Krups 882 Novo Compact Latte Espresso Machine review
While killing some time at my local thrift a while back I noticed what I thought was a steam espresso maker. After all there was a tell tale glass carafe taped to the machine under the portafilter. Something made me look a little closer and I am glad I did. When I couldn't find the boiler cap I knew this was not a steam power espresso machine - this one was at worst a pump driven thermoblock so I took home with me what I later discovered to be a Krups 882.
The Krups Type 882 Novo Compact Latte espresso machine is an impressive piece of German engineering that cost every bit of $200 back in the day. This compact espresso machine sports a 110 mL stainless steel boiler, nickel plated brass group head, removable water tank,and a heavy chrome plated brass non-pressurized 52mm portafilter. Also included is a glass carafe (for frothing?), both single and double shot filter baskets, and a huge filter basket similar to what you see with a steam espresso maker.
The Krups Compact Type 882 uses the same 41 watt Ukla pump used by Ascaso, the older Rancillo Silvia (a $650 machine), and other popular vibe pump espresso machines - not bad specs for a 10 year old throw away. Admittedly the Krups has a warm place in my heart. It takes longer to get hot than my Krups Type 964, but the results are worth the wait. The pump is probably stronger on this machine because it did not have many signs of use.
I can grind fine and still get a nice shot - nice enough to compare with what I can make with my Gaggia Coffee with a little bit of temp surfing. The crema is usually thick and the flavor is decent - softer than the result from the Gaggia. I doubt I would spend $100 for a used machine like this on eBay, but if one turned up in a yard sale for twenty or thirty bucks it might be worth considering. For the enthusiast it makes a capable back up or compact travel machine and for the novice on a tight budget it is an adequate starter machine.
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