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In spite of all this, we love it and can't stand to be without it. We have never have been able to get the machine to "initialize the filter" without a failure that directs us to "contact customer service." All these problems were check by the service company while under warranty, but not resolved.
The milk container and milk circuit must be cleaned after being used. While this machine makes great coffee and espresso, the design is flawed.
Wish we had bought a model with an external milk dispenser. The milk container door blows open when it is making cappuccino causing the cycle to end, and the coffee grounds to be discarded and wasted.
Now the latch on the door will not hold at all and must be taped shut. There are no local service companies, so the machine must be packed up and shipped off for several weeks.
We just never use it for cappuccinos.
This is a well made, quality machine that is easy to learn to use, and easy to get excellent results from in a short amount of time. (my wife has a different type cup for every kind of drink, I think)Also, I love STRONG coffee, and it makes the best cup of morning coffee I have ever tasted, without all of the fooling around with the "making the pot of coffee in the morning" routine and mess.It has definately made our lives more enjoyable, and easier every day.
it is a wonderful addition to our daily life.I make Cappuccinnos every morning now without all of the usual crazy routine of trying to steam the milk manually with a steam wand (which is what most machines have attached) and usually getting LOUSY results. Now every morning they are perfect.
I purchased this machine about 4 months ago, and it has been nothing but great.I have never owned a machine like this before, and I had the usual "get over the hump of the learning curve" sorts of problems at first(even though the machine is fairly easy to use), but now I LOVE IT.Now that I have learned the proper maintenance routine (it is just a simple routine which is very easy once you get used to it), and I have learned the little nuances of the machine programs and the milk foaming sorts of issues that anyone can have (most of the issues with improper milk foaming were only because I wasn't really keeping it properly cleaned). ( and they always turn out perfect).Since the machine is progammable, it was easy for me to set it up to our drink taste preferences, and easy to adjust the volumes to make the drinks fit into our favorite size cups for different types of coffee drinks.
I can also make my wife a Cappucinno, and make myself a cup of regular coffee every morning without any real hassle. It only takes a few minutes (after I figured out the routine to clean the milk circuit on the machine easily and quickly after the morning Cappuccinnos it made it really easy).When we have friends over for dinner, it is also very easy to make all sorts of drinks (even a few decafs) to fit every person's preference.
And.I bet I have saved a lot of money not buying things at Starbucks on the way to work (not to forget the time and frustration saved by not standing in line at Starbuck's) since we can make whatever we want every day at home.Again, I think the money spent was well-spent and will save us enough to make it a real bargain in the long run. I would strongly recommend this type of Saeco machine to anyone.
Make your favority Starbucks drink at home and $AVE. This machine is great. Makes great espresso, cappucino, lattes, and more. Easy to use menus, quick warm up, and easy cleanup. The convenience is worth the price.
I have had the Saeco for a few months now and am quite happy with it. Great taste, crema and ease of operation.
Did I mention it makes wonderful espresso/coffee :-)Now the negatives: the machine is rather large so make sure you have the space for it, figure about a 1'X1' footprint of counter space, but it looks very modern and high tech. Yes, this machine is very expensive. My wife and I are now addicted to coffee :-) Latte machiatos and cappuccinos in the morning, espresso in the evening, hot milk for our daughter too. It will accommodate various cup sizes, from espresso cups to large coffee cups. The machine does seem to have a lot of moving internal parts, when you use it you hear all kinds of mechanical noises in there, it makes you wonder how long that internal mostly plastic apparatus, called the Brew Group, will last; it's the heart of the machine. The machine is totally automated, it will tell you when to clean it, when to add stuff, it will keep your cups warm, and did I mention it makes wonderful coffee.
The water reservoir is not very large (you can get about 6 cups of coffee out of it) considering the size of the machine. I was lucky enough to get it at a very very good price when amazon temporarily reduced the price, otherwise no way I would spend so much on something like this.Anyway, this thing is quite simply awesome. You do have to keep it clean, certain things have to be done about 15 minutes after your first cup (if you use the cappuccitore to make milk based drinks) but that is understandable as you want to make sure the milk doesn't start clogging everything. You can personalize how you want each of the different coffee drinks to come out, stronger, hotter, more robust. You can double the quantity of coffee coming out. You do have to learn to navigate the touch sensitive ring to get to what you want, I can imagine some people finding it frustrating.
I am now drinking more coffee than ever.All in all this thing is awesome, I hope it lasts a long time.
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