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It is easy to use and has a variable grind that you can tune to the instructions given in the machine manual. First trick -- grind matters. Second trick -- keep the frother nozzle clean by wiping it after each use and then running it for a few seconds into the air to push clean steam through the nozzle vents. She read the instructions and started making her first cappuccino in about 30 minutes. The cappuccino maker and grinder are both working very well and have already paid for themselves. I bought the Capresso Infinity Burr Grinder for her as well.
Otherwise, milk will build up and block the vents. I bought this cappuccino machine for my Wife for Christmas after returning from our first trip to Italy. We have been using it now for about six weeks with only two tricks to learn and no significant problems. We tried using ground coffee that was made for expresso but it did not work as well as fresh ground from beans.
Can't beat it for the price. Would not hesitate to purchase another one. I prefer to start each day with fresh water -- one of the reasons that I did not want an automatic machine, so love the ease of filling the tank. I use this machine several times a day, and each time it is a treat. The water reservoir is easy to fill. Pros: Ease of use, great steam, fabulous drinks, super easy clean-up.
Cons: Haven't found any. The ease of use and clean up are major plusses. The steam spout is easily cleaned with each use simply by wiping with a wet towel, and giving the steam valve one quick blast. I use a Zassenhaus burr grinder, and get fabulous crema from this machine. It heats up in no time flat, gives me fabulous microfoam with both 2% and whole mile (I never use skim, so don't know about how it works with that) and I have had none of the issues with water coming out of the steam spout that a couple of people have reported. Received this machine for Christmas, and retired my old Bellman.
I'm wondering if they have failed to move the steam selection lever correctly. I've received countless compliments from guests on the quality of the cappuccinos, crema, and just good old fashioned coffee.
That doesn't seem excessive given the amount of milk we are steaming. Overall, for reasonable quality espresso without a lot of fuss it seems like a great product. The steamer works well although it does spit out a fair amount of water when starting up. I have to clean out the grounds bin every other day or so and the whole thing about once a week. It's very easy to use and makes good espresso without a lot of work. I've had this about a month. It has replaced our coffee pot and it's convenient enough that I haven't really found it a bother to make several double espresso's (for the family) every morning. We did find that if you don't take the end off the steamer and clean it at least every other week that you lose frothing power.
It is fairly easy to use and clean. You put the coffee in, turn on the pump and voila.nothing happens.
It is basically worthless and i will be returning it. Sometimes it works ok and other times I can try 3 or 4 times in a row without it producing a single cup of coffee.
Rather than the water dripping through the coffee and into your cup, it ends up in the waste tray. When the machine is functioning properly, only the spent grounds should end up in the waste tray.
When this machine works, it produces good coffee and cappuccino. However, too frequently it simply does not work.
This problem also requires you to clean out the machine frequently because the waste tray quickly fills up with grounds and liquid.
It didn't bother me until I bought my new one and side by side, it looks AWFUL. They arrived very quickly in the mail, but didn't help and i knew I would have to send the machine back to the factory for repair. It just seemed to be a lot of playing around to get a latte in the morning. A month before Christmas it began leaking from the bottom and the amount of steam created was not enough to steam even a small amount of milk. I gave it a 3 because of the steaming problems and the short life I experienced with it. but.it was christmas time, I wanted to upgrade anyway, so I retired it and purchased a DeLonghi ESAM3300 for $700.00.The Capresso is not a real attractive machine compared to most espresso machines.
The frothing was ok, but I never got the microfoam that I get with my deLonghi.It was a good year, but I would never go back to this machine again as the DeLonghi machine is so much handier to used. A year ago, I bought this capresso semi automatic machine for $299.00 which was a wonderful little entry machine for the price. I used the support line which was very responsive and and the rep thought the problem was the gasket, and sent me two at no cost. I always had problems with the steam not lasting long enough to steam my milk and to create more steam you have to run water through the espresso spout to build steam again, meanwhile my espresso is getting cold.
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