Great looking, combined grinder&espresso machine for making a good espresso and great cappucino's!
Positive Product Points
Great Looks Quickly on temperature Integrated grinder saves space Good steamer.
Negative Product Points
A bit messy with the grinder The grate under the piston for collecting drippings is a not stable
Detailed Commentary
The looks of the machine are great. As an Alessi fan it is definitely a must have. Besides the looks it makes a great espresso. The grinder that is combined in this machine is realy ease to use and saves a lot of space. Also no extra cables needed for grinder and machine. Very handy combination. Of course you may doubt the quality of the grinder but for now and for this machine I think it is a good combination. When grinding the coffee in your piston it does however get a bit messy on the machine. But nothing a swipe with wet cloth can't handle :) The steamer is very good. In no time and with almost no practice I'm making the best cappucinos ever. The grate that is above a reservoir for collecting drippings and stuff is not rock solid on the reservoir. This could be improved by a better ridge or something. Overall: I love to make a nice espresso and was looking for a good (more proffesional) machine. After rethinking what and how I should be using it and being a huge Alessi fan it is the best choice.
Buying Experience
I was lucky to buy this machine 2nd hand for only 200. It is under a year old and by the looks of it not frequently used. Everything is in great order and the machine looks and feels robust enough to last for some time. I am really happy with this great looking machine.
Three Month Followup
Still a good machine that I like to look at every day. No real updates compared to the inital review.
One Year Followup
I'm now very used to my machine and actually am using it daily. It still is a wonderfull machine that has everything! One thing with grinding though is that the coarseness can be adjusted but not to a fine degree you would like for certain beans. The settings are a bit limited in range. I find the machine particularly easy to clean. Milk frothing is easy and I can get good microfoam but this takes time to perfect and I think I am running into the limits of the machine as well. But since the looks and the rest is good I will wait with buying a new machine until this one breaks down :)
