This is rather a fun machine to use. If you want only one small cup of espresso, it works fine. To accommodate larger amount, I purchased additional filters on-line. To clean the filters it is necessary to run hot water through them after grounds have been washed away, otherwise stale coffee stays in them until next use. At 3 charges per day, the machine will last about one year, at which point the pump motor will freeze up.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
This item is to short of space for a mug,cup, or anything! the space to fit a cup is only 1&5/8 inches, NO room for a cup very poor design, I sent it back and never had a chance to use it, Dissatisfied customer.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
I bought this as my first espresso machine, and it has performed admirably. If you are looking for a quality, reliable machine with basic features that will fit into pretty much any budget, I would definitely recommend this one. Even though it is a "lower end" machine, it is solidly built, and nothing about it feels cheap. The included instructions are clear and concise, and were a great help to me, as I was a newcomer to the world of espresso. As far as actual operation, the boiler heats up quickly, the water reservoir is adequate and easily removable, and as long as you know what you're doing with grinding and tamping, it makes an excellent cup of espresso every time. The steam nozzle works well, but if the machine is placed directly on the counter top, there is little room beneath the nozzle, and it could be difficult to find a container shallow enough to fit beneath it. This is easily fixed by setting it on a short box or other platform, though. The major shortcoming of this machine, in my mind, is that it only has one boiler, which much be switched from espresso temperature to steam temperature. This seriously limits the number of steamed-milk-based drinks it can make in a given time, since the boiler must heat up for steam and cool down for espresso for each drink made, a process which easily takes 15 minutes. This makes it essentially a personal espresso maker, and not a good choice if you plan to regularly serve multiple people. Overall, though, it's a great choice for the price, I'm definitely glad I bought it, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a well-made, inexpensive basic espresso maker.Read full review
Great unit, this is my second one. Got the first used on a 'hunch' and never looked back, and the plastic on it was broken badly!. Though the plastic tamper attachment is fairly useless, and the frother/steamer is weak for frothing, the rest of it makes up for it. Powerful pump for great crema, easy to use, removable tank. I use it 5x a day, and have no issues with it at all. Do yourself a favor, get a good steel 52mm tamper! You CANNOT go wrong with this machine, read the directions and TAMP 30lbs or better on European grind or espresso grind and your tastebuds will thank you!
What prompted me to buy this machine was primarily the price. It had the features I was looking for such as a power pump (15 bars) and the ability to make several espressos in a row. It produces a decent cup of espresso, especially for a machine with such a low price tag. I like the built-in tamper too. It comes in quite handy so I don't have to find my manual tamper. A couple things I think are less than desirable are: The distance between the espresso nozzles and the cup tray in not nearly big enough for even a regular size coffee cup, much less a large mug like I prefer. You have to use an espresso shot glass or small espresso cup (neither is included) to be short enough to fit in the small space it allows for a cup. The other thing I dislike somewhat is the smaller capacity of the water tank. It's about half of that of other models I compared with this one. Other than the size issues it's not a bad machine. I wouldn't pay over $100 for this machine, however. There are better choices for not much more money than that with far better features.Read full review
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