Ok, I can’t seem to get Italy out of my system. I have been itching for our own Espresso / Cappuccino machine since we have been back in the USA and today I finally picked one up. I had ordered a machine from 1-800-espresso.com, but they ended up not having the unit I ordered in stock and it was on back order for two weeks. Cool site and there are some good product reviews on there from actual users, but I would have like to have actually received the email they said they send, after the confirmation email went out, that was informing me of the two week delay. Anyway, we had a bunch of credits at Williams Sonoma, and they are local, so I figured I would pick up the Krups XP4050 that they have listed on their website. They are selling it for $249, and I just noticed that Amazon has the same unit for $200 with free super saver shipping.

Let me say that I am pretty much a coffee noob and I like it that way. I have made it into Starbucks 2 times in my life to buy coffee and the last one I went into (on Union St.) was like a circus. I bought this machine so that I will not have to go in there anymore. So, I am in Williams Sonoma and talking to the assistant manager about this unit. She immediately makes a face and tells me that the previous unit (all black model 4000) was a complete piece of crap. She didn’t use those words, but I will paraphrase. She owned one and returned it. She also told me that she sees a large number of those units come back. The 4050 is a relatively new unit and she has not seen one come back, nor has she used it. The unit she recommended was $450, which means I would have to come out of pocket around $150. She told me that if I am not happy with the 4050, that I can bring it back and we can get something else. So, I picked one up.

Krups XP4050 Highlights

The XP405o has a couple of features that I like. First, it uses the E.S.E. pods which are basically pre-mesured coffee servings loaded into a filter pod. Kind of like a Skoal bandit if you will. No muss, no fuss, and no mess. For my first month or so, I figured it would just be easier for me to focus on the other items, like getting my milk frothed right. The XP4050 also can do single and double espressos using ground coffee with the two included “baskets”. It also offered a relatively small footprint which is good for people with smaller kitchens or who don’t want to waste a lot of counter space. It also has a dry steam frother with a “cappuccino and latte” attachment.

Krups XP4050 First Impressions

Unwrapping and packaging the XP4050 was easy. The unit comes fully assembled and is packaged securely in foam. I had it unpacked and cleaned up (the pieces that I could detach and clean) in less than 5 minutes. One thing I noticed right away was the strong smell of some kind of plastic. It was almost like burning rubber. The woman in Williams Sonoma was talking about how much plastic they used in the XP4000 and I immediately started to think about packing the thing back up. But, I figured I would give it the college try and see what happened. I filled the water tank, located in the rear of the machine, with filtered tap water (we have a dual inline filter system under our sink. From what I have read, it is a good idea to use good water in these things). The XP4050 has buttons for single and double cups of espresso on the front of the unit. After following the directions (I actually read some directions), I turned the unit on and allowedit to “warm up.” After about 30 seconds to 1 minute, and some strange noises, the unit was ready (indicated by steady lights in the buttons). I pushed the double button and the XP4050 started to kick out some steaming water 10 seconds later. After this cycle was done (about 1 minute), I took a wiff of the water that came out….it smelled like plastic. I mean it really smelled like plastic. So, I dumped it out and ran another double cycle. This time it smelled like plastic still, but not as strong. A third cycle seemed to get rid of most of the smell.

My First Cappuccino

So, I couldn’t wait any longer to see if this thing was going to make some crap or some espresso. I opened the tin of Illy E.S.E. decaffeinated (yeah, I know) and trimmed up a pod to throw into the basket. I realized later that they are perforated and there is no need for scissors to do this. The pods are only good for a single espresso, so I popped it in, hit the single button and about 1o seconds later, out came some coffee. The smell was great and I was getting pretty pumped.

With the coffee done, I moved to the froth part. I tried the “cappuccino and latte” attachement or whatever they call it. Basically, you pop it on the steamer deal and it has a hose that you put into your milk while placing your espresso under the end of the steamer. This thing is a piece of crap. First it did not draw up the milk into the piece. On my second attempt, it drew the milk up, but did not make any froth. Whatever. I try the espresso / latte and it was pretty bitter. I drank the whole cup to really get a good idea of what I liked and disliked. I liked the temperature of the coffee, but it was really pretty bitter. I am not sure if it was because it was decaffeinated or what, but I will try another one in a little bit with Danielle.

My Second Cappuccino

So, a little later I decide to give things another try. This time, I work on getting the frother working. I take off the “automatic frother” attachment and put on the normal frother piece. This thing has two holes in the bottom, one a little lower down than the other. The higher hole draws in liquid and then shoots it, along with “dry steam” back out the other hole. The idea is to keep the container still and not put the frother attachment so far down that it touches the bottom. Soon, you have froth and creamy milk underneath. Also, you want to use cold, non-fat milk, it froths better.

Now that I have a cup full of great froth, I pop in a regular espresso E.S.E. pod and hit the single button. Out comes a great smelling brown liquid, that actually has some great crema on top. Crema is what you get on the top of the espresso (as I understand it) which comes from the oils in the coffee beans. A product of the proper grind, heat and other factors when brewing. Anyway, I spoon in some froth and then some of the milk and take my cappuccino over to the computer. It was pretty darn good.

So, at this point, I figure I will use this thing for a couple of weeks and learn to use it better. I am sure there is some technique to using this thing and I am a complete rookie at this point. Also, I would like to get some freshly ground coffee into the unit and see how it performs, but I have to say that using the pods is super easy and clean. The basket is totally clean after I pop out the pod and I simply rinsed the basket and holder out with hot water for a few seconds after use. The frother requires that you run some water through it to keep dry milk from clogging the unit up.

June 15, 2006 Update
Well, this morning I ran a few fresh water double cups through the Krups and they smelled like plastic. I am not talking about the plastic smell like you can detect on the inside of something like a Rubbermaid pitcher. I am talking about a smell like burning tires. I have no idea how this is really possible, and I am assuming that it will go away if I let the thing air out for a few days. I have narrowed down one of the sources of the strong scent to the water container. This makes a whole lot of sense to me. Why the hell would you use something to hold the water for the coffee that smells like burning tires? Maybe I am missing something here?

I have decided to fill up the water container when I am not using it and flush that water when I want to use it. I am also leaving the cover over the water container open. I am headed to NYC for a wedding tonight, and if that thing still smells like a pile of burning tires when I get back, it is going back to Williams Sonoma. In either case, I am not sure why Krups would use something that smells so terrible on a product like an espresso machine. Part of the allure of such a device is the great aromas that it produces when brewing coffee. But, if the thing smells like a burning toxic waste site the rest of the time, or after, it pretty much ruins the whole deal. WTF?