Customer Reviews

Francis Francis 207001 X7 iperEspresso Machine, Red

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

 

 

I'll try not to gush too much - first the basics:

The machine is a little bigger than a traditional drip machine. Not too big for small kitchens. It's very good looking even though the body is plastic. The metal accents, trim, and face look truly high end. Operation is a breeze. Fill the side reservoir, insert a capsule in the handle, and push the button. Less than 30 seconds later you have a perfect shot. PERFECT EVERY TIME. For steam, you push the steam button, wait a few seconds, then voila! If you want to switch back to coffee then you need to know a secret not published in the manual. Rather than switching back with the button and waiting for a few minutes, you push the button and then release the remaining steam by turning the knob. With this method it only takes about 45 seconds to go back to regular coffee making.

Cleanup is simple because there is no exposed coffee grounds. The capsule remains intact and you just throw it away. Too bad it's not recyclable without emptying out the coffee (which is a pain). We just throw ours away.

The buttons and knobs have a nice rubber coating and feel great to the touch. When turned on the machine makes a gentle "beep" to let you know it's up to temperature.

Prior to this machine, I've had a bigger Faema manual machine as well as a Gaggia. I always assumed that service such as replacing seals was a given. This machine does not require any regular servicing. Amazing!

So, when we first started shopping - I was ready to spend at least $1200 to get a super automatic machine. I even considered the Automatic / separate grinder combo. But after tasting the coffee in a Sur La Table store, we were sold on the simplicity of the Illy machine. A $1500 machine did not taste any better - and was HUGE on the counter.

So, if truly great coffee, simple use, minimal cleanup, low cost, no maintenance, and an attractive modern looking machine are in the cards for you - this machine is perfect!!!

I've been a faithful FrancisFrancis user for years. I loved my X1, but it needed repairs. Since Francis Francis has been taken over by Illy, their customer service has become nonexistent, so I haven't been able to get the parts I need to fix it.

I was excited by the new iperespresso capsules, so I decided to go with the X7. The espresso is as good as advertised. But my wife and I each make a latte every morning. This machine, however, is very reluctant to switch modes between brewing and steaming. It's not uncommon to wait five minutes between pulling the shot and the machine deciding it's ready to steam the milk. This doesn't sound terrible, but the espresso is sitting out all this time, and I'm getting late for work.

The machine produces good results, especially the espresso. It's just frustrating to deal with the waiting. I've tried to contact the company to see if there was any sort of work around for this problem, but as stated above, FrancisFrancis's once wonderful customer service has dropped off the face of the Earth now that Illy runs things.

After living in Paris for 7 years, I have been searching for over 20 years for a machine that can duplicate the espresso served in bars in Italy & France. Needless to say, I have purchased many machines over the years, and they have all fallen short.

This machine arrived yesterday, and it produces espresso that in my opinion is identical to that served in a bar in Italy. I just returned from 2 months in Italy, so the "true" taste, aroma, crema and overall sensation of espresso served in Italy is fresh in my mind. Word of caution - I have never gotten such an extreme 'buzz' from a cup of espresso.

This is the greatest! Highly recommended.

This is by far the BEST espresso machine I've ever owned. Being originally from Europe, my favorite coffee drink is plain espresso. The X7 consistently makes espresso that beats by miles what I get from Starbucks and Caribou.

This thing is nothing short of brilliant, it gives you the ability to produce a coffee which is of a cafe quality (well, almost) in approximately 3 minutes max. The espresso is very nice with rich aroma, and milk frothing abilities are quite good for a little machine like this.

In terms of the quality of the frothing, with a thermometer and some care, you can produce a nice froth, I will not fool you and say the best, but something more than acceptable.

Some report problems with the prolonged time in transit from frothing to brewing, a solution in given in the manual, and that is simply by just opening the frothing hose while the brewing button is active. I froth first on purpose so that I can use the steam to heat the cups while transiting from frothing to brewing.

