Customer Reviews

Espressione 1387 Caffe Novecento Espresso/Cappuccino Machine, Chrome

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First... I'm not an employee of Espressione...

I've read many reviews on this item, most of them, not very positive. I thought I would add my 2 cents as I have had this machine for a little over 2 months.

Let's start with day 1. Dead on Arrival. Bummer. Well, it was easy enough to return to the place I purchased (Sams). They sent me a new one within 3 days, and I was excited to get started. Before you buy this machine, make sure you make this checklist:

1. I have a decent conical burr grinder ( )

2. I am aware that I need to buy fresh beans to get real crema ( )

3. I have a decent tamper in the 58mm variety ( )

4. I am not a total espresso geek, but I have owned a cheap machine or two ( )

5. I never pay retail for espresso machines ( )

If you've checked most of these, feel free to continue, if you haven't, don't buy this machine. It's not for you. If you're an uber espresso geek, go buy your PID'd Rancilio Silvia or your Le Lit. You don't belong here. This machine has an aluminum boiler that has heat issues just like the rest of the lower grade machines do. It does hold heat better than most, but seriously, if you're in the $600 market, you shouldn't be looking at this machine. You can get this machine at "other" vendors in the $230 range. And for that price, there isn't a whole lot that's better. Maybe a Gaggia... but I'm sick of those pieces of plastic.

Physical Traits: It's pretty... Very pretty. It's also pretty solid and heavy at 24ish lbs. It is tall, and yes, you do have to hold on while attaching the portafilter. However, it's not as bad as previous reviewers have stated. The portafilter is almost as heavy as my Reneka Viva single group commercial machine at work. It has a very nice (and handy) temperature gauge on the top of the machine that is very useful.

Espresso:

Probably the best part of this said portafilter is that it has options for brewing espresso. If you have a decent grinder, you can remove the "crema enhancing" disks inside and use it's regular filter basket just like a higher end machine (a serious plus for me...). The pump has plenty of pressure to press fine ground espresso and make wonderful crema (as long as your beans are fresh). Some reviewers have stated the espresso is cold. Here's my typical process:

1. Fire up the machine into the standby position (heats boiler to just about 100 degrees C)

2. Once the temp is up, for the first shot of the day I do a quick blank shot to keep the portafilter warm.

3. I warm my cup up with warm water

4. Pull the shot. Enjoy.

I'm guessing people find the espresso cold is the massive portafilter is cold. Once it's warm, it stays warm. But honestly, I've had some pretty nice shots.

Steam:

Yup, it pretty much sucks in from the factory form. The machine makes plenty of steam for my latte's, but not without modification. The tip they give you for the wand is awwwwfuuuullll. Replace it with somethign... or trim it down. I used my Delonghi Ec155 tip on mine and it makes nice micro foam. But the original allows too much air into the mix. Foul bubbly milk... no thanks.

Yes, the wand is too close to the machine, but I have got used to it. It' not that big of an issue, and quite frankly I'm not that picky for $230 bucks shipped. If I were spending $700, I'd be furious.

Well I think that just about wraps it up. I really appreciate good espresso. Sure, there are plenty of better machines out there, but this one suits me just fine. Hope you enjoyed this review and that it is somewhat sobering.

I needed to add this review after I purchased this product and reread the reviews that helped me make the decision to buy. It is now obvious to me that these were paid reviews. A few of them appear in exact or similar wording on several websites.

This is a nice looking machine but out of the box we were disappointed with the quality of most of the parts. The drip tray is a very thin metal and even worse are the plastic levers and steam wand. It does come with a quality portafilter and we did really like the temp gauge on the top as well as the slick blue lights.

If you have a good grinder, the espresso this machine produces is decent with some crema, but the bigger problem is the steam wand. It only moves forward and back, and is very short - you will either be holding the pitcher throughout steaming or you will need to stack something under your pitcher which is always likely to spill (and isn't all of this fiddling and rigging one of the reasons you wanted to upgrade in the first place?). And the production of steam is just poor. You can pay much less for many of the budget machines and they will serve you much better.

Bottom line, please do not buy this machine unless you can find it for less than $300 (I haven't seen it for less than $400 so I'm talking a closeout price here). We returned ours and purchased a Rancilio Silvia for $550 and it is a quality piece of machinery inside and out. If you are looking for a machine that is more practical (the Silvia has a learning curve), go with a Gaggia. This machine is lovely (from a few feet away) but not worth the money!

