Makes a nice espresso. Has some quirks.
Purchased while it was on sale, not a bad machine. When you turn the machine on, it will immediately schedule a cleaning cycle. You can cancel it, but you need to be aware that it's going to happen, kind of surprising the first time you turn the machine on. The cleaning cycle does not run a cleaning on the steam wand, which is nice if you forget. The setup of the machine was simple, ran it through a couple of test cups then was off and running. The espresso tastes fine and it makes a nice crema when brewing. The americano comes out a bit weak and cool. There is no ability to adjust the brew temperatures, which is sad. I have noticed that, first cup of the morning, almost always generates a cleaning fault on the machine. If you open the machine up and pull out the grinds tray and the brewing center, then reseat them, it clears the fault for the day. You can make six single espressos before you need to empty the tray/clean the grinder. The steam wand is advertised on the amazon page as 360 degrees of rotation, that's incorrect. Documentation states it is 42 degrees. The rotation is counter-clockwise only. The steam wand does a nice job frothing and steaming milk, half-and-half and plant based milk alternatives. I have noticed that the steaming wand seems to be making a high pitched whistle after a month or so, if it ends up too deep in the milk. When brewing a double espresso, it does so by grinding and preparing two single espressos so you go through a lot of beans. we see several times where it says the bean hopper is empty, but when you open it there are plenty. If you shift the beans around, then brew, it clears the fault. The espresso brewed tastes good and has a nice crema. The americano option tends to be a bit cool. Cleaning is simple, takes maybe five mintues to empty the grinds tray and wash out the brewing center. Read more