The snazzy styling conceals an slightly agricultural machine, but it works well.
Positive Product Points
Nice looking stainless steel design Easy to use Makes good coffee
Negative Product Points
Quite noisy Fiddly water tank
Detailed Commentary
I read the (mainly negative) reviews here after I had bought it. I was worried about how long it would last, but atfer 2 months of daily use there are no signs of anything going wrong.
Compared to my previous un-pumped machine, this is a revelation; I never realised espresso could taste so good. Every cup has a huge crema on top and a wonderfully full flavour. The pump, while noisy, is powerful enough to extract all the flavours from the beans. The heater is powerful enough to heat the water, warm the cups on the hotplate above and the coffee holder, meaning a hot cup each time.
The only downside is the really stupid design of the water tank. Topping up is fine - you just slide it to one side and pour water in. However, to remove it for cleaning, you have to fiddle around with two silicone rubber tubes that have to be pulled out of the tank before removing it. Otherwise the tank won't fit past the pump outlet. Getting it back in again is just as annoying.
Buying Experience
Nothing out of the ordinary to report.
Three Month Followup
It hasn't broken yet :)
One Year Followup
One year on and it's still going strong. No problems to report.
