Amazon Basics Espresso Coffee Maker

I'd had a Delonghi expresso machine for about 5 years before it finally died.I was looking for a more expensive bean to cup machine to replace it, and decided to save up for a really nice one, but needed sometime to keep me going and spotted this one.At this price I wasn't convinced it would be any good, but equally because of the price I thought you can't go far wrong.Upon it arriving and unboxing it, the initial impressions are that it's smaller than most expresso machines, which isn't a bad thing. The water tank is a fairly decent size and there is more then enough clearance room under to fit a reasonable sized cup. The negative first impressions are build quailty. It feels very cheap and plastic. The rear water tank looks like its almost borrowed from another device as it doesn't fit flush to the sides and sticks out a bit.But the most important thing is use and how good it makes coffee, and I have to say this is where it really is a bargain. When you first use it I highly recommend you run it through at least 1 whole tank of water, without any coffee just to flush the system though. I only did a couple of cups this way and the first coffee I tried tasted of plastic. But flushing it though a couple more times and it fixed that issue.Now compared to a more expensive machine the fit and finish is never going to be as good. It feels and looks cheap. And when in use the metal drip tray did vibrate a lot, but you can move the cup around a bit to reduce that. You could fit some sticky backed foam around the lip that would fix that issue completely if it annoys you. It does take about a minute to warm up initially. I didn't see it mentioned in the manual but when you switch it on you have to wait for a light on the button that starts the machine running to light up, telling you it's up to temperature. This machine is really easy to use, especially if you have ever used a different one before and it actually makes a really good expresso with a nice Crema. It's also easy to clean. I don't expect it to last 5 years like my old Delonghi did, but at this price I wouldn't expect it to.Final note. I noticed in many reviews people saying the coffee wasn't very hot. It had been hot every time I've made one so far. Maybe they are not waiting for the temperature light to go on begot making it.Highly recommend it as a budget machine. Great for anyone looking to get into making proper coffee for the first time.Update. It's just coming up to 2 years old and it has performed very well. Buy in the last week it started to stuggle like the basket was blocked. I ordered a new coffee basket for it and that helped, but I think the pump is finally struggling as it's working overtime and the code is coming out very slowly. Still, not bad for the price, meaning it's only cost £23 per year. Shame they seem to have discontinued it now and I would have bought another one. Anyone know who actually made it?

The media could not be loaded. Purchased this initially in February ( august is time of review ) .A month in and we had to get a replacement as it started to taste of plastic even after following the set up instructions and running through with just water .Amazon customer service was brilliant , as always ,and replaced it with the second machine within days .The machine is well worth the money .We love our coffee and like to have americano rather than espresso. The specs and functions are perfect for this having a large capacity water tank and a good pressure bar to make a perfect cup .You can fit two normal size mugs side by side one per nozzle however even if you fill the coffee to the max this doesn’t make for two good cups in one turn . It does make for one perfect strength americano though . It defiantly makes for a better coffee than making with a cafeteria . Giving a smoother blended finish .It’s easy to use and very quick to heat up and make . Easy to clean and empty the used grounds .The steam function is awesome for making hot chocolate too as we only drink black americano. Makes you feel like a proper barista .It’s taken this long to write the review due to the fact the second machine started to taste of plastic again , much to our disappointment as it’s perfect for our needs and decor .I tried going through some troubleshooting and cleaned it out regularly too as we are in a hard water area ( citric acid as per instructions) this resolved the issue for a while but had to keep doing it .It’s been a month without any issues of plastic taste now so fingers crossed it’s not going to be an issue anymore .That is the one downfall with this machine and I think it would be resolved by changing some of the components from plastic to metal from the water tank .

I typically drink black coffee and have a filter machine which works well for me. However, I do like a Cappuccino/Latte and some times just a white coffee. But for me, it needs to be easy to be worthwhile. I have tried a number of different machines, including a £500+ Bean to cup with milk option (sounds great but a faff to clean) and Nespresso (don't understand why they are so popular... don't do it for me) and both using separate Milk Frother. They all work but don't give the "proper coffee" experience.In my opinion you need;: a steam wand for milk: decent crema layer on black coffee: quick to use from turn on: simple to use and cleanThis machine does all of this and is amazing value for money.It's very well designed with a decent size detachable water tank at the rear which is simple to remove and fill under the tap.You turn the machine on and within literally no time is ready to use. And it is simplicity itself. There is a rocker switch for the only 2 settings Coffee or Milk. Then you twist the knob and it does its thing.No need to have multiple settings and messing about. If you want;- Espresso twist the knob until your espresso cup is full, for a black coffee with crema layer twist know until that is full.- White coffee (one of my favourites with this machine) put some cold milk in a coffee cup, twist the knob until it's full and there's a perfect white coffee with Crema layer.- Latte / Cappuccino, make your espresso and then move the rocker switch to Milk, when the amber light shows it is up to temp put a cup or mug under the Steam Wand (I use a stainless steel jug with built in temperature strip) then turn the dial and it will steam the milk, you just turn the switch off when it's at you desired temperature. Pour the Milk over your coffee and it looks like you just got it in a coffee shop.It is so easy to use and the results are worthy of a machine many times its price.