Customer Reviews

Briel ES200APG Multi-Pro Stainless Pump Espresso with Auto Espresso Flow

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I've been traveling to Europe for over 25 years and truly am a loverof Espresso coffee. Our family has owned an espresso machine for atleast the last 15 years. Out of all the machines that I've tried, I feel the machine that I currently own, The Multi-Pro 1-Group unit from Briel is the best I've ever tried. I first read about this in the New York Times February 25,1998 where Suzanne Hamlin talked about Espresso Artistry at Home. There she recommended this machine for it's consistently superb crema. It can use either ground coffee or the coffee pods, which are great. I paid over...for my machine so at...it's a real bargain. I rate this machine very high and would highly suggest purchasing it if you are a serious lover of espresso/cappuccino.

having been a coffee jockey in my previous life, i've acquired a discerning taste for good espresso. i'm terribly picky about foam, and what constitutes a good cappuccino. i've tried all sorts of stove top and electric espresso machines, and have never been able to get the flavor or the foam right. with my new Briel mutil-pro series, i feel like a MASTER.

this machine couldn't be any easier to use. the foaming mecahnism creates a perfect cappuccino. it is also very easy to clean.

my suggestion: use bottled water. if you've bought this machine, you are obviously a coffee snob. no need to spoil it with tap water.

My wife is a capuccino enthusiast and have been looking for the easiest espresso machine to make her the best coffee drink. We have been searching for over 2 years in all department stores, coffee houses, and coffee speciality web sites to find the best to fit our needs. During this time, we tried over 15 machines in the house. None caught our desire to want to keep it.

Then, looking for an option for my wife's birthday, I ventured onto ... (the website) to find the Briel Multi-Pro. After liking the look and reading the other reviews, I decided to try just one more. WOW! Were we impressed! The automatic brew cycle, the crema, the frother met all of our needs. To be spending ...(this much) on a kitchen appliance that is used occasionally can be a difficult decision; however, not in this case. It's worth every penny.

A minor problem came with the machine when it arrived. The steam valve would not fully shut off. However, the Briel Service Center was very responsive indicating that within 30 days ...(this website) would be happy to exchange it, or anytime afterwards, Briel would either replace the machine or repair the defective parts. This minor problem does not overshadow our overall satisfaction.

The BRIEL Multi-Pro one group pump espresso machine is the absolute best machine that I've ever owned! I make espresso several times each day. This machine is easy to use, the espresso always have a rich crema, the coffee comes out hot and the machine is extremely reliable. I love the fact that you can use traditional ground coffee or the coffee pods (I've tried the CAFFECEL coffee pods available from AMAZON.COM and the coffee is absolutely wonderful). The machine is also perfect for making lattes or cappuccinos. The pump is powerful and has plenty of energy to produce a rich, thick froth for milk-based espresso beverages. It seems that there is virtually no "down time" from brewing espresso to frothing milk, which is not the case with other machines I have tried!

The results and reliability of this machine is unbelievable for the price...the machine could easily sell for two times the price I paid.

I've seen this machine in Europe and it's very popular there.

I noticed one comment where someone complained about the service given by the BRIEL office here. I've contact them and found them to be courteous, professional and very attentive to my needs. In the past I've tried to get through to other companies who produce espresso machines and got little to no response. Not the case with BRIEL. I would recommend BRIEL and the ES200 MULTI PRO machine to everyone who wants a serious and consistently perfect espresso. Thanks to AMAZON.COM for carrying such a great machine at a super price.

I've owned several espresso machines built for home use over the years...mostly Krups models...and they were satisfactory. However, the Briel machine is very impressive. It is solid and well built and makes excellent espresso as well as steamed milk. It also helps to use the proper roast and grind of coffee and low fat milk for steaming.

I particularly like the automatic brew shut off feature that allows one to adjust the amount of coffee brewed and shuts off the pump.

I am left-handed and the procedure for steaming milk is a bit awkward until you get used to it. It does, however, make excellent steamed milk with a nice foamy head.

The cup-heating tray on top of the machine is completely ineffective.

