Breville ESP8XL Cafe Roma Stainless Espresso Maker Review

This review is based on a latte a day for about a month now.

-Customer service was great: one part got jammed during shipment (despite how extraordinarily well the manufacturer had it packed inside the box!).I called and a person answered the phone right away who helped me figure out the problem.

-Thus far, the espresso comes out hot with a great crema, and my milk is also nice and hot (from 120-160 Fahrenheit depending on how you want it) and well-frothed (meaning microfoam(!) not seafoam).With the frother it's essential to keep the full rubber head (meaning the fat part) submerged in the milk to get it hot (including the intake air vents on the side).

Bottom line: I am very impressed that this quality comes at such a great price.

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Product Description:
Re-create the flavor of authentic Italian cafe drinks with the Cafe Roma espresso maker. Style-conscious coffee lovers will treasure its attractive, stainless-steel housing that conveniently sits on a countertop. Espresso enthusiasts will delight in the 15-bar Thermoblock pump which forces water through coffee grounds at the ideal pressure to create delicious, rich espresso shots. The machine also produces an abundance of crema--the light brown liquid that sits atop an espresso and characterizes a well-pulled shot--via its dual-wall filter system. Filters synchronize with heated and pressurized water to perfectly extract and caramelize coffee oils, resulting in a velvety, flavor-packed crema that will impress purists and novices alike.
The machine is simple-to-use, with a removable 1.3-quart water tank and an external water window that indicates when the tank is low. The tank is much larger than most consumer machines, so espresso enthusiasts can pull shot after shot without running low on water. As with any good espresso machine, the unit also includes a warming plate to prevent shots from prematurely cooling when poured into cups. Additional features include a froth enhancer for flavorful lattes and cappuccinos, and a removable drip tray and grid for easier cleanup. As a bonus, the machine also comes with a stainless-steel espresso cup set and a frothing jug.

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Gaggia 90501 Titanium SS Super Automatic Espresso and Cappuccino Machine, Stainless Steel Review

I've lusted after a Super Auto for years. When I finally decided to get one, I did a fare amount of investigating. The Gaggia Titanium had the best spec's for the price and good reviews. I decided to spend the extra money for the Stainless unit. I haven't seen the painted plastic model so I can't comment on the appearance. I do think the Stainless looks great! You can find reviews of the non-stainless here on Amazon and other than the outside appearance, the device is the same.

I've only had the unit for a few days but so far, I'm very happy. To the negatives first. The manual is awful! It's not just the Italian to English translation! The text is skimpy and the illustrations not so great. I spent a fair amount of time making sure I understood how to setup and use the unit. I'm pretty technically savvy and in the end, I figured it all out. But don't rush into using this product until you've figured out how to set it up, clean it and adjust all the settings (there are many).

The only issue I've had is whereby the auto bean grinder thinks it's empty when it's not. Open the lid (which could be a bit better designed) and stir and it works. Could be the beans I'm using not sure. It's an intermittent issue.

The good stuff: once you figure out the coffee strength and grind, the Gaggia makes a delicious cup. I wish the brew were a tad hotter (I have it set to max) but using the cup warmer helps. No issues making froth with the wand; much better than the older manual machine I had. You can't put a huge mug under the unit (the max size is 4.5 inches) but its so easy to make a cup you just make fresh when needed. You can set the unit for the amount of brew. However, I found that clicking the "large coffee" button twice, the unit thinks it's making 2 cups and that just about fills a decent size mug. It's much stronger too since the unit grinds two doses of coffee instead of just adding more hot water using the programmable size. You get a nice foam on top and as I said, the coffee is outstanding.

I love the clean up (or lack of) compared to the drip maker I had (a Bodum Vacuum unit). I still have that unit should I need to make a lot of coffee for company. But for the two mugs I drink in the morning, the Gaggia easily replaces this unit. And there's far less cleanup. The grinds sit in a canister and after a few days, you just tap it out into the trash and maybe rinse. So, you can use this Gaggia to replace a conventional coffee machine as long as you're making a cup or two. What I love is just pressing a button twice (for two large coffees) and walking away from the unit. A minute later, a great cup of Joe. It truly is super automatic.

