Capresso EC100 Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Machine

Great little machine for the one- or two-person household
I ordered the Capresso EC100 Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Machine because I'm tired of spending megabucks at the local coffee shops for espresso beverages. Also, I don't always want to leave the house to get one, especially for breakfast. And finally, by making espresso beverages at home I can control the ingredients and know exactly how many calories I am consuming.

This machine enables you to prepare espresso with a medium, strong, or very strong taste, using either ground coffee or pods. You can prepare either one or two espressos at a time. It also enables you to prepare cappuccinos (by frothing the milk) or lattes (by steaming it). Oddly, the recipes in the manual do not mention how to prepare a café mocha. My own method is to squirt some Hershey's sugar-free chocolate syrup into a latte, add two packets of artificial sweetener, and stir vigorously. The manual does include helpful tips on ingredients. For example, the lower fat milk is the more froth it will...

Great machine...grounds must be very fine!
So I had bought this machine going by a review by an unbiased espresso machine store, and they tested on a video. They sold all types of machines. So I gave this a try. After reading the reviews on amazon I was little hesitant.

When I tried the machine it worked wonderfully, and later some of the shots I pulled were weak... Similar to what others had mentioned as a con.

Unlike the latter I knew that it did well initially so the error must've fallen on myself, but how? I wondered. So I went online a did a bit of research and found the error lay on how I was grinding the beans. Online it said that certain machine work well with certain grinds. This particular one must be extremely finely ground, and a burr grinder would work more efficiently.

As for the complaints about the bitterness, you get a bit more bitter taste with grinding it finely, but honestly esperesso is not meant to be extremely bitter, that is the result of burnt grounds scorched under...

Great home model, excellent crema + froth
Great deep crema!
Super easy machine for making capuccino: I make the froth in a cup and then dispense the espresso directly into the same cup. This might be blasphemy, but at 5:30am, who cares.

10 second cleanup: I wipe off the nozzle, tap out the hockey puck into the garbage, and rinse it.

Large clear water container, easy to see how much water is left.

Cleaning the machine: I ran diluted vinegar through once so far in 6 months. Working fine. I had to clean out the brew head once. easy to follow instructions

Note on espresso strength: as another reviewer said, the coffee seemed like it was on the weak side at first, then after about a lb., regular strength. Don't know if this was my perception, or the machine.

Other things to like:
Water container holds enough to make many cups in a row before refilling.
Small footprint.
easy and thorough manual.
The price is nice! Had the unit 6 months so far, so...

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