Does what it says, but you get what you pay for.
I'm satisfied with my purchase, because it was a new open box item that i got for about $300 under msrp. So, for $129 or however much i paid, its well worth it and a heck of a value! Functionally it does Brew coffee very well, (just as good as the cuisinart it replaced), and the espresso makes espresso. Its got a 15 bar rating and i believe it, because nothing can get through those little tiny espresso filters without that sort of pressure. So far I've only used Starbuck Sumatra and Dunkin donuts coffees, but they taste as good as anything you'd buy from a coffee house. One big sidenote though, is i do have a Culligan system including reverse osmosis, so the water i use is along the lines of say Dasani bottled water. If you're trying to use crummy water to make coffee, your coffee will taste crummy no matter what sort of machine you own. It'll also scale up and but out faster and be much harder to clean. Use filtered, softened, reverse osmosis and you'll be happy from the shower to the coffee pot lol.
So, it makes espresso and can steam froth milk, so you can make nice cappuccinos as well. The downside is, you've got to make sure that the switch on the left side turns on the heater for the espresso and steam. There's two lights on the front that turn green, one for the espresso and the other for the steam. It takes a while for those to turn green, letting you know the water is hot enough. Then after brewing it takes a bit for the heat to catch up again, so you can't make espresso quick fast and in a hurry like a barista.
I've had to use coffee mugs and a small Pyrex measuring cup. The box shows two clear air insulated espresso cups and a stainless steel frothing container, but those don't come in the box.
One last thing, is if you've never owned an espresso machine, or brewed legit espresso, you're in for a little learning curve and its more work than you might think. Its not like ordering one from Starbucks. At home, you've got to do all the messy tedious work yourself and then cleanup once you're done. If i had to guess, after a week of practice, it takes me about 10 minutes from start to finish to enjoy 2 minutes worth of cappuccino. Is it worth it? Yes i suppose so, because i don't have to drive anywhere to get it.
All in all not a bad purchase if you can find one at a good deal like i did.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