I have the unit set for Energy savor whereby it's in a kind of sleep mode a few hours after I use it. I only drink in the morning. However, if you decide to "wake it up", it heats up in about 2 minutes. It also does a rinse cycle so I keep a small glass under the unit so it can clean itself and rinse out about 3oz of water. There is a little pan under which would catch the water but then you have to toss it out ever few days. There's also a "full Rinse" cycle that thoroughly cleans out the unit and uses about half the water in the reservoir. It's a menu item so don't select it unless you really want to do this (takes about 5 minutes and a lot of water goes into the catch pan or several cups if you so desire).

Yes it cost big bucks but as long as it works well for years and keeps its great looks, I'm very happy.

UPDATE. The issue with the grinder was the beans (too oily). I called the NY office and got someone in "tech support" in minutes. She knew her product. Sure enough, the inside of the grinder area was super oily making it hard for the beans to fall into the grinder area.

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Product Description:
The Titanium SS is our top of the line super automatic espresso and cappuccino machine. You can actually call this super automatic a Coffee Center because it allows you to create practically any coffee drink you could imagine and in most cases, replaces the drip coffee maker altogether. The 100% stainless steel housing encloses the same internals as our Gaggia Titanium, as well as the cobalt blue LCD digital display and seven push buttons that operate many of the features on this well-built machine. Five temperature settings, an on/off timer and clock, three coffee volume settings, pre-infusion, and the pre-grind feature are all programmable through the menu that appears on the cobalt blue digital display. The Gaggia Titanium SS is equipped with two stainless steel-lined boilers that provide a Rapid Steam System, making it powerful enough to brew and then steam with no down time. Features like the bypass doser, adjustable coffee strength, and adjustable grind settings make it possible for you to produce coffeehouse style drinks like a seasoned barista. In addition, the stainless steel turbo-frother and automatic frothing attachment, which dispenses frothed milk directly into your cup, make frothing and steaming a snap, while the bypass doser allows you to add pre-ground decaffeinated or flavored coffee directly into the espresso machine - a fantastic feature for those who entertain in the evening. Simply stated, the Gaggia Titanium SS is a world-class espresso machine that delivers perfect thick, rich, golden crema effortlessly every time.

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Gaggia 90500 Titanium Super Automatic Espresso Machine, Silver Review

This machine replaces a semiautomatic Delonghi, which, I thought, was decent.Well...after using this for 3 weeks, I can honestly say that my old machine was barely competent.The Titanium is a wonderful machine.Not only is the espresso excellent but the panerella wand makes awesome froth and the thing looks great.It's fully programable and, once set, it's just a matter of pushing a button to brew a delicious espresso - every time!It warms up in UNDER A MINUTE, has a large bean hopper, large water resevior, very cool blue lcd display...i can't rave enough.I've had no problems at all with this machine and I recommend it heartily.

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Product Description:
By combining first rate technology, contemporary style and a solid steel construction, Gaggia has created the ultimate coffee center. The Titanium boasts a cobalt blue LCD and seven push buttons that operate many of the features on this well-built machine. Five temperature settings, an on/off timer and clock, three coffee volume settings, pre-infusion, and a pre-grinding feature are all programmable using the cobalt blue LCD. The Gaggia Titanium is also equipped with two boilers to eliminate wait time between brewing and steaming, known as the Rapid Steam system. The stainless steel-lined brew boiler offers increased durability as well, and will ensure your machine continues to produce great tasting espresso for years to come. With features like the automatic frothing attachment, stainless steel turbo frother, bypass doser, adjustable coffee strength and grind settings, you will be brewing and steaming coffeehouse style drinks like a seasoned barista. For the easiest way to froth and steam milk, the Titaniums automatic frothing attachment draws milk out of an external container, froths it, and dispenses it directly into your cup. And if youd like something different than the coffee you have in the bean hopper, the Titaniums bypass doser allows you to add pre-ground coffee directly into the espresso machine a fantastic feature for those who entertain. Simply stated, the Titanium is the coffee lovers answer to all their dreams.

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