One of my friends had the espresso maker, and I really like the coffee he made by using the machine. Therefore, I decided to buy one for myself.
It's really good. Now I don't have to go ot Starbucks anymore~~

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This Bialetti Stovetop Percolator works well, but the 3-cup is more like one tiny cup. If you make coffee for more than yourself, get a bigger one. If it's for one person who doesn't drink much coffee, its perfect. The brand is great, and product makes great coffee. Just too small for my husband and I to only make one batch at a time.

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Decalcifies my DeLonghi Magnifica without much effort from me. A critical part of maintenance for high-end espresso machines.

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This is the first espresso machine I've owned, but I can see no problems with it so far. It works extremely well, makes the espresso quickly, and is fairly easy to clean. The DVD that is included is extremely helpful for people out there who haven't used an espresso maker before. I know someone else with the same machine, and she has had no problems either. If you're looking for a relatively low cost espresso maker, this is the one to pick.

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Hi,

coming from a country with a great coffee culture where you won't get what I call brewed water (here it is called coffee) I am very picky on when it comes to drinking it.

Nespresso offers a great variety coffee and offers a good quality, as well as coffee for every taste. The price is pretty decent - especially the machines are unbelievably cheap. When you compare it to other espresso machines (if you want a decent one you need to buy a DeLonghi or Jura) you will spend roughly $800 compared to $ 229. Depending on how much coffee you drink it might be cheaper in the end to buy one of them. However, I drink about 12 double espresso a day and it is still cheaper. Further, if you like coffee you will get decent coffee - not Starbucks or so but Illy or LaVazza which will cost you about $ 13 for 250g - 0.5 lbs.

Just like Starbucks, Nespresso offers limited editions every couple of months from all over the world.
And for those who like flavored coffee - at Christmas they offer amazing flavors!

Getting the capsules is not difficult - you can either order them through the Nespresso website or, if you have on in your city, you can go to one of the Nespresso boutiques. If you have a boutique close buy I would rather go there as you will safe the shipping cost and as a little benefit you will get a free cup of espresso there.

Descaling is easier than with any of the other machines and you do not need to do it as often. I would recommend to do it after every 500 capsules or so. Just get the descaling pack (again either order it or get it from the boutique - the first one will be free if you get it from there).

I read in an earlier comment that someone gets cold coffee - bring it to the repair service or have it picked up , there is something wrong with the machine. As with any coffee machine the water needs to heat up. Normally the coffee needs to cool down a bit before you can drink it. Further the optimum temperature of an espresso is 76 degrees Celsius - 170 degrees Fahrenheit - and that's the temperature the machines coffee has.

If you like coffee and do not want to spend the money on a big (Nepresso safes a lot of space) machine I would recommend you get one of them. In my eyes it is the best substitute to what I used to get back home.

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It's really great. I loved my machine, however, I have to warm the cups before making the coffee, otherwise, until the proccess ends, the coffee won't be that hot.

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I am a student who was frustrated with how much I was spending on coffee every day...I decided to look for a home espresso machine; I needed one somewhere between $100 and $200. After a lot of online browsing, I decided on the Ariete. I was a little uncertain (there are always some discouraging reviews, and the description left me wondering if anything was missing) but I went for it anyway. The price was right, most reviews were satisfying, and it seemed like the best machine for the money on Amazon.

The machine arrived quickly and undamaged, as is characteristic of Amazon.

However, when I opened it and set it up to prime the pump, I turned it on, and nothing happened. Then I saw a tiny little wisp of smoke (not steam, smoke) curling out from the top.
That I didn't like.
Just my luck, I thought. It's a total dud and I have to send it back.

I came home later and messed around with it, only to find that the problem was the water tank on the back wasn't quite locked in place, so the machine wasn't taking up water.

I fixed that, and everything ran smoothly from there on out.

I LOVE THIS MACHINE
(so far...I won't be naive and expect it to run this way indefinitely...)

