Good first expresso machine, pretty good value if on sale and you also happen to be shopping for a coffee maker!
Positive Product Points
Quick heatup, save space by eliminating duplicate machines, easy to program and use, easy to clean.
Pretty fool proof for expresso newbies like me, but can still benefit from tweaking.
Negative Product Points
Can‘t place on counter under cabinet and still pour water in the drip side without moving the machine forward. Noisy, if that bothers you.
Steam wand *too short* and placed too low!
Detailed Commentary
Other than the design features mentioned above, my only complaint with this machine is that I have yet to make a decent pot of regular drip coffee. I‘ve tried many (pre-ground) brands of coffee, and different "auto-drip" grinds, but all I get is face-puckering BITTER brew! I‘m going to try a coarse grind to see how it comes out, I‘m sure its just my inexperience.
Still experimenting with the expresso shots - I seem to get a pretty good shot using expresso-grind coffee with a very light tamp (the manufacturer recommends a coarser-than-usual grind for the expresso maker.) Lots of crema, not bitter. Going to experiment with a slightly coarser grind and a tighter tamp.
I like the frothing capability, even though manuvering the frothing pitcher under the short wand is a pain sometimes. Ample, dry steam. UNREAL how fast it heats up.
Easy to clean up. Overall I‘m happy with it, but I got a decent deal on the machine - $270 (new, no refurb.) Doubt I‘d pay full price.
The instructions and video are a laugh, and that‘s about all they‘re good for.