I bought this machine for my husband for Christmas. He was so excited to get it out of the box! It was easy enough to figure out how to use and the pump method really does make a superior espresso to the steam. He also loved the convenience of a faster brew and it being unnecessary to "potwatch" like he had to with the steam espresso maker we had before.
HOWEVER... the machine leaked a little from day one. Having never had this type of machine before we assumed this might be normal. About 5 weeks later we awoke one morning to find water leaked out all over the counter. We contacted the company. They told us the steam valve had probably been defective. Amazon graciously allowed us to exchange the unit for a new one. The new unit didn't leak at all in the beginning and we were hopeful. But 5 weeks later it too broke. Again, the Briel customer service said it was a valve. They were aware of the problem but we would have to pay the shipping cost to send it to them and get it returned to us in order for them to fix it. In total about a $50 to $60 expense. They said we could again ask Amazon to exchange it for us. Amazon graciously again made an exception to their policy. We hoped this third unit would be one of the newly designed ones with no valve leaks but here we are 4 weeks later with a broken unit.
Please don't risk that yours will be old stock or that there really was a new valve made. Briel's customer service puts all the financial expense for shipping on you and these are big heavy units that aren't cheap to send. An espresso maker is a great investment for those of us who like espresso drinks, but do better than we did and research the warranty available from each manufacturer first. After all you're spending a lot of money on the unit, you shouldn't have to spend more when it breaks due to a manufacturers defect!

This is a solid-built machine. I have had some other pump models over the years and this appears to be more durable than all of them. Additionally, and most importantly, the espresso from this machine is the best I have ever had, bar none.

That said, there is no "perfect" espresso machine-

-someone else commented that it should be called "reduced drip" rather than "no-drip". Agreed.

-It is difficult to clean the grounds from the machine-can't someone come up with a mechanism to simplify this necessary process?

-I think the espresso is just a bit too cold

-Regarding the Easy Serving Espresso (ESE) pods-I have used the Illy, they are good (and really reduce clean-up issues-ideal for an office) but (a) they cost about twice as much per service as regular ground Illy, (b) they only come in single-serving size, and (c) the quality just can't compare to Illy's regular ground espresso.

A word about Final Call-two machines that I bought were missing parts. The customer service system is awkward, but they do follow through with complaints. For the money I saved it was worth the hassles of dealing with them....

This unit makes very good espresso from grind (as long as you have a good grinder) and spectacular shots from pods. Pods are actually pretty hard to find, but really worth trying if you want to see how good it can get. I like the stainless, it's very heavy, easy to fill, big solid-feeling buttons, and pretty easy to clean. It's even got a plug in the bottom for letting out water that makes into the case through the tray.

The first unit I got was defective, so if you're having big problems, it might be the machine and not you. Water leaking, bad brewing, no pressure -- just return it. It looks like quite a few people god bad units -- if they work, they're flawless. I don't know if that's a sign of future reliability, but mine's in an office setting, used daily for a year without missing a beat. Also, it's a piston-driven unit, so be aware it does make a fair amount of buzzing noise.

One nitpick -- the steam knob isn't knurled, so it's not always easy to get a good grip on it if your hands are wet.

The machine makes great coffee quickly and easily, with either pods or grinds. The auto-shut off feature is very handy. The pressure is sufficient to produce nice foamed milk.

However....

· The machine arrived missing parts.
· Amazon customer service, when they answered my e-mail (can't contact them any other way) two weeks later, was clueless in resolving the problem; however, Briel sent the part within a week without any hassles.
· The steam valve leaks water; this means that every time I brew coffee it dribbles. I sent the machine in for a warranty-covered repair. Two months later it was returned with the water reservoir cracked and the steam valve still leaking. I have resigned myself to a wet kitchen counter top.

If you don't mind the lack of customer support when something goes wrong, and the dribbling, it's a great little machine.

This is the first Espresso machine I have ever owned so I don't have another one to compare it to but I can say that it makes Lattes as good as any I have had at Starbucks. I especially like the "Auto Espresso Flow" feature that allows you to set the strength of the espresso based on how much water is pumped through the machine. I have got it set where I like and now all I have to do is push the button. Friends have told me that they have to monitor the time on their espesso machines which seems far less convenient. I put off buying an espresso machine for a long time because they looked like to much trouble to make but I have to say that with the pods, espresso is easier than coffee from my drip coffee maker and lattes are only a little bit more time consuming. Do get the pods because once you use them you will never go back. I didn't get them when I first bought the machine and probably only used the machine once a week. I went back on line and bought the pods from Amazon (which are excellent) and I now make a latte almost every day because it is so easy. I figured out that once I go through my BOX of 150 the Machine will have almost paid for itself since a comparable latte at Starbucks is about $2.50 and the pods are only [..] cents a piece.