Customer Reviews

Saeco Magic Comfort Plus SuperAutomatic Espresso Coffee and Cappuccino Machine, Silver

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

 

 

This product is beyond wonderful. It makes the best cup of coffee that I have had since returning from Italy.

We have had this machine since Feb 2005. We have not had a single problem with the machine and it is used daily for between 6 to 10 cups. It is very easy to descale and to empty the internal dump box.

When the machine is started from stand by, you have a hot cup of coffee in less than 90 seconds. My favorite aspect of this machine is that it only requires two buttons to get a cup of coffee. If you aren't a morning person you will love this feature.

Each cup of coffee has crema and is incredibly smooth. The coffee this machine makes is vastly superior to Starbucks and appears in your own home. I have discovered that it does make a big difference what type of coffee you put into the machine. I think it is a little like a computer, garbage in garbage out. I use Lavazza Gold, or an organic shade grown coffee for everyday.

I also like the by pass function of the machine that allows you to make multiple types of coffee with the same machine. Our machine is normally loaded with a dark espresso roast coffee. The by pass feature allows you to make decaf or mild roast from the same machine without emptying the bean hopper and refilling.

The hot water function allows you to make tea from this machine as well. It is so easy and fast to make hot water that we no longer use our tea kettle for tea.

This machine was initially a splurge item. However, it has quickly become a necessity. If anything ever happens to this machine I will either have it repaired or replaced. I can not imagine not having this machine in my home to make my coffee every day.

I would highly recommend this product to anyone that enjoys a good cup of coffee. You will not be disappointed. All of our friends have raved about the coffee at our house since we purchased this product.

UPDATE: APRIL 9, 2006
We still love our machine and have experienced no problems since our purchase. I have discovered that you can even make a nice vanilla soy milk cappuccino if you wish.

Regarding the reviewer that said the coffee was tepid, I took digital readings of the coffee to confirm the temperature. The coffee dripped into a room temperature coffee mug (70 degrees) was 153 degrees when it finished brewing. After I frothed the milk and added it to the coffee the overall beverage temperature was 176 degrees. I find this temperature hot enough to drink, but cool enough to enjoy without burning my mouth. If you preheat your mug before adding the coffee, which I did not do, I am certain that would result in an even hotter cup of coffee. (If anyone is interested in digital infrared thermometer check out the Bonjour brand, I love mine).

Additionally, if you are having difficulty locating the water filters or descaling product SAECO US has a website and you can order these online or by using their 800 number. I received my online order in a few days.

We finally took the plunge and bought yet another complicated piece of machinery to share our house with. Why a superautomatica? Making espresso requires a lot of fiddling---even with a simple Italian-style moka machine (if you call that espresso). When one, like us, is constantly running around with a long list of high-priority tasks in mind, the desire to eliminate any avoidable fiddling is strong and legitimate.

I am pleased to report that this machine does the job. It makes an honest espresso quickly, consistently, and so far reliably. It's not a great espresso, but it is creamy and sufficiently hot for me (and it's not even at the highest temperature setting), even with an unheated cup. I am not an espresso gourmet, but I am fairly picky.

Initially the machine's servings were too large. Even at the smallest setting, they completely filled my standard espresso-size cup. It took me a few days to notice that it was possible to program the amount of water used for each coffee size (small, medium, or large). I expected this setting to be accessible through the menu display. Instead, one has to push and hold the "make-one-coffee" button, then release it when the cup contains the desired amount of coffee. This indeed means that you should program the coffee size only when you are ready to drink one.

Another minor problem is that making coffee is often a two-step process. After a programmable amount of time (about 3 hours by default) the machine puts itself in energy-saving mode. It takes two or three minutes for it to wake up, and during the wake-up process it rinses itself, spitting some water out of its nozzles. This means that one cannot place a cup under the nozzle and press the "make one coffee" button. The first person to wake up needs to go to the Magic Comfort, wake it up, usually by pushing the "Menu" button, go do something else, and come back five minutes later (or more) to make the coffee.

