Description
From the manufacturer
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ProgrammableEasily program the single or double cup buttons to your preferred volume | Perfect FrothHigh pressure frothing for thick, rich cappuccinos – includes a hot water button for aromatic Americanos or tea | Warming TrayA large warming platform keeps cups at the perfect temperature while integrated storage keeps your extra accessories neatly stowed under the lid of the machine |
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| Café PRO | EC PRO | Ultima PRO | EC300 | EC100 | EC50 | |
| Heating System | pump/advanced boiler | pump/advanced boiler | pump/stainless steel lined thermoblock | pump/stainless steel lined thermoblock | pump/stainless steel lined thermoblock | pump/stainless steel lined thermoblock |
| Bar of Pressure | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Water Tank Capacity | 42-oz | 42-oz | 34-oz | 42-oz | 46-oz | 42-oz |
| Removable Water Tank | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Frother | professional grade swivel frother | professional grade swivel frother | dual swivel frother | dual swivel frother | dual swivel frother | dual swivel frother |
| Filter Holder | commercial/bottomless | commercial/bottomless | self-tamping | self locking with thumbguard | self locking with thumbguard | self locking with thumbguard |
| Sieves | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Removable Drip Tray | stainless steel | stainless steel | stainless steel | stainless steel | stainless steel | aluminum |
| Cup Warming Platform | stainless steel | stainless steel | stainless steel | stainless steel | stainless steel | aluminum |
| Auto Rinse Function | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
mama’Othree –
The frotherer makes a racket, especially early in the silence of morning. I appreciate that I don’t have to wait long for hot water, that I’ve shelved my Keurig. I love that it costs a fraction of a Jura, but still delivers a quality shot of espresso.
Kubie Kat –
Our first one lasted 4 years with every day use. We think that a hose in the frother blew out because we heard a loud pop during frothing. We can’t live without it..so got another one.We never cleaned it because I use distilled water. Maybe that could be it..but distilled is particle free of any minerals..so its not an issue..but still I never took it apart to see why it blew…I just think we used it every day for 4 years….so nothing lasts forever.It will make tea, coffee, cappuccino, lattes. We love that it’s simple to use. You can order extra Porta Filter which is the handle with the filter ..so that we have two people and I fill two and can make two on the fly.We also have a keurig which only gets used when we have guests. We use our own K-cups in it with our own coffee in that also.If you want the BEST tasting coffee…order “Cappuccino Fudge: from Zabars. They will grind it #2. And ship it. Don’t worry its not sweet..it just has a wonderful flavor for an every day coffee. Warning..once you do Cappuccino Fudge..you will never go back to regular.
Reader Rabbit –
[Update after nearly a year’s daily use:] My Capresso is holding up fine, and I’ve bought a second copy as a backup. I remain amazed at how much this modestly priced machine automates for you:(1) It’s self-stopping. But you can override that (just hit a button) to stop the pump early. Also, you can easily touch-reprogram the machine to stop at whatever water volume you consider to be a tasty single shot and double shot. (Two separate settings.)(2) It’s self-tamping. I didn’t know that was even a thing. But it is, it’s clever, and it works. The brew head above the portafilter is shaped like a parabolic disc, so it tamps down the coffee when you lock in the portafilter.(3) It’s self-draining. A few seconds after the pump shuts off, a solenoid draws excess water out of the portafilter. So the grounds come out relatively dry, making them easy to dump out with minimal mess.(4) Its front-panel LEDs turn off after several minutes of inactivity, to save energy. But press any button and they all snap back on. Also, the whole machine shuts down after 20–30 minutes of inactivity. But from even a cold shutdown (like overnight), it takes less than a minute to heat back up to brewing temperature.These features used to cost hundreds of dollars. But apparently, parent company Jura let technology from its fancy, $1,000+ automated Swiss machines trickle down (sorry) into this price range. I actually bought this Capresso, refurbished, for just $6 more than my little starter DeLonghi espresso machine cost 15 years ago. (Second copy, lightly used, cost $16 LESS than my DeLonghi.)And the very first double shot I pulled on this Capresso had more crema than any cup I’ve extracted in 15 years of wrestling with pump machines from less–solid brands. I’m amazed and pleased at the the apparent quality and value here.One other interesting thing: This is hoseless. Water gets sucked from the tank into the pump by some mysterious process involving magic. Still haven’t figured out how that works.So…we’ll see how it holds up. Two tips for avoiding/resolving trouble:* If your espresso tastes weak or watery, keep reprogramming the machine to pull progressively shorter (more-«ristretto») shots. This machine generates so much crema that watching the stream of coffee out of the portafilter can fool you about when your shot has begun turning weak. Since I’m used to machines with less-effective pumps, it took me weeks to realize this. What looked to still be a nice dark-amber stream had actually become the weak, yellowy stuff you don’t want in your cup. I’ve just resolved the shot time, and now I’m getting nice, rich, bitter/sweet espresso.* If the machine is struggling to pump even a slow trickle of water through its portafilter: STOP! Abandon this shot, and switch to a coarser coffee grind. You can destroy almost any espresso machine (over time) by blocking the portafilter with an excessively fine grind. If the pump’s pressure can’t escape through its intended route – namely, into your cup – it will escape through the next-weakest points, by weakening and destroying the machine’s internal seals. Any decently-made machine will give you tolerance for a certain number of errors while you adjust your grind…but don’t push it.