It looks absolutely great, but that's not why you spend $400-500 for an espresso machine. This is my first machine at this level, so I'm not a complete expert, but I do know a good shot when I drink it. It took me some time to get used to it. The portafilter needs some serious muscle to tighten. I use the rail on top to provide leverage and it has actually gotten easier with time. The most important thing to know about the Novecento is that it has a powerful pump, so you have to use a fine grind and tamp REALLY hard. I bought a 58mm metal tamper Rattleware 58-Milimeter Round-Handled Tamper, Long and it made all the difference. The plastic one provided is almost useless. Properly ground and tamped, the espresso is excellent with plenty of crema. It takes a couple minutes to go from brewing temp up to steaming temp. The steam wand is close to the body and does not allow for a lot of room to maneuver the milk pitcher, but what can I say, it works! I just hold the pitcher there until it's ready - under a minute. Overall, quite functional and as I said, beautiful.

This machine looks like $1000 kitchen toy. If you learn or know how to use it properly you be satisfied with results. The best frothed milk and excellent espresso, I use Lavazza btw. This machine worth every dollar it cost. I owned Krups for few years, and its like night and day comparing to this one.

I bought this machine, even after the negative reviews here, because I got it for $169 (an offer I couldn't refuse). It turns out that the negative reviews are all a bunch of bunk. This machine makes a great shot of espresso and it looks really cool sitting on my kitchen counter! The only gripe I have about the machine is the muscle it takes to get the basket seated properly. I have some minor arthritis in my hands and it makes it rather difficult for me. But, what the heck, I'm getting some serious exercise for my wrists! I also expect it will loosen up after a while.

Now, if this machine lasts as long as my prior Sacco machine lasted, I'll be a very happy camper.

I should have paid attention to feedback about this item, but I was so taken in by its appearance. It takes a long time to heat up and, regardless of how long, it never gets really hot. I gave it away because I couldn't, in good conscience, sell it to someone else.

I purchased the refurbished unit from the seller Wyatt's and I am perfectly happy with it for the follow reasons.

- The refurb price was awesome, even with shipping cost. The unit arrived very quickly, in like new condition.

- <$150 total and I get a nice looking unit, without all the plastic. It is definitely sturdy!

- I use the ese pods and the shots taste great for me. (Ducking the shoe being thrown by a purist...) I am not a connoisseur in espresso making, not do I care to. My goal is to be able to make a decent double shot easily. Yes, the portafilter takes some muscle to tighten and I don't think I have ever fully tighten it. Regardless, I am able to pull great shots from Illy ese pods and now from Lavazza ese pods. Illy pods fits perfectly in the portafilter. The Lavazza ones do not sit in as well, but they are so much cheaper from Amazon! The espresso taste great to me.

- The unit heats up quickly. Clean up is pretty easy. It is hard to get all the water out of the ese pod portafilter, but I can deal with it. The water container can be reached easily to fill.

- The frother works well for me. However, I just microwave the milk first and pull the shots directly into the milk for lattes now. It is just less work :)

For a refurb product, I am giving a 5 star. Yes, it is not perfect, but where else are you going to find a well-made unit under $200, unless you are willing to buy used from ebay ...

Machine does not heat, steam well or pull espresso shots as it should. Espresso produced is weak and cold. Steam function does not work even after a 15-20 minute wait for the machine to heat up and runs out of steam 1-2 minutes into steaming milk. I have bought cheaper units that have worked and continue to work much better. Avoid.

UPDATE: February 2011- I've had it now for over two months. If I could still return it, I would. The rubber disc (the soft one) inside the holder, fell apart. I'm using it without one, but I can tell the difference. No crema, or very little. Although someone here said that you could use it without it. The more I use the machine, the less happier I am with it. If I had the money to buy an expensive one, I think it would have been better.

There are good and bad things about this machine, but at $265, I think it's pretty decent. If I had paid more, I would have returned it.

Agree with some of the points the other users wrote about:

1. You need muscle to tighten the portafilter, and hold on to the railing above the machine, it helps. Do tighten it as much as you can, because as I found out, if you don't it will leak.

2. It took me a few tries in order to get good espresso, and I can say that it's pretty decent. It depends on the beans you use, too. I did get cold espresso a couple of times, but after leaving the machine to warm up a little longer, it was ok. Takes some getting used to it and practice.

3. Not as easy to use as you would think. It takes practice, but once you get it, you'll be happy.

4. The steam wand, plainly sucks. Doesn't exactly froth the milk, it heats it up more or less. I will replace it with something narrower, like someone here suggested.

5. If you're expecting commercial grade espresso, do not buy this machine. I am happy with it for the money I paid. I assume that more expensive ones, will deliver more.

6. It's pretty, but a little bulky, and takes some counter space.

7. I am fine with the included tamper, but will probably try a better one. Who knows, perhaps I will like it even more.

8. It gives a decent crema, more than I expected. I have used it with the plastic disk, though, but someone here suggested to leave it out.

Overall it's an ok machine. It depends on your budget and expectations. So far I like it. It definitely takes getting used to and a little practice.

Love the look but have tried three different types of espresso, tight tamp, loose tamp etc. Have probably made 20+ espressos and cant seem to figure out the secret sauce to making it work,also cant find a customer service person to help me.