Definitely making a statement.

I think that's the first thought that comes to mind when one sees the Capresso ST600 coffee maker. There's not many out there that have this kind of bold, towering art deco look.

Capresso has long been the leader in the game in terms of delivering coffee makers that hit the proverbial top of the temperature mountain: that magic 200F mark that everyone from the SCAA to seasoned coffee professionals believe is an important mark for a drip coffee brewer to make.

In our lab, we've tested the Elegance Therm, MT500, and the Coffee TEC from Capresso, and each and every model brews at near-ideal temperatures for preparing good, medium-roast (or slightly darker) coffee.

So we were quite excited to get a first look at the new Capresso ST600. In some ways a departure for Capresso - a new stainless steel carafe design. A different filter holder system. Nothing even remotely resembling a hot plate (I'll cover why this is important later on in the First Look).

And it's a monster! It's also one of those love it or hate it designs. My fiancè hates the design - she believes it's too much like 1930s Italian art deco, inspired, for a lack of a better word, by Mussolini's "world tomorrow" art deco phase. Personally, when I first saw a photo of the brewer, and once I got it, I thought it was very unique and interesting - all in a good way. Sensual curves married to hard, stark brushed metal and black.

The best thing overall is that we're seeing design creep, in a major way, into products that actually have the potential to brew great coffee. I'll always take design, and take it with a big goofy grin, as long as what's in the cup backs it all up. When we do our QuickShot Review on the Capresso ST600, we'll find out if the cup backs up the stark and intriguing design.

We'd like to thank JL Hufford for supplying us with this Capresso ST600 Coffee Maker for this First Look and full Quickshot Review. They currently (as of December 2006) sell it for $189, which includes free shipping throughout the United States, and you get a bonus choice of one pound of their own roasted coffee to start you off.

Let's get into the First Look!

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