Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The Calphalon Temp IQ espresso machine is a nice basic model espresso machine for making a variety of espresso drinks. The cup warmer works well even with the warming plate being plastic. I find it best to place the cup upside down when warming. The machine does not come with a coffee spoon to measure out ground coffee for the one and two cup filter baskets. It does take a little fiddling to get the right amount of coffee in each cup so the the tamp seats firmly in the proper position according to the instructions. The portafilter seats firmly which requires two hands to completely eat in the locked position. The rubber feet on the machine are not sufficiently large to hold the unit in place while seating the portafilter. The feet are half spheres and do not have enough contact with the counter top to provide enough friction for the unit to stay in place while turning the handle to the lock position. You have to hold the unit in place with on hand while locking the portafilter with the other. Once in place, the timed brew works perfectly and the indicator light helps to know when the brewing cycle is complete. While the two cup filter basket could be used to make two cups of espresso, it is not good for making two cups of espresso drinks simultaneously as the mile pitcher is only large enough to make a single cup, therefore you'd have two cups of espresso in a single brew, but would have to froth two cups of milk sequentially to get enough frothed milk for two espresso drinks. If you like double shot espresso drinks, then the mile pitcher size is just fine for a single espresso drink. The drip tray hides the storage area for the second filter basket and the cleaning pin, which is really convenient to keep all the parts together in one place. The filter basket is somewhat difficult to clear when finished brewing. A good swift bump as per the instructions still doesn't completely clear the basket. It works better if you leave the basket in place until after you have finished frothing milk and making the drink. It still will not release the entire puck due to a lot of moisture still in the basket, but it does release more than if you tried to empty it right after brewing. The accompanying instruction make this recommendation as well. Overall, the machine was simple to setup and operate, and it makes really good espresso drinks with great crema. (Yes, hubby forgot to wipe the steam and water wand right away in the video.. LOL)