If you want to make espresso that is as good as you'll get for $2.00/shot at a coffee house, this machine isn't for you. If you want a coffee pot/espresso combo in the $100 range, you will get the best value with this combo. I can make a very good latte with it, and a fairly decent shot of espresso -- and very good coffee. The negative reviews I've read seem to be from two types: 1) Those who really need to spend more to get a beautiful golden crema-topped shot of espresso. I understand, but it can't be had for this price. 2) Those who don't know how to use it properly. For a latte, you'll need to have finely ground espresso, a stainless steel frothing pitcher, and cold milk (2% or non-fat work best). Remove the rubber end to the frothing nozzle -- I never use it, and that may be one of the problems other reviewers have. In fact, you can throw that bugger away -- it's worthless. Follow the instructions in the manual to fill your water reservoir and your espresso filter. Fill your frothing pitcher no more than halfway with milk. Turn the dial on the left of the machine to the "cup" setting, and as soon as your first drop of espresso falls, switch the dial to the froth setting. Keep the nozzle low in the pitcher, just heating -- not frothing. This is very important. JUST HEAT, keeping the nozzle low in the pitcher. It will take at least a minute, maybe two for the milk to be the proper temperature. You can guess the temperature is right if you hold the pitcher in your hand, not by its handle, and keep heating the milk until the pitcher is just about too hot to hold -- (or you could buy a thermometer, but this works just as well, and for the price-conscious does the trick). When the pitcher is too hot to hold, it's ready to froth. Move the pitcher lower so that the nozzle just skims along the top of the milk. This will start your foam growing, and that lovely noise you hear all day long at your favorite coffee house. It will not take long before your pitcher is about to overflow. At that point, quickly switch the dial back to the "cup" setting, and your espresso shot will fall. You always want the espresso shot to fall at the very end of the process, because a shot will "die" after about a minute, and it will just taste bad. So, as soon as your shot is done, pour it in your cup and add your milk. Once the milk is in there with the shot, the shot is protected. After filling your cup with the milk, top it with the foam, and add a little cocoa powder or cinnamon or even nutmeg -- your choice. I've also added a drop or two of vanilla extract. You're good to go. You'll have a delicious latte, at an extremely low price. (I explained the above because the instructions in the manual are not that good, and I don't have the time to build a how-to video. I was also a barista at Starbucks for a year, so I did learn a thing or two about lattes. I hope it was helpful.) Read more
This is my second one of the same model and the coffee maker works well except the access to the filter assembly latch is very difficult to open on this one. Espresso machine is not the 14 bar pressure system as with the very expensive models, but for the price makes great latte's and espresso and has made me very popular with my wife and our guests. Has saved me a fortune in barista bills when she wants a Carmel Latte. I recommend that you purchase a stainless milk steamer and a small thermometer to get a good product. Last one made coffee every day and lasted over 4 years before the heating element quit working. Read more
I've always loved coffee and recently had a baby, so this saved me lots of time, energy and money rather than running to starbucks. I love that it can do both, the coffee side is works great, as does the espresso part. Making espresso isnt easy and takes time getting the hang of it, but its a lot of fun!! The only thing is that I agree with other reviews that you should take off the black plastic around the frother, it works sooo much better and easier to clean when its off! Once I tried that my milk frothing expereince was amazing. I wish it had come with its own milk pitcher, but I bought an inexpensive one on amazon. This is great for those that are new to espresso making and are not willing to pay BIG BUCKS for a first time machine. Read more
Before this, we had one of those stupidly expensive Krups espresso/coffee makers ($400 or so). Beautiful to look at but it quickly deterioriated and the pump espresso part stopped functioning right. I waited too long to deal with it, so it was out of warranty. I should've taken it back just on general purposes. What a rip. This far cheaper one is fine. The coffee maker part is ok and I'm glad there isn't a clock/timer to always be wrong and over-complicate things -- just a simple on/off switch. The steam-driven espresso maker does what it's supposed to but the steam attachment to make foam is not good, way worse than the last cheap one like this I had. Won't kick out steam hard enough to foam milk for cappuccinos. I probably should've given this 2 stars but we're just so glad not to have that attractive but useless pricey one any more. Read more
I have had this product for about six months now, and love it. I use it probably five times a week, and it has shown absolutely no signs of wear. I definitely use the coffee maker much more often than the espresso machine simply because it is so conveniently fast and easy to clean. You can brew a pot of coffee in under five minutes, and it has consistently turned out good. It is also worth noting that my father had the same machine a year or so back, and after about a year and a hard some of the parts on his did begin to break. At that point he found that it was rather expensive to replace them with the manufacturer (namely the coffee filter holder that swings out on the right side) which was unfortunate, so he ended up purchasing a new machine instead. I would say he was probably rather hard on it, and you could likely extend the life of this machine to 2+ years with good care. For the price, I would say this is a great purchase and would absolutely do it again. Read more
