This machine works great, it is heavy duty metal case and does delicious creamy espresso. This machine does not leak like the gaggia I tryed before and for the price it is far the best I used. If you get it from Amazon you will get the best service ever! The water tank on the back is removable to fill and clean, the water retention tank for the coffee drops below is also removable, easy to clean, big enough and of very good quality. The metal grill does not rust and the portafila is solid. Saeco is the perfect Italian espresso lover''s machine and it is so solid that it''s like it was German made and not Italian :) I checked a lot of brands, models and review and that''s from far the best I found for the bucks. I owned fully automatic machines for 10x the price paid here and that one is doing better espresso than any of them... This machine is a hit!
+ This is a compact machine, I propped mine 2.5 inches off my granite countertop with a solid block of aluminum, anything will do, seattle coffee gear even sells actual espresso stands, however they can be considered expensive by some people.
+ Before pulling a shot, be sure to preheat the portafilter with 5 seconds of brew-button-time, the shot will be much more creamy...(crema)
Saeco Vienna Plus SuperAutomatic is convenient but will not last long, Gaggis classic has all the same features this has for a slightly unjustifiable price increase, Rancilio will do everything this machine can do with just nicer parts, Basically you can make an excellent coffee drink with either machine, it wouldn''t matter..
+ Yes,, I have timed the Saeco Aroma. It takes EXACTLY 102 seconds from the time the switch is flipped until it is ready to brew. ( when the brew light is activated)
+ One of the most competitive machines in the sub $450 price range, if not the best..
+ Machine heats up very fast. I would say under 2 minutes and its ready to brew.. That''s faster than I can boil a cup of water in my 800watt microwave! and much faster than brewing drip coffee__>__
+ Cup warmer is a nice addition, but actually by the time the water boiler is hot and ready to brew the cup warmer (which is heated by the water boiler) has only begun to start warming up, thus the cups really wont be warm unless the aroma has been on for about 20mins.. I usually preheat by brewing the hot water into the empty cups, (which the instruction booklet recommends)
+ None of the stainless parts will rust, including the grate under the cups
+ I myself think the frothing wand is fine out of the box, (please read up on milk frothing guides online to get the best out of this machine.) With a little skill and a good 20oz frothing pitcher, I was making sweet creamy cappuccinos with dense micro-foam in no-time at all. (Seattle Coffee gear sells a nice panarello upgrade on their site for around $40 usd).
+ Portafilter is very solid and heavy duty, I feel very confident using it.
+ Large water tank, big enough to fill once a week (one individual).
+ Solid, Easy to clean stainless steel housing.
+ Fashionable design, simple and modern.
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I am not a coffee aficionado however I do love good espresso. I have had the Saeco Aroma machine for 2 months now. My main criticism regards the milk steamer wand with panerello. Because of the configuration and compact size of the machine, the panerello is very awkward to use. To fit a pitcher of milk under it and remove it without spilling I set the machine at the edge of a table with the wand overhanging. I was not particularly happy with the quality of the foam so I completely removed the plastic panerello assembly from the wand and now steam milk using the bare stainless steel tube. This is a reasonable solution except that the tube is very short without the panerello. Regarding the espresso quality, although I have made many a good cup of espresso, I have yet to coax a superior shot out of the pressurized portafilter. In fact, I got equal results with my old $60 Krups that had a non-pressurized portafilter and lacked a steam pump, working on steam pressure only. I was also disappointed to find that the steam valve knob is of plastic, not stainless steel like the body of the machine and has a cheap feel and look. The jury is still out. Maybe for the price this is as good as it gets. I recommend checking this machine out at a store before buying on-line because the steam wand configuration may be a deal breaker for you.Read Best Reviews of Saeco Aroma - Espresso Machine Here
I''ve been looking for an espresso machine to replace a 12-year-old Krups steam-driven espresso machine which finally died (the steam wand gave out). None of the machines under $300 seem to get consistently good reviews on Amazon but the Saeco Aroma Espresso got the best reviews of the cheaper-end machines. So, I ordered it through Amazon. After it arrived, I was looking forward to enjoying good espresso coffee (but a little apprehensive about the steam wand problems other users reported). The first thing I did was to run a tank of water through the machine to clean it (recommended by the manual before first use). Well, guess what: the steam wand wasn''t a problem no trouble getting my milk pitcher under the wand and no leaks! Ah, I thought this machine is going to work out after all.But the next step was to run water through the pressurized portafilter and that''s where I ran into problems. The portafilter leaked like crazy! Most of the hot water dripped into the cup under the portafilter but a lot of it leaked out above the portafilter and ran down the handle to my kitchen counter. I removed the portafilter and ran hot water directly into the cup with no problems. So the problem was with the portafilter water just wasn''t getting through it as it should. I looked at the rubber gasket inside the portafilter and it appeared intact; so there must have been an obstruction somewhere else inside the portafilter. I wasn''t going to disassemble it find out. It''s a new machine, never used before, and it should have worked right out of the box.
