Rating  - Espresso Workhorse
I've owned this machine for over five years and have beaten the bejesus out of it.... after thousands of espressos it is still going strong -- ! Highly recommended!
Rating  - Good and Bad
I have a love-hate relationship with this machine.
On the good side, I've probably made thousands of excellent cups of espresso and latte. So, it has paid for itself (compared to Starbucks) about 20 times over!! This machine has the minimum features, 15 bar pump and dual stage heater - don't buy a machine with less.
On the bad side, this machine is not the quality you would hope for (probably explains the reasonable price). The first thing you'll notice are the drips. The steamer drips, then the heating tank drips, then... I've had this thing apart about 10 times, and finally have tighened and adjusted and added o-rings until if finally doesn't drip anymore. The steamer valve is the worst part. Unless Briel has redesigned it, don't bother paying them to send you a new one, it will drip too. I found an o-ring that was close enough to shave down to fit - seems to work just fine. The other annoyance is that if I don't clean everything immediately and take the tumbler off right away, the next cup of coffee tastes terrible. I'm still not sure where the bitter is hiding, I think the "no drip" feature is sucking old coffee juice back up into the machine.
Anyway, if you fix (or live with) the drips, and are super diligent about cleaning everything immediately, you can make really good espresso and not wreck your budget. Just realize that you are not buying a top-end machine, so keep your expectations modest.
Rating  - Good machine, needs a betterr basket
This is my third Briel espresso machine. Other than gasket problems I like the products a lot. The latest machine has a basket that is smaller than the one on my previous machine, so slow to filter that I kept my old basket and got rid of the new one.
I did have problems with the first machine I received (did not work) and the second (broken basket retainer) but Amazon was quick to replace the first and give me credit for the basket on the second.
Rating - Still brewing after 5 years
I bought this unit back in 2001. It took me some time early on to understand the key to making good espresso primarily lies with the grind. The problem I had early on was that I was buying the pre-grined espresso coffee in the supermarket from companies like Lavazza etc, however I learned that these grinds were not refined enough for espresso machines. I bought a standard blade grinder and normally I will take a standard supermarket grind along with such popular espresso roasts as Starbucks, and put them into the grinder and grind for at least 10 seconds to develop a sandy gritty appearance but not powdery. Prior to learning this, I was unhappy that I wasn't getting the espresso I expected with the Crema on the top.
Well, none of this was due to this espresso machine. The Briel has been an excellent purchase. The quality of the brewing is great. I've had no issues with the pump or frothing system, and the brewing produces a beautiful creme on the top. Also, I noticed at least for my tastes that a double shot cycle produces a much better espresso.
a great unit.
Update as of 02/07/08 - Buy a Burr Grinder. This is the key to wonderful espresso. I played with a variety of grinds and now have a suitable grind for the Briel. It is wonderful.
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Customer Reviews for Briel,ES35APG,786818001353,0786818001353,B00004RHQA, |
