15-Bar Pump Espresso Machine for Professional-Quality Coffee at Home

JenandMicah Best: It's a good little home machine for relatively cheap. I was surprised by how small this machine actually is. I suppose I expected something a little bigger. The porta filter is decent for the size. Doesn't feel too flimsy. But obviously it's not like a professional grade heavy duty one you'd get for $899. The water tank is reasonable size and easy to access. The foaming wand works well but it is a little short and due to the relative size of the machine (height off the counter) it is sometimes hard to get a pitcher of steamed milk on and off without tilting and spilling. It does make fairly consistent shots of home brewed espresso and once you get the handle on how to use it (like I did) it generates some tasty espresso drinks. The foam wand creates an ample amount of foam and comes apart for easy clean up. Furthermore, cleaning and maintaining the rest of the machine has been very easy. The portafilter is easy to clean, the screen on the machine should be wiped clean of used grounds after every shot. but otherwise it has been a breeze to use. It doesn't have an auto shot function. You have to manually turn off the espresso brew with every pour. I have been using this machine once...

United States on May 17, 2022

Alkad Mzu: I was very excited to receive this product and immediately started reading the manual. I ran a test with just water to get a sense of ease of use.
These are the things I discovered:
above all, it makes a delicious cappuccino. I've already made about three cups and used a couple of different brands of coffee as well as with A2 minimally pasteurized milk and goat milk with the same result. It's tasty.

I find that rather than filling up the back water reservoir with more than you need it's best to take a measuring cup and fill it with between 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of water. This way you don't have to be on guard to make sure there are no accidental overflows of coffee.

Use the same measuring cup to froth the milk however always keep another cup or disposable coffee cup near the steam frother nozzle as you will need something to catch the first few mls of steam water before frothing your milk.
Using only exact quantities of water and milk will make the entire experience way easier to clean up after.

Cons:
1. you can only fit smaller cups. I couldn't fit any of my disposable coffee cups or any of my regular coffee mugs. So already, I'm giving up some...

United States on May 05, 2022

Jamie Krasnoo: I bought this espresso maker because I was attracted to the fact that the unit looked good and the reviews were pretty decent, or at least I perceived them to be. The maker looks like its built pretty solid. Lifting it it does have some heft to it. I bought the chrome and black version. The chrome/ brushed metal makes it look very nice.

Now, lets get to how it works. I bought this while I was on the road for my house mate so she could make espresso in the morning. The first thing I hear from her is that it doesn't work. That's not something you want to hear about a $100+ purchase. She said she read the manual and followed it. This is where this unit, in my opinion, has some design issues. The interface is not intuitive. It has three buttons on the front and a pressure/temp gauge. One button is a power button, one button is for making espresso and one is for putting the unit into frothing mode that boosts the temp so there's steam. All three buttons are push toggle. You push the button in and it stays in (on) and you push it in again (all the way) and it comes out (off). The espresso pump will not work if the frothing button is on, this the issue my house mate...

United States on Oct 31, 2021