I've owned this machine for over five years and have beaten the bejesus out of it.... after thousands of espressos it is still going strong -- ! Highly recommended!

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This is an awesome machine. The basket is pressurized so there is no guessing. Because it has 18 bars of pressure, you get your espresso real fast. Keep it clean and you have a machine for many years to come, The frothing pump rocks.

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I've had my machine for about 5 years now and I'm still getting great espresso. My Briel gets heavy use, but the only thing I've had to replace is the brew screen (and that was $5). My guess is some people don't know what they are doing. Here's a few pointers:

1. Don't leave the basket mounted after you brew.
2. Keep your steam wand clean. Clean it each time you use it!
3. After steaming milk, if you want to brew another batch, turn off the steam button and dispense some water until the temperature light turns off. It's important because if you don't do this, you'll get burnt espresso from your water being to hot.
4. Keep your machine clean. Run a few batches of vinegar/water every once in a while to get rid of any mineral build up.
5. Spend the money on a conical grinder. You won't get consistent espresso if you're using a $20 coffee grinder.

The pump has a 25 year warranty (not that I've needed it). Spend some time on the Internet if you don't know what you're doing.

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After two months of good service the pressure for espresso and temperature of the drip coffee both dropped significantly. I called the New Jersey service department and was dismissed offhand, told only that I should clean the espresso screens. When I pressed the issue of cold coffee I was told that was not a problem. For me it is.

The service is poor enough that I would recommend not buying any Briel products.



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After two months of good service the pressure for espresso and temperature of the drip coffee both dropped significantly. I called the New Jersey service department and was dismissed offhand, told only that I should clean the espresso screens. When I pressed the issue of cold coffee I was told that was not a problem. For me it is.

The service is poor enough that I would recommend not buying any Briel products.



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To the point... Could not fine support for any questions I had through the Briel Company in the USA. The phone number in the espresso machine help book was Out Of Service. The instruction book, I feel needs more pictures to help individuals locate and understand usage of the espresso machine than what Briel offers. (Example) You need to turn the ON Switch fully to the right until you here a Click or the Machine will not brew and acts like it has a Vapor Lock which it doesn't. This why Briel gets only four stars from me. The Briel ES200APG-TB is really a Great Machine as long as you fully understand it's operation. I would recommend this product to my friends.

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Overall i am very happy with this product.

It is well built. Produces great coffee, Looks very nice on the counter and very easy to use & maintain.

The espresso from this machine is excellent. It is very rich & consistent and I love the Creama it produces. It comes with two containers - one for 1 cup and the other for 2 cups. The water tank is pretty easy to remove & fill. If you want , there is a opening on the top to pour water in so you don't have to remove the tank. Also you can easily see the water level on the side. The machine is also pretty quiet compared to some of the other espresso machines i have tried. There is a drip tray at the bottom which just slides out and is very easy to clean.

Also I did not notice any problems with the knob as mentioned in the other review. It works pretty smoothly

A great value for the money !

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I would think twice about purchasing anything from Briel, the company refuses to send parts that were not with the machine. It was clear in the packaging that the two peices NEEDED to use the espresso maker were not included. When I contacted the USA distibuter( Cafe West of Medford Oregon) AND Briel directly I was met with piss poor service, actully NO service 4 attempts have gone un answered. I am still waiting to hear back from Amazon as to what they can do for me. This product was purchased for its dual use of coffee and espresso, to this date I still have not been able to try the espresso maker, the coffee pot portion is ok but is flimsy plastic and the lid pops off very easy, this is something you dont notice in the pictures since it looks like metal. In fact its a thin piece of metal glued to plastic. SO far the coffee maker is OK but I am not overly impressed, this could be from the pure lack of customer support.
I am sure Amazon will take care of any problem as they are a great company but it truely sucks that I may have to send the enitre machine back just to get 2 small pieces.
I would seriously consider other coffee makers before commiting to what seems to be a crappy company.

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I can't review this product because I didn't receive it, it also wasn't what I ordered, but I didn't realize this until over a month after I'd ordered it, when I was finally notified that it had been shipped. I ordered a combination coffee maker and espresso maker, not just an espresso maker, through Amazon, from Builder Depot, specifically because it said they had it in stock. It was more expensive than other websites, but I knowingly paid more to get it right away.This whole experience is ridiculous.

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This is the least expensive burr grinder with a doser I could find - that should have been my 1st clue!
the product arrived with a broken hopper and the wrong color - clue #2
finally get to grind some beans - but my portafilter wont fit under the doser... so I improvise and fill the basket instead - clue #3
while grinding this machine creates so much static electricity that it'll shock your hand if you get too close - clue #4
two months into using the machine a bean gets jammed... need a screw driver to remove ( this happens 4 more times ) - clue #5
Eleven months and 15 days (just shy of one full year) I smell smoke coming from the unit .. box it up and ship it off to the Mfg for warrenty repair ... email just arrived ... $70 for a new motor
GET A CLUE DONT WASTE A YEAR! OR $100

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