Hamilton Beach 15 Bar Espresso Machine, Cappuccino, Mocha, & Latte Maker, with Milk Frother, Make 2 Cups Simultaneously, Works with Pods or Ground Coffee, 50 oz. Water Reservoir, Black

**UPDATE** PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU PURCHASE! GREAT MACHINE , BUT A MUST KNOW!My first review has changed. I purchased about May 10th, then due to faulty steam wand I returned about 4 days later and got a refund immediately (same day) from Amazon. So I purchased the same one again. I just received it today, May 16th (2 days later), very quick delivery! love it!Anyhow, this is a MUST KNOW... the reason my steam wand did not work is due to the screw that was not tightened on the wand! See all pics! This is what happened the first time. I washed all parts, and as I pulled off the black plastic cover on the steam wand the screw came off with it and fell into my garbage disposable without my knowledge., that's why the steam wand did not work.When I used my garbage disposable hours later, I heard the loud noise, then found the screw in there but I did not know where it came from. So as I received the new espresso machine today, I did the same thing, cleaned all parts and took off the black plastic off the steam wand and this time, the screw (which was not tightened again) it fell to the ground this time, not into my garbage disposal! I am so grateful it fell on the floor and I now know what happened to the other espresso machine!So if you purchase this machine, or any other espresso machine, be very careful of parts! BTW... this espresso machine is AWESOME!!!

The media could not be loaded. Update on my update. I am sorry to say that after about five weeks of use, my machine just stopped making the beautiful espresso shots that it so easily did before. The coffee is coming out weak and with no crema. It seems it has something to do with the pump, but I'm not sure. SOOOO disappointed. I guess this is a lesson to wait a while before reviewing. Naturally, the machine is past the return date. I have contacted Hamilton Beach for support but have not received a reply.UODATE. Still loving my machine. Uploaded a video to illustrate the excellent results and quiet operation as asked by another shopper.LOVE this machine. Easy to use right out of the box. I have been a faithful Tassimo and Nespresso user for years. Like 15 years. I just got tired of paying out the nose for pods and weak cappuccinos which is my drink of choice. Many years ago, Starbucks made an espresso machine called the “Barista”. I owned one for years and loved it. This machine gives me the same results with much less effort. Some tips. I tried pre-ground espresso from Starbucks and several other beaneries. I was not satisfied with the flavor and the “pull” of my shot. The water went through too fast and my shot was not strong enough. I went ahead and bought a burr grinder and grind my own beans on the finest setting. The grinds look like powder but I am able to tamp the coffee really well and get a 15-20 second pull on my double shot. I also fill the filter in stages. One scoop, then tamp followed by another and tamp. I do this as much as I can to get a solid puck”. Since I am “girly”, (psst, I am a girl), it could be some of you stronger women and men don’t need to do this, but I am also 60! Anyhoo, this machine is so easy to use and consistently makes an excellent espresso. I will admit I don’t bother with frothing as I best my milk while I am making my shots and use my foaming wand to get a rich thick foam. With practice it all takes just a few minutes. Then I just run some water through the machine without the filter in, wipe it all down and, BAM! I’m caffeinated! It is a great buy and I have tried several Delonghi machines that just don’t come close. The grinder I bought is the Cuisinart DBM-8 Supreme Grind Automatic Burr Mill and you can find it on Amazon and the Milk Frother is the PowerLix Milk Frother. I highly recommend both. If you live in a part of the country that has an H-E-B , maybe just Texas? I highly recommend the Rita Maya organic coffee beans. The giant bag is about $14 bucks. I get the dark roast and it is AWESOME! If you don’t have an H-E-B, I am truly sorry.

I bought this as a first time user of a home espresso machine. It worked well for about a month and then would not properly dispense any fluid. It would spit water and steam out everywhere and leave a huge mess. I fully did not expect this to be a top notch espresso machine as it is on the lower end of the price range, but I expected it to be decent and last me a heck of a lot longer than a month. I tried to google solutions for this model and ended up having the whole thing torn apart at one time. I ended up just throwing it in my dumpster because it was a lost cause at this point. If I could go back, I would spend more money on a reliable espresso machine.

Same old story. LOVED and old Hamilton Beach Expresso maker. After years of great coffee, it stopped working and I had to buy a new one. The new Hamilton Beach has been designed so that it is harder to use, comes with no instructions unless I search for them (least favorite activity). OK, now that I've figured it out, it makes good coffee with the crema. It has a more complex mechanism for attaching the metal thing containing the coffee. I wouldn't know what it's called because I have no instructions. You have to carefully line up the thing, use to hands to push it up, holding it level the whole time, then shift to hold the machine down while you twist the thing into place. I will use this machine until it breaks down. It WILL save me a TON of MONEY and make me lots of good coffee. Maybe I will come to love it. The last machine worked beautifully. Why did you change it?