PROS:
*Easy to use (Really. I love coffee, but I'm not a professional barista. I read the instructions and did just fine.)
*Nice-looking machine
*Stainless steel
*Easy to clean (bottom tray lifts out)
*Comes with everything you need (except the coffee and drinkware)
*The coffee tastes great!
*Nice froth on the espresso and good steamer function
*Pump-driven (I've never had this - it's very impressive)
*Espresso comes out instantly
*Comes with two filters (one for one shot, one for two), a measuring scoop with what I think they call a tamp on the other end to pack the grounds)
*Has two little spouts that expel coffee in case you want to separate shots, and you can judge where to put your shot glasses by two little circles in the bottom tray
*There are really no crazy inner-workings to clean. As far as I can tell, there is no opening to the inside of the machine, and no need to access it.
*If you're doin' it right, everything comes out hot

I don't really have any cons...I guess you could say I have a few tips about problems you might have:
*Make sure the water tank is securely locked in place before you do anything! From experience, that's my number one tip.
*The machine gets hot. (Duh.) Be careful not to touch it or move it when it's in use.
*The machine might be a little noisy for some. The pump is not silent.
*The machine does not pre-measure the water that goes into the espresso shots, and it does not know how many you are making. That means that, when you turn the dial to "espresso," you need to watch it fill your shot(s) and turn it to "0" when they are just about full, or else it will keep feeding water through. I leave a little room in the shot glasses because it will spit a little extra out when you turn it to zero.
*The only thing I'm a little hazy on is the milk steaming...I've done it several times now, and it always works out fine, but I'm unsure when exactly to put the steam nozzle into the cup. The directions say the orange light goes out when the steam is heated enough, but mine always stays on. Maybe I have the dial turned too far. I just turn it to "Steam" and let it blow for a minute until it seems to be getting stronger and warmer. It's better to put it in the cup sooner than later, because, if you try to insert the nozzle in your milk when it's going full strength, it will spray your milk all over the place.

If I have any new experiences with the machine, I will update my review.

So far, so good!

I can't imagine finding a better machine for $154. I'm happy with my purchase and I highly recommend.

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I bought this to replace a Krups espresso/coffee maker combo, and I should have listened to the other bad reviews. You get what you pay for. I have other Mr. Coffee products that I really like, but this is not one. Coffee is too slow to brew, tastes bad, and is awkward to set up in the first place. The components don't fit together well - I have to force the carafe into place. It's very cheap, and I wish I had forked over the dough and gotten a better machine.

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I bought this because it is the only system with a quality coffe to go with it (starbucks). This is actually better than I thought. It really makes a great cup of coffee; equivalent to the brew from starbucks.



HOWEVER the "capuccio" system from Gevalia is only OK. I prefer to just add milk rather than that disk.


BE CAREFUL because there is a piece of plastic which punctured the disk to allow it to work and which can come off when you remove the disk at the end and get it thrown out. The company answered the phone promptly; wanted 10 bucks for a replacement; I complained and now they are sending a free replacement. I will be more careful about that puncture device.

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Like everyone else, I did a fair amount of research as I tried to replace my last machine. All-in-all I think the reviews on Amazon are pretty accurate but I wanted to comment on a couple negative aspects that I read which almost stopped me from buying this machine.

1. I read a couple of reviews that said coffee came out of the top/sides and not the bottom holes. This happens only if you fill it with too many grounds. Example: I needed to fill my last espresso maker's 2-shot screen flush to top. On this machine you can only fill it 2/3's up or so with grounds. Very easy to figure out and deal with. Of course your grind is important too but that's obvious and needs to be figured out for every machine.

2. The steaming/frothing wand. Yes it does not lift up so very little clearance to stick milk under it without slopping and the plastic auto-frother creates too much foam before milk is hot. SOLUTION: the plastic auto-frother easily comes off to reveal a simple metal tube with plenty of clearance. I do not believe I read this anywhere and is a very important feature for those like myself who prefer to create foam by hand.

I really doubt you can do better unless you jump to the $600+ level.

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