Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I purchased this item 2 months ago and have been using it daily ever since. Previous posters were correct on the steamer wand (it IS a bit restrictive, I suggest purchasing one of the smaller frothing pitchers rather than a big one). Also, it *DOES* put out a lot of water through the steaming/frothing wand when you first turn it on, but you can get around that (more on that later). It DOES produce a FABULOUS Espresso shot, Cappucino, Latte's, it tastes MUCH better than Starbucks to me and it only took me two attempts to get my technique down to where it's NOT a problem. 1. Loading coffee. I use half and half Lavazza in the can with the mark on it that has the Espresso picture and half any local bean ground to a #3 setting in the store - my preference is for Blue Jamaican. Put the local ground half in FIRST, then put the Lavazza in on top of that. 2. Tamping. This is NOT a "press as hard as you can" thing. I use the double size grind basket, and a full scoop looks just SLIGHTLY rounded ABOVE the top edge BEFORE I tamp it, using a light "tapping" force like I'd knock on a door lightly. Tamp it LEVEL with the top of the basket, then use your finger to wipe around the EDGE of the basket top to get rid of the grinds that are on the edges where it will seal. Keeping the seal clear of grinds will prevent leaking. 3. Turning on the machine for warmup: I put it on STEAM first. This is important. Don't open the steam knob yet, just let it warm up and give you the green light in the STEAM setting. Put a towel under the steamer wand. Once the light is green, open the steam valve and watch the water come out of the wand for 5-10 seconds until it's all STEAM. This will purge the tube of water AND give you a nice warm steam rag to clean the wand AFTER you're done. When it's STEAM coming out, turn the valve back off and switch the machine to Espresso and wait for the light to go green again. 4. Brew Espresso as directed. It will LOOK like it's foamy coming out. Once it SETTLES in the cups for a few seconds, you will see it is mostly espresso with a nice layer of Crema on top (assuming you have the glass tumblers that are available on Amazon pretty cheaply - worth it!) Don't worry that you have to manually turn it on and off, this takes about 30 seconds, just sit there and watch it, not a big deal. 5. Switch back to steam mode, wait for green light again. Put milk pitcher under frothing wand, froth your milk, then make your Lattte / Cappucino as desired. Hint: If you like a hot Latte like I do with a creamier taste, I microwave the milk first for a minute. This gets the milk up to temperature to where, by the time it's frothed LIGHTLY, with a minimum of water/steam added into the milk, it's hot. All of the above takes me about 5-7 minutes. All in all, I'm HIGHLY satisfied with this machine and would DEFINITELY recommend it. Heck, I bought one for my dad for Father's Day. :)