Considering that it grinds the beans, the machine is reasonably quiet, but I wouldn't put it in someone's bedroom unless you are single. I wouldn't even put it one room away, although that would depend on how good your door is (usually not that good). We put it two rooms away and that's good enough.

Perhaps the main gripe is that I found the instruction manual surprisingly poor. The information is probably all there, but the machine's functions are skimpily presented one by one in random order, without any overall advice on how to optimize one's coffee. For a one-thousand dollar piece of machinery, they could do a lot better. Perhaps they have discovered that their typical user is so busy that he won't bother reading the manual, and so why waste time on that? Perhaps they are right. Still, when the machine ran out of water for the first time while my wife was steaming some milk, the message "VENTILATE" appeared on the display and stayed there for a long time (20 minutes) even after power cycling. The message was not in the troubleshooting section, so I was stumped, although it only meant that the water circuit had to be reprimed (a small hand pump is provided for this purpose). The (presumably) original version of this message in Italian was equally unhelpful.

There are three parameters one can play with to optimize one's espresso: amount of water, amount of coffee, and grinder setting (finer vs. coarser). I am not including temperature (minor effect, probably) and coffee type (obvious). The manual says that it takes 3-4 coffees to observe changes to the grinder setting, so one has to be careful. Note that the grinder setting must be changed while the grinder is operating. I just started playing with these and if discover anything useful, I will report it here.

To summarize, this machine seems to work as advertised, and so far I am reasonably pleased with it.

UPDATE (10/16/07). I am pleased to report that 1600 coffees later the machine is doing just fine, and I think it has more than paid for itself.

UPDATE (1/22/09). We are at over 3500 cups of coffee and no major problem. The main problem so far is that the size of the dispensed coffee changes with time and needs to be reprogrammed a bit too often for my taste (every 2-3 weeks). But overall it's working great.

UODATE (10/19/2011). 6500 cups of coffee and still no problems. At 15 cents per cup, it has more than paid for itself.

I've been enjoying my Saeco Magic Comfort Plus machine for several days now. The machine works as advertised, but it does have some quirks. Fortunately none are very serious.

The first thing you will find when you unpack the box is that, in addition to three instruction manuals (one each in English, French and Spanish), there is also a "quick start" guide, a packet of errata pages for the detailed instruction manual, and a separate packet containing the warranty booklet and descaling instructions, along with a couple of strips of colored paper containing other sundry notes. The guide, manual and PDF files found on Saeco's web site don't always agree with each other (even factoring in the errata). Fortunately these discrepancies are minor and it isn't difficult to figure out which instruction is the correct one. (For example, the manual tells you that the package includes a "brew group key [wrench]", but a separate piece of paper informs that, since the brew group is removeable and washable, this item is no longer needed and hence not included.)

Having read the other reviews here, I was prepared for the cryptic "VENTILATE" message. (The manual refers to this procedure as "Loading the circuit", which doesn't help to clarify things.) Of course this refers to what Americans would call "priming" the machine. As mentioned in another review, there is a plastic hand pump supplied for priming, but that is only needed in the event that the electric pump fails to self-prime. All I had to do (following the quick-start instructions) was to select the Hot Water function; the internal pump quickly primed itself.

Another quirk is the so-called "Dregsdrawer", or dump box (where the spent grounds are collected). If this drawer is removed and replaced even while the machine is powered off and unplugged, when powered on you will receive the "DREGSDRAWER MISSING" error, and the machine won't operate. To correct this, you must remove the dump box for a few seconds with the machine powered on, and then replace it.

