Customer Reviews

Briel ED132AFB Sintra Espresso Machine with Drip Coffeemaker

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Whoever this guy is from Short Hills, NJ has posted like 20 five-star reviews. I've also seen him do the same on other espresso machines. He either works for these companies or is a distributor or something.

If you are researching espresso machines I would suggest keeping an eye out for this guy because he's trying to throw the averages. My suggestion would be to NOT purchase any of the machines he recommends.

Amazon, your ratings system obviously needs some more checks and balances.

My husband purchased the Briel SINTRA ES62 combination pump espresso machine with built in drip coffeemaker. The espresso machine portion is incredible and produces a rich thick crema each time we brew espresso, whether it be from pods of ground coffee. The auto espresso flow feature makes it easy to start and the machine stops automatically based on the amount of coffee you requested. The machine is a real powerhouse in terms of steam pressure for frothing milk. We use this several times a week. But the best feature of the machine is the drip coffeemaker portion. It brews 10 cups of hot coffee in a short amount of time. The pause and serve feature is great. This combination machine is perfect for our counter as it's a multi-purpose machine that is used everyday. You can even brew drip coffee at the same time as making an espresso. Pretty cool...

We really like the metallic faceplate and accents, as it fits in perfectly with our kitchen decor. Yet we have friends who also have this machine in their office, which is perfect for handling large quantities of drip coffee and of course espresso.

We've had Briel before and are more than satisfied. GO FOR IT!

I won't repeat what has come before but first I will inform how to avoid the challenges that other reviewers label flaws.

First: space under coffee holder is too small for a mug. True, but the plastic tray and stainless steel grill slide out easily leaving plenty of room for a mug. When I discovered it I thought it was an intentional design feature. Also, even with the top tray out there is still another below to capture spills.

Second: filling water reservoir. I prefer the squat frothing jugs by Krups which hold a lot of milk and water. They are perfect for filling the reservoir without moving the machine and with plenty of clearance between the machine and the cupboard above. Only two jugs will fill it up as they do hold a lot.

Other Comments:
It does use pods but of the filter type (Starbucks) not Nescafe. One feature not spoken of in detail is the cup size control. With other machines you have to turn them off when enough coffee has been made. If you are like me and multitasking, you may forget and make a watery cup at best or empty your machine on the counter at worst. The Briel has a dial to select the amount of coffee produced creating a very consistent cup. In addition, the steamer produces steam nearly immediately with just a tiny dribble so small you can ignore it. The steam volume is incredible. Sloppy steamed milk production will make a mess, as it should.

The real flaw: It should come with two coffee holders for production line results. When you are having a party and everyone wants espresso the machine is fast, with you as the limiting factor. Your own speed of emptying the coffee holder, rinsing it out, filling it, tamping (the machine has a great built in tamper which I have never seen on any other brand) and pushing the button is the problem. Lastly, the front panel may be plastic but it can take repeated scrubbings with mild abrasives without harm. Treat it nicely and it should look good forever.

After reading good reviews, I bought this machine sight unseen. Big mistake. Filling the reservoirs was cumbersome and you couldn't see the water level on the coffee and trying to make a half pot was very difficult. The espresso coffee holder didn't fit easily on the machine and sometimes it took five minutes of fiddling to get it to seat.(doesn't help that you can't see what you are doing). So soon we stopped making espresso, thus getting around the fact that a coffee mug won't fit under the espresso head. The coffee maker was mediochre. The lid over the basket fit poorly and was difficult to seat. It easily clogs and leaks all over the sink, even right after a cleaning. Today I'm off to Zabars to buy myself a new coffee maker. And it won't be a Briel.

I made this purchase with the intention of not needing to go to Starbucks for a decent latte. First I was looking for a combo machine to make some regular coffee when I wanted to change things up. Regarding quality, I also wanted to ensure that the espresso machine used a stainless steel boiler instead of aluminium. There are some health concerns regarding aluminium. Speaking of which, a water pump is preferable instead of just a steam machine for better quality espresso. This machine has exceeded my expectations.

The water container is very large and you can fill it from the top whenever. The machine is fairly quick in preparing the espresso and prepping the wand for steaming milk. The espresso is great and has a nice crema each time. The wand is incredible and froths the milk very quickly.

My experience:

For first time buyers, make sure you have a stainless steel pitcher for heating/frothing milk. I also recommend getting a thermometer to ensure that you heat the milk properly. Lastly, purchase a small enough container for the espresso as there is not a lot of clearance under the espresso filter.

The instruction documentation isn't that good. Actually, I didn't receive the documentation when I received the machine and I even contacted Briel for it and I still have received anything. I made a copy from a co-worker who did get it when he made the same purchase.

This might seem like a negative review and may stop you from making the purchase. But I think the proof is in the pudding. The espresso and coffee makes is incredibly good. Leave the car keys behind, and make the walk to your kitchen instead.

