Steam Espresso And Cappuccino Maker

To the engineer that posted detailed instructions on how you should use this machine. Your a genius! I have followed your advice from day one and not had one problem with this unit. This is a great little machine for not a lot of $$$$. I have saved a lot of $$$ making my own latte's. Sorry Starbucks I love you but....... I can make my own now :) I Here are the instructions I follow. If you follow the directions included with the machine to a tee your going to get disappointing water logged coffee. But if you have a basic understanding of pressure and steam you'll need to modify your operation of this little machine. What I do is fill the coffee filter holder to max shot coffee level line and use a coffee tamper to compress the espresso but don't pack it to tight just a simple tamp is all you need because your going to want to stop the excess water rush when the thick black coffee and cream stops pouring. I use only purified water unless you want your machine to last only 1 year from mineral deposits, and I fill glass carafe to reach the bottom of the metal band to ensure more than enough water and steam to do the job. With everything in place i.e. power off, coffee filter holder fully locked in, steam cap screwed down tight, frothing arm extended and ready with cup and milk standing by... I then turn the machine to knob to steam first to allow the machine to build pressure and steam without prematurely diluting the coffee filter holder, as soon as the frothing arm starts to sputter and produce steam with a hint of water I quickly switch the control knob to brew coffee position which brings in only hot steam and water trickling out only dark thick coffee and this is where you have to be rehearsed to act fast and operate the machine effectively! With the thick black coffee trickling, get your milk cup ready sitting under the frothing arm ready to be lifted up as soon as you see the brewing coffee go from slow tricking thick dark coffee to cream foam. It should have reached the first like on the coffee pot at this point. Now GET READY to turn the control knob back to steam the INSTANT you see that the slow dark cream foam trickling out slowly starts to speed up. The moment before you see the slow dark cream foam trickling out start to speed up to water, I Instantly raise my milk cup submersing the frothing arm under the milk to avoid splatter while simultaneously switching the control knob to steam, which instantly stops the brewing process to the coffee filter holder preventing water dilution. Turn the knob slowly once on the steam side and work your way up to full steam if you switch too quickly you will get a milk volcano lol. Once your milk is frothed to your liking. switch the control knob to off. That's it, perfect Espresso. Be sure to once you've made your coffee clear the rest of the steam from the unit once your done and clean the froth arm. I wipe the outside of the plastic cover then take it off and wipe down the metal portion to clean the steamed on milk off. Then I replace the plastic cover and turn the steam back on to clear out all the rest of the water and steam from the unit. This will clean the frothing arm but also release all the pressure that has built up in the machine. Once all the steam is released take the lid off the top of the water compartment and let the machine cool. Doing this when not in use will help prevent premature compression damage to the sealing gaskets, I only slightly keep both the steam cap and the filter holder screwed in place. If you lock them down to full tight position when not in use, I find that it will prematurely compress the sealing gaskets and they will start to leak early making brewing ineffective. Having said all of this, as a protective disclaimer I must say that this is what “I DO” and I'm not recommending any of these operating actions to anyone. "You should use the instruction book to a tee for OK strong watery coffee if that's what your after." Thanks E. Gonzales for your review. My coffee machine works like a charm and I have beautiful crema on my espresso every time. I did tweak his original instructions for user use and understanding as well as maintenance. ENJOY!! Your now a barista!

