Espresso Machine, Aicook 3.5Bar Espresso Coffee Maker, Espresso and Cappuccino Machine with Milk Frother, Espresso Maker with Steamer, Black

When my 10-year-old moka coffee maker finally fell apart, & I saw that the cheapest (from China) was $20, I thought it might be nice to go back to an electric espresso maker. However, having had high-end espresso makers in the past, I can say that this does not make true espresso (no crema unless you brew a full 4 cups, emptying the reservoir I guess), but makes strong coffee unless you fuss with it. Still, it's worth what I paid for it.What I like: Less mess, relatively simple to operate, small footprint, quicker results than a stove-top moka.What I don't like: Awkward reservoir fill hole, funky switch ("off" position isn't obvious, knob doesn't stop at "off" but slides past it to "steam"), & to get a decent cup of espresso you must watch it & hit "pause" when the espresso is the strength you want. Also, don't overfill it as I did the first time using it or the excess water will just drip from the frothing wand.Hints for use: Like all espresso makers, if you want a cup of hot coffee you need to let the machine warm up or it'll just pour through lukewarm coffee. To get a good espresso, use a cup instead of the carafe, watch the machine, & turn the knob to "pause" when the espresso cup is full. However, with the carafe & the measurements they suggest you can get a decent Americano.My biggest complaint with this is not with the machine, which is fine with some work-arounds, but with the shipping company used. It was supposed to arrive in 2 days, but didn't arrive until I called the local distribution facility, a week later.

You see this particular model sold under different brands everywhere. As someone who enjoys espresso but was new to home brewing it, I figured a nice entry level product would be a nice way to learn the ropes, and yes, for the most part, I did indeed learn the tiny nuances brewing espresso has. When I received the product, I also ordered one as a gift for someone else. Her's blew up on first use. Glass, hot, pressurized water everywhere. Mine worked fine for two months, then the cap gasket wore down and kept becoming disattached.Now we're at the three-month mark and making a 2 shot espresso takes over 10 minutes. Half the time only half the shot amount is yielded. This machine does not, in fact, produce true espresso. The BAR pressure is not high enough, crema results are lacking. The machine itself in its directions says not to use fine grounds but normal, medium grounds - hinting this machine is incapable of "expressing" true espresso from fine ground."But you get what you pay for, buddy. What did you expect from a 40 dollar machine!?"Well, to be honest, not stellar results but better than my experience. This is a low-quality machine. The machine degrades well under a few months of daily use (twice a day) and has struggled since day one with the "four shot" brew on both machines. I wish I was within my range for a total refund.Even if you're new to home brewing espresso, go with a 15 BAR Delonghi, or other like product. Stay clear from this product and all the others like it. They are cheap, mass-produced, and fail every expectation I have for an entry-level product. I've let the machine cool off for 20 minutes, opened the cover and burned myself several times, one time, several fingers worth of burns. It's downright dangerous.Quality of machine - 1/5Quality of espresso - 3/5 at first tapers to 1/5 after a monthHow safe I feel around it - -1/5

Nice espresso maker, good replacement for old coffee maker. before I purchased this espresso maker, I did a lot bit research, people was talking about that machine is get leaking or taking forever to make 4 shots espresso. Actually you have to read manual before you use espresso maker. It’s works perfect on me, it’s only spend me about 40 dollars and bring me nice good rich espresso everyday in the morning .

I WOULD NEVER BUY THIS AGAIN, NO AUTO SHUT OFF FOR OLDER PEOPLE IS NOT A GOOD THING, OUR MEMORIES ARE NOT AS STRONG AS THEY USED TO BE AND IT IS MIGHTY EASY TO FORGET TO SHUT THIS COFFEE MAKER OFF, AS THE ON/OFF LIGHT IS AROUND TO THE SIDE. IT WORKS FINE, OTHER THAN THAT FEATURE. IT'S YOUR LIFE TAKE YOUR OWN RISKS!

I bought this as a temporary replacement for my nicer coffee maker, as I needed something with espresso and a frother first and foremost. I couldn't afford something very expensive, so I went for this one. And like I said, you get what you pay for.The dial on the side is ridiculously temperamental. There are no auto stops or even any notches to tell you where exactly to turn it, only the pictures, and it's not an easy turn. So if you're slightly off, it will spew out water.The frother is not good at all. It doesn't steam for the first minute at least, it just spits water. Once it does start steaming, it isn't smooth and still spits amidst the steam, which defeats the entire purpose of the frother in the first place. There is also no control, so it's on high or not on.I don't know why they shaped the portafilter the way they did, the huge space between the basket and the huge opening in the bottom is counter-intuitive and ruins the espresso on the way out, and makes it impossible to get a crema at all. And you can't let it run either, you have to watch to make sure it doesn't put out way too much water.It's not easy to clean and the water only goes in the top, you can't remove a container, so be aware of that.I really can't wait to get a different maker that actually is quality. You get what you pay for, so for this price, you can't expect something stellar. But I would recommend waiting until you can get something nicer.

This is the first espresso machine that I bought. The only reason why I gave less stars, I'll try to explain it in brief below.It worked great for less than 2 weeks and then all of the sudden, it started dripping very very slow, even though the water was boiling hot inside the machine, to the point where it stopped dripping all together. I'm gonna try to clean it tomorrow and hopefully it works.