Makes decent espresso and cappucino for a low price.
Positive Product Points
CAN make very good espresso and cappucino. Inexpensive pump machine.
Negative Product Points
Can't handle the finest of grinds. No cup warmer.
Detailed Commentary
Perhaps ignorance is bliss in this case. While I do enjoy an occasional espresso, I primarily use this machine for cappucino, which I believe is actually less demanding of an espresso maker. With freshly roasted and ground beans, I have made better cappucino at home than I've ever been served in any commercial establishment. The crema on my espresso is usually thick and long-lasting. I only use this machine perhaps once a week and it's holding up well. What more could I ask?
I'd like a cup warmer, but hot water from the tap works for me. It is possible to use too fine a grind or tamp too hard. The espresso in this case drips out of only one of the two ports, leaks a bit around the filter holder, and flows backward into the drain below. This rarely happens to me anymore, though.
The unit came with one of those silly perfect froth tube things that was supposed to make steaming the milk foolproof. It just clogged. When it worked as designed, the resulting foam was thin and weak. Fortunately, that piece of junk comes right off and leaves behind a standard steam jet, which works just fine once you learn the proper technique.
