Cuisinart EM-200FR Programmable 15-Bar Espresso Maker (Renewed), Stainless Steel

had it for seven months now and it has been a champ. between my husband and I we run it two to four times a day. super easy to use, makes great espresso with little fuss and oversight. the steam want has a sheath on it that is supposed to help regulate foam production but it was such a pain to take it on and off to clean the actual wand that we just got rid of it. the wand itself has a screw on nozzle you can twist off to clean. generally we found it easier to learn how to use the wand itself without the sheath. the foam is finer and lasts longer without it and if you don't want foam, say in your travel mug, you just dunk it in and it steams with no foam. very handy for making extra hot drinks.

My old and great machine finally died and I couldn't get parts for it, so I bought this. The machine made a decent but not great cup of espresso.At first I liked this machine and gave it five stars. Then it started leaking a little, then more, then more, so that it was making puddles every time I made espresso. The leak came from the body of the machine.By the time the leak was really serious, the seller said it was too late for them to make an adjustment, that I should contact Cuisinart. I did, stayed on the phone for a half hour while they had "unexpected call volume" and then when I got a rep she couldn't hear me because of a tech problem on her end, and she hung up. Finally they told me though email that if I paid for shipping they would repair it for $10. My guess is that after all the shipping I'd be out $50, so I took it to the dump instead of kissing off another $50.I did what I should have done earlier and got a real espresso maker, that's much more rugged. That makes a great cup of espresso. With a portafilter with a good solid feel to it, that's guided right into position.Espresso makers get quite hot every time they are used, and then they cool off. There is a lot of stress from this heating and cooling. To top if off, the pressure is 15 bar--that's over 200 pounds--so the guts of the thing are under stress from pressure and temperature. If you want the machine to be durable it has to be made of quality parts. This one just isn't. It works but don't count on it to keep working very long. It's slow to heat up (sign of a cheap heater) and prone to leak (sign of weak plumbing).Overall, the knob on the steam control is badly shaped and hard to work, the steam wand is long and won't fit into a cup with high sides, let alone a pitcher of decent size. The portafilter feels cheap when you use it, and there isn't a good guide for putting it into place.I also had a problem using it for a while when the spouts on the portafilter clogged and the two cups it dispensed were not the same volume. I cleaned them out with a small brush, but this is a problem I haven't had with other machines that I used for years.My advice is to avoid anything from Beach Camera that says "rebuilt" or "refurbished" on it. There's always a risk that you're getting a returned item where the rebuild process didn't fix the problem that caused the return. That may be what happened to me. I've read other reviews complaining about leaking in this machine, so I am not alone.Cuisinart makes a great food processor, but for espresso makers, I'd say "not so much". I'm happy with my new Breville Infuser. Yes, it was $500, but it'll last for years, and when it breaks I'll be able to get it fixed.

I should make my husband write this-- it was a birthday gift to him. What I *can* say is that it's worked great so far, he absolutely loves it, looks forward to coming home after work to play w/ it. He says he's still working on foaming the milk-- definitely an art. Our daughter has worked as a barista and she says the crema is very good. A lot of nice features (note that it includes plastic stamper and stainless pitcher) for a great price.

PRO: I like the fact that this has a warming tray on the top. Coffee doesn't get cold while you're frothing your milk.CON: Appliance is extremely heavy. If you're not leaving it out on the counter, transferring in & out of a storage place can be cumbersome. The first time I lifted it out of it's storage spot I grabbed it by both back sides & found myself holding only the removable water tank in the back while the machine crashed to the floor.

I bought this for work because we have many expresso fans. It makes a rich flavorful cup of expresso. It is easy to use. At this price I didn't expect much but this machine surprised me. I own a much more expensive machine at home but the brew is just as good with this one. We've been using this one for a year and it's held up to 6 regular users.

I bought this machine a little over a month ago and have used it almost daily since. I was a little worried about getting it based on the reviews but then decided that I'd try it and use it a lot the first 3 months and if something happens before the 3 month warranty was up I'd return it. I'm so glad I bought it. It was very easy to figure out and makes a great espresso and latte. The frothing wond works well I watched a video where the guy had removed the sleeve that is on the end of the wand and it works even better when you do that. I would suggest watching lots of videos on frothing when you get the machine and you will figure it out. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because nothing is perfect even though I've had no issues with it, it would be nice if the steam function heated up a tad faster but that's not a very big issue. I'd buy it again and suggest it to friends

I got tired of paying crazy money for other people to make my caramel mocha's I bought everything I needed to make my own. This machine works great. I use the pre set shot with ese espresso pods and get a great shot. I do pre heat my milk in the microwave so it doesn't take as long to steam the milk. I prefer the easy clean up of the pods so haven't tried anything besides the pods.