Sales Rank: 17565


Features:

Ideal for making coffee specialty drinks at home; hot water dispenser for tea

Temperature gauge provides precise control; steam nozzle heats milk to make cappuccinos

Circular wire holder on top warms inverted coffee cups

For use with packaged coffee pods or ground coffee; powder-coated steel finish

Measures 10 by 10-1/4 by 12 inches; 3-month product warranty; 1-year service warranty

Average Rating:
Rating: - Nice looking, makes great coffee
Makes great coffee, but it takes a bit of practice to perfect the technique. It took me a while to figure these things out:

*Espresso beans need to be freshly roasted, and ground in a burr grinder, not a blade grinder.
*The cup warmer rack on top of the machine looks good, but is basically useless. The best way to warm you cup is run a "blank shot" (sans filter basket) through the machine thus warming the filter holder and your cup as well. It is important to have these two pre warmed so you won't have to microwave your espresso as one of the earlier reviewers had to do.
*Always steam your milk prior to making the coffee- I thought the machine did an average, and not exceptional job doing this
*It takes a bit of trial and error but don't over tamp or under tamp the ground coffee in the filter basket. Overtamp and the coffee won't flow through the basket. Under tamp and you won't get any of the all important "crema".
*Skip the ESE pods- 1) its cheating and 2)they only can make single servings- putting together 2 capaccinos would be a logistical nightmare
*Wipe the filter holder gasket with a paper towel after every use to prevent clogging
*Decalcify the machine every 3 months

Seems like a bit of work, but once I followed these steps I had consistantly excellent coffee. The only other beef I had was that extra single filter baskets are not available for purchase separately (without filter holders).

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Rating: - THE BOMB
What can I say? There is simply no comparable home espresso machine on the market. When you buy francisfrancis, you're not buying simple function. You are buying excellent, beautiful design--IN ADDITION to quality materials, construction and function. In response to an earlier poster's comments, the Silvia may provide technically perfect function. But it's also awkward and ugly. Coffee--and particularly espresso--is about a daily ritual as much as it is about swallowing down a cup of this brown brew. It's a sensual, romantic experience. Ever notice that many of the old Italian machines were beautiful, stylized pieces with polished brass, eagle finials, etc? Sure a plain steel drum might be able to do the same job. But that robs you of a meaningful part of the whole experience. The francis recaptures that spirit, and is concieved with that sensibility in mind.

If the ritual really means nothing at all to you, then the Silvia may be your choice. If you're an espresso enthusiast however, that's not likely the case. As another reviewer said, I love getting up in the morning and seeing the bright red francis sitting on my counter top. It's really a joy. Plus, it makes a damn good espresso.

One further word. I never thought I would want to go this way before buying the francis, but give the pod thing a try. They are really high quality, consistent, and CLEAN and EASY... and produce great results. Cleanup is greatly simplified. Before actually trying them, I was really the purist about buying and grinding my own coffee. These really make life simpler though. They virtually eliminate cleanup. And again, they ensure you consistent, quality results.

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Rating: - Better Deals Elsewhere On This Machine
Do not purchase your machine from AMazon. You can get a much better deal on Ebay. You will save over $200 if you purchase it there, and you will still get a warrantied machine. This is a great espresso machine, by the way.