Capresso Triple Brew Coffee and Tea Maker

Capresso Triple Brew Coffee and Tea Maker
Gifted by: Capresso
www.capresso.com
Reviewed by: Dana Byerwalter, Editor, AllFreeDIYWeddings.com


The Capresso Triple Brew Coffee and Tea Maker is a must-have item for your wedding registry. Make individual cups of coffee and tea as well as an entire carafe of coffee with a single machine. This all-in-one option is perfect for new couples starting their lives together.

More eco-friendly than coffee makers that use disposable pods or cups, this coffee maker uses two reusable filters (one for tea, one for coffee). The tea filter includes ribs on the inside that prevent the brewing unit from crushing the tea leaves. The two filters are also color-coded (gray for tea, black for coffee) to easily tell them apart. The triple brew comes with a carafe, but the ingenious design allows you to make just a single cup if you so desire. Cup size ranges from 4oz to 16oz, and you can adjust the preprogrammed settings (details in the manual).

The sleek design of the Capresso Triple Brew looks great on any countertop and doesn't take up much space. Single cup coffee makers in general have a bulkier design, but the water tank on the back of the Triple Brew keeps the entire coffee maker narrow. Speaking of the water tank, the triple brew holds up to 52oz of water. This is a great example of a regular coffee maker and a single-cup brewer coming together in a perfect marriage. It's great to fill the water tank and make as much or as little coffee or tea as you want!

One fellow coworker said the design looks futuristic, and I agree! Different combinations of flashing lights on the buttons give alerts about the coffee maker. If the lights blink one at a time, the coffee maker is heating up. Accelerate this process by holding down one of the buttons for 3-5 seconds. When the lights blink rapidly as you select a button, the coffee maker is telling you the water tank is empty.

The filter and brewing unit load at the front of the coffee maker which is another "futuristic" quality. This enables you to quickly and effectively change out the units especially when brewing one cup at a time. There have been a few times where I lifted the lid on my regular coffee maker too soon after brewing and the steam wafting up as well as the angry sounds from the coffee maker were alarming! A front-loading design escapes that problem.

Speaking of quickly brewing one cup after another, the filters in this coffee maker have safety grips so you don't burn your hands. I was skeptical about how quickly a person could switch out the coffee and brew cup after cup, but some practice revealed it can be done just as effectively as coffee makers that use disposable cups. There are a few tricks to be aware of as you swap out the coffee or tea leaves. Since the coffee grounds and leaves will of course be damp, it's challenging to get them all out every time. Brewing the same type of coffee in rapid succession therefore is easier than changing varieties (although, if you are making the same type of coffee it may be best to brew a full carafe). You can also use disposable coffee filters to switch out the coffee grounds or tea leaves more quickly.

Another quality to be aware of is that you cannot brew the small, large, or tea sizes into the carafe. When the carafe is in the coffee maker, one must use the carafe button and that defaults to whatever amount is in the water tank. We tried brewing a large size cup into the carafe because the mug an editor was using was too tall; we ended up brewing into a smaller cup rather than making sure the tank had exactly 8oz of water to brew into the carafe.

The Capresso Triple Brew comes with recommended amounts of tea and coffee for the different size cups and different strengths. Here I learned that you can use regular tea bags in the coffee maker, too! This seems like an excellent option for a quick turnaround because you could easily dump out the tea bags from the filter in rapid succession.

There is so much more I could say about the Capresso Triple Brew Coffee and Tea Maker. In short, it is an excellent, versatile, sleek option for newlyweds and families of caffiene drinkers! From a 4oz cup of coffee to a 42oz carafe and a variety of sizes in between, coffee and tea lovers will adore the versatile Triple Brew from Capresso.