A reliable workhorse. Has been relatively problem free. Pressurized filter makes it easy to produce decent crema espresso.
Negative Product Points
Can‘t maintain water temperature through the second shot. You have to stop and wait for it to heat up. Rubber gasket wore out after 1 year. They sent another and it was easy to replace.
Detailed Commentary
Paid about $320 for Magic Combi, which is the Magic (not the superautomatic, but the manual model) with an attached Saeco grinder. Both are probably good for beginners. We‘ve used this machine heavily for 2 1/2 years and probably made 6000 lattes or so. I‘m almost kind of hoping the machine dies so I can buy the next step up, but it keeps humming along. Occasionally I get really superb coffee out of it, but I can‘t make it consistently, which I‘m guessing is irregular water temperature. The best way to run this machine is to turn it on, prime it, make steam, then prime it again, THEN make espresso. It works better after the internal parts have had some time to really warm up. I kind of like the little panarello plastic frother attachment, though a lot of people hate them. I find it a LOT easier to get fine grained foam and the plastic tip only takes a second to rinse after each use.
