This is the low end of the superautomatics, so there's no frills like adjustable temp, dosage, bypass doser, etc. Lots of plastic
Detailed Commentary
I got a superautomatic as my sister loves latte's, but hates the hassle of making it. For making milk based drinks, I don't think you can notice the difference between the espresso quality in a semi-automatic vs a superautomatic.
There are basically 2 styles of superautomatics you can get. The ones with Saeco's patented removable brew group (Saeco, Solis, Gaggia), and the ones made by Jura where everything is internal (Jura, Capressa). I picked Saeco I'd rather have the abililty to clean the brew group manually, instead of trusting the cleaning cycle of the machine.
The brew group is extremely easy to get to. Just open up the front panel, and the brew group is exposed. Push a lever and it pops out. There's 2 screens to brush out and clean, and Saeco provides a wrench to remove the screens for cleaning under it. I rinse it out every day, and brush it out once a week.
Making espressos doesn't get any easier. Just press a button and it comes out in about 30 seconds. But it didn't save me as much as I thought, since I still have to steam the milk for lattes. Still, it cuts down considerably in the mess. Plus it's easy for a novice like my sister to use.
One unexpected bonus is that you can make a decent cup of coffee by setting it to 6 oz. No more dumping stale pots of coffee. No more waiting 5 min for the drip coffee maker to brew. In fact, I think the best use of a superautomatic is as a brew on demand drip coffee maker.
Just one last note. If you are getting the Vienna Deluxe, know that Saeco upgraded the model and added rapid steam (no wait for to heat up to steam temp) and adjustable dosage. If you get the old model (like me), expect to pay about $50-$100 less.
Buying Experience
Ourhouse was going out of business. I snagged one for 30% off before they went under.
