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(Side note - if you can let your espresso sit for more than 10 seconds without the layers re-blending and resulting in a bitter taste, it's not real espresso). No espresso tools are included, so be prepared if you want to make a "cappuccino" right out of the box, buy your steaming pitcher & thermometer (if you use one) before you plan to make your first drink. It does not make real layered espresso, just a stronger type of coffee, despite what some other reviewers mentioned about "crema". As a former barista, I was disappointed with the "cappuccino" side of this machine. If you don't know what you're doing, and want to make an espresso-like or cappuccino-like beverage for yourself, this will probably do the trick for you. You can even buy an inexpensive stand-alone milk steamer, and use your coffee machine to make stronger coffee, and you'll get better results than this machine. It will take you a VERY long time, it takes about 5 minutes to make one drink (or two if you're lucky) start to finish, not counting clean up. Plus, you can only steam enough milk for one, MAYBE two drinks at a time, and you can only pull 4 "shots of espresso" (which makes 4 weak drinks or 2 strong drinks), then you have to clean out the machine and start over, so don't expect to make espresso beverages for a whole party of people.
All in all, I wouldn't really recommend this machine to anyone who wants real espresso beverages. Still, it was awkward to maneuver a steaming pitcher (NOT INCLUDED) in the limited space between the counter & the machine, and I still only get a thin separated layer of foam on the top with the steam wand itself, adequate for a latte, not for cappuccino. If you have experience, or plan to make drinks for more than one person, save up for a better machine. You might also want to consider getting a knock box, because even though you're not making real espresso, you will end up with a puck in your portafilter that is a pain & a mess to get out otherwise. The steam wand leaves much to be desired, although removing the froth aid (the removable black sleeve) does improve things drastically, as the froth aid creates GIANT bubbles, nearly triples the volume of milk, and heats unevenly, if at all. This is a single boiler/dual use unit, so you cannot steam milk and pull pretend-espresso at the same time, which was annoying for me being accustomed to a dual boiler machine that allowed me to time everything perfectly, although because the espresso is really just coffee, it didn't matter as much. And if all you really want is coffee, spend less money on a plain old coffee machine. Thumbs down.
The final straw is that its now exploding grounds out the side of the machine every other day despite all my attempts to clean, adjust, change the thickness of the grounds, etc. We received this coffee maker from our wedding registry 3 years ago. I have to keep dismantling the whole filter assembly to try and clean it out then attempt to wedge the cheap plastic parts back together. I wish we'd done more research before picking it. The covers for the on lights broke off a long time ago, the heating plate is irreparably charred no matter how much I try to clean it, and it has never produced a very hot cup of coffee. It seems obvious to me now that an all plastic machine simply isn't going to hold up to long term daily use. The replacement is on the way.
The water just sits in the chamber, and of course the product manual has no instructions for unclogging the water chamber. I bought this machine less than 6 months ago and descaled it monthly. The coffee maker part has a huge clog. It's a big disappointment, and based on other user's experience with Krups customer service, I'm not going to waste my time with them. This was a complete waste of money.
So now the coffee side could not be used and the espresso side needed pliers in order to use it.I called the company again and they offered a replacement machine but I would rather get a partial refund. My only complaint was that the filter basket had a small circumference so I couldn't use the new tamper I bought to go with the machine.
As I pulled it out of the box, I discovered the glass coffee pot was broken. I called customer service the next morning and they said they would send a replacement pot.
My new combo arrived just a week after I ordered it. It was no problem to make a nice strong cup of espresso.
(I never received a confirmation about that). So no coffee right away but I still had the espresso machine.
The second day I used the machine, the plastic handle broke off in my hand when I connected the filter basket to the machine. I will go back to my 20 year old model since it is better made and I'll live with its quirks while I renew my research.
I was a little hesitant to buy this machine based on some negative reviews about broken handles and the machine being cheaply made. Glad I decided to take a chance,I love the XP1500, it makes great espresso and coffee, shipping was FAST, the price speaks for itself.
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