Great looking, fully automated low cost espresso machine producing consistently very good coffee. The machine is easy to use and it requires low maintenance.
Positive Product Points
- Consistently produce very good espresso (girding level, coffee portion, water temperature should be adjusted) - Consistently produce very good milk froth for cappuccino (thermometer should be used) - Easy to use and maintain - automatic clean up and descaling - The same Removable Brew Group as in Saeco expensive fully automated machines
Negative Product Points
- There is only one coffee type can be loaded - more expensive model have 2 and allow you to load preground coffee - There is no ability to control tamping (actually the same true for expensive machines as well http://www.aabreecoffee.com/Saeco/primea_plus.cfm?isNTN=1)
Detailed Commentary
I have this machine for more then 2 years. Every single day it produce at least 4 cups of coffee. On weekend much more. When I have friends in my house this is the real focal point of the party - they always remember cappuccino that they had in my house. The machine is very easy to use: add water, add beans and push a button. It is also very easy to maintain it - the cleaning and descaling is easy. Even though it is made of plastic it looks very nice. I agree with one of the review I read that after few days you forget that it is plastic - it looks very esthetic. It is a chip fully automated machine but if you read the user manuals of more expensive Saeco fully automated machines you will be just amazed that the Removable Brew Group there looks exactly the same like in Vienna... I bet the grinder the same too. The major difference that in expensive machines you have two cans for beans: so you can have two types of coffee loaded to you machine (let's say regular and decaf). And some of them allow you to load grinded coffee – nice feature if you have a good grinder – actually better then a grinder build-in in Saeco Vienna. When I put a new coffee I need to calibrate grinder to adjust for the coffee. It takes 1-2 cups before machine is adjusted to new coffee. If the beans I put are good the espresso is also very good. To make excellent milk froth you have to buy thermometer – as soon as I started to use one I have always consistent great milk froth. Many articles in this site discussed importance of tamping – how to do this, what pressure to apply, refilling, etc. You do not have control on this in Saeco Vienna – you do not have control on this in more expensive Saeco machines (this unit is the same in many of them – at least this is what I saw in the manuals). There is no Bypass Doser to load preground coffee as you can find in more expensive Saeco machines.
Buying Experience
I bought it in Amazon - as always great experience to by from Amazon.
