Italian Espress (16 years old), Estro Profi, Mini Mazzer grinder
Bottom Line:
I would recommend this espresso machine to anyone that enjoys quality coffee drinks.
Positive Product Points
- Great espresso...literally every pull! - Heat exchanger provides loads of instant non-stop steam! - Looks great in the kitchen and is built solid as a rock. - Simple to use. - The gauges are really handy. - Hot water wand is great.
Negative Product Points
- Other than a small water tank, I can't think of any. We plan to plumb it in when we remodel our kitchen.
Detailed Commentary
We pull 10-15 shots per day and can attest that this machine produces consistent, quality espresso. My friends and family are shocked at how much better our coffee drinks taste than those of local espresso bars, retaurants, or their own home machines.
Even though we had a 16 year old quality espresso machine that we used regularly, my wife and I discovered that we were spending around $2,200 a year on latte and cappuccio drinks from the local Peet's coffee shop! From the moment we received the Isomac Tea we realized how much better our espresso was than that of Peet's, Starbucks, or other local specialty shops...and we rarely go to any of them now. We only turn the machine off when we go on vacation and have had zero problems. I backflush regularly and clean once every month or two with cleaner provided by chriscoffee.com.
As for looks, what can I say...it looks cool, is easy to wipe clean and keep shiny, and always attracts comments from friends.
Several friends have stayed at our house and were afraid to use the Tea thinking it was way to complicated. I gave each of them a 10 minute lesson and they were up and running and have never looked back...one of them even called Chris at chriscoffee.com and ordered their own machine! This espresso machine is so easy to use and the gauges help guide newer users to the perfect shot. I have never had a problem making great micro foam and a little practice for the inexperienced should have anyone turning out superb micro foam in no time.
The Tea has a good sized boiler and recovers quickly from pulling shots or steaming milk. I had 15 people all ask for coffee drinks one afternoon and I pulled shots and steamed milk as fast as I could...the machine never held me up! It was amazing!
Buying Experience
Chris at chriscoffee.com is awesome! We talked for a long time about coffee, espresso machines, grinders, and a lot more...I never felt rushed and he answered my questions clearly. He has followed up several times via phone and email, most recently to let me know there is a new steam tip for the Isomac Tea that will produce even better micro-foam (although I've never had an issue producing micro foam on this machine). The guy seems to never sleep...I get email responses from him all hours of the day and night! I would recommend him to anyone intrested in buying quality coffee equipment. I have sent several of my friends to Chris and they are all equally happy with his service, quality, and expert follow-up.
