Customer Reviews

VillaWare V41006 Moderno Prima 1000-Watt 15-Bar-Pump Espresso Maker

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

 

 

I have the machine for just one week now & I guess for the price ( I paid $204 total) , you probably can't find a better one.
Looks great, makes good espresso with ok crema. I get about an 1/8" crema everytime. I'm not sure if thats ok or to little.
My two major complaints are
1) after you pulled your shot & shut the brewing switch off, about another 2 to 3 oz's of liquid still comes out of the portafilter. All of it goes into the drip tray after you remove your cup from underneath.
I thought it might have been just my machine, but I read a review somewhere else & they had the same problem.

2) The portafilter does not fit very snug into the holder, so when you knock out the grinds into the garbage, sometimes the you have to retrieve the filter. So just hold down the edge of the filter with your thumb when it cools and that should take care of this problem. Just do it with a cool rag if it's still hot.

One more thing) If your steaming milk, in order to get the milks temp up to 160 degrees, you may have to steam it till the temp light comes back on, then wait about 30 seconds till it goes off again and then steam it for a few more seconds.

So if you can live with the minor issues above and can't spend more than $200, this machine will make very good espresso's & capucino's

After getting poor results from a steam driven Krups I decided to give home espresso brewing another try with a pump driven machine. After many days of research I settled on the Villaware Moderno. In addition to good reviews it was the only pump machine in this price range that did not have a boxy, or plastic look.

All in all I a very happy with my purchase. The machine heats up fast, its easy to use and the foamer is fool proof. I steamed half and half for my cappucino and got mountains of very stable foam on the first try! For espresso I used the Illy pods that came with it and got very satisfactory results. The espresso was plenty hot and had a moderate amount of crema. But I understand that you get less crema anyway if you use pods. The hot water dispensing feature also works fine. I dispense the hot water into a large pyrex measuring cup for preheating the espresso cups.

Some things worth mentioning. Cleaning: In addition to washing everything with soapy water, I ran 4 tanks of water through the system before I could get rid of that "metallic smell". Definately run water through the steam nozzle before using it. I noticed little particles of stuff coming out in the rinse water. Dripping: yes the portafilter does drip after you stop brewing but I shove a shot glass under the spout after I remove the cup and no problem.

The product works well, is easy to clean, makes great espresso quickly. It's so sleek and retro, it's fun on the countertop. On the first usage, one of the two filter holder's handles, which are plastic, broke off of the filter. The one designed for grounds has worked fine, but I cannot use the pod filter at all. I called the seller to learn the warrantee was through the manufacturer. I called the manufacturer to discover they didn't handle their own customer service, the folks who handle it for them had one solution: ship the entire unit back to the manufacturer to have one small, several ounce completely separate handle replaced. The price for shipping the entire unit back, at my cost, was prohibitive. It is silly to have an appliance this beautiful be disposable because of a small piece of plastic, or more accurately, terrible customer service. I will not buy Villaware products again.

Okay i will be honest. I am a big espresso, cappuccino, latte, tea drinker who spends average of $30 daily at starbucks. My francisfrancis! X1 broke a couple of months ago and i was looking for something almost equal to replace it. I am from Europe and grew up on good coffee, espresso and cappuccino.

I ordered this machine just because I used to own a pasta maker by Villaware. It was outstanding. Therefore i wanted to give this one a try. I received my box earlier this evening and prepared my first shot. it was excellent. The crema on the top was smooth enough to retain the sugar inside slowly.. Its heavy and solid and produces and great foam. (15 bar )

It looks like my francis , hopefully it will last longer than it did. '

It also comes with a box of Illy pods. Great deal, you will not regret.

The machine is excellent in design and performance.
However, the plastic handle on the grind holder broke, which I suspect happens often. VillaWare tells that they carry virtually no spare parts and that I must junk the $350 machine because this poorly designed and essential part broke.

It is a good looking machine. the portafilter handle was broken in few weeks. I wrote and call to the seller without any positive answer.

The coffee leaks over the portafilter.

The coffee is good as my old oster espresso machine

I wanted to like this machine because of its looks, but it really disappointed in its performance.

Had the machine for 1 month now. Will be back later to rate any reliability aspects.

It makes great espresso , all Crema. Works equally well with pods and powder. Coffee powder container has a locking feature to help dispose of used powder without loosing the powder cup.

Water container needs to go under pump hose so attention needed when placing it on the machine, not bad though.

Temperature meter works well. I have not tried cappucino drinks, but looks straightforward.

This machine is beautiful, form and function all the way.

UPDATE - 2years later
Had the machine for nearly 2 years now. Nothing broke so far, still makes good coffee. I notice as I make multiple espressos the seal leaks some water, maybe needs a new seal. All accessories still work fine.

Our Prima has been in use every day for the last year and a half, and, for the most part, has served us well. There does seem to be an Achilles Heel, however , and that is the filter. Due its "cavity" design,this area gets blocked-up over time and unless the blockage is dislodged somehow (albeit with a pin in the tiny exit hole or a severe bashing), espresso overflows the top edge of the filter and makes one big mess.

To make matters worse, Villaware has discontinued this model and will give no help regarding the replacement of parts. Furthermore, most of the "authorized" repair places on their list know nothing of this machine.

If I cannot replace the offending part, I will probably be going with a Capresso Pro - doesnt look as unique but does a very good job especially with the frother accessory

I was very happy with the espresso and the looks of this machine. I used it several times a day for about 2 weeks. First complaint, It drips alot after you remove the portafilter, I read other reviews with the same complaint. Second complaint the handle came off of the portafilter after about 2 weeks of heavy, home use. Even with my 2 complaints I was still very happy with this machine. I contacted Villaware first to see if I could get a portafilter. They were friendly and said it was still under Amazon warranty and I had to contact amazon. I contacted Amazon and sent it back to get a replacement machine they were unable to send me a replacement at the time so they refunded my money. Amazon was great to work with. Currently I'm doing some research and will buy a more expensive unit from Amazon.

We have worn out three other espresso machines. This one seems to hold up to our household's daily demand (12+ cups per day). It is very user-friendly and its design is quite nice.
My biggest gripe is the filter is small and I haven't been able to find where/how to purchase extra filters.
If you're looking for a good, personal espresso machine, this is it.

REVISION:
THE FIRST ONE LASTED ABOUT 1 1/2 YEARS. WE ORDERED A SECOND ONE AND IT ONLY LASTED ABOUT A WEEK.
DON'T KNOW WHICH ONE WAS THE FLUKE .. THE ONE THAT LASTED, OR THE ONE THAT DIDN'T. EITHER WAY, THERE'S REALLY NO PLACE TO TURN TO FOR SERVICE ON THIS MACHINE.