Cafflano Coffee Maker Review
Liquid Lab Review
The Liquid Lab Team gave the Cafflano an overall average rating of 7.5 out of 9 planets. In a nutshell, it's got a great balance of portability for an "all-in-oner" and an ability to make a great pour-over brew. Downsides were instructional and issues related to any manual coffee grinder. The Take-home message - Take it home, but use it on the road at the office or car camping and be wary of the copy cats. Read each individual review below:
Mike (aka drip-all-day): The Cafflano Klassic is billed as an all in one grinder/steeper/tumbler. It did not fail to deliver. Out of box the Cafflano has clean lines and looks very unassuming. Yet, open it up and like the Russian nesting dolls, you are treated to layer after layer of fiddle-worthy goodness. The overall build quality seems solid with no part feeling flimsy. I must say that my first experience with the Cafflano Klassic produced a really good tasting cup of coffee. I found the grinding to be generally pretty smooth despite the small package. However, I could see that if you have the grind too fine it could present a little more of a challenge. Steeping the coffee was a bit of a time-consuming process due to the super fine steel filter. The end result was worth the wait because sitting at my desk I had just created a fine cup of coffee. My take away from my experience with the Cafflano Klassic is pretty simple. This is a great all in one coffee maker in a small but potent package. Will this be a replacement to my current everyday coffee making? Probably not. However, I think the Cafflano does have a place in my quiver as the “enjoy a fresh cup ANYWHERE” coffee maker. With a process, as enjoyable as the end result the Cafflano Klassic gets a 7 out of 9 planets
Stella (aka the Sipper): Overall, the Cafflano is a great concept, the grinder integrated with the pour over filter into a mug is innovative and very convenient. The marketing is a bit misleading in that the “All-In-One Coffee-Maker” (with many images of the kettle included) lead the consumer to believe at first glance that somehow you are also able to boil the water with this handy little gadget. Note that is not the case, so if you’re considering this for travel, camping or backpacking (which you SHOULD BE) keep in mind you’ll need a JetBoil or some other means of heating water.
So, in a nutshell, if you want the luxury of freshly ground beans when you travel or camp, the Cafflano is a perfect choice. But unless you’re one of those people who really want to toil over the fruits of your labor, I wouldn’t recommend the Cafflano for everyday home use - the hand-grinder would become a chore morning after morning and you’ll get the same great taste from a more traditional pour-over like the Hario or Chemex and an electric conical burr grinder. 7 out of 9 planets for me and a quick warning: Beware of the imitation knock-offs that have made their way to the market! You get what you pay for.
Paul (aka Pour-Over Paul): Sleek, hip, and ready for drip! I had a chance to try the Cafflano on a weekend morning before getting outside to enjoy a crisp fall day raking leaves. The design is very well thought out. All the parts fit snugly together with the top and bottom being threaded for easy set up and breakdown. It has the feel of unwrapping a gift when you dive in and take it apart. The handle from the hand grinder is neatly hinged and extends so you can add beans and grind directly into the metal filter. I found the coffee bloomed nicely for just under a minute allowing me to pour the rest of the water slowly for about a 4 minute brew time. I cannot wait to take this out on the boat with me next time! It will give me something fun to do while I wonder why I am not catching fish!
Scott (aka Chief Beverage Maven): The Cafflano is in its own category; pour-over – meaning that you hand pour hot water over the coffee grinds in order to make a single fresh cup of coffee. The main attribute of the Cafflano is that it’s an ‘all-in-one’ coffee maker which includes a grinder, a pour-over filter, and the coffee cup all together. The top of the Cafflano can serve as the pour-over spout (how the hot water is poured over the coffee grinds), but in most circumstances, I doubt it would be used that way. I think it would be more typical to just pour the hot water from your own kettle or pot.
One thing to keep in mind is that while the Cafflano is not inexpensive, if you had to buy a stainless steel mug, a high-quality stainless steel filter, and a well-built hand grinder, you could easily spend $80 to $100, so here you get everything snuggly fit together in one unit for essentially the same price. Very easy for travel and camping! The hand-grinder works like a typical peppermill in that you have to manually adjust it to get the grind the way you want it, but that’s the case with most hand-grinders. The stainless filter is super high quality and mesh-like – producing a nice clean cup of coffee. And because you are grinding the coffee on the spot, it’s as fresh as it gets. Overall, I give it high marks for what it is; a great all-in-one coffee maker that you can use at home, but is perfect for travel or camping. No electricity required. All you need to add is coffee and hot water. 8 Planets.
TR (aka Sud Bud): What set me in orbit: This is the ultimate, compact all-in-one coffee maker for the individual who demands it fresh and custom. I absolutely love the concept of being able to choose the grind on your beans. When you combine your grinder, a fine yet durable filtration system, the classic full-bodied taste of pour over and a vessel to indulge, you've got the premier all-in-one caffination station. Considering the quality of the grinder and internal components, this is definably worth the price point right around $100. Day hikes, river trips, car camping, hotel room, the office and general globetrotting where you've got a little bit of extra space to store this all-in-one apparatus are just a few of the places I'd tote this beauty with me. What crashed my asteroid: Lack of instructions. You need to do a bit of surfing on the cafflano website to truly dial it in. It wasn't until I watched the video there that I understood how to change the grind setting for instance. It's a bit bulky. Probably not the device for the oz. counting backpacker in your life. It comes in at just over 7.5" tall and 3.5" wide and just over a pound in weight. Additionally, the heat lost in the non-insulated plastic kettle during the pour over process made my coffee just a tad less than piping hot. 8 out of 9 planets in my solar system.
- Liquid Planet
