the only thing i would change is that it should give you the option of using ground coffee and not just beans.
i love how you pour beans in about once a week and have a fresh cup of coffee.
it's really convenient and with the right beans make great espresso with excellent crema.
i add water every other day, coffee beans twice a week and clean it, which takes about four minutes, once a week.
(i'm using the lavazza super crema bean.) but once i got it right, that was it.
love this machine - makes perfect coffee easily and conveniently - like as if it's from my local peets (am using their great espresso beans).
it's good that it has the automatic bean grinder too.
right out of the box i threw in some beans and water and just like magic i had espresso.
we had some lavazza beans that produced an espresso we did not enjoy when used in our breville machine but when the same beans were processed in the saeco spidem, we loved the result.
let's not forget the coffee, so to be extravagant let's say we spent $50 a month for beans (it was less, really), so $479 + $1200 = $1679.
it came with a starbuck's burr grinder and 2# coffee beans for $299.
i use starbucks coffee beans from the local store and it is hard to beat.
i got this machine from my local starbucks (which by the way, may never see my face again, other than to buy espresso beans and syrups).
i don't know why americans think espresso coffee should be those burnt shiny beans - yuck!
it does take a little practice (i went through a half pound of beans at the beginning before getting the hang of it), but that practice has rewarded me with many great shots.
it grinds fresh coffee beans, tamps automatically either one cup or two cups worth, then brews the coffee to our own taste and measure, then disposes of the used coffee grounds,in less than 30 seconds
the espresso shots produced using both of these beans results in an amazing amount of crema (1/4 inch) and a fantastic taste.
the machine starts with whole beans of your choosing and grinds them just for the drink you are making.
it not only makes great expresso (be sure to use freshly ground, high quality expresso beans), but the milk frother works just like it's supposed to work.
we buy high-quality, organic espresso beans and use a capresso burr grinder and the beautiful bodum shot glasses.
it was every bit as good as what i get from my favorite coffee shack, (the owner hand picks and roasts his own beans so i buy them by the pound or two from him) or at work from our in-house coffee
other thoughts: uses ese pods, get a bur grinder if you plan on grinding your own beans, blades are bad for espresso grinding
unfortunately, the coffee beans started to deteriorate after 3-days, as did the flavor of the coffee.
i figured it out to be just over .40 a cup, which is about what i get from a bag of beans each week.
what a mess to grind beans and make a pot, only to throw most of it out!
thankfully, the accessory that allows you to use your own ground beans works perfectly.
a french press makes a better cup of coffee, especially if you grind the beans yourself, but for convenience, this is great.
i strongly recommend purchasing the "my k cup" attachment as you can then use your own freshly ground beans to produce excellent coffee on the cheap with no waste.
for those who feel beans should be freshly grinded, this machine is not for you.
do the math, ours run 12 cents a cup more than illy beans.
i am not going to enter into the debate on capsules vs beans, but if you decided you want the convenience of the capsules, nespresso is a great choice, they have good selection and home delivery.
i have a semi-professional espresso machine (vbm) and roast my own beans.
that will be great for those who like to buy fresh roasted beans and grind their own.
(yeah i double ziplock coffee beans but the smell always ends up leaking.)
i don't really care because i will use beans and not grounds from now on.
there is a message to fill the water tank, add beans and empty the grounds.
(i use illy medium roast beans).
she and her husband roast their beans and if you like flavored coffees, add 100% natural flavors.
i grind my own beans for coffee and and on my first use i put in about a spoonful and a half for one cup.
the quality of the beans you use will make all the difference in your result.
i have used beans, pods and even made my own pods and they work great too.
my coffee beans taste so much better with this machine than my previous one.
with the right beans and a bit of practice, you can beat the taste of any coffee shop with this.
it tells you when to add water, beans and when to empty grounds so you don't have to be a barista to have great coffee!
i use dark roast starbucks beans and i've had no issues.
you can either buy a burr grinder or do what i do and buy my coffee whole bean and use the grinder most stores have set up (and i've yet to be in one that will mind you using it for any brand on the
i have a blade grinder and my beans were the last of the batch and really not all that fresh, but...the coffee still tasted better than the drip pot with commercially ground canned coffee.
it produces a fabulous pot of coffee and the tiny bit of extra effort w/ grinding my own beans, heating the water, & hand-washing is definitely well worth it.
we have tried several different beans and they have all produced a great cup of espresso with great crema.
i tried lilly but moved on to try lavazza espresso beans due to price.
pros: a great bean to cup espresso machine.
the ability to use decaf grounds when your beans are regular works very well.
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