Rating  - Works great until it breaks
Looks great, and worked fine for me as a casual, intermittent user (about once every two weekends). After 18 months of intermittent use, it inexplicably stopped heating the water. Now I just get cold water to the brew basket, and cold water getting squirted out of the steam nozzle. Now it's just a heavy block of useless metal. I'd imagine if I had used it on a daily basis, it would have broken much sooner -- perhaps within the 1-year warranty period, but from reading other reviews, it sounds like their warranty service is poor.
Rating  - Make your own latte and save some money
This is an excellent machine for espresso and lattes..The construction of the machine is very nice and is well made and durable. Steams milk wonderfully and the added cup warmer is a nice feature. The machine takes like 30 seconds to a minute to heat up the water for a shot of espresso. Definitely use filtered water for the espresso.
The only thing I don't like about the machine is that it does not have an auto shut off feature. Each time you make a shot or double shot of espresso, you have to time it and shut it off manually to get it to stop dripping. This is probably the norm for most espresso makers, and after a few cups, you get the feel for when you should shut it off as to not dilute the espresso with too much water.
You can't beat it for $150, I recommend it.
Rating  - Wow! I'm impressed.
I am a student who was frustrated with how much I was spending on coffee every day...I decided to look for a home espresso machine; I needed one somewhere between $100 and $200. After a lot of online browsing, I decided on the Ariete. I was a little uncertain (there are always some discouraging reviews, and the description left me wondering if anything was missing) but I went for it anyway. The price was right, most reviews were satisfying, and it seemed like the best machine for the money on Amazon.
The machine arrived quickly and undamaged, as is characteristic of Amazon.
However, when I opened it and set it up to prime the pump, I turned it on, and nothing happened. Then I saw a tiny little wisp of smoke (not steam, smoke) curling out from the top.
That I didn't like.
Just my luck, I thought. It's a total dud and I have to send it back.
I came home later and messed around with it, only to find that the problem was the water tank on the back wasn't quite locked in place, so the machine wasn't taking up water.
I fixed that, and everything ran smoothly from there on out.
I LOVE THIS MACHINE
(so far...I won't be naive and expect it to run this way indefinitely...)
PROS:
*Easy to use (Really. I love coffee, but I'm not a professional barista. I read the instructions and did just fine.)
*Nice-looking machine
*Stainless steel
*Easy to clean (bottom tray lifts out)
*Comes with everything you need (except the coffee and drinkware)
*The coffee tastes great!
*Nice froth on the espresso and good steamer function
*Pump-driven (I've never had this - it's very impressive)
*Espresso comes out instantly
*Comes with two filters (one for one shot, one for two), a measuring scoop with what I think they call a tamp on the other end to pack the grounds)
*Has two little spouts that expel coffee in case you want to separate shots, and you can judge where to put your shot glasses by two little circles in the bottom tray
*There are really no crazy inner-workings to clean. As far as I can tell, there is no opening to the inside of the machine, and no need to access it.
*If you're doin' it right, everything comes out hot
I don't really have any cons...I guess you could say I have a few tips about problems you might have:
*Make sure the water tank is securely locked in place before you do anything! From experience, that's my number one tip.
*The machine gets hot. (Duh.) Be careful not to touch it or move it when it's in use.
*The machine might be a little noisy for some. The pump is not silent.
*The machine does not pre-measure the water that goes into the espresso shots, and it does not know how many you are making. That means that, when you turn the dial to "espresso," you need to watch it fill your shot(s) and turn it to "0" when they are just about full, or else it will keep feeding water through. I leave a little room in the shot glasses because it will spit a little extra out when you turn it to zero.
*The only thing I'm a little hazy on is the milk steaming...I've done it several times now, and it always works out fine, but I'm unsure when exactly to put the steam nozzle into the cup. The directions say the orange light goes out when the steam is heated enough, but mine always stays on. Maybe I have the dial turned too far. I just turn it to "Steam" and let it blow for a minute until it seems to be getting stronger and warmer. It's better to put it in the cup sooner than later, because, if you try to insert the nozzle in your milk when it's going full strength, it will spray your milk all over the place.
If I have any new experiences with the machine, I will update my review.
So far, so good!
I can't imagine finding a better machine for $154. I'm happy with my purchase and I highly recommend.
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Customer Reviews for Lello,1375,027208454008,0027208454008,B000E3ZF76, |
