Until I got this Cuisinart EM-100 15-Bar Espresso Maker, I had been using cheap, steam-based Mr. Coffee machines and the difference between those and this are significant, both in operation and quality of the end-result. After performing a lot of research on machines, and keeping my budget of ~$350 in mind, I decided upon the Cuisinart and couldn't be happier.
Well as it turned out, the wand from my Mr. Coffee machine fits on this perfectly, and the basket from that is twice as large as the double cup bin this came with. Some things about it that are a plus are the quick warm-up times, the quality construction, and the decent sized water reservoir. I make my first cup and get my second cup ready once it is done.
- Espresso maker with 15 bars of pressure for perfect coffee drinks
- Brews 1 to 2 cups from either ground espresso or pods
- 53-ounce removable reservoir; porta-filter holder; cup-warming plate
- Steam nozzle; frothing cup; removable drip tray; tamping tool included
- Measures 8-1/5 by 11 by 12-5/9 inches; 3-year limited warranty
I don't consider myself a coffee connoisseur by any means, but I enjoy a good quality cup of joe as much as anyone. In any event, if you grind and tamp your own coffee instead of using the pods, Cuisinart's recommended timing of 15 seconds for a single shot or 25 seconds for 2 shots works just fine, but you have to balance the grind size and tamp pressure to achieve that.
My advice would be to stay away from grinding too finely thereby clogging the filter holes just use the middle of fine if you are using a burr grinder, and then get your time in range using the tamp pressure to avoid this problem.
The Cuisinart EM-100 1000-Watt 15-Bar Espresso Maker is a true bargain and a great espresso maker. Neither brand was capable of processing an espresso grind. They usually blocked up and let no water past the grinds. I had to resort to using drip grind coffee. The Cuisinart does a great job processing an espresso ground coffee, leaves a fine crema, steamer works perfectly and is a breeze to clean up.
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