Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First of all, please temper your expectations: this is a $90 espresso machine, not a Jura $4,000 top-of-the-line. So some compromises need to be made. Unfortunately, after two years of issuing this machine, I have come to believe that the compromises are too much. First, a quick recap: espresso is made by passing very hot water through ground coffee beans at high pressure. Unlike a steam espresso machine, which passes (duh) steam through the beans, a pump machine actually pushes water through the beans. A quick way to tell is that a pump machine will yield froth, known in coffee-snob argot as "crema". This is important because much of the flavor in espresso comes from the oil in the beans, which you see as crema. A steam espresso machine will not do as good of a job releasing the oil. The factors that affect the end result are: the grind size of the beans, the freshness of the beans, how roasted the beans are, and the pressure and temperature of the water. I buy my beans as whole beans and opt for a medium roast. I invest the extra money and buy the beans from a coffeehouse or coffee distributor as opposed to a big-name store because I can see the date the coffee was roasted (cannot be more than two weeks old), and because medium roast actually means medium roast. At the big stores, medium roast is usually just shy of burned. And yes, this goes for stores like Fresh & Easy and Trader Joe's. Trust me, once you get used to the good stuff, you won't be able to stomach the big-name store coffee or (God forbid!) Starbucks. When I bring the beans home, I immediately stick them in the freezer. This is not ideal, but unless you go through a pound of beans in a week, this is the best way to go. I grind the coffee right before using it, in my $50 burr grinder. So, back to the DeLonghi--When cold, it takes the machine about 30-60 seconds to warm up. I don't mind it because I use that time to grind the beans and fill the coffee holder. By the time the coffee is set to go, the machine is ready as well. I did invest in a separate tamper. This is convenient, because I can fill the coffee basket right next to the sink and use the tamper to tamp it down.If I spill any coffee, I just sweep it into the sink. However, the tamper that comes with the machine is fine and I probably could have saved myself $10. The manual says you are not supposed to keep the machine working for longer than 45 seconds at a time, which is OK, because, if you ground the beans correctly and don't tamp them down too hard, you will fill an espresso cup in about 25 seconds. If it takes you longer, then adjust the tamping and/or coarseness of the grind. If you see the coffee coming down drop-by-drop, then you should also adjust one of those factors. I usually use the two-cup basket and an IKEA 8 oz mug. Works fine. A standard American 10 oz mug will probably not fit, though some reviewers suggested removing the drain pan (in which case it *would* fit). Sometimes, the coffee does come out unevenly from the two spouts, which can be a hassle. The problem is the pressure of the machine, which is 15 bars only in the company's fantasyland. Medium roast beans are harder and less permeable. No matter how I've adjusted the grind, the pressure of the tamping, etc.,, the machine is not able to push the water through with enough force. This results in a weak coffee, with barely any crema. Perhaps because of the age of the machine, the same is now true even when I use a darker roast. Like I said, I tried varying the tamp and the coarse ness of the grind, to no avail. I have compared my results against those from a coffeehouse. My grind is coarser and I tamp less. I have cleaned the machine and removed all stay bids of coffee. Nothing worked. Regretfully, therefore, I am going to have to confine this to the great espresso graveyard on the sky.