Customer Reviews

Saeco Vienna Deluxe SuperAutomatic Espresso Coffee and Cappuccino Machine

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

We purchaed our Vienna Delux in October of 2001. It was a demo that was said to be rarely used and fully checked out. What an amazing and wonderful machine. We are hardened espresso and latte drinkers and found the coffee and espresso quality to be excellent and amost zero time invested in making it! We do about 200 shots a month and have regularly descaled it.
So, in May the machine mechanism jammed and 2 panerrelos (frother) had failed. We sent it back (after less than outstanding responsiveness from them because of the insinuation that it wasn't their product; we must have done something wrong). We lost use for about a month while it was being fixed (certainly no sense of hurrying on their part!).
So, Just before Thanksgiving this year the pump stopped running. There was no way they were going to honor this under any warranty and were defensive about thier product (by the way I had to leave 2-3 messages and got a reponse almost 2 weeks after the first message). They claimed it couldn't be the pump because it never fails but when I found a local repair shop (referred by Saeco), I was told they had seen a number of such failures and that it was almost impossible for them to get parts from Saeco because of very slow and disinterested service. This is a great machine (and the repair person feels they are well made) but less great sense of serving the customer. You might want to consider all your options before buying. Not fixed yet so I don't know the end of this story yet. Beware.....!

Purchased "demo" machine directly from SAECO as they are in Annapolis, close to my DC area location. BIG MISATKE! Machine worked fine for about 4 months and then jammed. When trying to follow normal customer maintenance process, a part broke. Sent for repair on December 9, 02. It is February 9, 03-still no word from them when it will repaired. Calls and messages to Annapolis are met with either irritaion or no repsonse at all. Even wrote to the president of SAECO in Italy --answer: "sorry we will send you a free pound of coffee." Go with a machine from a company like Krupps - at least they answer the telephone even if the machine is no longer repairable and offer you discounted machines.

I am glad that I was given this opportunity, I was not even aware that this wonderful company and in particular this wonderful machine had reached the american market.
It has been for me one of the hardest thing to ever find a drinkable espresso in the USA, I have lived there for about 7 years all over the place from the east to the west coast. I had to almost close my nose to be able to ever drink an espresso. The all time I had been wondering how distorted was american idea of an espresso, thinking that the black water they use to serve was called espresso. Finally with this machine you will be able to drink a class one espresso better than any you have probably every tried, A LOT BETTER THAN STARBUCKS TOO.
Saeco is one of the top brand in Italy, it has always made only good products, and this is the model that I have, in my opinion the best model made.
The machine alone will not do the trick, by the way you will need good coffee too, do not use pure arabica, Arabica is the best type of coffe but on it's own it makes no foam. It has to be mixed with other kinds.
I highly recommend using ILLY, it is probably the best coffe ever sold through out the world.

After having this machine for approximately 2 years it needed a new motor. After calling and leaving messages to Saeco daily for 2 weeks a lady finaly called back and instructed me where to go for service. I brought it in to their approved repair center and right at that moment the tech that greeted me informed that if it neede any parts that I should be ready to wait for awhile as Saeco is extremely bad to respond. Well it has been 3 weeks since he tried to get someone at Saeco to call him back to get a price and nothing so far. I am getting extremely annoyed to say the least. I no longer reccomend any Saecco product. I will never buy anything from them again.
UPDATE: Today is October 26, 2004. After the last repair to this machine it lasted about one month before something else broke down on it. Being totally disgusted with it I stored it away in the closet until recently when my wife suggested that we not fix it anymore and buy a new one from a different brand name. I insisted in trying to get it fixed one last time, which we did. I have now spent $300. on repairs. I will keep you informed on the outcome. I have always been bringing I to a Saeco approved repair shop. I must say that getting parts for it is now easier than before.

We researched all the various machines and settled on a less expensive pod machine from another manufacturer. We found the pods difficult to find and the machine somewhat lacking. We returned that machine in a matter of days. Increasing our budget, we researched more espresso makers before finally purchasing the Saeco Vienna Deluxe in January 2004. This machine has been a pleasure everyday since.

The Vienna Deluxe is an easy machine to use. One should ensure there is cold filtered water in the reservoir, quality beans in the hopper, and room for discarded grounds in the bin below. Incidentally the used grounds are a benefit for gardens and lawns. The machine should be routinely cleaned to keep in good working order. Saeco created a machine that is relatively easy to clean and user friendly for the typical consumer.

The construction of this machine is made largely from plastic. One comment I see over and over and even thought myself was how much I paid vs. the seemingly low quality appearance. That being said, the plastic has not chipped, cracked, or been broken with normal use since we purchased it. This is a good quality machine in spite of my initial uncertainty.

