Espresso and Cappuccino Maker

Starting from a point of being a complete novice with coffee machines this is something new for me, while seeing many of my friends getting all singing and dancing coffee machines I have been very dubious mainly because they take cartridges, I am not really even sure what they are apart from they seem really expensive to me.

When making coffee I have always used a French press or the old style machine you put paper filters in both having their own issues so decided it was time for me to purchase a proper dedicated coffee machine and had a few prerequisites, I wanted something that would take proper coffee that came in a pack rather than a sealed cartridge, I wanted something basic and simple to use but that also had a steam jet for frothing the milk, wasn’t huge taking up loads of space in the kitchen as my kitchen is small and didn’t cost a fortune, this fitted my requirements.

It arrived in a nice branded box with a UK plug and everything I needed to be up and running, after reading the instruction booklet I gave it a good clean and ran several full tanks of water through it then I was ready to give it a test. Although the instructions are very basic they are clear and easy to follow so nothing difficult or complicated or a mass of different buttons and settings so the process was quite simple.

I did notice a few reviewers said this was very noisy but as I have never had one before I had nothing to compare it with, I didn’t find it noisy and really the only thing I could compare it with was my kettle and it was certainly a lot quieter than that, I found the steamer worked really well and after a couple of minutes once it started the jug filled at a good steady pace.

I have added a short video and will also add some pictures showing the process start to finish and was very pleased with the results, please be aware the video quality often degrades considerable when uploaded.

• 800 Watt espresso and cappuccino machine with 4-cup carafe capacity (240ml)
• 3.5 bar working pressure for rich taste coffee. With frothing function for making cappuccino
• Safety boiler cap with built-in valve, release pressure automatically system, aluminum alloy filter holder with protective thumb guard for safe use
• Single knob for function transform-coffee/steam selector and on/off, easy control with indicator light
• Stainless steel decoration, removable & washable drip tray for easy cleaning, carefe with water leve gauge, functional spoon and 0.02 inch stainless steel filter

What I liked
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- The price
- Simple and easy to use
- Nice and compact not taking up too much room
- The steamer works really well and is movable
- Takes proper coffee not cartridges
- Neat and simple design
- Comes with everything you need to be up and running apart from the coffee
- Delivers a great cup of coffee nice and quickly

What I Didn’t Like
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- Very picky as it’s not really an issue to the final product but I would have liked to see a nice glossy instruction manual

Summary
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For me this is great, I didn’t want an all singing and dancing coffee maker to impress my friends, I wanted a very simple basic coffee machine that was easy to use, didn’t take up a load of space, didn’t cost a fortune, quick and delivered a great cup of coffee and this gets five stars as it ticks all my boxes. If you have any questions please feel free to ask I will do my best to answer.

Price: £32.99
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French Press by Ritual

This arrived just in time for my morning drink so after quickly unpacking it I decided to give it a whirl with a pot of coffee, the pot was well packed in a bubble wrap sleeve and came with a spare/replacement mesh, it feels very nice, has a good weight to it and with the wood offset against the glass and steel it’s very aesthetically pleasing even more so once it has the dark brown of the coffee inside. I would also note a wooden lid is ideal as the teapot I have has a metal one and I have lost count of the amount of times it has burnt me.

I normally drink green tea and this is my main use for getting this and have since tested it with a pot of tea with great results. I have pictured the mug I always use which pleasingly this fill exactly twice. I have uploaded a short video of using it please forgive the quality I was recording on my iphone 5 in one hand while doing it.

• SOLID GLASS. Thick professional-grade glass is durable enough to handle your everyday life.
• BEAUTIFUL. Glass French Press with stainless steel structure and bamboo trim. Unique design so you can watch the kaleidoscope of your coffee brew without plastic in the way.
• PURE COFFEE. A precision filter designed by coffee masters to ensure you drink smooth coffee without the grounds.
• STABLE. A 400 degree heat resistant silicone base to protect your table and give you a soft and spill-resistant landing.
• LIFETIME GUARANTEE. Classic professional design made to last you the rest of your life and look good doing it.

What I liked
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- Very nice quality
- Nice smooth action
- Neat design
- Capacity is ideal for my needs
- Great design
- Wooden lid and handle

What I Didn’t Like
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- Nothing I have found so far but if I do I will return edit and add

Summary
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Very pleased with this, it has everything I wanted and needed so I would certainly recommend it.

Price: £19.97
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