As mentioned in another review, when brought out of "energy save" mode for the day's first use, the machine rinses itself after completing a warm-up period (it's ready to brew in about two minutes). However, I've discovered that if the machine is in energy save mode for only a relatively short time, it skips the rinsing step, shortening the start-up time by quite a bit. So one shouldn't be shy about putting the machine into energy save mode (two presses of the Menu button will do this, a nice little design detail) whenever you think you won't be using it for a while. The machine goes to sleep by itself after the factory-programmed time of three hours, but this can be reduced to as little as 15 minutes, in 15 minute increments. (It can't be disabled.)

The machine apparently only checks the water tank sensor when you select a function. So even though the machine could tell you to refill the tank at the end of the brew cycle that drained it, in fact it will instruct you to refill when you try to make the next cup, although this might be considered a feature (as you will be starting with fresh water).

The machine comes with a swivel base which allows you to rotate it for easy access to both the removable water tank and the bean hopper (which is not removable without use of a screwdriver), as well the service door for cleaning. This is a very nice feature, although it requires even more clear space around a machine with an already large footprint.

Another interesting feature is the Hot Water function. The machine will supply hot water through the steam tube with the push of a button on the front panel. Through the programming menu, it is possible to set the machine to deliver a programmable quantity of hot water and then stop. (This would allow you to, for example, start the machine filling a cup for tea or hot chocolate, and then walk away without fear of overflow.) As it comes from the factory, the hot water function must be stopped manually, by pressing the hot water button a second time. This of course allows the dispensing of arbitrary amounts of hot water, up to the capacity of the water tank.

Steam, on the other hand, is made available by turning the knob on the front of the machine. (For some reason I found this a little bit counter-intuitive, since every other function is controlled by the buttons.) You need to purge the steam tube of water by turning the knob for a few seconds until only steam comes out. Once that's done, continuous steam is available up to the capacity of the water tank.

I've become spoiled by the ability of the Comfort Plus to make a single cup of cappucino in about a minute. You simply fill a cup about 1/3 full with milk, purge the steam tube (as just described), then froth the milk. The Panarello device makes this simple and foolproof. You then place the cup of frothed milk under the nozzles and brew; your fresh cappucino will be ready in under 30 seconds!

Prior to the Comfort Plus I owned a manual (steam) espresso machine. I never had very much luck frothing milk with it, and since it required grinding in a separate device, transfer of the ground coffee, tamping, filling the boiler with water, not to mention the cleanup, it never got used very much.

The Magic Comfort Plus is used every day, throughout the day for coffee, cappucino and espresso. I'd like to second the other reviewer who said that while you might by it on a splurge, you will quickly come to think of it as a necessity.

One final comment: Another reviewer said that the machine is mostly plastic. This isn't true. While the drip tray, dump box and upper fascia are plastic, the body of the machine is constructed on a sturdy welded metal frame, which can be seen when the drip tray is removed. The side panels are also metal. The plastic used is ABS, which is exceptionally strong, yet flexible (not brittle). There isn't anything about the machine that I would call "flimsy".

This is my first automatic espresso machince. All I can say is Wow. This machine makes perhaps the best cup of coffee outside of Europe that I have ever had.

It is also the easiest machine I have ever used. After initial setup, you put your cup under the spout, push a button and 20 seconds later you have a fabulous espresso!

I have had this machine for 30 days now. No problems whatsoever. It is rather large size wise (my wife's main complaint) so be prepared.

One warning: This machine makes such a good cup of coffee, I find that when I travel it is difficult to drink any other coffee other than Starbuck's espresso.

We ordered this espresso machine because of its rave reviews of fabulous crema - it's true! I researched other machines for two years and finally opted for this one because it's easy to operate (true!) and it's easy to clean (also true!) and some minor complaints about it being too loud (it's loud but not horribly so). It makes a fantastic espresso or just plain cup of coffee - however, it's not hot enough! With 5 temperature settings with a variance of 10-degrees - there was nothing hotter than tepid (even with the cup warmer above and the temperature control on maximum). We used the microwave to achieve the correct temperature. We were very disappointed and ended up sending it back - unfortunately. I'm willing to try again and chalk it up to a lemon - but for the money you shouldn't have to use the microwave in addition to the Saeco.