When we first bought the machine, we went to our local coffee shop and asked them questions. We don't buy coffees from them regularly anymore, but now buy beans instead. They recommend that the beans not be overly oily as to not gum up the works. They also provide other recommendations for varietals based on flavor characteristics.

To get the cup of java that works for you there are a couple of dials to use. In the bean hopper there is a strength dial to control the amount of grounds used for every cup. A second dial in the hopper controls the coarseness of the grind. These settings are best typically set once and left alone if you chose to alter the factory setting. There is a dial on the front of the machine to control the amount of coffee desired. Adjusting this setting will give you anywhere from a one ounce shot to a 6 ounce Americano from one grind. Hot water or steam is chosen by a button and the turn of a dial.

The Vienna Deluxe is a big machine that demands its place on your counter. Being big isn't so much a problem as the machine sits on swivel base making access easy. Just be prepared to lose some counter space.

For the final proof in the pudding, the Vienna Deluxe produces great espresso, cappuccino, and coffee. Even though I live in the States, I prefer coffee in Europe. This machine consistently makes coffee that rivals any cafe in Europe.

UPDATE: October 2006
Our machine developed a leak and eventually quit working altogether. We took it to a local authorized repair shop who replaced seals and o-rings. After three days and forking out $110.00, our machine is as good as new again. Although I would rather not have had a repair bill, after virtually three years of daily use, the repair work was reasonable. The shop was friendly, and quickly serviced our machine.

PROS:
Makes consistently good tasting coffee/espresso
Biodegradable waste that is great for the garden
Fresh quality coffee made at the press of a button

CONS:
This machine is sure to spoil its owners
Cannot handle large quantities quickly

The machine is easy to use and makes great espresso ... when it's working!Mine broke down within the first year. I spent $80 dollars to fix it the first time, but it broke down again after another two months of use (water wouldn't heat up). It would cost me another $200 to fix it. I'm now looking for a more reliable machine.

WE bought ours at Costco in January 2003 and it provided excellent coffee until yesterday, July 3, 2005. However, it is a temperamental appliance, and after a year it began to develop vacuum locks in its water system which occasionally required a handyman husband to dismantle the Brew-group to break the little clear plastic ball bearing valve free. MOre recently the water simply didn't pump through, not because of scaling, but apparently because the pump had given out. It is not easily disassembled, and there is no way to service the thing at home . . . If anyone has a suggestion for a more reliable automatic espresso maker, we're in the market.

I ordered my machine from Amazon and it arrived in early Sept. Out of the box it was defective - water poured through the machine. The paperwork in the box indicated that I had to work directly with the manufacturer on returns. So I started the process with Saeco USA. They are only open east coast hours, I am on the west coast. They rarely answer the phone - 9 out of 10 calls go to voicemail and are never returned. They promised to ship a repair part overnight - two weeks went by, no part, no call. Finally, I contacted Amazon, who shipped me a new unit and I shipped back my defective one. Thanks Amazon.
The unit makes decent coffee - but you have to heat the milk before steaming or frothing - the machine doesn't generate enough heat to convert cold milk to hot and steamy. The froth is good but the milk is just lukewarm. I like the convenience of the automatic machine and it is much cleaner than separate grinder/brewer options.
I really hope this think never breaks - I dread the customer service nightmare at Saeco.

I bought one of these machines. It worked well for a while then it broke, I sent it back and they fixed it for 80 dollars. So it worked a while longer. After the warrantee period was over. 1 year. The company Saeco USA refused to service their own machine and I had to send it off to be repaired by a third party vendor. They wanted over 300 dollars. I told them to forget it. Buy anything else but don't buy Saeco. the company does not stand behind their products and will not respond to letters and email.

hope this helps someone.

I found out that a local Bath Bed and Beyond (Rockville, Maryland) carried this same machine and was allowing customers to use this machine in their store. I loved the expresso that it produced and the Saceo Vinnea is a big step up from my $200 Starbuck's Saceo Barista. However, I was shocked that it is mostly made of plastic and that the buttons have a flimsy cheap feel to it. I did expect the plastic to have a better feel; so it was dissapointing to me. Other than the lack of a cup warmer, its short frothing tool, and its plastic body it makes a good espresso. I could not over look its plastic body and and this price I think that you can do a better with Starbuck's Saceo Italia. It cost $530 and it has better buttons , a metal body, a cup warmer,a ground coffee bypass and, a better frothing wand. In my opinon if you are going to spend $600 on an espresso machine this is not the one to spend it on.