I love her
Why did you pick this product vs others?: After a rocky start (see note below), I now love this machine so much. Pros: - Looks beautiful and feels like a quality item. I've bought other espresso machines that use a flimsy plastic tampers. This one comes with a nice, heavy tamper and other items frequently left out of budget models like the steaming pitcher and a total of 4 filters for different purposes. (Usually only 2) - The grinder is quieter than expected and does a very good job. I'm set to the middle and I think I like it there for now. - It makes a beautiful and consistent cup of coffee once you get the settings right and learn how much to press the grounds. Because of the fresh grounds, it produces a beautiful crema with dazzling iridescent bubbles. - The double espresso setting on this machine makes a really decent amount of brew. When paired with the amount of milk needed to fill the provided pitcher and have room for steaming, it fills my big latte mugs with a spot-on ratio. (My last espresso maker needed 3 shots so I had to run it twice) - The wide head on the portafilter feels substantial and seems to provide a better brew. You get a double shot quickly. - The milk wand does a good job once it gets going. It does take a few seconds after activating it for anything to happen. I suggest letting that first gush of water off into another cup and then steaming your milk. I haven't gotten a lot of foam out of it but I also haven't tried because I don't like it. Cons: - It's really hard to tell when you have enough grounds in the portafilter because you can't see in there while grinding. A funnel would be a nice touch but you can buy tamping kits that have them for pretty cheap. - A lot of excess water ends up in the drip pan from the insides of the machine itself. I really thought I had a leak at first. It seems to be intentional because there is a passageway for it and it is entirely contained to the drip tray. However, it's really weird to have steam rising from the grate below your coffee and find it's full of super hot water after each use. - The milk wand is LOUD. I'm used to them being loud but this one might actually be above a safe level for your hearing. - The manual did not include the error/issue I was having in the Troubleshooting portion. Because of that I had no idea what was up or how to overcome it. By pure dumb luck I got it working before returning it. Note: I ALMOST returned this machine. I literally had another one on order. I tried one more time on a whim and it finally started working! I followed the directions for startup and all the other tricks I know but it would not produce a single drop of liquid from the hot water, steamer, or coffee functions. It was sucking up nothing and then it would give me an error (beeps and all lights flashing). I know from other machines that this usually means it's out of water but there was nothing blocking it. I had removed the red plug before even filling it the first time. It took about 15 different attempts but the water finally started flowing through the machine. Features: Integrated grinder, heavy professional tamper provided, included milk steaming pitcher, 4 filters, wide portafilter head, quality steam wand that is easily repositionable on 2 axis Value for money: Most machines with the integrated grinder are either twice as much in price or don't give you the bells and whistles like a heavy tamper or the steaming pitcher. Read more






















