Requires extremely fine ground coffee unless you're in a hurry and want to make your espresso in five seconds. Terrible froth from the autocappuccino system.
Positive Product Points
I'm not sure there are any.
Negative Product Points
Autocappuccino system gives terrible froth with huge bubbles -- undrinkable. Needs extremely fine ground coffee. Supplied tamper is a joke.
Detailed Commentary
I've had this machine for about three years now, and I guess it provided a decent introduction to espresso making at home. I feel ready to move on, though, and have the following to note about the Novo 2300 Plus:
The supplied tamper is a joke. Get a decent one. Although the diameter isn't exactly standard, Krups uses 49mm.
Autocappuccino system yields terrible froth. It is totally undrinkable unless you set the autocappuccino accessory to the setting where the milk flows through the fastest. And in that case, the steam doesn't have enough time to heat the milk so you'll get a cold latte.
The machine requires extremely fine coffee grounds. Even at it's finest setting, the grinder at my local specialty store yielded too coarse coffee grounds; the espresso took at most 7-10 seconds to prepare.
I'm moving on to something better, possibly the Rancilio Silvia.
