Made a very good cup of coffee. Compared to regular Braun and Krupps $ 40-50 lines, the coffee tased outstanding. Best I've had, hot, no bitterness at all. Milk frother worked pretty well. Sometimes not enough froth.
Negative Product Points
If the coffee did not taste so darn good i would of dumped this machine. The filter bucket could not be opened with the carafe in place. Problematic but not too bad. Rear reservoir difficult to access, machine had to be puller forward from under cabinets. Espresso maker did not make good espresso.
Detailed Commentary
I loved the coffee the Figaro made, so I put up with the little bad points. To my taste the Figaro made the smoothest tasting coffee I've had from a home machine. I typically made fresh ground coffee, whole beans purchased from Dunkin Donuts, sometimes Starbucks of various roasts.
Espresso making was easy, add water, and turn on, wait two minutes. Espresso was not great, and no crema at all (unit has no crema filter). I was not so interested in the espresso, so this did not bother me too much. Milk frother was mostly good, easy to assemble and clean. Seemed cheap, all plastic and some rubber, but it never broke in my hands.
The unit is all plastic and takes up a hefty amount of counter space (about 20 inches wide 12 inches deep), but he machine looked good so that was a trade-off.
I bought from Costco via internet. My first machine arrived cracked. The replacement machine functioned normally for just less than two years. At 23 months the coffee element would not turn on, espresso maker still worked. The on light would indicate coffee production was on, but the heating elements did not get warm at all. Fortunately Costco refunded my $160 dollars but not shipping costs.
I don’t know if I will find a new Unit make that makes coffee to my liking as this machine, I can only hope. So after all the little bad functionalities, the bottom line is great coffee. I would consider purchasing a used/replacement machine if priced low enough.
Buying Experience
Costco was very good, shipping was good. Customer service was outstanding.
