Even though i was once a barista for a few years, it took a bit of trying to get the portafilter to click into place properly. I still have to look under to make sure it's in the proper starting position to crank it into place. Bit annoying, but not enough to lose a star. What does take a whole star off for that end of the process is the machine is too lightweight. I have to brace the thing from one side to get the portafilter into place, and it doesn't want to stay put while i do so. I'm hoping time and use will wear it into compliance, but for now, it's a big enough annoyance to lose a whole star. I also wish that there was more room under the portafilter because a standard espresso metal cup is too tall so you'll need to put your cute cup under it. Fine for espresso...not so much for a macchiato. You can easily end up tipping coffee all over the place.As for the coffee...it makes one of the best tasting cups of espresso i've had in years. Honestly, the design flaw would have lost it two stars if not for the end result. The left button makes a perfect cup of espresso, and the right manual hold button makes a perfect macchiato. There isn't a ton of crema, which is fine for me, but some like that, so you might need to factor that in.As for the steamer, it does an adequate job, but better than most. I really haven't found a great steamer that wasn't on a professional model, and this one makes an effort, so no stars lost there.I've seen complaints about the pressure shown. Don't pay attention to that. What you need to pay attention to is whether or not you get a firm puck out of the portafilter when you go to knock it out. This one does exactly that. No mush. You could score a goal with this one.Overall, very well done.

If you have never made expresso before this machine takes some getting used to. The instructions are clear and everything you need to make the perfect cup of expresso is included. Make sure to follow the cleaning instructions properly. There are some reviewers that mentioned that the frothing doesn't work as it should but for me it worked just fine. Always allow the machine to get to the right temperature and do not over tamp the coffee grinds or you may not get the accurate water flow necessary for a good brew. Overall it is a great product. Perhaps a little pricey but it is a complete system that works. It would make a great gift for that coffee lover in your life.

Its a great espresso maker for the money. But you'll want some new accessories.Get a nice naked portafilter with a bottomless basket, a good tamper, and a scale to weigh beans and shot while pulling. The frother here works well and the warm up time is quick. Easy to get great results just use freshly ground beans (FROM A GOOD GRINDER) and be consisten and you'll have solid shots much better than your expensive coffee shops you're used to.

It makes delicious coffee, but getting there took lots of trial & error. You’ll also need some additional equipment:1. TAMPER. You’ll need a better tamper than the one they provide. It’s flimsy plastic, way too small for a 58mm basket, and doesn’t work well. I was only able to get consistent brew results after ordering a spring loaded tamper—specifically one that makes an audible click when the ideal pressure is reached. Lots of tampers claim to provide consistent pressure, but only the dual spring models actually do. They look similar, so be careful what you’re ordering.2. DIGITAL SCALE. I was getting wildly inconsistent brew results until I got a digital scale to measure exactly 18-19g of beans. I got tired of wasting expensive beans on botched pulls, so a scale is a good investment. They’re inexpensive.3. BURR GRINDER. Grind settings are VERY important with this machine, so you’ll want an adjustable burr grinder (burr grinders produce uniform grain size, unlike a blade grinder). I have a simple hand crank model that works well. I got the best coffee by adjusting the grind setting finer & finer just until the machine clogs, then backing out the grind setting two clicks. Any coarser and the pressure isn’t high enough, any finer and only a few drops trickle out.The factory “automatic” setting is pretty good, producing ~36g of coffee from 18g of beans which is considered ideal. It’s a fairly short cycle though, less than the generally preferred 30 seconds.The indicator lights are not intuitive, so I frequently discover that I’m in the wrong mode when the steam wand starts filling my frothing pitcher with hot water instead of steam. I wish the manufacturer would make the steam button change color when it’s actually in steam mode.4. FROTHING PITCHER. You’ll want a frothing pitcher—they did not include one. I tried using a mug, but it got messy. There’s a reason frothing pitchers are shaped the way they are! I got one with a thermometer because I’m not good at guessing milk temp and tend to scorch it.The nozzle on the steam wand makes a nice cappuccino froth, but don’t expect to be able to do latte art. The wand has one big hole that points down, whereas coffee shop nozzles typically have 4 tiny holes that point sideways.5. SHORT WIDE MUG. The machine is too short to accept standard diner mugs. I had to get a short wide cappuccino style mug. I tried removing the drip tray to get a tall mug in, but the machine needs the drip tray in place to catch the tablespoon of water it discharges after each cycle, otherwise it ends up on your counter. I assume it’s some kind of pressure relief valve, and it drains directly into the tray under the machine.The drip tray has a tendency to vibrate out of place during use—the manufacturer should add a magnet or something to secure it. This gets especially messy when using little demitasse cups that are light—they vibrate around and out from under the spout while it’s pouring.I would prefer the group head only have one spout instead of two. I have NEVER found myself wanting to divide pours between two cups. And when you’re using a demitasse cup, the cup is almost as wide as the two spouts, so it can get messy fast. I end up holding the cup up to the spouts during brewing.The water reservoir is tall & narrow—too narrow to get my hand in to clean it. I wish they would redesign the reservoir to be easier to clean.The basket handle is sturdy & heavy—it has a quality feel. To get the basket out to clean inside, you need to pry it out with a little screwdriver that is provided. But there’s not really a place on the machine to store the screwdriver, so I put it in the drip tray…where it immediately rusted.Be sure to use quality beans, it makes all the difference. 18g per cup adds up, so I get mine from a Major warehouse club, and they’re very reasonable.In conclusion, this is a finicky machine with lots of annoying little quirks, and it doesn’t come with everything you’ll need. But if you’re patient, it makes delicious coffee that reminds me of what I used to get from indy coffee shops in Seattle. It tastes like home.