We just received our BRIEL SINTRA machine last week. It's fabulous. Recently, we just redesigned our kitchen with stainless steel appliances and wanted a powerful, yet attractive machine that would fit in. I don't drink espresso everyday, but wanted a combination machine that made a quality cup of drip coffee along with a pump espresso machine. So we purchased the SINTRA from BRIEL. This machine offers a sleek Stainless Steel look exterior with added features such as Auto Espresso Flow and a warming plate for pre-heating cups. The espresso part of the machine is impressive and makes it easy for anyone to create authentic espresso, cappuccino or latte every time! This full size machine is adaptable for use with ground coffee or coffee servings (pods)! I get my pods from AMAZON.COM. The 10-cup drip coffeemaker portion of the machine is sensational. It brews drip coffee quickly, at the proper hot temperature and has a nice feature of brew interuption, where you can sneak a cup, before it's completed! Some of the features that my wife and I like most about the machine:

1. Large, removable water reservoir that fills from the top. 2. Water level visible from the front. 3. GREAT ESPRESSO EXTRACTION due to Constant 15 Bar pump pressure producing a savory espresso with perfect crema every time 4. POWERFUL STEAM with a snap-on Turbo Jet Frother produces plentiful dry steam for a thick milk froth for a cappuccino or latte 5.SMALL FOOTPRINT ON COUNTER Before we had an espresso machine and a drip coffeemaker on our counter. It took up a lot of space. This unit is streamlined and by having both the drip coffeemaker and pump espresso machine combined, it is perfect for our needs in creating a European coffee bar in our newly redesigned kitchen.

We can wholeheartedly suggest this machine to others, as we intend to purchase a couple of these machines as gifts. We've had experience with BRIEL in the past and found their products great and their support people bery informative and helpful.

This machine makes very good coffee. And very good espresso. And it's well designed and easy to use. One thing that quickly becomes evident is that the facade of the machine isn't stainless steel as it appears in the photo - it's plastic, albeit silver, stainless steel-looking plastic. It looks rather cheap. It's a shame, too, because they almost had it - If they'd only spent just a couple dollars more on each machine in the production phase for a real metal faceplate, it would have been perfect.

I've been using this machine everyday for the last two years and although it's decent I wouldn't recommend it without any reservations. Overall I'm satisfied with the machine, taking into account how much money I've saved by not going to Starbucks, but I'm ready for an upgrade.

I agree with most reviewers that the espresso it produces is pretty good. Drip coffee is another story. There are some fundametal flaws with the design of the drip coffee compartment. Filling it up is an adventure. Half the water usually ends on the counter. There's no water level indicators inside the water tank, so you have to use the glass carafe to fill it with water. This usually results in a mess. In addition, you end up with less coffee than what you thought because some steam escapes from the top.

As far as the espresso compartment is concerned there are some problems too. First of all, the cup size selector is NOT consistent. The dial is pretty inaccurate, so you'll have to experiment until you get it right. Depending on the grind size you may have to change the setting a lot. So keep an eye on it!

Second of all, the heating element doesn't function very well. The green light (water temperature indicator) is erratic. It will be on, letting me know that the water is ready to make coffee, but it will then go off half way into making a serving. This usually happens if I want to make 2 servings, one after the other. To overcome this, I usually have to wait for the light to go off and come on again, which can add several minutes between espressos. Lately, this happens even if I'm only making one serving. Making coffee with tepid water? NOT NICE.

In conclusion, if you're tight on budget this is a decent choice. If you can spend a little bit more, skip it.

I won't repeat what has come before but first I will inform how to avoid the challenges that other reviewers label flaws.

First: space under coffee holder is too small for a mug. True, but the plastic tray and stainless steel grill slide out easily leaving plenty of room for a mug. When I discovered it I thought it was an intentional design feature. Also, even with the top tray out there is still another below to capture spills.

Second: filling water reservoir. I prefer the squat frothing jugs by Krups which hold a lot of milk and water. They are perfect for filling the reservoir without moving the machine and with plenty of clearance between the machine and the cupboard above. Only two jugs will fill it up as they do hold a lot.

Other Comments:
It does use pods but of the filter type (Starbucks) not Nescafe. One feature not spoken of in detail is the cup size control. With other machines you have to turn them off when enough coffee has been made. If you are like me and multitasking, you may forget and make a watery cup at best or empty your machine on the counter at worst. The Briel has a dial to select the amount of coffee produced creating a very consistent cup. In addition, the steamer produces steam nearly immediately with just a tiny dribble so small you can ignore it. The steam volume is incredible. Sloppy steamed milk production will make a mess, as it should.

The real flaw: It should come with two coffee holders for production line results. When you are having a party and everyone wants espresso the machine is fast, with you as the limiting factor. Your own speed of emptying the coffee holder, rinsing it out, filling it, tamping (the machine has a great built in tamper which I have never seen on any other brand) and pushing the button is the problem. Lastly, the front panel may be plastic but it can take repeated scrubbings with mild abrasives without harm. Treat it nicely and it should look good forever.

UPDATE
After 4 years it died. I must say that I am mechanical and while the machine had problems from time to time most were related to cleaning. Occasionaly it acted strangely and I recycled it with success. All of my efforts weren't covered in the manual. Did I get my money's worth? Yes. Would I recommend it to someone without a clear understanding of a coffeemaker and its internals? No.

Would change it to 3 stars at best, but Amazon doens't allow that to be edited.

After two months of good service the pressure for espresso and temperature of the drip coffee both dropped significantly. I called the New Jersey service department and was dismissed offhand, told only that I should clean the espresso screens. When I pressed the issue of cold coffee I was told that was not a problem. For me it is.

The service is poor enough that I would recommend not buying any Briel products.