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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
A good coffee maker
By Miss Marple
This is a nice little coffee maker - a good addition to the kitchen of any coffee lover. I'm a bit fed up of the coffee makers that only use pods (like the Nespresso machines), so it's good to find a machine that makes a decent drink from ground coffee. I've used espresso makers in the past that have just been too complicated to bother with long-term, but this is mercifully simple to set up and use. It has a drip tray to keep things clean, a cup warmer (if you're feeling very fancy!) and the all-important milk frother. This means that you can do the full range of drinks, from espressos to lattes and so on. It looks nice out on the surface and I suspect the neutral design means it would suit most kitchens. Choose a decent coffee and you'll get a very good drink from this. Recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
Very good coffee-maker / machine
By S. Lindgren
I've been jaded about a lot of these home coffee-makers for some time. The plain fact is, far too many of them aren't all that great, especially many of the pod-based types which rarely seem to produce anything special as far as I'm concerned. Frankly, I can often do better with a jar of instant coffee than some of those things. So it's good to have one here that you can use proper ground coffee in, and end up with something you actually can tailor to what you want to drink and not what some large corporation dictates. It does take pods too though if you are so inclined.So. It's not the smallest coffee maker in the world, but it's not outrageous & should fit most spaces short of very small galley kitchens or similar. Build quality is reassuringly solid, with nice weighty controls; the brushed stainless steel is durable, the appearence is clearly form-following-function rather than being overtly 'styled' so it suits a wide range of situations, and the water tank is a sensible size. You can find larger ones, so if you need multiple large cups all at once you may need to look elsewhere, but for most regular use (1-2 cups) it's fine. It does make a racket when in use. I like that. I suspect it's partly contrived, although it does operate at a respectable pressure, but I like it anyway.It's a doddle to to clean, the daily-use components are easily extracted, although the drip-tray is a little fiddly for people with larger hands. Not something to get worked up about. I haven't used the cup-warmer regularly, but the milk-frother seems pretty effective for a home machine (certainly for one at this price), so you've got a wide range of possible drink options to hand. Better still, unlike a few of these machines I've owned or had a cup from, it actually boils the water properly. So if you feed it with a quality coffee, you get a quality drink. Which is ultimately what matters. I'm not interested in owning a coffee-maker as a lifestyle statement, what I want is a good cup of coffee. For the money? Best I've encountered, and better than quite a few more at a much higher price. Highly recommended.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
View from a coffee machine novice
By Steven Willis
Although I wouldn't call myself a coffee connoisseur by any means, I do drink cafetiere ground coffee daily and had been interested in getting an espresso machine for a while. I'd been put off by the bewildering assortment of models available and the variation in performance, complexity and price. I'd also not wanted to be committed to a particular type of `pod' from one manufacturer, and the thought of cleaning a professional-grade coffee machine on a daily basis hadn't been particularly appealing. I was extremely grateful for the opportunity to try the Russell Hobbs Allure, and was eager to see whether it was worth replacing my trusty Bodum cafetiere or if a dedicated espresso machine would end up just being too much fuss.I've been using it daily now for a week, here's what I've found;LOOKS & BUILD QUALITYThe stainless steel finish gives a timeless style (unlike some of the more `fashionable' coloured machines available that I daresay might look dated quickly), and there's a pleasing heavy-duty weight to the unit itself. The various components, particularly the coffee filter, are reassuringly sturdy and the whole thing feels very well built. As you can see from the product photography it's not a gimmicky shape and should fit in well with most kitchen design styles. It's not too big, and sits unobtrusively underneath my kitchen wall units. It's certainly a nice addition in that regard. I can't really comment on reliability having only used it for a week, but the build quality suggests it's a durable and dependable machine.OPERATION & COFFEE QUALITYOperating is easy - fill the filter with ground coffee, (it comes with a scoop and tamper so you get the right amount and can gently tamp it down), lock it onto the machine and wait for it to build up temperature. Once it's ready you simply flick the dial and it sets off steaming and dripping the coffee through the filter into your cup (two of which come in the box). When the cup is about 3/4s of the way full, flick the dial back and it stems the flow, slowly filling the cup to the top and producing the crema layer. And that's it. So there was nothing at all to worry about as an espresso machine novice. The whole process takes a few minutes at most.It's very noisy when operated, both in warming up and dispensing the coffee, but this is quite understandable and acceptable considering the 15-bar pressure used to create the espresso - and I'd guess it's just as noisy as other machines of the same pressure calibre.Of the coffees I've made so far with the Russell Hobbs Allure (using Illy Espresso ground coffee) I've had amazing tasting espressos and lattes, much nicer than I've ever had at home - and I must say at a few coffee shops as well. Oh and the smell is excellent too. While I haven't used coffee pods yet, I was pleased to see it has the option, so if I ever want to try those out it's capable of using them.CLEANINGIt's a breeze to clean, far easier than I was expecting. The coffee filter is easily removed for a daily rinse/wipe, while the drip tray and froth nozzle are straight-forward and quick to clean as well. I'd envisioned (in my ignorance) a major cleaning job after each coffee made, but this couldn't have been more wrong. With such a simply cleaned machine it perfectly lends itself to daily use, and takes roughly the same amount of time as a cafetiere.OVERALLIn conclusion, I'd highly recommend the Russell Hobbs Allure to anyone looking to take the next step from cafetiere or instant coffee. Easy to use, easy to clean and great results - I can't ask for more than that. If, like me, you were on the fence about getting an espresso machine then I'd say this one is well worth taking a chance on. All in all it's a well-priced and capable machine. Have I ditched my Bodum cafetiere? Yes, it's safely tucked away at the back of a cupboard now and I can't see it emerging any time soon.While more experienced and demanding coffee aficionados should perhaps look a bit further up the price ranges at fresh bean grinding machines, for me the Russell Hobbs Allure is just perfect.