EDIT: amending my previous review, machine suddenly stopped working after 6 months. No pressure or water in the portafilter, instead hot water just leaks out of every part of the machine after I queue a shot. Gave the email listed by the manufacturer for warranty issues an extensive description of the problem (photos, videos) as well as my receipt and order# and they still haven't gotten back to me after 3 days. Very disappointed in this purchase, equally disappointed by the service provided.
Got this machine around $110 with a discount, one of the best introductory espresso maker for the price. I have a Baratza Encore and grind my beans on 10 and it comes out tasting great.
It’s not a 3-way solenoid so water will pretty much always be in the puck if it’s not filled to the max, but my shots taste great just using included two scoops for a double/one scoop for single. Taste is important, not whether water is still in the basket at the end. There’s preprogrammed settings for single/double but if you hold the button while the shots are pulling you can stop it at any time. I use this feature to pull shots at 2oz/1oz for double/singles. Steam wand is good, I was used to a smaller steam wand but this one aerates milk a lot quicker so don’t overdo it for lattes.
It’s a good machine, lightweight so when you lock in the handle so it will move a bit if you aren’t holding it. One of the only things is that the boiler takes a while to start when you queue shots or steam, about 10-12 seconds. Basically I’ll wait pull my shots because if you steam milk, turn the knob to coffee and then pull shots you don’t have to wait as long.
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