There is less and less time to service the coffee machine Philips Saeco Xsmall Steam HD8743 / 19.
Constant cleaning of the brewing unit, cleaning of the boiler, washing of the tray for pulp and water. Frankly, it is annoying - it takes no less time, and sometimes more, than a coffee machine with a horn. If you take into account the hassle with water of the required parameter, for example with reverse osmosis, then you need to have a housekeeper or secretary who will do all this.
Fortunately, the developers are not sitting still and a capsule coffee maker has become available.
It's been 13 years since the review of the Coffee maker Polaris PCM 0210 and the Chinese have made progress in making even normal boxes in which you can normally move the purchased device.
К удивлению даже не отвалилась ручка от коробки. Первый раз такое вижу на китайских коробках.
Why did I buy this device in the store and not any other?
1. Compactness.
2. Well-assembled.
3. Confident weight.
4. Versatile.
5. Appearance.
It is stated that the pump is made in Italy and produces a pressure of 20 Bar. Many "experts" believe that this is excessive pressure, since 9 - 15 atmospheres of pressure are required to prepare espresso, but I believe that manufacturers in several countries know better which pump to install for which method of preparation. In addition, excess pressure is released into the water container.
The coffee maker has a power of 1450 watts.
In addition to the high-quality box, the coffee maker is protected by foam inserts. This is not the kind of China where you can't carry the box to the transport and it falls apart.
The instructions are located right at the top. I had never encountered capsule coffee makers before and did not know the types of capsules when I bought it, but the instructions are so detailed and clear that you get the impression that they were written by white people for white people in Europe - there are practically no questions left.
The Polaris PCM 2020 3-in-1 has a beautiful stainless steel body.
The coffee maker does not have any unnecessary annoying elements - it is minimalistic and pleasant.
As I already wrote, the Polaris PCM 2020 3-in-1 coffee maker is universal: you can make drinks from Nespresso, Dolce Gusto capsules and ground coffee. You can also make milk foam and chocolate from capsules.
The cooking method is changed using one of three receivers.
The Dolche Gusto capsule receiver has a needle for introducing hot water into the capsule; under the required pressure, the capsule opens and the finished drink flows into the mug.
If you use tap water, not reverse osmosis filter water (which I don't recommend), the needle needs to be cleaned after each use by the receiver. It is practically not contaminated by reverse osmosis filter water.
An interesting feature of the coffee maker is the ability to use ground coffee in a receiver similar to a horn coffee machine.
We see that the capacity of the ground coffee container is significantly larger than that of the capsules - you can prepare two servings of espresso at once.
The Nespresso capsule receptacle is more convenient - it has a lever with which you can conveniently open the lid to throw out the capsule.
I was surprised that the taste of the Nespresso capsules, which are smaller than the Dolce Gusto capsules, was stronger. This is probably due to the fact that the coffee maker pours less water when using Nespresso capsules, or maybe because the manufacturer was from the Venetto company itself in Italy, and not a regional one.
The Nespresso capsule receptacle does not have a needle to pierce the lid. The lid is pierced by multiple protrusions in the receptacle. The drink comes out through holes in the bottom of the capsule, which are formed under pressure.
The coffee maker comes with a convenient plastic box for storing accessories or used capsules.
The coffee maker has a small tray, but it is large and not needed, since no water is drained. One or two drops may fall from the receiver if you remove the cup before you take out the receiver with the capsule. If you remove the tray, you can put a higher cup.
The kit also includes a syringe - it is used to suck out air when it gets into the pump, but I didn't have one.
The water container is placed in specially shaped guides, so it does not wobble and stands tightly.
The water inlet hole must be kept clean to prevent air from being drawn in when the pump is operating.
The set also includes a measuring spoon for ground coffee.
At the end of the spoon there is an extension that acts as a tamper to compact the ground coffee in the horn.
The coffee maker has only three control buttons: on / off button, small cup of coffee, large cup of coffee. The amount of liquid poured can be programmed, but in my opinion the coffee maker is already optimally programmed for the actions for which it is intended.
The control buttons have a pleasant blue backlight.
The receiver is unlocked for changing/washing and inserting/removing the capsule using the lever located on top. The lever stroke is pleasant and tight, without any play.
The bottom of the coffee maker has rubber feet, it is stable and together with its excellent weight it stands rooted to the spot.
The coffee maker is made in China by NINGBO HANSFORT OVERSEAS ASIA LIMITED.
I was lucky to buy the right capsules for my wife and me, Venetto Americano.
These capsules contain 7 grams of coffee, unlike Nespresso which contains 5 grams.
Some water gets into the receiver. I don't know if it should be like that or not.
The main advantage of capsule coffee makers is that we get coffee that is as close as possible to what the manufacturer intended and what it should be. You don’t need to be a certified coffee maker to get real espresso, no matter what the sellers of coffee machines and horn coffee makers say.
I love espresso to madness, but I can't have too much of it, so I make an Americano by pressing the brew button a second time without removing the capsule. This method will be interesting for those who like to squeeze everything out of coffee that it can. You can also adjust the amount and strength of coffee, for example: press the large mug button once, and after brewing, the small mug button. Or press the small mug button twice.
After watching videos about making coffee, I immediately ordered a 51 mm stainless steel coffee tamper with a wooden handle to make a dense tablet of ground coffee in a horn.
After some time, I understand that for the way I use a coffee maker, a tamper of this quality is excessive, but ... it is so high quality, beautiful to look at and pleasant to the touch in the hand that I have no regrets about the purchase.
If the Chinese made all their products of such quality, they would not have such a bad reputation.
I also bought a device for stirring ground coffee in the receiver. Oddly enough, it is also called a tamper, only with a needle.
This seemingly small, incomprehensible thing does a big job - it breaks up small lumps of coffee into a homogeneous composition.
You won't be able to break up the lumps with anything, but this little thing completely loosens the coffee and makes the mass homogeneous for subsequent compaction with a tamper.
Also heavily promoted is a reusable coffee filter that fits on top of the coffee puck.
Theoretically, a filter with large holes on top should distribute hot water over the entire surface of the coffee tablet, and theoretically, the temperature of the water in this coffee maker will change when such a piece of metal is heated. In addition, if you open your eyes, you will see that the receiver of the Polaris PCM 2020 3-in-1 immediately distributes water through many holes. So it is a waste of money to buy this filter.
The coffee maker fully lived up to expectations for drinking delicious coffee.
If you are looking for some mythical bouquets of some herbs in a spherical vacuum of the land of pink unicorns, passing boiling water through coffee with a paper filter, then this device is not for you.
Also, some people write that coffee in capsules is expensive. On OZON and in Pyaterochka you can find capsules for 20 - 24 rubles per capsule. 24 rubles multiplied by 2 times of drinking espresso per day and multiplied by 30 days per month = 1440 rubles per month. If you can't afford to spend $17 per month on a tasty drink, then drinking coffee is not for you at all.
For more budget-conscious coffee lovers, you can buy Dolche Gusto reusable capsules on Ozon. My review is here.
However, the author was not bought by Polaris - not everything is so rosy with this coffee maker. If you read the instructions carefully, you can understand that the warranty does not apply to virtually everything it is made of. All that remains is to rely on luck.