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Please shop around.at one online store I was charged sales tax and shipping fees. I am a coffee addict, verified coffee snob with fresh roasted coffee delivered to my door-and THIS is the machine for me.I ordered two from Amazon, one for me and one for a family member and I'm very pleased with the purchase. It pays to shop around. The quality and taste of the espresso is the absolute best. Get yourself a red Starbucks coffee mug, a bottle of Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce Syrup.and make the drinks at home with your new Cuisinart EM-100. This machine replaces a Christmas Gift I received (Krups Espresso Machine) which was poor quality and required 30 minutes wait time for each cup of espresso.
Since I drink daily lattes from the local Starbucks, I calculated that in 37.72 days, this Cuisinart EM-100 has paid for itself, saving me both money and time at the coffee store. What a treasure to find this espresso machine.The Cuisinart EM-100 came with a 15 min instruction DVD, and after learning the process, we were making espresso drinks as good as the local Starbucks. My brother has a built-in $3500 espresso machine, and I can say there is no difference in taste between his and our Cuisinart EM-100. At the local stores, the price was $100 higher than the price here.
The cheap steam driven espresso machine that this one replaced at least had a dry puck when finished. What I have found that works well is to put a thin layer of regular ground coffee in the filter basket first then add espresso ground coffee on top. It was pretty easy to get a replacement from the company, but they did not take my previous complaint well at all. Also, I have never pulled out a "hard puck" after brewing, it is always a sloshy mess. This has kept it from clogging. Another problem is that the drip tray fills up quickly. So I called back, talked to a different person, told them it wasn't working properly and I am receiving a new one soon, less the 10 bucks shipping cost.
I called and told them what I found (a 1/4 inch thick nasty scum) and I was told too bad, warranty voided etc. If it were not being replaced for free, I would be getting something else. I boiled it, ran water through it in the machine(without the coffee grounds), etc. It cannot handle true espresso grounds, they are too fine and clog the filter. Do not tamp too hard either. Finally starbucks gave me a packet of commercial grade cleaner, and I boiled it on the stove with that, then rinsed it to remove any cleaner.my recommendation is to just order a new filter.
Also, water gets under the plastic cover directly under the drip tray, and a nasty build-up under there is impossible to avoid because you can not clean it without unscrewing the screws on the bottom of the machine, which if you do voids the warranty. BTW, they do not ask for receipt or proof of purchase, warranty is decided on the serial number located on the bottom of the machine. I have owned this machine for almost three years now. Just a note, it is VERY hard to unclog the filter once you have clogged it. No wonder is voids it, they don't want you to see what is under there.
I considered the more automated 200, but the reviews led me to the 100 and I'm quite satisfied. I can't yet speak to long term reliability, but expect it to at least match the Aroma for a c-note less. The Cuisinart is comparable in the quality of the espresso it produces to the Aroma, but is more convenient. It steams at least as well as the Aroma, plus can do liquid for tea/Americano. No problem with the steamer, as mentioned in a previous review, at least after I got the switches in the right position. Okay, got a couple weeks on the Cuisinart, which replaced a Saeco Aroma I'd had for a year and 5 months. (Duh moment). I find myself using it more often and enjoying the result more.
Has taken some time to learn, but I am a satisfied COFFFEEEE drinker.would like a bigger coffee holder for the machine then I could make two doubles. but I get mine first so I am happy.
Because milk contains calcium, it is especially vital to clean the frothing element (which touches the milk) well - calcification occcurs early and often on that steam element, but is easy enough to take care of.- The double elements on the portafilter holder are especially useful - you can put two espresso shot glasses underneath each stream of the portafilter holder and get two shots at once - I have found that even though the machine SEEMS to favor one glass or the other, by the time it is finished, it produces two equal shots.Highest possible reccomendation. - It is true what other reviewers say about tamping too hard - in order to prevent the possibility of overflow, I choose not to tamp at all or barely at all.- You only get really good crema in the first shot or two - brewing more than two shots at a time is really a waste with this machine if quality is your main concern. I have been the proud owner of this Cuisinart espresso maker for a year, and it has performed well, like all of my other Cuisinart appliances. I would always recommend the EM-100 manual espresso maker over the EM-200 programmable for two reasons: 1) the EM-200 has more bells and whistles, hence more that can go wrong, and 2) you can turn the EM-100 off with the flip of a switch, and hence I feel you have greater control over the amount that you pour, and can adapt the amount of espresso brewed to fit the occassion.Other thoughts on this machine/Cuisinart:- This was an upgrade for me - I still have a working Cuisinart Iced Cappucino/Hot Espresso Maker (ICAAP-4) that is still giving me loyal service after 12+ years, but that earlier machine seems a bit like child's play compared to this one.- The EM-100 is really one of the only middle-range espresso makers on the market - it is vastly superior to the cheapies on the market, yet performs about as well or better than some of the $800 + espresso makers for a fraction of the price. Therefore, I do not understand any comments about the tank being too small - I believe it is actually larger tank than most espresso makers.- If you follow the cleaning/maintenance instructions in the manual, you should not have any problems with this machine.
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