I am the proud owner of this machine for two years now. I was a batrsia at Starbucks at the time of purchase, so I really have a high standard not only of espresso quality, but also how efficiently I can make myself a latte, cappuccino, or macchiato in the morning. A few things Saeco got right on this machine: Simplicity of design: There are not so many parts that the user will be overwhelmed, which is especially encouraging when it comes to cleaning and maintaining. Most units that have too many parts either stump the batrsia on which attachments to use, or how to clean the machine and its parts without ruining it. There is a plastic 2 tbsp scooper, that doubles as a packer (although a little flimsy), as well as two types of adapters that your coffee grinds sit in, one for regular coffee grounds and one for individual espresso pods (if you don't have a customizable grinder at home, you can buy pre-ground espresso in packets). The other main benefit of using this machine, is that you can customize how much espresso you want to pour. If you are the type of person that gets a triple-shot latte in the morning to get your day started, you can pour three shots (or almost 3 shots) before the espresso is what I would call saturated, at which point it doesn't produce the same strength of espresso after a little more than 2 full one-ounce shots have poured. Of course, this might be a little flexible depending on the grind and quantity of grounds in the hopper. This is the advantage of having this be a manual machine' vs an automatic, where serving size is pre-determined. A couple things I've been disappointed with in this machine are its inability to pour shots while steaming milk simultaneously. Furthermore, steaming milk is really going to be most frustrating for those who want frothy milk or foam (ie cappuccino, macchiato, latte) because of the lack of power behind the steam wand. If you're expecting to take drink orders from family/friends, don't expect to crank out 4 to 6 drinks in several minutes. The manual nature of this machine, along with the inability to steam milk while pouring shots slows down production significantly, once you move beyond your individual drink. Bottom line: I got this machine for a great deal, combining a Starbucks holiday sale (look for it now on sale for $149, with my employee discount, I ended up paying close to $90. For that price, it has been more than satisfying. I have not cleaned it as much as a responsible owner should, but the parts are very well-made so I have suffered little consequence. If you want quality espresso with a little customizability thrown in, this is a great machine, but don't expect to crank out drink orders like they do in stores.
