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this machine really is awesome!! It has a very sophisticated and elegant look, and it works so well. I really like the orange color. It is great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Although the box arrived in good condition and the machine was well-packed inside, the machine arrived broken. Makes me wonder when/where it was dropped! The front plate and knob were broken off. Since this affected the aesthetics only, we just glued it back on.

When my husband began to make our first lattes, the machine began to smoke. I dreaded the thought of having to pack it back up and go through the return process. How disappointed I was, especially since it was a Christmas gift!

Thank goodness my husband is good at fixing things! He removed the back cover to take a look at the insides, and low and behold, a couple of wires were not connected. Evidently, they became disconnected at the same time the front plate and knob were broken off. So he connected the wires and it has worked fine ever since Christmas.

For the price, it's a little disappointing to have to rewire and glue it back together. But it sure does look cute on the counter, and the latte's are exceptional!

I almost didn't buy this machine because I was worried about some of the negative reveiws I've read about it from users. However, it was the only machine its price range that really caught our eye, so we went ahead and purchased it and have been using it for about six months. It is hands down the best machine I've ever owned. It has great features, and the espresso is the best espresso I've made at home, and better than most espresso I can buy in american coffee shops. A quick rundown of the great features.

1. It looks great. It heats up quickly, and it is very simple to use.

2. The size of the water resevoir is pretty generous. It holds enough water for about 24 shots. You can expect to get a little less if you are steaming a lot of milk, but if you are steaming at the recommended temperature, the machine is very water efficient, and you shouldn't see a dramatic drop. We use it every day to make at least two drinks (at leeast 4 shots), a lot more on the weekends, and we refill only about once a week, roughly. The design also makes it quite easy to refill, I've been in the middle of steaming or pulling a shot when I realized the reservoir was low, and refilled whiled pulling the shot. This is awfully convenient.

3. The machine comes with a disc you can put inside the porta filter to make a sort of fake crema by whipping the coffee, which is popular on upper-end machines these days. However, if you are using good coffee, and grind your beans fresh, and brew the coffee at the recommended temperature, the machine produces a wonderful genuine crema without the disc. I never get an espresso in a coffee house with a crema as good. (crema has more to do with the the quality of the coffee than the machine, but cheaper machines that pull the coffee way too hot never produce good cremas because of the crazy temperatures.)

4. The steam wand does a great job of genlty steaming and frothing without scalding the daylights out of your milk. I've heard a lot of complaints about the steamer, but in my experience it works perfectly, and easily.

5. It does come with an adaption for pods, if you're into pods (blech.)

6, I love that the machine has a temperature gague that allows you to control the temperature of your steam and coffee, and not just indicator lights. It allows you to have a lot more control over the quality of your espresso.

A few things that are so so, the included tamp is flimsy and useless, get yourself a nice heavy one. The drip tray does feel a little light and cheap compared to the rest of the machine, but it is perfectly functional. The Cup warmer isn't very successful at warming cups. But these are minor quibbles I have with it.

I'm sure if I were willing to pay 4 or 5 times as much, I'd get a better espresso, but for the price, I couldn't be happier with this machine. It beats any of the little starter machines you get, and makes better espresso than machines that cost twice the price, in my experience. I'm very happy with this machine.

I wanted to share with others what I wish I had known before I bought this machine. If I had known these things, I wouldn't have bought it. Unfortunately, there are a lot of fake reviews out there, which I read before buying, so beware!

1.There is only one boiler for both espresso and steam. Espresso and steam require two different temperatures. To get a latte, you have to switch between temperatures, and either way the delay to make the temperature switch is unacceptable. I make my espresso first, then switch to steam, wait two to three minutes, then make the froth. Repeat this for each latte you make.
2.The water reservoir is small and requires frequent refilling. However, I use a measuring cup with a spout, to refill the water without removing the reservoir. You just pull the tank out enough to pour the water in. Then push the tank back in.
3.The porta filter comes apart. There is a basket inside the porta filter that has three little bumps. The basket slides into the porta filter with the bumps lined up with notches, then you twist the basket so that it stays in the porta filter. The problem is that the twising motion of removing the porta filter from the espresso machine causes the basket to shift, and the result is that you often lose the basket when you go to bang out your grounds. The basket is very hot, so to retrieve it is an issue.
4.After making the first espresso, the porta filter remains filled with soupy grounds. It is very messy. If you're making a series of shots, this is a very big disadvantage. You have to carefully clean it. Usually involves rinsing under the sink. Then you have to heat the porta filter again for the next shot.
5.It is advertised that it has a "pull-out knock box ". It doesn't. It has a flimsy plastic drip tray with a metal face, and if you banged your grounds out on this, I'm sure you'd break it.
6.It drips a lot. There is a tray under the unit that pulls out for pouring out drippings. It comes out all at once, so it may spill if you have a lot of drippings in there. It drips after you've pulled a shot. It drips even more when you steam. I put a cup under the porta filter to catch drips. It can be a little tricky to align the drip tray when putting it back in, but not a big deal.
7.The tamper is a flimsy plastic thing. When I bought it I pictured a metal one with weight for tamping.
8.It is hard to get the steam bucket (not included) up under the steam wand. It is not flexible, though it does rotate. It is awkward.

In summary, I would not have bought it if I knew all these things, but I live with it now that I have it. I wouldn't return it. It is very good looking, makes decent espresso, and is tolerable for occasional use. I use it about once a week.

got the machine about three weeks ago and have since made between 15 to 20 cafe lattes. first and foremost the machine looks great - primary reason for purchase, as it definitely seemed a great visual piece in our kitchen. I had read reviews and found nothing that scared me away functionality so went for it. all in all thus far, we have no complaints. it 'froth's' low fat milk using the steamer w/ ease and even does a good job w/ low fat soy milk which has to be a good test of a machines steaming capabilities. the temp gage is great and fully functional. I like simplicity (especially when it comes to anything requiring ac power) as it typically means less to break down. the espressione is about as straight forward as can be.
note* I have never owned an espresso machine before but used a krups one for about a year while living overseas in a family house. the espressione is a total step up. i have an obsessive attention to detail and couldn't find any corners cut w/ this device. only module that they could have possibly been better w/ is the grounds tray which as listed in other reviews is a bit 'cheap plasticy'. not a big issue as you can't even see it unless you remove it to clean out the grounds. (......).