I have been using Saeco machines for 5 years and the Magic Comfort Plus redesign is by far the best. It functions without a hitch and has a extra large dreg draw, drip tray and bean hopper making it great for low maintenance cappaccino production. The grinder is quiet compared to the Saeco/Starbucks Digital Italia that I thankfully received a refund for. Steam production is powerful and quick.

This machine is Saeco's top consumer model, suitable for a small office. It is built for performance, not show and is logically designed and easy to work on. According to several technicians I have conversed with it is the one they would buy. After trying to save a few bucks going with cheaper models I am happy going to the better unit. With proper maintenance it should last for years

We upgraded from a Krups Gusto to this machine. The Krups Gusto is a decent entry-level single shot pump espresso machine, and did an admirable job for us for many, many years. No complaints, but our workday morning coffee routine involved:
1. Fill the bean hopper (weekly)
2. Grind beans
3. Pack portafilter
4. Tamp
5. Put portafilter in espresso machine
6. Fill reservoir with water
7. Turn on machine
8. Wait for temperature indicator
9. Start pump
10. Stop pump when temp indicator lights up
11. Wait for temperature indicator
12. Start pump
13. Dump dregs
14. Clean up
This was for two shots of espresso. Then my wife would repeat steps 2-13 for her own coffee! I don't mind using a manual machine like this on weekends, but on weekday mornings, getting ourselves and two kids ready for work/school, our time is just too valuable for this nonsense. We could have switched back to an automatic drip machine but we like espresso. After trying a co-worker's Saeco super-automatic, I had to have one.

The unit is built from very sturdy materials. The ABS plastic parts are rigid and don't feel cheap. The fit and finish of the machine is very nice.

Like other reviewers have mentioned, the error message "Ventilate", in the English menu, should be changed to something more understandable, like "Needs Priming". There are also some errata that are included on separate sheets which are quite important in the new models. There is no included dregs key now, for instance, and there is a completely new way of cleaning the brew group.

Tips:
Before I got this machine, I was under the mistaken impression that the three coffee buttons on the front panel correlated to different amounts of coffee being placed in the filter. However, the machine always uses the same amount of coffee, only the amount of water passing through it changes.

My wife filled the bypass doser with a scoop of decaf coffee, then pushed the espresso button. Only water came out. She thought something was wrong, but it was only that the coffee had gotten stuck in the tapered bypass tube. Pour the coffee in slowly, and this shouldn't happen.

Features we like:
The ability to program many aspects of the machine. We have turned off the cup warmer, set the prebrew duration to long, bumped up the coffee water temperature, and modified the coffee, and hot water quantities.

Complaints:
My biggest complaint so far is that the dregs drawer is positioned in such a way that it really can only get about 1/4 full before it needs to be dumped. Also, even though our drawer is always pushed in firmly, some grounds always get dropped between the drawer and the brew group. Saeco should try to make the brew group eject the dregs further into the drawer. This would make clean up easier.

Regarding the programmable coffee quantities, we are a bit leery because the machine seems to be overpouring our shots on occasion. We're not sure if it's because the quantity has not been retained properly in memory, if we have a faulty flow sensor, or ??? We will keep our eye on this and if it keeps up, contact Saeco about it.

Bottom line:
We still have to fill the water reservoir, fill the bean hopper, dump the dregs, and clean the machine. But this can now be done on the weekend, when we have plenty of time. Our new morning routine, which is equivalent to the old 14 steps above, is:
1. Take machine out of energy saving mode
2. Push espresso button twice
My wife then repeats step 2, and puts the machine back into energy saving mode. And we're off to work, with excellent coffees in hand.

