Solid construction. Decent steam pressure. Steam wand can be used with or without autofroth tip enabled, so experienced or aspiring frothsters can experiment while the inexperienced can happily blow crazy bubbles with the autofrother.
Negative Product Points
Doesn't pull much "espresso" before it starts burning it. Not enough pressure. Poor temperature control. Brown water literally dribbles out for a several seconds before the thing creates something that loosely resembles crema.
Detailed Commentary
This was my first espresso machine, and I never tasted espresso from a professional machine/barista before receiving it as a gift. I initially made tons of lattes and focused on frothing the milk properly. With practice you can definitely get decent frothed milk. It worked great for milk-based drinks in general. I often would make latte's 2 or 3 times in a day.
Lately I drink espresso almost exclusively and producing it well has been my focus. Unfortunately that just is not possible with this machine. It can pull a weak and slightly overcooked 1.5-2.0 oz shot in a little over 30 seconds. Messing w/the grind, and trying pre-ground espresso doesn't seem to make much of a difference. While you end up with less unburnt product, you really should tamp with this machine or you will find the taste of the espresso VERY weak.
I'm replacing this with a used krups maximo. I'm sure it will be a step up, though definitely not my last machine.
