I have owned 4 espresso machines before this one, 2 manual (De Longhi), and 1 fully automatic (Saeco Odea Go). So I have a pretty good idea about what a good espresso should look like and what an espresso machine can or cannot do.I got this Incanto Deluxe as a replacement for the Odea Go that died a sad death after 18 months of service (that''s another review). On the positive side, the Incanto looks great, is very versatile and fully customizable. One can program almost anything from the temperature of the coffee, to the amount of coffee ground and the amount of water to be put through the ground coffee. The enclosure of the machine is metal (very rare nowadays when cheap plastic is ubiquitous) and the whole machine looks very high quality (unlike the Magnifica for instance which looks very plasticky) The features that convinced me to go for this machine also include: i) the ability to set the water hardness, ii) the automatic descaling cycle (the Odea Go descaling is a 45 min affair for which you have to be present) and iii) the ability to bypass the beans with pre-ground coffee (for decaf, etc.). One thing I didn''t like in the exterior design was the pannarello (steam wand). On my old Odea Go, I could place a relatively tall glass (but still 250 ml) under the wand and steam the milk with one hand only (holding my 5-month old in the other arm). I could actually leave the glass on the tray, steam as necessary, then turn the steam off and pick up the glass, all with one hand only. On the Incanto, this is not possible. I can barely fit the same glass at an angle, I have to hold it there the entire time the steam is running and then I need the other hand in order to turn the steam off. So if you get this machine make sure you have both hands available or use short glasses. The other comment about the steam is that it appears to produce a _lot_ of froth to the point of having froth dribble on my hand and counter way before the milk is even warm.
I read comments and reviews about this and other machines for several days before getting this. I read about problems that other people had with it (including the ventilation issue) and I also read about some people that were happy with it. However, I really liked the specifications and I figured it may be a matter of luck and I will try it anyway. However, rather than going for the lowest price on the internet, I decided to pay more but buy it from a store when I could return it if needed.
I had no problems installing the machine when I got it out of the box. It requested to be ventilated which only involved opening the hot water knob. So much for the ventilation issue, I thought. However, about 2 days later after exactly 5 coffees made as dutifully reported by the beautiful digital display the machine ran out of water while steaming the milk for a cappuccino. The "ventilate" request was displayed and that was it! I tried to run hot water with no results. The machine also comes with a very cheap manual pump that looks like an accordion with a tube at one end. There are instructions on a leaflet (not in the manual) that tell you to fit the tube of the pump over the water valve of the machine and pump water into the system. This pump is a very sad joke. The diameter of the plastic tube does not match the diameter of the water valve so the pump would not fit in it, and it would not fit around it, either. The best one can do is to push the pump on the water valve really hard and try to pump. It''s like holding a water hose against a flat surface and turning the water on. The water goes everywhere: walls, counter top, clothes, people, etc. After fighting with the manual pump for a while I gave up and called tech support. After about 20 minutes on hold, I managed to talk to a person. She had me reset the machine to the factory settings and brew 2-3 cups of coffee. Brewing the coffee worked which meant that the problem was with the hot water/steam circuit alone. She then said she would email me instructions on how to open the machine and adjust a "turbine". Overall, this person was very nice and competent. A few minutes later I got the email with a pdf attachment. I opened it and I started laughing really hard. They expect the consumer to really take apart the machine, find this "turbine" and actually modify it. However, being an engineer and loving to take things apart, I thought it might be fun to try it. After spending some time looking at the brew group from all sides, I figure that this turbine looked completely different on my machine than it looked in the instructions. Once I took it apart, I also figure out that this turbine is no turbine at all, it''s just a valve actuated by a spring and sealed by an o-ring. The instructions stated "use removed screw to slightly widen the whole inside the turbine". This is when I gave up. If they said something like make the whole 1/10 inch or 2mm or something, anything that can be measured, I could have done it. However, telling me to make the whole "slightly" bigger is a joke. Dear people at Saeco: These things can be _designed_, you know?. One can actually figure out how big the whole needs to be _before_ building the machine, not after. And even if you are not able to do this and you go with a hit and miss approach, once you build it and figure out how big it should be, you should make sure your product leaves the factory with the correct size hole, not ask the customer to fix your design or production flaws!! Even if you get your components from China, check their specifications before assembling them.
