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I bought the black one for my workplace and an automatic one (also Saeco brand) for my home. I found this one much easier to use and clean. In fact, very little needs to be done to keep it clean. My co-workers have commended the quality of espresso coming out of this machine. A couple of them could not fall into sleep the first few nights after we got the machine because they had too much espresso during the day - an indicator for a good espresso machine as I understand. For some reason I got this from Amazon for such a low price ($179, compared with $289 from Costco.com) that it was a steal. I wish I bought this for my home too, even if the price goes up to $250, and even perhaps at $300 (I bought the Saeco Spidem Villa for my home, which costs about $500, almost certainly too much for a machine made of mostly plastics). Of course, as you have all figured out, the only thing the Saeco Aroma does not do is to grind coffee beans, which will be important to some people (consider a separate coffee grinder, then). I am not a fan of manual transmission when it comes to cars, but for making espresso, there is something to be said about using a manual machine like the Saeco Aroma instead of a fully (or super) automatic machine like the Saeco Spidem Villa - the manual machine just feels more like it! When it comes to cleaning, the automatic machine feels more like a manual (since so many manual steps have to be taken), while the manual machine feels more like an automatic (since not much needs to be done at all). Finally, the Saeco Aroma takes very little space and is aesthetically pleasing compared with the bulky Spidem Villa made of seemingly cheap plastics. You decide.

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Kitchen Appliance Reviews & Tips Section

I bought the black one for my workplace and an automatic one (also Saeco brand) for my home. I found this one much easier to use and clean. In fact, very little needs to be done to keep it clean. My co-workers have commended the quality of espresso coming out of this machine. A couple of them could not fall into sleep the first few nights after we got the machine because they had too much espresso during the day - an indicator for a good espresso machine as I understand. For some reason I got this from Amazon for such a low price ($179, compared with $289 from Costco.com) that it was a steal. I wish I bought this for my home too, even if the price goes up to $250, and even perhaps at $300 (I bought the Saeco Spidem Villa for my home, which costs about $500, almost certainly too much for a machine made of mostly plastics). Of course, as you have all figured out, the only thing the Saeco Aroma does not do is to grind coffee beans, which will be important to some people (consider a separate coffee grinder, then). I am not a fan of manual transmission when it comes to cars, but for making espresso, there is something to be said about using a manual machine like the Saeco Aroma instead of a fully (or super) automatic machine like the Saeco Spidem Villa - the manual machine just feels more like it! When it comes to cleaning, the automatic machine feels more like a manual (since so many manual steps have to be taken), while the manual machine feels more like an automatic (since not much needs to be done at all). Finally, the Saeco Aroma takes very little space and is aesthetically pleasing compared with the bulky Spidem Villa made of seemingly cheap plastics. You decide.

Want the Best Kitchen Appliances? Then Don't Miss Our:
Kitchen Appliance Reviews & Tips Section

I bought the black one for my workplace and an automatic one (also Saeco brand) for my home. I found this one much easier to use and clean. In fact, very little needs to be done to keep it clean. My co-workers have commended the quality of espresso coming out of this machine. A couple of them could not fall into sleep the first few nights after we got the machine because they had too much espresso during the day - an indicator for a good espresso machine as I understand. For some reason I got this from Amazon for such a low price ($179, compared with $289 from Costco.com) that it was a steal. I wish I bought this for my home too, even if the price goes up to $250, and even perhaps at $300 (I bought the Saeco Spidem Villa for my home, which costs about $500, almost certainly too much for a machine made of mostly plastics). Of course, as you have all figured out, the only thing the Saeco Aroma does not do is to grind coffee beans, which will be important to some people (consider a separate coffee grinder, then). I am not a fan of manual transmission when it comes to cars, but for making espresso, there is something to be said about using a manual machine like the Saeco Aroma instead of a fully (or super) automatic machine like the Saeco Spidem Villa - the manual machine just feels more like it! When it comes to cleaning, the automatic machine feels more like a manual (since so many manual steps have to be taken), while the manual machine feels more like an automatic (since not much needs to be done at all). Finally, the Saeco Aroma takes very little space and is aesthetically pleasing compared with the bulky Spidem Villa made of seemingly cheap plastics. You decide.