The machine is quite quick, but I still view it as something more suited to an individual or just a couple especially if you factor in the price of capsules. Capsules are quite hard to reuse if used them up, so always put in mind that you will always buy new capsules for the life of this machine.

The only reason I am giving it 4 stars is because of the price. I am living in London, UK, and these are sold here for 200£ (app. 300$) which is a little bit expensive compared to other coffee machines here. to add another 100 dollars is just outrageous (33% extra) especially if I mention that I got mine at a special promotion (in an exhibition) direct from the UK supplier for approximately 200$ including shipping.

If you put your mind on purchasing one, choose the white model if it was available as it is the most stylish one.

I bought this in red last October and wanted to wait a while before writing a review to see if there were any problems. THERE AREN'T!!! I used to have an X5 and I hated it because the espresso was always lukewarm at best and the pods would frequently explode so I had reservations about purchasing another FrancisFrancis! machine. The thing is, you just can't beat the style. It's like art for your kitchen counter. Well, I'm extremely pleased with this machine. I've enrolled in the home delivery program from [...] and I never have to worry about running out because it's delivered automatically. Good thing, because I can't find these capsules anywhere. Anyway, the shots always come out perfect and by the time I pour the espresso into my mug and get the milk in the frothing pitcher, it's ready to steam. Also, they're really improved their manuals big time. If you've had an older model, you know what I mean. The older models came with "manuals" that were pamphlets with pictures that did absolutely nothing to troubleshoot and the troubleshooting tips were basically, make sure it's plugged in. I was very pleased to find an actual book when I got my machine. It's a full book with everything you ever needed to know. Thank goodness because the old manuals were a bad joke. If you're having trouble deciding between the X7 and the X8, just buy the X8 directly from their website for only $175. Can't really beat that. I've given them as gifts to people and they absolutely love them.

I received my X7 in January 2009 and I could not be happier with my purchase.

First, let me start with Amazon. My purchase online was very convenient and the shipping was first class and fast - eventhough I did the free shipping. Also, the price was cheaper that what I had found on some other websites - - and Illy's own website for that matter. As of today, Amazon is about $200 cheaper than the Illy website.

Now for choosing the coffee machine. I first had to decide between the X6, which uses the pods, and the X7, which uses the capsules. I figured I would try the capsules because they are the new thing. I mean really, this is what Francis Ford Coppola uses (just Google his name and Francis X7 to see the article). I also read some other reviews in the Cigar Aficionado and Time that praised the X7 as well. So I got the X7.

As for the machine itsself, I am very impressed with the quality. It is not a big machine, but it is heavy and very sturdy. The buttons are made out of a very interesting soft material that actually glow when the machine is on and ready. The steam button on the far right of the machine lights up as well when the machine has warmed enough to produce steam. Nothing rattles. This is a much higher quality than you see on cheaper machines at the department store.

Now for the coffee. The X7 makes as good a cup of espresso as you are going to find. I tried the dark roast, but the medium roast "lungo" tasts the best and makes a bigger cup of coffee. I do not know how the machine does this, but the X7 makes a bigger cup of coffee with the "lungo" capusule than the regular espresso capsule on its own without adjusting any of the settings. Hmmmm.

Cleanup is a breeze because I do not have to fool with coffee grinds or the soggy coffee pods. Just remove the coffee arm from the machine and turn it upside down over the trash and the capsule is gone. No mess at all. No cleanup.

I did sign up for the home delivery on the Illy website to get the free cups and saucers. I recommend this as they are beautiful cups and look very cool sitting on top of the machine.

And one more thing . . . get the Red one.

The Good:

- Capsules are easy to use and create no mess to clean up

- The unit is attractively designed

- The unit warms up quickly

- The capsules are high quality products

The Bad:

- The reservoir seating mechanism is such that I am unable to remove the reservoir without spilling the water. It takes moderate effort to remove and, all of a sudden, it breaks free causing a small spill every time, even when I try to remove it in a very controlled manner.

