Calphalon BVCLECMP1 Temp iQ Espresso Machine with Steam Wand Stainless

I have been using this espresso machine for the last 5 years and it’s made the best cup of coffee. I got it on sale during Amazon‘s Black Friday. And it has paid for itself 10 times over every year. Cleaning the machine is very easy and the upkeep of it is simple. If you’re a first time espresso machine user I highly recommend this machine for both the price and quality. It’s durable, doesn’t take up a ton of space, looks good on the counter, and very sustainable. I hope to have this machine for another 5 to 10 years. It truly is a quality machine for a fraction of the other designer machines. Read more

I gave this 5 stars based on value and easy magnificent espresso EVERY TIME. I would give it 4.6 stars because it lasted just over 3 years. :(. The warranty is good for 3 years, so we are just out of range. If you have issues, they ask you send a copy of receipt of purchase and video showing the issue. Bought this in Nov 2021 and use it ALL the time. I brew single or double shots 3-5x/day. Even a family member barista said this device brews excellent espresso. If your beans are good and the grind is right you will have crema as well. The brew time for 2 shots is about 45-60 secs. Frother takes getting used to because of size/number of steam holes but works well. If you drop the tamper it may break. Late Feb 2025 the pump failed and this lovely machine is not working. We plan to replace with same machine. You can’t beat the price for all I listed above. We’re wondering if maybe there is calcium build up somewhere in the line and plan to take it apart to find out. I have only run a cleaning cycle 2-3 times since we bought the machine. Read more

This review is for the Calphalon Temp iQ Espresso Machine with out the grinder. Let me start by saying that I do like this machine and it works pretty well as an entry level machine under $300....if you can get it for that price. I bought my machine a week before Black Friday and only paid $214 new. By December 1st, I noticed that the price shot up to $400. I would never pay $400 for this machine because there are machines with much better features at or near that price point. Some reviewers complained about the steam wand and I'll admit that I had trouble at first. It took some practice to get it exactly right, but now it works great. The game changer for me was to get a thermometer for the milk pitcher. After getting that, I realized that I wasn't letting the milk get to the proper temperature and now it's nearly perfect. Technique is also important so I recommend watching to short how-to videos online. Espresso shots pull pretty good, but there are two things that make significant improvements. First, I bought a scale to weigh my dose. Second is grind freshness. I've been buying coffee from a local store with a grinder and I've noticed that my first few shots taste great and then the quality seems to taper off after a few days. It seems that having your own grinder it very key to getting a good shot (from any machine). Ultimately, this is why I would not pay $400 for this machine because you really need a good grinder so you might as well buy a higher end machine with one included, unless you already have an espresso grinder. Lavazza has a good pre-ground espresso coffee, but again, the quality of the coffee diminishes after a few days of opening the can. This machine comes with pressurized portafilter baskets that are somewhat forgiving on grind size, but I would like to have the option for non-pressurized baskets. So far, I have not found a non pressurized basket that works well. I tried a pro version basket, but the machine does not play well with it and I can't get a good shot to extract. Unfortunately, Calphalon does not currently make any accessories for their machine. So far, I've had no issues with maintenance of the machine and no indication of any problems. It seems to be well built. If you can get this machine for close to the $200 price point then it's definitely a good buy. At the $400 price, you might as well spend a little more and get a better brand that includes a grinder. FYI - This is a completely unpaid, unbiased review by an everyday user of this machine. Read more

nd she is not a flatterer o does a ton of research before buying anything and always strives to buy the absolute best item for my needs. So needless to say I went down a rabbit hole on esspresso machines and was dismayed to find it was a cess pool of coffee snobs turning up their noses to bascially any machines that weren't professional grade $1000+ machines, and any coffee that wasn't roasted 20 minutes ago and ground immediately before making the esspresso... So after mentally filtering out all the people in that first category, and then all the people at the other end who would basically be happy drinking cold coffee from the pot on friday that they brewed on monday... I came to a happy middle ground of information. I got the non grinder version of the calphalon temp iq with the intention of ordering a separate grinder later due to height constraints in my kitchen. The machine has worked amazing so far and proved very easy to use after watching some of the intructional videos on youtube. It is very easy to clean and the milk steamer has worked flawlessly so far. If you put the steam wand in at the right angle and depth and listen for that kissing sound it comes of creamy and perfect everytime. I also hymned and hawed over the idea of finding the right coffee beans, then the right grind setting, then tamping pressure... worrying I would mess up the esspresso and make it too bitter, not have a proper "crema," etc... I will say right now that I put some store bought tim hortons pre ground coffee in that machine, tamped it to what seemed good to me, and went on to make the best dang latte I have ever had... on my first try! I'm sure a lot of coffee/esspessro "experts" will scoff, but comparing the cup i made (and subsequent cups) with anything I have had from starbucks, upscale resturants, and many highly rated local coffee shops that roast their own beans on site my home lattes win hands down. (granted my latte art sucks but im not making these for my eyes, plus i figure i have time to learn!) I was blown away how easy it was and how good it was and instantly gave up any notion of needing to grind my own beans. I tell you no lie that the pour and "crema," color and everything else looked like every video i could find of esspresso and it was neither too bitter nor too watered down for my palate. I will admit that the first time it made esspresso the pour took about 50 seconds which had me worried because it appears the ideal pour is 25-30 seconds to avoid bitter or watered down esspessro. but it tasted excellent! Just in case it is helpful, i do drink regular coffee black, and whiskey straight so i could have a stronger palate than some which means I don't notice any wrongs in the esspresso. However my wife finds 15% abv wine to taste strongly alcoholic and says the lattes I have made for her were amazing and she is not a flatter lol. Anyways, I love and it works amazing. Hope this helps! Read more