Doesn't make hot enough espresso or steamed milk; milk container gets stuck. Poorly designed for this price.
Positive Product Points
Easy to follow instructions and set up. Has a bypass for using different coffee from the beans loaded in the grinder. Latte and cappuccino settings.
Negative Product Points
Milk container made of cheap plastic and gets stuck in the machine (or won't go in). Does not make hot enough espresso or steamed milk. Somewhat tall - cannot fit under cabinets. A bit noisy.
Detailed Commentary
Was trying to step up to the next level of machine. I had a Capresso machine for many years (a fairly low level model, with the spinning top that cycles the grinds to a bin when done brewing). It finally wore out and I was looking for an automatic machine to do all the work. This machine has a section for adding whole beans, with the ability to set the grind level. It has another container for your water (used filtered water). It also has a bypass so you can change to a different coffee, such as decaf, for a one-off cup. It has a warming tray on the top, but this doesn't do much - cups would have to be sitting there for a while before they'd get warm. And it has a plastic milk container for making lattes/cappuccinos. The frother lets you choose making a latte or cappuccino with low fat or regular milk settings. Unfortunately, the milk container gets stuck or is very hard to place in and out of its position. The handle and top of this container is made of cheap plastic - at times I felt like I was going to break it trying to get the milk container to pull out. And the machine doesn't make hot enough espresso or steamed milk. I tried both the default and custom settings, including setting to the hottest mode. Given that this machine was $700 on sale (from its reduced price if $899 at Starbucks), I returned the product. At this price, you should expect the machine to at least make hot enough drinks. I know that when it comes to automatic machines, this is probably on the lower price end, but still, for $700, you'd expect better performance and quality. Alas, I'm still struggling to find a replacement.
Buying Experience
Starbucks was easy to deal with and manager gave detailed instructions on how to use the machine.