Anyway, I put the whole thing back together and I called Saeco again. This time I talked to somebody else. This person was not so nice and appeared more interested in trying to find flaws in my recounting of the events rather than helping me solve the problem. Eventually she said I have to send this to a repair center (paying for shipping myself) after I fill in a form and submit proof of purchase. I initially thought I would do this because I really liked the machine. However, on second thoughts, I figured that I do not trust this machine anymore. I think this is an older design and if they haven''t fixed this issues after all the consumer complains on the internet, it''s probably soon to be replaced by a new generation. I really do not want to fight and fix this over and over again until it goes out of warranty and then have to buy another coffee machine altogether. I will just take this back for a refund.
Buy Philips Saeco RI9724/47 Incanto Deluxe Automatic Espresso Machine Now
I have had this machine 18 + months without a single glitch.. I have had to decalcify it twice in that time. The last time I decalcified it I did not replace the water tank completely and it asked to ventilate it, I then noticed my error, seated the water tank, ventilated it and once again perfect coffee... (According to the machine it has made 2862 cups) Update: Coming up on 3yrs, now according to machine 5810 cups and still making perfect coffee.. Also after reading other reviews, I have never used the hand pump to ventilate the machine, I just open the hot water/steam valve per owners manual to ventilate the system.June 2012. Update 9810 cups & still making perfect coffee. It has more than paid for itself. (it is getting a little grubby inside, but I can live with that.)
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I got this thing 4 days ago when Costco had it on sale. Awesome coffee, whether you just want an Espresso, Latte, Cappucino, or a regular coffee. Easy to use. Not too noisy when grinding, tons of options to program. So, all in all, seems like a great machine. But...I have to say I already had to use their manual pump twice to "ventilate" the system (charging the circuit with water). It is supposed to do this once when installing, and then after a long time of not being in use. Well, I already had to do it twice within 4 days. Worse, it did not do it automatically, so I had to use this 20 cent hand pump that does not properly fit. It''s ridiculous, this is a $1,200 machine. I really love the coffee, so I want to believe in it, but if this happens a few more times, I will check with customer service, and if this does not stop I will send it back and get a manual 15 bar one without so much electronic. Too bad though, coffee is really great.-
Update: As I had the issue a few more times I returned the item and got another machine.
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I bought this espresso machine for my boyfriend since he needs his daily coffee and keeps long hours at work. The machine has made perfect coffee and he no longer wastes time looking for sub-par coffee while at the office. He now gets hot, flavorful coffee, espresso, lattes, and cappuccinos that rival what baristas at your local coffee shops can make with the touch of a button. There are no more complaints of coffee that do not "hit the spot."If you enjoy your coffee, consider the Saeco Incanto Deluxe machine. The machine is easy to use and fits nicely into your kitchen space. In addition, it pays for itself on demand and saves you the trouble of looking for coffee at inopportune times (e.g., when company''s over). The unexpected "coffee runs" are a thing of the past.
What the machine offers:
(1) Programmable settings to set exactly how strong coffee should be ground for the perfect taste.
(2) Programmed different coffee sizes so the perfect amount lands in the cup with the touch of a button. No more measuring or guessing.
(3) Easy to read LCD display to tell what step the espresso machine is doing and what maintenance the machine needs (e.g., "Replace water filter" or "Empty grounds container").
(4) Ability to use multiple coffee beans without emptying the bean hopper, allowing for variety without removing anything.
(5) Easy maintenance: Removable used grounds container, removable drip tray to dispose of residuals that may have been produced, and automatic descaling scale. In short, it is not a hassle to have convenience.
(6) Allows to budget incurred costs because the machine internally counts the number of cups of coffee made. (Trust me, it''ll be less than what you would pay daily at the store.)
UPDATE (6/2009) the machine just brewed its 1,000th cup, so it''s definitely paying itself off, and tastes just as great as the first day.
Enjoy!
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