I haven't owned one but from what I've read, you're paying a lot for the built-in look. For less money, you can do a lot better with a countertop espresso/drip coffee maker. Also, if you're a serious coffee drinker, grinding your own fresh beans is much better than pre-packaged capsules.

Built-in coffee systems are so non-standard, so we were very leery about committing a built-in space for one.

One solution has really worked well for us: the Keurig machine that brews a cup at a time from K-cup capsules. We first put this machine in our master suite instead of a conventional coffee maker, because I didn't want the mess of coffee grounds, and in the early morning, we want just a cup or two. We loved the machine so much that we bought a second one for our kitchen beverage bar; we rarely use our regular brew machine anymore. One big advantage of the Keurig over its competitors is the huge variety in the choices of coffees & teas. We can also get piping hot water or have hot chocolate at the press of a button. Friends just love being able to pick and choose among all the K-cup choices we have available. We drink a lot of decaf, and there are plenty of great K-cup choices, but our friends who prefer "leaded" can easily get their choice too without us having to brew an entire pot for them.

We have a coffee bar in our master bedroom and we were considering the Brew Express. The Keurig K-cup system sound interesting. How many cup does one k-cup make? Has it ever overflowed? Could you tell me more about it???

I've been using my Miele since 2001 and I love it; I have a large kitchen and the spot for the machine was designed specially for it; the capsules were not an option then. I've been using a pod machine in another home and I love the convenience.

I beginning to think the pod system is the way to go. Are the pods for just one cup only? Any problems with overflow? Any other info I need to know.

1 pod = 1 cup of coffee. There is no provision for doing 2 cups simultanious.

The adv. of this system is consistency - Nestle closely monitors the capsules for quality, variety - you can have 5 types of coffees ready to go in the unit, it's flexible - can be used as a built-in or counterstanding unit with a bit of fuss, the clean up is a bit easier, no spent pucks of grounds to mold if you don't get rid of them.

Drawback is you're roped into the Nestle pods, not available everywhere cash and carry. Quality/taste is poo pooed by the afficianados. The frother is a bit cheeky and a pain to clean IMHO.

It's a "cool" look and makes decent coffee in a wide variety without much fuss. If you're long on dough and short on time and paitence it's a pretty good bet.

How about the Keurig system as mentioned above...it isn't built in and uses pods and much cheaper. Anyone have any additional comments on these systems or are there other manufacturers you would recommend. Sorry to be chiming in on this, but the Miele was just too expensive and I didn't have room to build it in and then what happens when it breaks????BUT, I am getting excited about the pod idea!!!

and then what happens when it breaks????

Same thing that happens when the Keurig breaks - you fix it or don't. BTW - Miele has one of the best warranty and service networks of any appliance maker, what is Keurig's situation?

The Miele is available as a stand alone too.

We just finished our house (1 Jan) and we put a Miele built-in (plumbed for water) in. We have made over 500 cups of coffee so far (it has a counter). Love it. Jamaican blue mountain from Costco. Farily cheap ($10 for 2#) and quite good. YMMV.

Jim

OK...Do both systmes use the same pods as Keurig and Miele use the same pods as I know that Keurig pods are sold at Costco? If that is the case then either system is a go depending on a built-in look or stand-alone....please advise!

We have a Nespresso Cafe restaurant where I live that uses the Nestle pods exclusively and I go there frequently. The coffee is super. The pods aren't cheap but they are available online. For a built in, I'd go with the pods although they aren't green (my one reservation). I had a traditional espresso machine in the past and the grounds and clean up are messy. Guess it depends on how you're installing.

We considered Keurig, Senseo, and Tassimo "pod" coffee makers. While Senseo pods are available in our supermarket, there is very little choice.

Keurig had & has by far the most choice, and from many different coffee & tea makers. There are at least 4 different models, and differ mainly by how many cup quantity buttons are offered & manual vs. automatic features. Each K-cup has the pre-measured coffee, tea, or hot cocoa, plus filter, and is meant to be used just once. The machine preheats a cup's worth of water & sends it thru the K-cup under pressure. You can also use the machine as an instant source of hot water without using a K-cup in it. We picked the model that brews 3 sizes of cups: conventional 5 oz, 7 oz, & 9 oz. You'll want to use a "bold" K-cup for the 9 oz size, or the coffee will be too weak. The best prices for the K-cups are on Amazon, especially if you use their Subscriber service which further discounts them.

Since we bought our Keurig machines, others like Mr. Coffee, Melitta, & Norelco have come out with machines.

I thought the Nespresso machines were for espresso pods & very high end, but haven't tried its coffee.

Here is a link that might be useful: Keurig machine

We are installing the new Miele plumbed model when it is available fall/winter in the kitchen of our new home. I heard that it has some improvements from the current model out there (from a Miele rep.) We will be living with a empty space in our cabinetry as we feel it is worth the wait.

It will be plumbed in w/grinder

Is can't tell any difference to the Keurig B60 and B70 models, except a larger water reservoir and price....which model do you recommend?

It seems keurig is the way to go for me, but if not, which model of stand alone Miele do you recommend?

Wow....what great response and so many opinions! Thanks for everyone's advice. The reason I decided upon a built-in coffee unit is that the developer for the high end condo unit that I am purchasing has allowed me input into the kitchen design, errorously put a microwave cabinet on the wall over the built up breakfast bar...no one noticed that the planned microwave oven door would have opened the wrong way!! You would have to walk around the breakfast bar to open the microway door! (The adjoining condo because it is the reverse of mine doesn't have the problem as the door opens into the kitchen.) It seems that no one makes microwave doors that open to the right not the left!! Because the glass tile backsplash and outlets were already installed it was easier/cheaper to install another microwave wall cabinet elsewhere in the kitchen. that allows me to install a unit like the Miele coffee system in the space formerly designed for the microwave oven. But the Keurig coffee maker sounds like a great idea as I can put it in that cabinet space (not built in) for a few months while I decide if I like the coffee pod idea. I'm single so having a single cup of coffee is appealing as I throw away so much unused coffee. If I like the unit, it can help me make the decision. Or I could put the Keurig unit on the counter and install a steam oven in the space instead which is also another option I've been thinking about. So many decisions as I want this kitchen to be special. I'll post pictures when it is done. A built in microwave plus a built in coffee maker or steam oven really could really look great. Here is a link to the Miele coffee systems. thanks all -- additional comments are welcome

Here is a link that might be useful: Miele Coffee Systems (Capsule)

I take care of the Service dept. for Miele in Adelaide, South Australia and am a coffee nut myself. (there's a few of us at this particular office)

In my own opinion, the Miele Nespresso capsule system is the one if you're after no-fuss, zero break-down, easy-to-clean automated machine. In the year and a half I've been with the company, we've attended 2 nespresso capsule machines. (in other words, it has so little user-interaction, they can't break it hehe)

But, for people who love their coffee - you can't go past putting your own beans in the machine. I personally have a CVA620/3 which has had the grinder tweaked (miele does NOT and will NOT do this themselves) but it outputs a better coffee than any coffee-house.

The better part in my own opinion is not paying for capsules. Coffee as a green (or even roasted) bean is substantially cheaper than capsules. And if you start roasting yourself - the quality and blend/roast of bean is limited by what you can buy at auction on the net.

Obviously I can't speak on behalf of other companies - but the capsule is easier to clean and maintain... the other machine is better in every way but you need to give it a little cleaning care every 2days min.

LukeN

luken-

I'm kinda curious how the grinder was "tweaked." We are thinking about getting the CVA 4075. Is that the machine that needs maintenance every 2 days?