Aldi sells a wide variety of coffee makers, from cold brew machines to imitation Keurig machines to traditional coffee makers to French presses, along with a range of coffees. Here, we’re taking a look at the Ambiano Duo Coffee Maker.
About Aldi
Aldi (stylized as ALDI) is the common brand of two German family-owned discount supermarket chains with over 10,000 stores in 20 countries and an estimated combined turnover of more than €50 billion. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946 when they took over their mother’s store in Essen. The business was split into two separate groups in 1960, that later became Aldi Nord, headquartered in Essen, and Aldi Süd, headquartered in Mülheim.
Aldi’s German operations consist of Aldi Nord’s 35 individual regional companies with about 2,500 stores in western, northern, and eastern Germany, and Aldi Süd’s 32 regional companies with 1,900 stores in western and southern Germany.
Internationally, Aldi Nord operates in Denmark, France, the Benelux countries, Portugal, Spain, and Poland, while Aldi Süd operates in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Switzerland, Australia, China, Italy, Austria, and Slovenia. Both Aldi Nord (as Trader Joe’s) and Aldi Süd (as Aldi) also operate in the United States with 1,600 stores between them as of 2017, and the U.S. is the only country to have both Aldi companies operating outside of Germany.
In 2020, it was reported that Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd have been planning since 2018 to merge the two branches by 2022 in a bid to reduce redundancies and raise efficiency.
Ambiano Duo Coffee Maker
In recent years, one of the best sensations of the coffee-drinking world has been the Keurig, a device that turns little plastic containers (K-Cup Pods or K-Cups) into single-serve beverages. Keurig machines are most famous for making coffee, but these devices can also make other drinks, including tea and hot chocolate. However, Keurig brand machines can be quite expensive (+ the cost of the K-Cups themselves), so most people tend to look for alternatives.
This is where Aldi comes in!
Aldi is in the business of making things cheaper, so it’s not a surprise that this discount supermarket chain entered the fray by selling its own K-Cups for coffee and, on occasion, hot cocoa. Further, in recent years, Aldi has also started to manufacture their own coffee machines – at a fraction of the cost of more expensive name brands – one of which is the Ambiano Duo Coffee Maker.
The Ambiano Duo Coffee Maker produces a good cup of coffee. You can make a decent cup of joe using any K-Cup, but you can also make a very good cup using the filter and your own coffee grounds.
Features:
- Simple and intuitive to use
- Ultra-light and compact
- Is compatible with “standard cups” (i.e. K-Cups) or can use grounds with a removable brew basket
- Comes with a reusable filter for ground coffee
- Has multiple brew buttons
- An adjustable cup rest and can brew directly into a cup or travel mug
- A removable cup rest and cup rest plate
- A water level indicator
- Does not require filtered water
- Backed by a 3-year warranty
Ambiano Duo Coffee Maker: Setup and Ease of Use
Setting up the Ambiano Duo Coffee Maker is fairly easy, although it does take a few minutes. The instructions advise gently cleaning the unit first (with warnings not to submerge the unit in water), then filling up the reservoir and running the unit a few times without any coffee to clear out any contaminants. After doing that, the unit should be ready to go.
The Ambiano Duo Coffee Maker takes a couple of minutes to heat the water up first, with the power button flashing until the water reaches the necessary temperature. At that point, you can insert a K-Cup into the pod holder (which has a small probe to poke a hole in the bottom of the K-Cup) or put coffee grounds into the filter, then press the desired amount button.
Ambiano Duo Coffee Maker: Design
The Ambiano Duo Coffee Maker looks aesthetically pleasing, fitting in with the rest of Aldi’s sleek collection of products. It has a convenient design, making it user-friendly and easy to use. Plus, with its compact size and sleek design, it fits in any modern kitchen and allows you to maximize your counter space.
Ambiano Duo Coffee Maker: Cleaning and Maintenance
It is important to descale your Ambiano Duo Coffee Maker regularly in order to maintain the inside of the coffee maker. Descaling involves using a descaling solution and running it through the machine in the same way that water typically goes through it. The purpose of this process is to remove any build-up that has accumulated on the inside of your coffee maker.
Who Is the Ambiano Duo Coffee Maker Best Suited For?
The Ambiano Duo Coffee Maker is best suited for people who like options when it comes to the type of coffee that they drink. Unlike single-function coffee makers, this versatile machine can make a single cup or an entire pot. Dual coffee makers are unique, and the Duo is different from other Ambiano models. If you don’t want to drink the same thing each day, make sure to check out the Ambiano Duo Coffee Maker.
Ambiano Duo Coffee Maker Reviews
Discover what people are saying about the Ambiano Duo Coffee Maker.
“We haven’t made a pot of coffee in it yet, but for the pod side, it’s worked great. The only downside is that it takes 2+ minutes to heat up the water. But it looks really sleek and I like to have the two machines combined.” – BB
“I really enjoy this one too. It is so much better than others that I’ve had that were more expensive.” – HS
“I bought one (for $70) because it is at 1780 Watts, more than any other one I know the watts for. It seems to be a Keurig Duo knock-off (though it looks different). I was using an old Bonavita that was an excellent brewer but after 10 years went out on me.
After a week or so with it, I think it gets the water hot enough. I measure one batch at 199 degrees just water dripping into the carafe that is great. The showerhead is a little small. But the coffee basket is a little small also and it does seem to get all of the coffee wet. I tried stirring in the midst of brewing to be sure coffee was wet and it was all submerged.
A couple of negatives for me. I do not like a plastic basket and substitute a paper Melitta filter. I also don’t like a flat bottom basket because it is easier to get all of the coffee wet in a cone. The coffee pours into a glass carafe on a hot plate. hot plates can scald and burn your brewed coffee. As soon as mine is brewed I turn off the brewer and pour the coffee into a thermal carafe off the hotplate. One thing I really like: the brewer preheats your water before it begins to drip it into the coffee.
This means you have water at the right temperature passing through the beans from the very beginning. Are the results as good as a Bonavita, a Specialty Coffee Association certified brewer? Pretty close if not just as good if you ask me. At $70 it is a bargain. If you get it for less it is a steal.” – Maria Rosa
“I have had this for a week now and it has worked fine so far. I’m surprised to see so many people have had the opposite experience. A tiny bit of water (around 5ml) ends up in the capsule tray but most ends up where it is supposed to and the coffees taste as they should.” – Viz
“I just got one since my SO barely uses his Keurig and doesn’t care for the process of french press coffee. I really like it, I’m kind of a coffee snob and even I love the coffee maker. Very good deal, and I like it more than previous Mr. Coffees.” – D
“It makes a good tasting cup of coffee. I followed the instructions, washed the parts thoroughly, and ran 3 pots of drinking water through it (with the filter basket removed, per instructions) before brewing the first pot. No odd tastes or smells. One thing of note in the instructions was that you must wait a few minutes (at least 3, I think) between brewings. I shut the unit off for 5 minutes between each cleaning pot and it worked perfectly. So far I’m very happy with it and would recommend it.” – Tanith
“Brilliant little machine, instructions are easy to follow and it does what it says on the box, it is also suitable to use different makes of coffee pods if desired. Makes lovely expresso and you can change how large you want your espresso just by pressing a button, the downside to this machine is it is a little noisy (but I think it is because it is new).” – Debz
