Nice machine for the price, not the best though

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By Will Hetsko

We bought the Delonghi BAR32 Retro pump driven espresso machine around 8 months ago and have had no big problems with it. Others complained about the gaskets around the tank leaking but ours is fine. I like the removable tank design quite a bit as it is simple to fill and clean. The frother works very well but I did have to tinker a bit to get a good shot of crema, or at least the way I like it. I now have it working perfectly but it did take some experimentation. The built in tamper works ok but I like my handheld one better as it isn’t as big a mess to cleanup. This is a big thing for me as I don’t want to spend 15 minutes cleaning it up every morning.

One thing I don’t like about it is the operating noise, it is quite loud. It also takes a bit of time to cleanup after the brewing is done, especially if you use loose coffee grounds. I really like my coffee strong and bold, and this filter doesn’t quite hold enough of the grounds for my taste. Sometimes I have to prepare a second bowl to get it just the way I like it. I also had to get used to the amount of time to warmup the machine. The instructions said 30 minutes but I find that it doesn’t take nearly that long if you do it right. I would say that the only thing keeping me from giving this espresso machine 5 stars is the time to create the latte or cappuccino as well as the cleanup when I’m done.

I recommend the DeLonghi BAR32 Retro as a solid, affordable espresso maker. While it won’t compare with the best machines out there today it is FAR cheaper. If you aren’t an expert then you probably don’t need to spend that much anyways, and this model will be just fine.

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Great tasting coffee drinks at a great price

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By Andy Hann

I recently bought the Lello Ariete Cafe Prestige espresso and cappuccino maker as I found a great price on it. When compared to other similar coffee machines it is much cheaper and the reviews were pretty positive. I’m glad I decided to take the leap and try it.

The first time I used it I wanted to make a latte which is my favorite coffee drink. Well, I didn’t do anything right with the machine. I used freshly ground beans but didn’t use a quality grinder so they were too fine. I also didn’t tamp the puck very well and I extracted more espresso from the grinds than I needed. The milk also wasn’t hot enough but the funny thing is that the latte tasted pretty good. I thought it as actually better than what I was used to at my local coffee shop. This told me that the Lello Ariete Prestige is very forgiving and easy for the inexperienced person to brew a latte, cappuccino, or espresso drink.

If you are an espresso expert my recommendation might be to go with a more expensive, higher end coffee maker that has more options. However, if you are like me and want to make your favorite drinks at home then I highly recommend the Lello Ariete. Save the extra money and buy yourself a high quality grinder so you can have fresh tasting coffee drinks every morning.

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Great coffee machine to both use and clean

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By Anonymous

I really like the DeLonghi ESAM3300 Magnifica super automatic espresso and coffee maker. I bought it a short while ago and like it much better than my prior Saeco. While I haven’t had it for that long I feel I have used it enough to review it.

I like to drink regular coffee most of the time but I do also like a mocha cappuccino every once in a while. Sometimes I like to drink a large cup but the machine is only set to dispense 7 ounces. I usually will brew more than one cup if necessary but it would be helpful if it could brew multiple sizes. I also like the fact that it has a descaling light to let you know when it is time to descale. We usually use filtered water so we don’t have to do this very often.

This coffee and espresso machine is lacking one thing though. I wish it had a setting to automatically start brewing in the morning. I guess if it took longer then it would be a bigger problem but since it only takes a couple of minutes it’s not that big of a deal.

I have found a few reviews that mentioned how loud it was. I haven’t found it to be any noisier than my other coffee makers or the other espresso machine I had. Overall I recommend the DeLonghi ESAM3300 Magnifica and would buy it again. I don’t think I’ll have to replace it any time soon though, even though I use it every morning.

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Easy for the novice espresso lover to brew with

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By Derek Zaun

I recently received the Nespresso E350 Romeo single serve espresso machine as a birthday gift and I am quite impressed with it. Not only does it look great on my counter but it also brews great coffee drinks as well. The milk frother piece works great and I believe you can purchase it for use on some of their other espresso makers as well. In a nutshell, it sucks the milk up through the tube and disperses very frothy foam into your cup or mug. I think my 4 year old daughter could make great tasting cappuccino with this machine from Nespresso. It’s really that easy.

As for pricing of the pods I have calculated that it is around 55 cents per shot so the double cappuccino that I love so much ends up costing me $1.10. That’s a lot cheaper than my local Starbucks. Maybe you could do better with a traditional espresso machine but I like this one because of the little cleanup required since it takes the pods. These are very convenient to use indeed.

Overall I have nothing bad to say about the Nespresso E350 Romeo. Everyone who has tried it out at my house loves it and a couple of friends are planning on buying one as well.

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Simply amazing espresso machine for the price

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By Rodney Knight

I purchased the Nespresso Le Cube C185T espresso maker after looking at various machines for over a year. The prices of most of them were upwards of $1000 so this machine was a pleasant surprise. I have been to Italy before and tasted excellent espresso before, so I know what a good brew tastes like. This model delivers!