Shauna –
I was a barista for ten years and I have made a million espresso drinks on many a fancy machine. I spent a really long time looking for a little machine for my home that would do all the same, especially without waiting ages for it to heat up, or having to refill it with water after every pulled shot or steamed milk. This machine is phenomenal! I LOVE IT. Pros:1. It looks great. Sleek, simple, clean.2. Easy to use. It’s all right there on the front, in pictures. Can’t get any easier.3. Beautiful and delicious shots of espresso pulled. Bold, smooth, gorgeous crema.4. You don’t need to buy a separate tamper. The machine tamps the shot when you insert the portafilter. This could also be considered a con if you enjoy the whole experience, and tamping your own shots (which I do, but I got used to not doing it really quickly).5. Heats up in under ten seconds (more like five), for everything — just pulling shots or even steaming milk. Super fast. Also, you are able to pull several double shots of espresso before having to refill the water compartment. I know because I pulled them over and over when I first got the machine, while adjusting the grind on my beans.6. If you quick rinse your machine after each espresso-making session — use a damp cloth to clean the steam wand (soon after makes it much easier), rinse the portafilter and then re-insert it and run a couple of empties to clean out the residual coffee in the machine, keep the water compartment full, etc. — you will have no issues.Cons:I haven’t found any yet. I will update this post as I use the machine. I don’t normally review anything, but I am so impressed with this machine and the ease of using it, I had to write a review.
RTAL –
In this price range, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better machine. The build quality seems excellent and the high wattage allows it to heat up extremely quickly. I believe it’s 1450 watts, I’ve used professional units that were only 1000 watts. It reaches temperature from «cold» in about 15 seconds, and allows making multiple shots in succession without having to wait long for it to reheat between shots. One feature that is definitely a selling point is the programmable shot time/size. Press either 1 or 2 shot button and hold for a few seconds, let go and then press again when your desired shot size is pulled. I use this for ristretto shots, and program the single shot button to pull .5 oz shots. I adjusted my grind to be finer than espresso, closer to Turkish grind, to allow the .5 Oz. shot to pull in about 15-20 seconds. The pump has little to no problem pushing the water through the finer grinds — but don’t pack them too hard, or you’ll get only drips. I purchased a second one for my vacation home. The only negative is the plastic taste you get, which I think is mainly from the water canister. I cleaned the canister with vinegar, and don’t let the water sit overnight, I replace it each morning. I suspect this will dissipate over time.
Jennifer –
I looked at so many different espresso machines before finally deciding on this one — and I am SO HAPPY I decided to buy this one for our home. I can now make coffee house quality coffee without having to go to a starbucks and wait in a line. It warms up very quickly — about a minute, and is very simple to use. The parts are easy to clean, maybe takes about two minutes after each use to restore the machine to new.Frothing or steaming the milk, depending on if you are making a latte or cappuccino, is also very intuitive. All that you need to do in order to make one instead of the other, is add a sieve to froth the milk.The only issue I have experienced is with the steaming wand. After a few uses, it was taking too long and not enough steam was being produced resulting in the milk not being warm enough. However, we were able to fix that by just operating the machine as if we were making an americano — using the hot water feature. After running hot water through the steam wand, the steam came out piping hot again.This machine is simple to use, makes warm, delicious coffee (with a little tinkering and understanding the machine) and does so at an incredible value.
Gavin FogartyGavin Fogarty –
Gave and one star initially. This makes great espresso from what I can tell. It’s only getting a one star because after 3 weeks of receiving it the handle broke making this unusable…so…bummed.The screw that attached the handle to the aluminum cup RUSTED through and snapped. No idea why they didn’t use some sort of stainless steel or some other highly rust resistant material but this is just poor quality. And it’s like the part that I would bet to be the LAST thing to break. hahaAnyway, I’ll be looking for a replacement part and I’ll update this review as I talk to customer service.UPDATE: Just called CS and they sent an new portafilter out immediately. Super good customer service. FIVE STARS GUYS! Well done.
Tim MTim M –
I waited to review until I had some hands-on experience with this. I LOVE it. Very easy to use, makes a quality espresso with a perfect crema. With a little practice (and some YouTube videos) I’ve gotten proficient at making lattes, cappuccinos & macchiatos as well. The steam wand does drip occasionally, but I keep it over the drip tray when not in use, so not a problem. I empty the drip tray after each session, so I don’t get leaking onto my counter. I highly recommend this machine if you’re in the market.Update 2yrs in: still going strong and still LOVING it! This unit has paid for itself many times over (sorry Starbucks). I use this every day, it’s very easy to clean & maintain. Only cons: filter pops out when bumping out coffee puck, & can’t get perfect «latte art» consistency with steamer, it’s either foam, or too thin.
Susan Gilio –
UPDATE: 2 year anniversary with this machine and I am still in love with it ??….I make at least 2 Cappuccinos per day, and has gone on vacation with me a few times!Great machine for the price point. I saved even more getting it through Amazon warehouse deals. Makes a great cup of espresso, and frother is great. It does take practice on getting froth just right, some days I still don’t get it right. It is not a loud machine,I mean the water does have to heat, which I think is quiet, and the pump has to pump the water :-0. I love the auto tamper, another thing I was skeptical about, but now love! I was leery about buying after reading some reviews, but I take everything into consideration when reading a review, some people are never happy and expect perfection from a household product, please keep that in mind. People, it is not a high end machine, if you want perfection please pay $1000 + . Only bad thing I can say, is that I use it too much, every day I make at least two cappuccinos!!!
O’Brian –
My partner is a barista, and we wanted a qaulity machine to make espressos at home as going out to coffee shops everyday adds up. We looked for a day for a good machine under 200 but great ratings. This was the one we settled on.So far it’s been lovely. Pours a beautiful, good heart, the warmer on top of the machine is a great feature, the steamer is nice, cleaning is easy.Its worth the money and more. It doesn’t come with a metal pourer or glasses for the shots, but other than that. Good machine easy to use and the shots are great.
Battyt –
Your humor made this topic so engaging! For further reading, click here: DISCOVER MORE. Looking forward to the discussion!