Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I read other reviews, watched videos on how to make espresso, and make way too much espresso and went haywire. Anyway, I'd like to address issues cited in previous reviews: - If you are looking for a super smooth espresso with a beer style foam on top, you are an espresso snob and need to upgrade. This is a $50 machine. The spout is wide and you get a little bit of a head but not much. - I have no found that this machine splatters at all. Use cold water guys! and make sure the little espresso holder is in with a tight seal, brush off any extra coffee bits that would prevent a tight seal. - the coffee matters. It has to be a super fine, powdery grind. It has to be tamped down tight. I'm seeing reviews where people don't tamp it down at all, the water will go right through and then you'll just have a super small regular cup of coffee. - The milk steamer: I was frustrated with this because it wasn't lasting very long. I don't know why they don't tell you this but you gotta put in extra water for the steam. I make lattes and need a lot of milk, so I put in a bunch more water and it worked a little too well. If you have any extra water the steam is gonna keep shooting out after you turn the machine off, it automatically releases steam. But it does work! It was super hot and frothy. - It doesn't have an auto shutoff. It's not a coffee maker. It's an espresso maker. It takes all of two minutes, the coffee shoots out real fast, and then you shut it off. That's how some professional espresso makers work. - It has a chemical smell at first. My coffee maker had the same smell for a while, it's not going to hurt you, it's not dangerous. Clean the removable parts before you start and the smell goes away over time. All is well. I think it's great. It does well for a $50 machine. I recommend it.