So, I''m going to contact Amazon about returning this machine. I''m undecided about whether to ask for a replacement machine or just give up on the idea of being able to make my own espresso coffee at a reasonable price. Maybe a moka pot is the way to go to get an espresso-like coffee. It''s certainly cheaper and simpler to use than these big machines, which take up a lot of counter space and break down at a remarkably high rate.
I''ll update this review when I decide which way I''m going to go.
UPDATE: Amazon won''t replace it only refund my money when I return the machine. That''s too bad because I''ll never know if the machine was badly made or just this particular portafilter was broken. I''m back to square 1 again.
UPDATE: I decided to call Saeco and ask for a replacement for the faulty portafilter and they agreed to send me one. I''ll update my review when I receive and use it.
UPDATE: I received the replacement portafilter from Saeco (no charge) and I''m going to raise my rating to 4 stars, based on the espresso maker''s performance with the replacement. It works very well and I''ve enjoyed several cups of espresso made with the Saeco Aroma machine. It is simple and easy to use and makes an excellent espresso with nice crema. I''m still a bit leery regarding its durability since some reviews on this site suggest it could fail at any time. I haven''t tried the steam wand yet; since I drink espressos rather than lattes or cappuccinos. But I may try to brew some of those to try out the steam wand. In any case, if my experience with this espresso maker causes me to further revise my opinion to any great degree, I''ll provide another update later.
UPDATE: I ran into an unexpected problem with this machine. The first month I used ground coffee to brew espresso but then I decided to see how it would handle E.S.E pods. I followed the instructions remove the ground coffee basket from the portafilter and insert the E.S.E. basket included with the machine. There''s just one major obstacle: I can''t lock the portafilter into the machine with the E.S.E basket in it. It looks like there isn''t quite enough clearance for the portafilter to lock into place with pod basket in it. So, it seems as though I can''t use E.S.E pods a major flaw! And an odd one, considering I''m using the E.S.E. basket Saeco provided. I don''t know if it''s a problem only with the machine I bought or a design flaw with the machine. So, if you plan to brew espresso using pods, you should be aware of this potential problem. I''ll contact Saeco to see if they have a solution, e.g, replacing the E.S.E basket. If I get this resolved, I''ll update my review.
UPDATE: I called Saeco and the company sent me a replacement rubber gasket for the E.S.E pod basket in the hope this would fix the problem. But it didn''t. Either the rubber gaskets provided with the E.S.E pod baskets are too thick or some part of the brew head is projecting too far into the pod basket to allow the portafilter to lock in. I still don''t know if this is a general problem or a problem peculiar to my machine. I doubt it can be resolved short of returning it to Saeco for examination and/or repair. I''m not willing to risk that since the machine works well otherwise. I suppose I''ll just have to forgo using pods to brew espresso with this particular machine.
UPDATE: Thanks to a reviewer''s comment, I''ve revised my rating and review of this product. I was using the equipment incorrectly and it was not at fault I was! Now I''m enjoying delicious cups of espresso using pods! Please read the instructions closely and don''t make the mistake I was making. I highly recommend this product now!
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Bought two of these. One in 2008 (under two bills for the stainless) which is still workign with some problems, and one in 2010 (about 10% more).The first one died with multiple problems at two years: permanently leaking stream wand, profuse leaking above porta-filter (this despite filter being well cleaned with the tiny holes all open).
The second one, which is clearly a lower build quality failed at thirteen months with even more issues. The thermostat failed causing boiler to go to steam temps when set at brew temps and resulting in burned espresso. If you are curious about Seaco service, give them a call even before you buy, and describe one of the three or four known problems posted here. In essence forget about repair. In-warranty is bad enough with exorbitant handling charges; out-of-warranty, any repair will net cost you 3/4 the cost of a new machine.
Be VERY cautious about the well meaning early reviews here. My guess is that the reviews from over two years go are not revisited and that those machines are DEAD. You can see this on espresso aficionado forums where the glowing reviews on forums from two years ago now show people''s machines died in very high number and Saeco was not helpful at all. Their attitude seems to want to squeeze even more moeny by charging just short of replacement cost for any repair, even the smallest. More alarming yet is that one can clearly see the build quality is lower and Saeco is coasting on the early good reviews it got and now shipping inferior made product. e''en the portafilter is a different cheaper material.
Al that said, if you go into expecting an average of one to two years this is a decent machine at about two bills that you can find it at from time to time.
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