- sleek design, compact - good for beginners - coffee has nice crema, great flavor
Negative Product Points
- not too much to quibble over for the price paid
Detailed Commentary
After returning my Kitchen Aid ProLine espresso machine to Costco (essentially no water pressure, making pulling a shot a 15 minute affair) I investigated various machines. Chanced upon the Breville at a William Ashley warehouse sale in Toronto. Had no knowledge of the machine quality reliability etc but decided to take a chance. Have not been dissappointed so far. The machine makes really tasty shots and the frother works quite well, although you need to monitor the process closely or else the milk will get too bubbly.
Buying Experience
No hassles.
Three Month Followup
6 month follow up -- still getting pretty good shots of expresso, although one complaint is that the filter gets clogged easily and the device that they included to unclog the one small hole in the filter broke. Finally found a needle small enough to fit the tiny hole. Another complaint is this -- I changed brand of coffee beans and cant seem to find a grind fineness on my kitchenaid grinder that produces a good shot (either comes out too fast or too slow). Bottom line, for the money spent the machine has performed well, but might be time to upgrade.