I have been very impressed with the overall quality of the Le Cube as well as the espresso and thick crema that comes out of it. For a relatively affordable espresso maker it is quite unbelievable. I thought that the pods would be a pain at first but I now find them to be convenient and easy to use. You can also order them right online and save some money. If you enjoy drinking lattes or cappuccinos then I recommend getting a different frother as the Nespresso frother only makes enough for one person. Any coffee lover will appreciate the quality and price of the Nespresso Le Cube. Plus you can order it online and have it shipped right to you as well.

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Excellent espresso machine for the money

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By Jarrod Hamilton

I recently brought the Nespresso Essenza espresso C100 machine home and have used it a few times. I was a little hesitant to buy it at first because of the proprietary pods it used but decided to give it a go. Had I not given in to my gut feeling I would have spent quite a bit more money on another automatic coffee maker which had the same features. I can say that I am glad I didn’t go that route.

The pods are quite cheap and when you realize that grinding your own beans can save you money but cause a huge mess it is worth it. I really don’t like to clean, which is what we were doing a lot of with our old coffee machine. Plus we use less water and soap which does add up over the course of a month.

Let me say that I was like a kid on Christmas morning the first time I used both the frother as well as the machine. The quality of the brew rivals that of my local coffee shop, and for $5 per cup I am glad I am brewing my own drinks at home now. I am convinced that the flavor is even better than what I was buying every day on my way to work. The Nespresso Essenza brings a smile to my face every morning when I fire it up.

I sampled it a couple of times at my local mall before I decided to buy it and I was hooked. I found a good deal online for it as I was saving almost $50 over what it cost locally. The reviews and ratings I read have it as high as any other coffee maker in its’ class which again was a deciding factor for me. The only other machine I found that had similar features, was automatic, and seemed to produce great taste time and time again cost almost $600 more. Great value for your money here.

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Great tasting espresso every time with little fuss

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By Johnny Harton USA

I found the Breville 800ESXL commercial grade, 15 bar espresso maker while looking around my local Williams Sonoma store at the mall. I was quite impressed and fell in love immediately. It is a well designed, beautiful looking, and solid machine that brews perfect espresso every time I use it.

Espresso lovers strive to find a machine that makes their drink with the most Crema (or brown creme on the top) to give it a full and rich flavor. Most coffee experts agree that crema is at the heart of the perfect espresso and without it you might as well pour it down the drain. The top machines available today all focus on getting this just right.

I was a relative newcomer to making espresso but put in quite a bit of research on the topic. I can confidently say that this is THE solution to producing a lot of perfect crema. It is very simple to make a perfect cup each time and I find that cleanup is a snap. It took me a little while to experiment with the right amount of coffee, grind and tamping pressure, and time but once I had this figured out the result was the perfect drink for my tastes. I would recommend experimenting as not everybody is looking for the same flavor.

As mentioned before, cleanup is very easy. There are no hard to reach areas that would collect the nasty leftovers which is a nice change from other coffee makers I have used in the past. There is also a nice storage area underneath the water tank that holds extra gruppa, tools, and other items I need during my brewing process. This keeps my kitchen countertop free from clutter and looking like it should. Another big plus in my book.

Other reviews I have read stated problems with the thermoblock and heating element but I haven’t had these problems. The result is a great cup of espresso which is really the most important thing. I could never understand why some people gripe about the little things instead of raving about what this machine does best. And that’s make great espresso time and time again.

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A nice espresso maker with a couple negative traits

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By Steve Paulson Rochester, MN

I’ve been using the DeLonghi EC155 espresso maker for more than 4 months now and like what I’ve seen so far. It brews very good espresso for someone who could be considered a novice. My prior machine was an old steam driven model but I found it difficult to use and I could never get the coffee strong enough for my tastes. The Delonghi, on the other hand, is easy to use and produces a very good crema.

For the negatives. This espresso maker has a plastic tamper that is built right in that I find difficult to use. It is hard for me to put ample pressure on it while I hold the machine down. When you are pushing down on it you also are pushing down on the cup warmer. What I did was buy another metal tamper that does the job just fine. Other reviews I read stated that the steam wand is much too close to the counter but I don’t find that to be the case.

Another thing I don’t like is the coffee grounds basket is not a good design as the handle is not that solidly affixed. Whenever I try to empty the puck into the garbage I find the basket sometimes goes in with it. It’s not easy to get this thing out of the trash as it is quite hot and covered in nasty stuff. I have gotten better at this but it still occasionally happens. I feel the design could be improved.

A big positive with the EC155 is the water reservoir. It’s very easy to remove and fill, and holds the right amount of water for my personal tastes.

Overall I give this espresso maker 4 stars because it is quite affordable and produces top quality espresso every time. Whenever our family is in the mood for some strong coffee we fire it up start brewing. This is what we bought it for and feel it saves us a lot of money over buying espresso at our local coffee shop.

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