Excellent in design, make and exeptionally stable machine giving pleasure
Positive Product Points
Exeptionally good design, well built, rock solid, consistent brewing.
Negative Product Points
None important, but why put a plastic cup fence on this beautiful machine?
Detailed Commentary
This is a classic coffee brewer based on the E61 group. I do service and repair coffee machines of various makes and I know a good design and quality when I see one. The ECM Giotto is one of the best I have ever seen. It is well built, with many clever solutions where other manufacturers get in trouble. For instance, it is possible to adjust the pressure of the boiler without disassembling the machine or remove any cover, just stick the proper screwdriver through a hole.
It is very stable regarding temperature and pressure and always gives the expected quality brewing every time, regardless if it just me an my spouse enjoying the evening's cup of coffee (me an espresso, she a capucchino) or if it is a party with many guests.
Some say that the frothing wand is a little tricky to master. I don't know, perhaps is it because it is very powerful, but when one has learned what the minimum amount of milk for the given steaming pitcher is it should be fairly easy. But as all good art it needs, and should need, a little practice. They even have competition in pulling shots from coffe brewers so this is not supposed to be just like pouring a milk from the container :-)
Of course the Giotto needs a regular servicing, I replace the group gasket and the group shower screen every 12-18 months as should be done with every coffee brewer. But that's about all. The surface of the machine is polished shining stainless steel, a damp cloth keeps it as new for years and years.
The ECM Giotto comes in two variations, Standard and Premium. The difference is mainly in the steaming wand and the hot water dispencer. I do have the Premium model and considder the small extra amount for it well spent. They also come in two different water configurations, with a water reservoir or connected directly to the water line. My Giotto is directly connected and I like it much better than other machines that I own/have owned with a reservoir.
Buying Experience
I bought mine at Kaffibod, the local distributor for ECM in my town. They are knowledgeable coffee enthusiasts.
