Let’s face it, for some of us it is impossible to function until we have had that cup of coffee in the morning. While the cappuccinos, lattes and espressos have their place, there is nothing like the aroma of drip coffee hitting the nostrils and that first sip to get us rolling. At least for some of us. My brother would disagree, but sometimes I prefer an american sized coffee over an espresso shot. I suspect it may simply be for the higher caffeine content.
The Capresso CoffeeTeam 464.05 is a digital grind and brew coffee maker with a glass carafe. The programmable coffee brewer is designed to meet your personal requirements. At the first glance, the the 464 GS stainless steel feature finish is very appealing, but most of the body is composed of black plastic. The coffee maker has many convenient features such as the programmable clock, built-in and versatile conical burr grinder, and a large brewing capacity of up to 10 cups.
Features:
Brewing:
A vast majority of the drip brew machines simply can’t manage to reach the ideal coffee brewing temperature. To get a flavorful cup of coffee with all its aromas, extraction must be carried out at 200° Fahrenheit. If the temperature of water is below this ideal, many of the oils and flavors will not dissolve in the water and land in your cup. They will remain in the grounds and be discarded as waste, leaving your brew tasting like gutter water and wasting your money. Furthermore, the temperature of the water is only going to drop some more by the time the coffee lands in the flask. This means that when you are ready for your cup of Joe, it will only be warm, definitely not hot! Of course you can counter this issue with a few spins in the microwave, if you want to totally destroy what precious few flavors did manage to seep into your cup! The good news is that the Capresso 464.05 GS brews at the desirable temperature, so you not only get all the flavors your coffee beans have to offer, but you get a nice hot cup as well. Brewing temp hits 200° F and the hot plate retains the brew at a desirable 180° F.
Before we get into brewing, a topic that is often ignored is water quality. My family has shaped me to care about the water used to brew authentic and fresh quality coffee beans. Or else it becomes “dirty water” as my father would say. Today, living in the city means having to deal with tap water contaminated with heavy metals and chlorine. Although I always pre-filter my water, it is worth noting that Capresso attempts to alleviate the problem with a charcoal water filter pod that is rated to remove up to 82% of impurities. Although I like having a filter there, the small pods require replacements. I do not see it as a negative, as a used pod can simply be removed and not replaced. I still prefer to user higher rating filters to eliminate more impurities, but having these pods can’t hurt with water freshness and flavor. For someone that doesn’t regularly filter their tap water, all depending on well or city source quality, an improvement in taste should be noticeable on the first cup.
You can opt to prepare your coffee manually or just go for the automatic setting instead. In the auto mode, all you need to do is choose strength and cup size the machine does the rest. The manual option allows you to choose grind size and coffee strength from the three setting options, and with the pause-brew function you can grab a cup before the brewing process is completed. The 10 cup glass carafe is well designed to avoid drips, and no issues cleaning, and is a great size for a home of many needs. Couples can enjoy fresh brew at ease or host friends and family with full brews.
Of course, if you are in a rush in the mornings, simply pre-program your brews with the LCD screen menu and 24 hour clock and your delicious, aromatic pot full of coffee will be ready to serve as soon as you roll out of bed. If that isn’t enough, you can enjoy decaf, or other flavored coffees by just bypassing the grinder altogether. I especially like this feature simply because I often crave different coffee beans from time to time. I can simply fill the filter with my choice of coffee the night before, and keep the same programmed brewing time.
Hopper & Grinder:
The hopper holds six ounces of beans, which is sufficient for making approximately two to three pots of coffee. The minimum setting is for two cups but you can increase the number of cups to a maximum of ten (in increments of two), which is equivalent to one full pot. So in simple terms, a full 6 ounce hopper will brew a total of 20 cups. You can easily look through the clear grinder sides and top, and the open design is easy to clean and clear of jams.
The built-in conical burr grinder offers a full menu of five grind size options to choose from. The grounds produced are wonderfully consistent, unlike the stuff cheap grinders hack and churn out. However, it is loud and some people may perceive this as a negative. Do keep in mind that grinding is a noisy, time consuming process. Grinding the beans quickly, at high speeds will only make the unit hot, which burns the coffee grounds and affects the final flavor of the cup of brewed coffee. It is by no means a fault of the grinder, just the way good coffee grounds have to be prepared to be able to get the most flavorful drink.
I like that they include grind settings that help the user pick based on bean darkness or lightness for a balanced coarse or fine grind. If you have no idea what grind is best for your bean type, the menu follows the basic rules of thumb, but it’s OK and encouraged to experiment if the brew flavor feels lacking. As far as programming the grinder, not only can you set a start time, but you can associate specific settings with the programmed time that are not the same as the current settings.
Safety:
Your brewed coffee stays hot for two hours after brewing then the automatic shutdown feature will kick in and turn the machine off. This not only ensures a peace of mind but also conserves energy. If you need to keep your brew for longer, simply turn on the warming plate again for another two hours.
Filter:
The 464 GS comes with a gold tone filter, which does a significantly better job than the typical paper filters. It is guaranteed to last for the lifespan of the machine. One push of a button and the filter station swings out to wash or empty out the used grinds without much effort. Since the grinding is completed in a chamber separate from the filter, there is no wastage of coffee. Cleaning this filter is pleasing, fast and hygienic.
Drawbacks
The Capresso CoffeeTeam 464 GS is a fairly solid machine and there really isn’t much in terms of things to complain about. The hopper lid tends to vibrate when the unit is operating. While a twist/lock type arrangement would have been more desirable, bit it is nothing that a small piece of tape won’t solve. I never encountered this issue but keep in mind that I tend to change daily coffee makers often for the purpose of writing about them.
The slightly more troubling issue is the fact that the bean hopper can’t be emptied without a significant amount of effort. If you wish to use some extra special coffee beans for your day off, the only way to empty out the beans already in the hopper would be to flip the whole unit upside down. Despite this there will still be some coffee beans stuck “in transit” that will mix with your new beans and contribute their flavor. While this issue too can be resolved by brewing the minimum amount of coffee and utilizing the mixture bean and followed by a fresh pot made purely from weekend treat beans.
Last Word
All in all, the Capresso 464.05 GS 10-Cup Brewer with Conical Burr Grinder is a well built machine with an effective end-result on every brew. The burr grinder is definitely the star of the show here and pretty much justifies half the price all on it’s own. While there were a few minor drawbacks, this machine is definitely a net positive and a can be a good option for those looking for a mid range machine that reaches and holds proper temperatures, full grinding options, and large capacity.