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Kitchen Appliance Reviews & Tips Section

I bought the black one for my workplace and an automatic one (also Saeco brand) for my home. I found this one much easier to use and clean. In fact, very little needs to be done to keep it clean. My co-workers have commended the quality of espresso coming out of this machine. A couple of them could not fall into sleep the first few nights after we got the machine because they had too much espresso during the day - an indicator for a good espresso machine as I understand. For some reason I got this from Amazon for such a low price ($179, compared with $289 from Costco.com) that it was a steal. I wish I bought this for my home too, even if the price goes up to $250, and even perhaps at $300 (I bought the Saeco Spidem Villa for my home, which costs about $500, almost certainly too much for a machine made of mostly plastics). Of course, as you have all figured out, the only thing the Saeco Aroma does not do is to grind coffee beans, which will be important to some people (consider a separate coffee grinder, then). I am not a fan of manual transmission when it comes to cars, but for making espresso, there is something to be said about using a manual machine like the Saeco Aroma instead of a fully (or super) automatic machine like the Saeco Spidem Villa - the manual machine just feels more like it! When it comes to cleaning, the automatic machine feels more like a manual (since so many manual steps have to be taken), while the manual machine feels more like an automatic (since not much needs to be done at all). Finally, the Saeco Aroma takes very little space and is aesthetically pleasing compared with the bulky Spidem Villa made of seemingly cheap plastics. You decide.

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A friend of mine had a Spidem Espresso machine and when he made me a cup of coffee from his machine, I just knew I had to have one. Easy to set up, easy to use. Had to tweak the grinder a bit to get the coffee to come out with a nice crema. (I'm using the Lavazza Super Crema bean.) But once I got it right, that was it. The coffee is uniform, tamped just right and you could be a complete novice (like myself) and make cafe' quality coffee. It's a neat machine, specifically, the grinds end up in a side compartment instead of all over the counter, just pull it out and dump it in the garbage. Wash out the drip tray under the kitchen sink, wipe it down and you're ready to go again. Love this machine ! You will too.

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Unlike the review below we've been lucky in that we've had no problems with our unit.

It's been exactly 3 years since we purchased our machine and we haven't looked back. The machine was bought as we were spending $40-50 a week at Starbucks. Now we use organic milk and beans and make our own latte's at home.

The machine is super easy to use. There are various settings for the grinding and dose of coffee. I just set the dose on max and change the grind depending on what beans I use. The machine gives you 3 sizes of coffee depending on what you want. The steam wand works well but can only be used after coffee dispensing is finished. It takes 15-25sec for the steam wand to really start.. steaming. The cappuchinore on my machine doesn't work but I only tried to use it after we had the machine for 2 years so I'm not bothered too much. I also have the direct water connection to my reverse osmosis system. So I haven't had to de-scale yet and might never need to.
Another useful item is the rinsing cycle where the machine runs hot water through itself for 10mins. At the end you get to see how much "dirt" was cleaned out. Quite satisfying :)
The machine also has some idiot proof features. One is when you put in pre-ground coffee but then press the coffee button instead of the pre-ground button first. The machine makes some funky noises but then dumps everything out. I'm not proud to say I've done this more than once....

Overall through it's the best $$$ I've ever spent and would highly recommend this machine. It might not be the cheapest (or most expensive!) but you get what you pay for!

p.s. the coffee is amazing!!!!!!!!!


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Have had this machine for about 3 months now. It makes very good espresso and capuccino. Very flavorful and pretty easy to make. However, I primarily drink capuccinos and I find that the milk does not come out hot enough. It is very frothy, but only lukewarm. The manual suggests heating the cups, which I have done, but no real improvement. Instead, after making the coffee, I have to microwave it for about 20 seconds afterward. It reduces the froth a little, but the coffee is then hot.

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Have had this machine for about 3 months now. It makes very good espresso and capuccino. Very flavorful and pretty easy to make. However, I primarily drink capuccinos and I find that the milk does not come out hot enough. It is very frothy, but only lukewarm. The manual suggests heating the cups, which I have done, but no real improvement. Instead, after making the coffee, I have to microwave it for about 20 seconds afterward. It reduces the froth a little, but the coffee is then hot.

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Love this machine - makes perfect coffee easily and conveniently - like as if it's from my local Peets (am using their great espresso beans). I did have a problem with my machine but it was quickly replaced by Aabree Coffee Company where i bought it from via Amazon. Now it is perfect. Didn't give it 5 stars as the plastic outer casing of the machine could hae a better fit and finish (it is after all a SAECO). But it's solid and I love it. This is a great machine - believe me I did a lot of research as I know my coffee!

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