- My unit malfunctioned by failing to brew properly and having a backflow problem within a month. I haven't seen either issue in other reviews, so it's probably a fluke. Sent it in for warranty repair. The jury is still out on how they handle the issue since it's hard to replicate.

UPDATE:

It took Illy several weeks to replace my machine and only after several calls to both Illy and their warranty service center. The service center said all they would do was return the machine to me in the same condition since they could not replicate the backflow or low pressure problems it occasionally manifested. This was not acceptable since it less than a month old when the problem occurred and was reported.

After a few calls, I'lly said it would ship me a new unit. I doubt the unit it sent me was new since the unit I received didn't contain the standard materials that came with my original machine (e.g. instruction manual, warranty, sample of descaler), but instead had an xth generation photocopy of getting started instructions and a receipt from what appeared to be its original purchase.) I wasn't very satisfied with that but didn't feel there was anything else I could do.

Regardless, my new (used?) machine has worked fine since then and I am happy with the machine depsite my dissatisfation with Illy regarding its handling ot the defective unit I originally received.

I have bought four FrancisFrancis machines and loved them. (Two for gifts).

Recently two of them have had problems. I brought them to our repairman (specializing in espresso machines). He needed, for one machine, a gasket. THREE TIMES they sent the wrong gasket. Two months later - still no gasket.

I then wrote them three times - and received a standard email saying that I could ship the machine to one of their authorized repair places.

Their authorized repair places charge $120 (plus shipping!) just to look at the machines!

No thank you. Just send me the parts.

No more FrancisFrancis. It's amazing how some companies keep clients happy and others don't seem to care.

Pity, because in the long haul caring would result in repeat business.

To start off this machine is excellent. My best friend has worked in the gourmet espresso industry for 15+ years. So stating this I had access to professional machines at a deep discount. The reason I went with this machine is because unlike my friend's machines I would have needed plumbing installed (water feed and waste). Perhaps when I redo my kitchen. After consulting with him he said this is a great machine, it will not last a lifetime and pretty much a use and toss machine that I was happy with since he said it should last me 5 years.

OK so why the iper over other machines? After much research it comes down to this; for the APSOULUTE best espresso you need fresh roasted beans, a great grinder and then some experience through trial and error on fine tuning the grind, the amount of grind and then the amount of pressure to pack the grind. After this you can pull an amazing café. Also don't forget to clean up the counter top, empty and clean the handle that houses the coffee. BTW this is the cheapest from what I have read on cost per shot. I think it was something like 40 cents per shot and got a rating of 99.

The ESE pods advantages are: easy to use, less of a mess since there is no dealing with grind and such. No need for an expensive grinder. A LOT of companies make these little "tea bag puck" style pods so you can pick and choose which coffee you want. I think the cost for something like this was 50-60 cents per shot depending on coffee manufacture. Cons: had the lower rating of 88.

The iper capsules: Advantages are there is virtually no mess because the coffee (as in the liquid drink) or grind ever touches anything that is not discarded. It has the perfect amount of grind (like the pods), the perfect grind consistency (also like the pods) with the perfect amount of pressure. It automatically stops pouring at the perfect amount (this amount can be changed). It rated a 91 but the disadvantage is that Illy is the only one that makes these capsules and it's the most expensive, about .75 per shot.

Conclusion: The X7 was on sale, I love Illy coffee, and it has a 91 rating. I can wake up, turn the machine on, go take a shower and have an espresso in 30 secs w/out messing around or leaving a mess for my wife to curse me when she gets up. It's a no brainer, unless you are looking to become a hobbyist of some sort I would not want to deal with the cons that a purest would need to deal with.

Also consider this, the steam wand is perfect; I have two SS pourers to make frothed milk. A small one for single serving and a larger one for 3 or so lattes. And for the people that think that a fully automatic machine (grinds whole beans, measures the grind, packs it and pours and then discards it with just a push of the button) would be the perfect hybrid, they are very expensive, break down a lot and received the worst rating I think the highest was a mid 80.

I have owned mine for a good amount of time now and just had it cleaned for the first time not (decalcification). It went w/out a problem.