Gaggia 16109 Evolution Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine, Silver and Chrome

Great Machine!
Although I would like the unit to be all stainless, that is unrealistic expectation at this price point. The internals are the same as higher priced Gaggia units and it makes an excellent cup of espresso. I use the Evolution to make a minimum of 4 double shots daily and it never misses a beat. The Evolution is easy to operate, easy to clean and is ready to use in less than 5 minutes. I highly recommend this unit and would purchase the Evolution again.

If you are concerned about the "plastic" exterior, buy the Gaggia Classic or another higher priced unit instead.
The good and the bad
I traveled in Europe last summer and became spoiled by the amazing coffee so for Christmas my mother bought this espresso maker for me. I had never made or even seen anyone make espresso outside of Starbucks so I was intimidated at first. However, after a few trial and errors, I did it!

The good ...

* the unit looks nice on my countertop with the stainless steel accents
* the espresso is hot and delicious!
* the "ready" lights are convenient since I didn't even know that I had to warm up the machine before using
* the taste is consistant so the machine much be forgiving since I am sure that I am not very good at this yet!

The bad ...

* the directions were in multiple languages and the english section was confusing (I watched several videos on the internet and that helped alot!)
* there were several accessories that didn't come with my unit so I had to spend a little $ before the drinks got easier to make (a frothing...
Don't expect commercial duty use, but it is up to professional standards in my opinion!
High quality grouphead, boiler, very fast to heat up, makes excellent steam and produces very delicious foam especially without the long easy foam attachment and some practice.

This machine puts good quality crema topped espresso at the hands of anyone willing to learn how to do the practice. Fairly easy to keep clean and offers a few upgrades with a little online research.

This machine requires routine cleaning and attention to detail for best results!
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KRUPS XP5280 Pump Espresso Machine with KRUPS Precise Tamp Technology and Stainless Steel Housing, Silver

A really excellent espresso machine for home use
I have used Krups espresso machines for over 25 years. This is my third Krups and it is stunningly superior to the previous models I used. (The last one lasted 18 years and was still in usable condition when I upgraded to the XP5280.) The taste of the espresso made by the XP5280 is vastly superior to that produced by the previous Krups model I owned, and to the espresso made by other brands of machine that my friends own. The coffee also arrives in the cup with a wonderfully thick crema. The taste is, I'm guessing, a result of the way the machine carefully controls the water temperature and way the pump and the head work together to control rate of flow of hot water through the coffee grains, in combination with the effectiveness of the auto-tamping mechanism. The auto-tamping is a great feature. (With my prior machine I was lazy about tamping and somewhat deterred from doing it properly by the way the pump seemed to be 'laboring' when I over-tamped.) The auto-tamp gets the...
Works well after 4 months
I purchased this machine at the recommendation of a knowledgeable salesperson at a local cooking store called Great News (Pacific Beach). I really liked the programmable feature, after returning a different model that did not have the preset for espresso pour duration. I also like the "precise tamp" feature as it saves a step and works well. I find that by using a Cuisinart Conical Burr grinder to freshly grind the beans(I use illy beans exclusively), and by following the directions for proper priming(1st use), cleaning, and operation - the resulting espresso and latte drinks are excellent. It consistently turns out great tasting espresso with generous amounts of "crema", and steams milk well(I recommend getting an instant read thermometer for steamed milk which indicates proper heating temerature between 150 and 170 degrees - mine is from a company called CDN). One minor issue is the steam nozzle. Mine did break after about 4 months - one of the clips that hold the nozzle to the...
Great if you only want to make one cup
Being fairly new to Espresso machines I researched reviews on Amazon and elsewhere, and decided on a Krups XP5280. Too bad, no review ever mentioned the fact that, and this was confirmed to me by Krups Customer Service, you need to wait at least 15 minutes between successive cups of espresso, even longer if you used the steam wand! If you don't wait this long the water is diverted to the drip tray instead of the filter holder. WHAT!! Before this was confirmed by Krups itself I could only think I had a defective unit. Upon hearing that this is "normal", I promptly returned it to the seller, of course at my own expense. I didn't like that the machine couldn't be used under cabinets that don't give you enough space to fully pull out the reservoir which needs to be pulled out upwards. But I did like the Krups automatic tamping, the set amount (programmable) amount of espresso delivered, and the puck ejector in the filter holder. I only wished someone had mentioned in a review the problem...
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Breville BES840XL the Infuser Espresso Machine

The Breville BES840XL vs the Breville Double Boiler: a surprising shoot-out result
Bottom line: I was expecting the Double Boiler to blow the BES840XL out of the water when it came to shot quality. That was not the case at all. While the milk texturing capability of the 840 is a pale shadow of the DB, and it lacks the multitude of convenience features of the DB, the 840 absolutely holds its own with regards to shot quality.

Full review:
I've been using the Breville Double Boiler espresso machine for nearly a year and have been very pleased with it. I was hesitant at first, but great shots and the many, many convenience features won me over. So, when the opportunity came up to compare their top of the line Double Boiler (DB) with their new machine (I'll call it the 840) I thought it wouldn't be a fair fight. Well, I was wrong.

I've never been a fan of thermoblock machines since the temperature stability is just not there. Breville seems to have solved that using two methods. First, the thermoblock is really a thermocoil -- it's a solid...
"The Infuser" vs. the "Barista Express" - Breville Espresso Comparison
If you can't decide between the two, maybe I can help. I've owned the Breville Barista Express BES860XL Machine with Grinder almost 2 years. Eleven months into my 1-year warranty, I woke up to find water all over the counter. Breville has superior customer service and replaced my leaking Barista Express within a week. Two weeks ago I woke up to the same thing with the warranty replacement. It turns out that the Barista Express has a 2 piece ThermoBLOCK heater and the gasket where the 2 pieces join together eventually leaks.

This new Infuser has a one-piece ThermoCOIL heater. Will this one last longer? Only time will tell and I will update this review if I have a leak with this model.

Where the new Infuser excels:
-- Smaller footprint, the Infuser measures slightly over 10" wide
-- Hotter espresso, 5 degrees hotter according to my thermometer
-- Quieter pump
-- Drip tray...
Amazing home espresso machine, once you get the hang of it
First and foremost, this is an absolutely fantastic home espresso machine for the price. It definitely takes some practice to learn how to get the most out of and find the sweet spot (which i've learned always differs depending on the type of beans & grinder you are using). But now after 3 months and a LOT of researching/learning/practice/more practice, I am now consistently making absolutely fantastic espresso drinks.

If you are new to the world of espresso, or have some knowledge, I wanted to write about my experience buying this machine 3 months ago knowing little to nothing about espresso, to now consistently pulling absolutely delicious espresso drinks on a daily basis with this machine. Here we go:

I waited 3 months after purchasing this unit to write a proper review, and I wanted to give a lot of information I have learned and discovered to help others looking into buying a home espresso setup. I honestly knew little to nothing about espresso before...
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