7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Impressive Super Automatic Coffee Center, May 27, 2010
This review is from: Espressione CA4865 Supremma Super-Automatic Coffee/Beverage Center (Kitchen)
We've used this machine at our home overseas in 220-240V version for over four years and have found it to be flawless in performance, effortless in programming and use, so uncomplicated to use that we had this in a orthodontists office where adults and children alike used the machine. Purchased the 110-120V version and am delighted with performance (seems to be some improvements over orignal model we own) Creates an excellent crema at the perfect temperature when pulling a shot(s) of espresso or an americano. Preinfusion feature insures great results. Plenty of powerful, dry steam for frothing milk. A breeze to use the cappucinador by placing line into milk jug or container, frothing milk directly into the cup. Touch screen panel gives clear and straightfoward commands. Audible bell tone advises if there is an item not in place, not enough water or dump bin needs to be cleaned. Generally I make between 18-22 coffees before needing to remove and clean the dump bin. Pleasant cobalt blue power switch and cobalt blue light that illuminates the large water tank. Grinder adjustment is very easy. customer service taught me a trick where you can "increase the grind time" thus receiving optimum results from a hard or heavily roasted coffee bean. This gave us the capability of achieving a sold coffee cake or puck after each coffee. We owned another brand here in america and it was difficult to remove the brewing group (a key was required). This one extremely easy to remove for cleaning with one turn of a clip and one knob that you unscrew. All in all we view this machine as outstanding and our thrilled that we can recommend our friends to buy it on Amazon. Although the water reservoir and bean container is larger than a unit that we used from Switzerland, I'm going to contact the maker to see if it's possible to get even a larger water reservoir and a larger bean container.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ergonomic, sexy, and a little bit messy!, August 20, 2010
This review is from: Espressione CA4865 Supremma Super-Automatic Coffee/Beverage Center (Kitchen)
I've had the machine for 4wks and the output has been reliable- great coffee once you personalize your settings. I am going with a med/dark roast on a course grind. The espresso is great- not bitter just rich. The machine is very smart and tells you when something needs attention and, specifically, which item needs your attention. Cobalt light looks cool at night and the auto-off feature is nice. I only wish it would automatically turn on in the AM.
One complaint of mine is that some water ends up in the dump box due to the machine's auto-rinse feature. This makes emptying the dregs tray more difficult because it is full of grounds and water. The machine can make a mess around the dump box/ below the brew group. On the plus side, the brew group is easily removable. I am very skeptical of units without removable brew groups. Sounds like a terrible idea that prevents any user maintenance.
I believe when I switched to a darker roast, my grind was too fine and I was clogging the brew group. Much better taste and results from a courser grind. Super-automatics in general are very particular about types of espresso roasts. Oil content needs to be low to prevent clogging. High oil content and a fine grind equals maintenance issues.
Another problem is guests loading too much ground coffee into the bypass doser. This results in grounds spewing all over the brew group. The max amount for the brew group is one flat scoop (included scoop is about 8 or 9g). So don't put more than the max dose in (one guest put 4 heaping scoops in). Another gripe is the steam wand initially spits some H2O before you get all steam. I imagine this is common because the wand also dispenses hot water when that function is selected, so some water is in the line until purged.
Overall, the looks and function of the unit are quite nice. It is reliable and easy to maintain. I am not a superautomatic guru yet because this is my first foray into these machines. I believe this is a great entry point, value-wise. And it makes great-tasting coffee!
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Too bad for the good coffee, May 20, 2010
This review is from: Espressione CA4865 Supremma Super-Automatic Coffee/Beverage Center (Kitchen)
After almost a month and a second try, I give up.
There are some pros, though, and it would be unfair not to mention them ...
Nice design, very attractive.
The coffee is not bad at all.
And, the customer support very competent and knowledgeable.
But ...
The machine seems to have a mind of its own.
The first one didn't work at all. I called customer support, but more to accomplish a formality ... When you pay $1,000.00 for a product, the last thing you expect is to have to spend the first day trying to make it work.
But I decided to give it another try.
The second one started just fine. User friendly, great coffee, stylish (looks great on the counter)...
After a couple of weeks, the output became inconsistent (some shots not even enough to fill a tablespoon). Resetting the amount of water didn't help. Customer service suggested that I avoid using the fine grind settings ... in other words: avoid certain settings, you may mess-up the machine. Well, this is not what I was expecting from a $1,000.00 machine.
At the same time, the brewing group started spilling the ground coffee all over the brewing compartment, without apparent reason (and, therefore, no way to fix it). Cleaning became a hassle.
The bottom line is ... not worth $1,000.00. This is the reason for the single star.
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