Café - Specialty 2-Slice Toaster - Matte Black

The slide out crumb tray was broken when we received. Doesn’t push in all the way crumbs go on counter

The Cafe Express Finish Toaster is a great addition to any kitchen's small appliance collection. It comes in 3 main colors (matte black, matte white, and stainless steel) and adds a touch of class to the area. The package comes with the toaster and the owners manual. It comes with a 1-year manufacturer's warranty. PROS: ----------- * Easier to use than a mini toaster oven, and more importantly, easier to clean * Toasts extremely fast * Extremely sturdy with it's solid/sticky-like rubber feet * Easy to empty crumbs from the pop-out crumb tray. * The toaster holds the bread in place by condensing the sides onto the bread when the lever is depressed (see picture, OPEN/CLOSED) * It allows to toast ONE-SIDED pieces of bread (ie. bagels, hamburger buns). The toasted section should face outward as shown by the diagram on the top of the toaster (also pictured). CONS: ----------- * Does not toast evenly on both sides. The food item gets significantly toasted more on the inside sides (facing the center of the unit). * Instructions do not state the exact function of the "Reheat" button. * Frozen is meant for frozen bread; however, I have not seen much difference in toasting with that setting vs the express setting. I didn't see the real need for the frozen setting. * Based on this product toasting bread and perhaps waffles, using levels 5-8 appears to burn whatever food is placed in the unit. I'm unsure what else these high levels would be used to toast without burning. SAMPLE RUNS: (see attached pictures for mode and doneness) 1. Level 1: 0:38 on Express mode, bread, lightly toasted 2. Level 3: 0:50 on Express mode, bread, almost burned inside, the other side toasted ok 3. Level 4: 2:09 on regular mode, bread, burned inside, the other side toasted ok 4. Level 4: 0:58 on Express mode, bread, slightly burned inside, but outside face toasted ok 5. Level 4: (did not get time) on Express mode using bagel mode, hamburger buns, toasted just enough before burning OTHER OBSERVATIONS: ----------------------------------- * There are 8 levels to pick from; however, at level 4, the toast will start to burn at that point. Having a regular piece of toast in there for levels 5-8 would char it. * Each of the 3 color options include the trim which is called "bronze". If you want to have a better idea of what this trim looks like, think "rose gold". That's probably a better description of what they state as "bronze" trim. * The power cord is long enough for most locations in a kitchen, 3 feet long. It has a 3-prong plug. * After you use the toaster in a specific mode, that mode clears the next time you use it. So if you want to make 3 pairs of toasts back-to-back-to-back, then you'll have to enter express/frozen/bagel each time. So if you choose bagel the 1st time, make sure you select bagel the subsequent times or both sides will get toasted instead of just the outside/cut part. * The light around the knob lights up more as you go from level 1 to level 8. When 1 of those 4 buttons are depressed, there is a small LED that lights up so you know that function is active. CONCLUSION: =================== There isn't much to this item. It toasts. That's it. I like that it can toast quickly with the added elements in the unit, but I don't like how both sides are not toasted the same - ever. One side is always more done than the other for some reason and I'm not sure why OR if that's how it was designed. I like that the crumb tray is very easy to remove and the unit as a whole is easy to clean. If the irregular heating gets corrected, it will be a five-star product in my opinion.

The Cafe Specialty 2 Slice Toaster in Matte Black is not just a 2 slice toaster. It is a beautiful enhancement to the kitchen. The Rose Gold embellishments beautify the Black Matte finish. It goes beautifully and completes the other Cafe kitchen appliances. This toaster isn't just a beautiful addition to the kitchen. It also is reliable, works efficiently and quickly to brown the bread or bagels to a perfect shade of gold. It is easy to clean and maintain. The Matte Black finish is perfect as it does not display fingerprints. This toaster is a perfect addition to the Cafe Collection of appliances. We just love having the Cafe line in our kitchen.

Great toaster!! Beautiful color. Wanted this to go with the GE CAFE appliances.

For me the best feature of this toaster is it's design and look & feel. The stainless steel body with copper accents makes it your counter top worthy. Obviously, there are much cheaper toasters available in the market but you get what you pay for. Also, Cafe products are GE's upscale offerings, so that should explain the price point. In terms of features and workings, it toasts really well. I have tried both bread and bagels and they have come out evenly toasted. There is an express settings for bread while a separate button for bagels. The dial has settings from 1 to 8 but I think any thing more than 5 will result in a burnt toast, so be careful about that. The other thing I like is the pop-out crumb tray. This makes cleaning the toaster after use very easy. There are also Reheat and Frozen buttons. I haven't really used them yet, so can't really comment on the utility of these. I am planning to use "Frozen" option to toast frozen Garlic bread. Let's see how will that experiment go :) Overall, it is a stylish and great looking toaster which works well. It is expensive but I think build quality, looks and some of the features make it worth the price.

Very nice , and it sits out on my counter , I've never wanted my toaster out on my counter. I especially love the express finish option.

The Cafe Specialty Toaster will look stylish on any kitchen counter and the three colors available means you can match your kitchen counters and/or appliances. We’ve made toast, bagels and English muffins and all have come out exceptionally nice. If you’re looking for a toaster that is as good looking as it is effective then look no further. We have the stainless steel color version and it looks incredible in our kitchen. It’s also available in white or black. The cord is also nice and long which was notable as some toasters were have had in the past had relatively short power cords. Looking forward to breakfast tomorrow as I’m sure you will be if you add this toaster to your kitchen.

Our kitchens have become a smorgasbord of single purpose small electrics. Each one designed to make your life easier and your food taste better. The GE Cafe toaster earns its place by looking good and working well. The copper colored accents and dark finish help it find a place in nearly any kitchen. As a toaster, it crisps the outside of the bread perfectly while keeping the inside soft. The darkness knob easily selects how toasty the bread is. It works equally well with a bagel as it does with bread, with a bagel button to engage and give a little extra heat when needed. The outsides remain relatively cool while toasting allowing for close quarters with other small electrics. A pop up toaster is not as versatile as a toaster oven. You can’t make a tuna melt or tater tots, but it works well where it’s supposed to. It appears to be well built. The control handle on the bottom are made of plastic, not copper. This will make it more comfortable to use as the plastic insulates from the toaster’s heat while still providing a nice aesthetic. The bottom also has a cord wrap keeping the excess cord out of the way. This is a nice looking, well-built toaster which serves its niche nicely.

Love this toaster! Stylish and works to perfection