Margaritaville Tahiti Frozen Concoction Maker, DM3000

So far, so good! We've used it for three parties in the last 6 weeks, and it has been great, working flawlessly... unless a 3 inch blob of ice gets caught in the hopper. It can't deal with anything larger than a regular ice cube, and note that we always use the bagged ice and let it get a tiny bit melty as suggested in the instructions. My dear hubby was hesitant about buying such an expensive item, but is now a convert, not just because the machine keeps the party flowing with drinks, but also because it is a showstopper and great conversation starter. The funny thing is, the men gather around it like it is a shiny new Corvette and ooh and ahhh over it.... You can see the glazed look in their eyes as they watch it whip out batch after batch of frozen concoctions. I almost expect them to start grunting and waving cave man clubs in the air. (Just kidding, guys!) But suffice it to say that the Tahiti Frozen concoction maker has been a hit here! The guys have renamed it "That Tsunami Margarita maker!" One thing I have to warn you about... (and many thanks to the other posters for the heads up)... do NOT just think you can use the recipes in the recipe book and find satisfaction! Au Contraire! We tried the Margarita recipe exactly.. UCK! too tart, just awful.... took us 5-6 tries to get it right. (But it was fun practicing!) Finally involved a combo of Minutemaid limeaid, Masters of Mix Margarita mix, Triple Sec, Tequila and just a tiny dash of OJ. The Mojito recipe and Daiquiri recipes in the book also required major tweaking. Also, you will need to PRACTICE before you do it for a party... So glad we read the reviews and did so, because it would have been rather embarrassing otherwise. It isn't hard to operate, its just a little different from a standard blender. And you have to remember to take the "lid" off before you try and pour. The function of being able to add more shaved ice and reblend is a great help. In hot sun, it only takes a few moments for any drinks left in a pitcher to separate, but a quick shave of more ice and a quick blend brings it back to par. Also, be warned... SERIOUSLY! It says it in the warning info several times... DO NOT STICK YOUR HANDS NEAR THE BLADES! I didn't think and was trying to get the last of some shaved ice out of the pitcher with my finger, and discovered just how RAZOR SHARP those blades in the three pitchers really are! ( No worries, all healed, now!) BUT be careful with them! Another thing you need to account for... you can't over fill the pitcher and get a bigger batch. When it blends, it is very powerful, and the level rises significantly. That said, once the ice is in, a pitcher of drinks yields about 24 oz, and will generally provide 3.5 drinks per pitcher. No biggie if you only have 8 people standing around, but if your party lends itself to a larger guest list, say 25-30, you'll have to hustle to get those drinks out. At least the first round. Our answer to this problem was to premix the "batches" of drinks. We used the SCREW ON TOP FOOD CONTAINERS by rubbermaid/glad or whoever, because I have found they DO NOT LEAK, and kept them in a cooler. Once you get your recipe to your satisfaction, you should end up with about 1.5 cups of "mix" (That is the flavored mix ingredients plus the alcohol. If you add fresh or frozen fruit, it will be closer to 2 cups.) We labeled the containers... about 10 of each...Mojito..."Rita"... Daiquiri...then we froze them until the morning of the party. We kept them in a cooler under the bar. They were NOT frozen when we put them into the blender. Making these up ahead of time eliminated error, and standing around measuring things into the pitcher. Big time saver! Any "batches" unused went back to the freezer for the next event. Note we did not find any single bottled mix that really did the trick alone when mixed with the spirits. All bottled mixes just seemed to be missing something. Be aware that if you make "Virgin" non-alcoholic drinks, you will need to use water to replace the spirits in a double amount. i.e if your recipe calls for 2 jiggers of spirits, the non-alcoholic recipe will likely need 4 jiggers of water. That's because the spirits really melt the ice. Without it, the drink is quite thick and hard to pour. So, if you are thinking about taking this plunge... go for it if it is in your budget. We haven't regretted it and would surely buy it again. Just be sure to perfect your recipes, practice, and prepare enough pre-mixed "batches" in advance. ;-)

The old adage, "You get what you pay for" really sticks to this one... I bought this to replace an older kitchen-counter ice shaver which cost under $50. That one was loud, slow, and messy. The DM3000 is unbelievable! It effortlessly prepares 3 pitchers of drinks (for both adults and kids -at the same time!), and does so in spectacular fashion! Why spend so much money on an ice shaver? Because the DM3000 has a reservoir to collect the ice water- it doesn't spill into your drinks, or on your bar/counter. Because the DM3000 has individual controls for each pitcher, allowing you to create an assortment of drinks, with varying consistencies, at one time- no washing the pitcher in between mixes- you've got three of them! Because the DM3000 thought of everything: You can add more ice or blend further using a toggle switch for each individual pitcher! Because you can use the left over ice for sno-cones in a fraction of a second! Need I write more? This is a high quality, center-of-attention drink mixer that will not disappoint anyone at your party!

The Tahiti Frozen drink maker is GREAT! The top of the machine is a holder for about a full bag of ice from the gas station. The top ice tank has a sharp blade on the inside, and it shaves the ice as it drops into the pitcher. It blends PERFECTLY! I'm really amazed at how well the Tahiti blends frozen fruits and drinks. We've used frozen peaches, strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, rasberries, etc. Each pitcher pours a perfectly blended drink. I have had pitchers overflow, running down the side of the pitcher. Cleanup is usually a breeze. Instead of using a typical wash cloth on the blender portion, I like to use wet whipes. The hardest thing to clean is the underside of the ice shute. The shute moves up & down to accomidate the middle pitcher. It feels delicate to move up and down. What I have been doing is laying the empty machine on its backside, and with my left hand I hold the shute in place, and I scrub with my right hand. Lots of seeds from our frozen fruit will get stuck on the lip of the ice shute, and up on the inside. Of course, if you put your hand on the inside of the shute, please be careful, due to the ice shaving blade being very sharp. I purchased this 2/18/11, and cannot wait to enjoy it for many summers and midwest WINTERS to come!

This is where the party begins and ends! Easy to operate and nothing but fun.

It’s a game changer for our lake house. All ages can enjoy a treat! Yeah it’s more than most would want to pay, BUT it’s a great quality machine that will definitely up your bar and hosting game.