Beautiful esthetics and excellent, flawless operation. It makes the best espresso too!
Positive Product Points
Produces the very best espresso shots and frothed milk, if used by an experienced operator. Construction is among the best. Excellent esthetics. Consistent temperatures and will deliver shots at the right temperature.
Negative Product Points
Takes practice to master operation and achieve acceptable results. Not too many grips with this machine.
Detailed Commentary
I bought this unit to use at home and moved my Starbucks Barista to the office. Out of the box this very heavy machine worked flawlessly. It is beautiful to look at, and now after some practice (1 day) I can make consistent drinks with this machine and they are of excellent quality.
The portafilters are standard size and they come with both single and double spouts and one and two shot capacity. I leave it plugged in 24/7 so that it is always ready to go. It has very smooth operation and can put out shot after shot with the same quality. The milk frother and steamer is also of high quality and never seems to run out of steam.
I like the lever action for pulling shots. It is both convernient and adds a certain character to the machine that is nice. The cup warmer is passive but works great simply becasue the machine does generate allot of heat. (which is a good thing)
I give the machine a 7 on usability simply because there is a learning curve that is common to all of the semi-automatic machines.
Buying Experience
I bought this unit from Wholelattelove.com. They do not normally stock this machine, they carry the TEA. This machine was one that they had as a "almost new" refurb unit, hence the low price I paid compared to new. The machine was packed properly, and does look almost new but was about half of the list price. The unit was shipped promptly and worked fine right out of the box.
