Best Russell Hobbs Retro Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020:

Russell Hobbs’ new line of filter coffee makers puts a lot of emphasis on design. The Retro Vintage 21702-56 stands out thanks to its retro look as well as its gauge which allows you to follow the progress of the coffee extraction and to monitor the “keep warm” function. For the rest of the features, it remains classic.

Presentation

The traditional filter coffee maker has been inviting French homes for 50 years now, which seems to inspire Russell Hobbs whose new range is resolutely “Retro”. If, at first glance, the Retro 21702-56 seems to stand out only by its look of yesteryear, this device does not overlook certain functions and in particular the relatively innovative extraction system. Indeed, the on-board ” hand shower ” is – according to the manufacturer – ” an advanced technology which acts during the extraction phase, in order to improve the process and the aroma of the coffee“Marketed at around € 79, this mid-range filter coffee maker has a water tank with a capacity of 1.25 l capable of ensuring the preparation of 10 large cups and 15 small ones, a filter holder removable but not swivel, anti-drip system as well as a warming function up to 40 minutes.

Best Russell Hobbs Retro Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals & Sales 2020

1. Russell Hobbs CM3100RDR Retro Style 8-Cup Coffeemaker, Red

2. Remington Russell Hobbs CM3100WTR Retro Style 8-Cup Coffeemaker, White

3. Remington Russell Hobbs CM3100CRR Retro Style 8-Cup Coffeemaker, Cream

4. Remington Russell Hobbs FP3100BKR Retro Style Food Processor, 8-Cup (64-oz) Capacity, Black

5. Remington Russell Hobbs CM4300BR Coventry 8-Cup Coffeemaker, 1.25L Glass Carafe, Black, (42-oz.) Capacity

Convenience of use

Some will appreciate the retro look of this coffee maker, others will say that it may do too much. Between the two, our heart swings. We appreciate, however, its relatively compact dimensions which allow it to easily integrate the most cramped kitchens. Its light weight also allows it to be enthroned on a shelf. However, the excessive use of plastic gives it a little dinette side. * We wonder about the sustainability of all the elements subjected to numerous manipulations in the long term. Indeed, some of them crack a little when we ask them, which is particularly the case of the hood of the machine, covered with black plastic.

The water tank distributed on both sides of the machine has a capacity of 1.25 l ensuring the preparation of 10 large cups and 15 small ones. The latter is well graduated – as much as the glass jug for that matter – which allows the user to quickly visualize the water level. Filling is fairly easy by lifting the black cover. 

Without a grain grinder, this coffee maker has a removable but non-swiveling filter holder. This criterion could have been disturbing if the latter was not easily accessible. By always lifting the famous machine cover, it is possible to remove it by pulling its handle and repositioning it. Filling with coffee is also easy. 

The shower  that is proud of Russell Hobbs Retro is also located under the lid. The purpose of this is to vaporize the coffee in the filter holder ” to impregnate each bean well and reduce losses “. The British manufacturer ensures that this system makes it possible to brew all the ground coffee well while guaranteeing an optimal taste. 

Easy maintenance

As we specified beforehand, the filter holder is removable, which allows it to be cleaned in the best conditions. Like the opening of the Philips Café Gourmet jug , that of our test version is large enough to insert your hand, which makes it easier to wash. Note also that all the elements of the coffee maker can be put in the dishwasher.

Assessment of the effectiveness of the anti-drip system? It does not live up to our expectations. Russell Hobbs Retro nevertheless guarantees the effectiveness of this system by inviting its user to extract the jug during the flow, if however he does not wish to wait until the end of the preparation to serve himself a cup. We therefore removed the carafe in full cycle and observed that a few drops escaped from the nozzle to evaporate on the tray. Pity…

Another downside: no indicator light warns the user of the need to descale the machine. It is up to him to judge the opportune moment to start cleaning his device.

Coffee temperature

We cannot say it enough, the ideal infusion temperature should be between 92 ° C and 96 ° C. On this machine, we observed an infusion temperature varying between 82.5 ° C and 91.5 ° C. The Retro 21702-56 clearly does not fulfill its contract. Note that a too high or too low brewing temperature has a direct impact on the taste of coffee.

The temperature of the coffee in the jug must be between 80 ° C and 85 ° C for tasting to take place between 60 ° C and 65 ° C. At the end of the preparation, our temperature probes measured a result of 84 ° C, which is completely satisfactory. 

What about the keep warm function? We specify in a file dedicated to filter coffee makers  that it must in no case exceed 30 minutes, failing which all the “good” aromas of coffee evaporate. And on this point, the Russell Hobbs Retro is a “bad student” since it provides 40 minutes to keep warm – which is too long. This means that the machine continues to consume electricity while “baking” the coffee.

5 minutes after preparing the coffee, we noted a temperature of 84.3 ° C. After 15 minutes, our probes indicated a result of 81.3 ° C and then 80.9 ° C after 30 minutes.

If we do not recommend consuming the coffee after 30 minutes of keeping it warm, we were curious to raise the temperature after the 40 minutes provided by our test machine. We can assure you that this choice is not relevant for a penny since the temperature in the jug drops to 78.9 ° C after this time, therefore well below the desired temperatures.

Consumption

Our protocol consists in recording the electrical consumption for the preparation of a liter of coffee and keeping it warm (variable duration, here 40 minutes as provided by this machine). Our test opus has a consumption of 0.168 kWh, which comes at a relatively expensive annual cost of around € 10 at the rate of 7 preparations per week. 

For example, the Delonghi ICM15750 displays a more measured consumption representing an annual cost of around € 5.30.

CONCLUSION

One thing is certain, the Russell Hobbs Retro 21702-56 stands out above all and above all for its retro look. Like many models, the use and maintenance of this device is quite simplified. If the brewing temperatures are not up to our expectations, those recorded in the carafe are in accordance with what we require to taste filter coffee in the state of the art. Its keep warm function is effective for up to 30 minutes. We therefore advise you to switch off the machine manually after this period of time (referring to the gauge), on pain of consuming unnecessarily.

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