I really wanted to get into making espresso at home as I always found myself going to Starbucks or other local coffee places multiple times every week. I investigated buying an Illy Pod machine, however when I went to visit a friend in L.A. she has this exact machine and made me some espresso and it was wonderful. So instead of spending $150+ on a pod machine or a super fancy machine I decided to give this little guy a chance since she loved hers so much. I am glad I did an I will tell you why: Design: This is a really nicely designed espresso machine, it is small, simple, and overall looks nice sitting on the counter. It isn't fancy as it just has a turn nob to make espresso or use the steamer. The top of the machine can be used to hold anything, I put a few small espresso cups on top and it looks nice. Ease of use: It really doesn't get any easier than this to make espresso. Simply fill the water up to the 2 or 4 (cup) line and pour into the top, and pack the espresso into the holder up to 2 or 4. The espresso holder simply lifts and locks into place. Turn the nob and it will start brewing, and once you no longer see espresso coming out you can turn it off. Espresso: I have used Fresh & Easy Espresso and also Lavazza espresso and it tastes great with this machine. I mix mine with a bit of soy half and half and I am good to go, or throw hot water in for an americano. Many people rate the espresso machine based on it's ability to make that nice froth on top of the espresso and you will see a bit here when you make the coffee. It is complete steam based system and it seems to work fairly well. The froth on top of the espresso isn't extremely thick and I am assuming higher end machines will do this better. I will say that once I bought a Tamper to pack down the espresso it helped a lot, so invest another $6 or so to get one of these and it will make a pretty decent difference, if not just for the ease of use. Frother: On the side of the machine is a milk frother/steamer. I didn't read the directions so I honestly didn't know how to use it until my friend from L.A. came to visit. All you have to do is add water to the little steam icon on the cup and pour it into the machine. Then turn it on and give it a minute. The steam is hot and pretty intense. It actually does a nice job of frothing milk or soy as long as you figure out how to use it. TIP: I like to turn the machine onto Brew after I am done frothing as there might be some water left over. Summary: This machine by far is the best bang for the buck. I have had it for around 2 months, and my friend has had it for a year and it is great. I still occasionally go to Starbucks, but it is great to just have it available right in my house. For $30 definitely give this little guy a try.

Easy to use. Intuitive design. Quick and easy procedure to make excellent espresso or cappuccino. Works well with a variety of coffee blends and different grinds. Steam wand does an excellent job of frothing milk. Steam wand seems to work best without the plastic sleeve. Best cup of cappuccino for the best price. This cappuccino maker works better than more expensive machines.

I bought this product about a month and half ago. Delivery was prompt and the product was as described and arrived in pristine condition. I have been using this coffee machine for over a month and I can say this “coffee never tasted this good”. However Indian buyers need to be a little careful. This machine is imported from USA and works on 110 volts. So you have to invest in a voltage converter before you can use this machine. Addition of an espresso tamper to the machine would have been great but still for Rs 6, 500 it’s fantastic value for money. I strongly recommend it for all coffee lovers.

I purchased this awesome little espresso machine a little over a year ago, just after I retired, as a personal well-done, pat-on-the-back gift. It doesn't get worked hard - I use it a couple times a week - but it has never let me down and always makes a great latte. Using the frother involved a little bit of a learning curve, but that was me, nothing to do with the machine. Compact, takes very little room on my counter - overall I am a very happy camper.

I've been using this for about a year now and I've made about 30 lattes I'd say. When I first got this unit it was kind of stinky. It smelled very metallic and I had to run about 20 cups of water through it to flush it out. Since then it has been fine. I'd say that this machine is basic but does what it is supposed to do. It makes decent strength espresso and the side steamer, when used with a metal cup, will heat the milk for a latte very well. It does not make a ton of foam so if you want lots of foam I'd look to a frother machine. It heats up fast and is relatively easy to clean up afterwards. If you're on a budget and you want to save some money this unit will do the job. So far, it hasn't broken so I feel like I've seen the value in it. If I paid 30X$5=$150 for the lattes I have made at a coffee shop, I'd have spent twice the money. Plus, it's convenient to do it at home and you can make it the way you like.

I had one of these that I purchased in 2009 and it was still going great but figured I should update as it had slowed a bit and I had lost some of the accessories. Hoping to get 13 years out of this new one! I use it as a regular one-cup coffee maker as the flavour of the coffee is so good (I use Starbucks Pike Place and about 3 spoons pressed down. I like strong coffee!). Takes less than 5 minutes. The steam arm is great if you want to froth up some milk. It’s simple and good. Not complicated or costly.