PS: Have some fun with your kids...
The kids were asking about the new coffee machine. I told them it was a "robot". It has eyes (water and coffee sensors), teeth (grinder), ears (buttons which give it commands) and a brain (microprocessor). Of course they wanted to know what it eats (water, coffee and electricity). You can imagine the analogies my kids came up with for the steam, hot water, and dregs dumping functions ;-) "Do you want me to check it's diaper?", I asked. Of course they did, so I pulled the dregs drawer, and they said "Ewwww!"

Please note that I am reviewing the refurbished model of this machine offered from Premier Appliance (it does not appear to be available from Amazon at present, but if it ever does, buyer beware...). The price was too good to believe, for a reason. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I received my espresso machine and could hardly wait to try it out, anticipating the glories of espresso/cappucino I would soon be enjoying. Well, the machine produced fine espresso, but the steam mechanism to heat and froth the milk was weak to begin with, and eventually failed to work after a couple of days. To their credit, Premier sent out a replacement machine and covered return shipment for the faulty machine. Super. But...machine #2 wouldn't produce any coffee at all...it just ground and ground and ground coffee beans until it announced that the bean cup was empty. Again, a replacement machine was sent out, and machine #2 went back. Machine #3 produced espresso...in the spent grounds drawer instead of my cup. After three machines failed to operate correctly, I gave up. Again, Premier generously paid for all of the shipping costs; I can't fault their customer service. But the product itself is of poor quality. My sense is that "refurbished" does not imply anything more than a thorough cleaning of these older machines, and their inner workings have seen better days.

Having read the other reviews on Amazon.com about this product, I was aware of the setup and priming (ventilating) issues. The instructions included in the box were somewhat confusing because of the plethora of seemingly contradictory statements; however, after reading each "addendum" and re-reading the reviews, I had no problem. The coffee machine was ready and set up within 15 to 20 minutes. I appreciated the note enclosed that explained the fact that I would find coffee grounds in the machine due to the factory testing process - this also reaffirmed my belief that it was operator error that kept me from using the bypass ground coffee feature, since the coffee machine had been thoroughly tested and passed inspection. I reread the instructions and found my error - touching the buttons too quickly in sequence and not using enough ground coffee. Use the entire scoop! (I was afraid of using too much).

Since we've had the machine, my husband and I have noticed an increase in our coffee consumption and especially in our friends' and families' consumption. I suspect some visitors come mainly for the coffee!

I heartily recommend this machine. To the manufacturers: I would increase the size of the water tank by at least 100%.

We've had this machine for about a year now. It is FABULOUS. Yes, it weighs a ton and has a large footprint. It is also tall, and needs refilling from the top so having a cabinet over it is problematic. Doesn't matter. It's worth building cabinetry just for this machine.

It makes a great cup of coffee or espresso, and with the brew adjustment it allows you to experiment with different coffees to see which one you prefer. The milk steamer is fine, nothing fancy but it gets the job done.

The electronics are very sophisticated and flexible. Programming the thing is actually fun -- who would have thought you could choose all these options for a humble cup 'o joe?

One note I wanted to address after reading the other reviews: The buttons for "small" and "large" cup of coffee are just labels. You can set the amount of coffee delivered by each button by simply holding the button down while dispensing just the right amount of coffee for a certain cup. Just hold the button down then release when you are done, and that will set the amount until you use the same technique to reset it.

Cleaning the coffee maker is intimidating the first time -- the "brew group" needs to be pulled out of the machine and rinsed. There are a couple of springs and mysterious clear marbles that need to be put back into place. But once you have done it once you get it -- and it is necessary to clean it about once a month with light use.

Only drawbacks, if you could call them that: very tall coffee mugs won't fit, prepare to replace them with smaller ones if necessary; prepare to spend major ducats on quality coffee, once you taste the coffee this thing makes you'll never go to starbucks again; caffeine is a powerful drug and you will increase your consumption of it.

One final comment, the price of this machine is very variable. Shop around.