Great espresso, ease of use and cleaning, best price.
Negative Product Points
Warming plate is useless
Detailed Commentary
I have done a serious research on espresso machines. According to all reviews I have read superautomatics were supposed to sacrifice quality of drinks in the name of convenience. I decided to take my chances. I turned out to be the right decision. Also I realized that I was buying the cheapest machine and shouldn't expect anything outstanding. I was wrong! The quality of the espresso and coffee is fantastic! It beats any coffee shop in the US. Just for a mere reason that I adjusted the machine to my taste not some teenager at the Starbuck who has a vague idea what espresso is supposed to be... I've seen machines that cost a thousand and two-three thousands more. I can understand a hundred or two more for bells and whistles and some conveniences but I seriously doubt that those incredible expensive machines can produce better drinks. If are you not used to Turkish coffee made slowly (45-60 minutes) on hot sand then you definitely not going to notice a difference. So don't waste your money and settle for Palatino. Shop around. I bought mine on ebay for $295 (new of course). It worked right away. I did not watch an included video: no need for that. All I needed to do is to adjust the amount of water and the grinder to my taste.
Buying Experience
Shop around. Prices are varying alot. Should be under $300.
Three Month Followup
It is the absolutely great machine. It is incredibly easy to use, to clean. It produces great espresso and coffee. This is a cheapest super automatic on the market. I still have to understand what do other machines, the ones that cost a lot more, can do better to justify an investment. It is very consistent. The only deficiency is that the grinder chokes on two finest settings, but I doubt that anybody uses them anyway. So I am very happy about my purchase. At least for now.
One Year Followup
Still works great. Being very lazy I wash the brewing group in the dishwasher with just a dash of detergent. So far so good. Brews are very consistent and good. Still very happy about this purchase.
