116.04 Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Machine EC100, Black and Stainless, 46 oz

I had a Krups espresso machine for years -- it was a real workhorse but finally the power switch got flakey. So I started looking for another machine of the same size (many of them are just too large, regardless of features). I finally chose the Capresso and, thus far, I could not be happier. The machine has a generous water tank, is straightforward to use (although I have not used the frother as I bought a Souvia milk frother on Amazon in late 2018 and love it), and makes a great espresso for my morning latté. A nice rich flavor, excellent crema, and nice and hot. I will write an update later but my first impression is that this is a terrific value and a solid machine. UPDATE April 23, 2021 I have now used this machine at least daily for my lattés. It is just fabulous! It heats up quickly, makes fabulous rich créma without fail, has such a generous water tank, and is easy to maintain. I'm sorry I didn't make the change sooner! BTW I use a Gourmia frothing machine (on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Souvia-Automatic-Frother-Steamer-Machine/dp/B08X6D8ZR9/ref=sr_1_3?crid=DU7QOAJP2SVP&dchild=1&keywords=souvia+milk+frother&qid=1619201636&sprefix=souvia+milk+%2Caps%2C212&sr=8-3), which has only two reviews but I have had mine for 2-1/2 years and it is also fabulous. The frother allows me to froth milk while I'm brewing the espresso, and I am a happy camper!

This is an easy to use machine that produces delicious espresso, lots of crema. You can use the small portafilter for a one shot espresso or for use with ESE pods (Not capsules). You also have the larger portafilter for a two shot espresso. It warms up fast. Frother works pretty well. You can easily switch from brewing to frothing (or viceversa) almost on the fly. You will need a small mug/cup as there is not much space for a standard 12 oz mug. I use a traditional Italian cappuccino mug. Had it for 2 years of daily use and still working ok. For the price, you just can’t find anything better, perhaps only if you buy an unknown Chinese brand. Of course if you want to spend a lot more, you might find a machine that’s probably more durable. Capresso is part of Jura, a high quality European (Switzerland) espresso maker, of similar quality to Italian machines.

I read sooooo many reviews of home espresso machines under $150. This one seemed to get more positives than negatives, so I gave it a try. We've had it since October now and I use it almost every day. It's a little champ! It's pretty easy to use, not many moving parts. I wish that it had a button for single or double shot, but you just watch it and turn it off when the shot looks good to you. I have worked in coffee so that's not a big deal for me. Crema is fabulous. I use good espresso, that makes a difference too. The steam heats up in seconds and goes and goes. Lots of foam. I took the plastic covering off the steam want, I get smoother foam that way. