Customer Reviews

Saeco 21103 Royal Professional Fully Automatic Espresso Machine, Silver and Blue

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Unlike the review below we've been lucky in that we've had no problems with our unit.

It's been exactly 3 years since we purchased our machine and we haven't looked back. The machine was bought as we were spending $40-50 a week at Starbucks. Now we use organic milk and beans and make our own latte's at home.

The machine is super easy to use. There are various settings for the grinding and dose of coffee. I just set the dose on max and change the grind depending on what beans I use. The machine gives you 3 sizes of coffee depending on what you want. The steam wand works well but can only be used after coffee dispensing is finished. It takes 15-25sec for the steam wand to really start.. steaming. The cappuchinore on my machine doesn't work but I only tried to use it after we had the machine for 2 years so I'm not bothered too much. I also have the direct water connection to my reverse osmosis system. So I haven't had to de-scale yet and might never need to.
Another useful item is the rinsing cycle where the machine runs hot water through itself for 10mins. At the end you get to see how much "dirt" was cleaned out. Quite satisfying :)
The machine also has some idiot proof features. One is when you put in pre-ground coffee but then press the coffee button instead of the pre-ground button first. The machine makes some funky noises but then dumps everything out. I'm not proud to say I've done this more than once....

Overall through it's the best $$$ I've ever spent and would highly recommend this machine. It might not be the cheapest (or most expensive!) but you get what you pay for!

p.s. the coffee is amazing!!!!!!!!!

This coffee maker makes excellent coffee and is able to make it quickly enough to safisfy 25 thirsty employees! The milk steamer is quick and efficient too!

We've had our Royal Professional since August 2008. When it works, it works fine. For us, we only make 2-3 capppucinos/lattes per day, so if it isn't flowing right that day (inexplicably), then it is annoying. It is back to Saeco for its 3rd repair for the same problems - inconsistent coffee flow. Saeco cannot explain the cause of the problem, as they seemingly repair or replace different parts each time. BTW, they will ask you to be burdened with taking it to UPS or a UPS Store (where you will be charged the return shipping); If you escalate it to the Customer Service Manager, they will cover the shipping and have UPS come to your door. However, the point of buying a $1,400+ automatic machine is to expect it to reliably make 2-3 coffees - when it doesn't, the inconvenience of being without it for weeks at a time during repairs is unacceptable. Saeco is now offering to replace the unit, but with the negative comments on all their products, I am disappointed and exhausted with the brand. So, if you're hoping to save your Starbucks or Caribou budget, not sure this is the answer.

This machine makes good espresso and good cappuccinos. In terms of fully automatic machines, its price is infinitely more reasonable than that of a Jura. The price of a Jura X9 at $6500 is about that of a commercial machine. This Saeco will do nicely until I get my Faema E61 or Prestige semi-automatic 2-groupers with a Mahlkonig grinder. I doubt if my commercial machine will make a much better espresso or cappuccino but I think a manual machine has fewer maintenace problems and I have more control over the milk foaming. However the Saeco does offer the manual steam wand as well as its cappuccitore (milk foamer) and they both work well. I also like the energy saver feature of the Saeco since I prefer not to power off the machine. I also like the cup warmer. The screen menu is easy to use and the different options and diagnostics are useful.

Very disappointing. We were convinced by the positive reviews from others so we went ahead after much research and ordered this espresso machine. it arrived, didn't work (electronics problem) and the friendly Saeco customer service person told us to simply return it. This is our second attempt with a Saeco product and we have now given up on this brand. The first try was with a factory refurbished machine which never worked despite the fact that we went the extra mile and sent it back to the Saeco factory only to have it returned in the same inoperable condition. The Saeco 21103 Royal Professional was our second attempt, this time we got a totally new machine. The result was the same: a machine that didn't even begin to work.
Thank heaven for Amazon and its splendid return policy. Save yourself the hassle and pass on this one.

I chose the Saeco Royal Professional for the church cafe as a replacement to our late '80s Italian model that recently died. I briefly looked at commercial machines, but quickly discovered that they were just too expensive and had few options. I also looked at the Royal Incanto Deluxe, but it also had too few options. This is perfect for what I need. I LOVE the cup warmer, the water tank on back is the perfect size (you don't run out during the middle of operation, but you don't have extra water sitting in there forever), the coffee grinder is not too loud, and it's all so fast! All I do is push a button, and it turns the espresso beans into 2, 4, or 6 shots of espresso and dumps the grounds all by itself. The instant steamer is a great upgrade from my previous machine, though the first time of the day you run it, it spits out about 5 seconds of water before steam. The wand is easy to clean, and it has instant hot water for drinks such as tea. The adjustable milk frother is also a lovely plus, though the resulting foam is not very hot (maybe 90*F). Whoever thought of the bypass coffee option deserves a gold star. Decaf or specialty, all it has to be is ground. The machine comes with a measuring spoon to full-proof the drink.
In a nutshell, it takes about 2 minutes from pushing the power button to be up and at it for the day (rinces itself!), it handles its own garbage, it lets you know when and what it needs (actual words on the screen, not codes), and it's quiet without getting into trouble. So, if your kids' morning routine makes you need coffee, this (in my opinion) is a great machine with easy-to-use and useful options.
Perfect for the espressoholic home, office break room, or church cafe. It can make around 20 complete hot drinks/hour (including grind & steam time).

I've had one of these for a couple of years and use it 4 or 5 times a day. Generally it's excellent, though I have a few little complaints. Mine doesn't seem to handle pre-ground coffee too well, though I have to confess I've only tried that a couple of times. And it requires a fair amount of attention: adding water, emptying grounds, adding beans, occasionally cleaning the brew unit. And it's complicated--I have to get out the manual every time I want to descale it. But apart from those minor irritations, which may be more problems with the consumer than with the unit, we have been very happy with it, and feel lucky to have it. Makes great coffee.

this coffee machine is fantastic. Ours makes about 100 "coffees" each day, ~600/wk and has been going steady for over 4 years. This pace requires someone trained to keep it working, which pretty much means cleaning the grinder assembly 3x/wk and taking care of the decalcification schedule, maintaining the proper settings, buying the coffee and collecting the money (turns out we run this with top-quality local coffee for $5/ea/mo!! or charge $15/month until you paid off the initial cost.
Highly recommend for high use arena; it is not good for personal use because it takes a while to warm up and is a pain because you still have to clean it often even if you are the only one using it, hence the problems with the other review, and yes, the first cup is inconsistent.
note, we generally don't use the steamer.
I will always have one!

I bought the predecessor to this model in 2005 from Costco ($900 - such a deal!!!). Since then, have produced more than 10,000 cups of coffee (there's a counter in the menu) with no issues, just periodic cleaning. Can be a little tricky to get the brew console in/out of the machine, but overall, no complaints. NOTE - I like French Roast style beans, which can be oily. This can somewhat gum-up the internal passages. Once, I did have to remove the burr grinder mechanism to give a thorough cleaning, which was a little tricky - instructions at http://www.cerinicoffee.com/custompages/Tech/Grinder%20Cleaning_Magics_Royals.pdf).

Returned first machine; wouldn't work. Received replacement from Amazon. Same problem. Was instructed by SAECO to return machine to them for replacement. Received 3rd machine on Oct 13. On Oct 24 machine stopped working. Apparently the heating element went out. Machine has been returned to SAECO for repair or replacement. If problem occurs again, will retun the machine to Amazon for refund.

In all fairness, this machine is a good product and makes great coffee when it is working properly. We had an earlier edition which we gave to our daughter when we decided to purchase the new one. Our other daughter also has a SAECO and it works well. So perhaps we have just had bad luck. But right now we wish we would have just hung on to the old one and saved $1500.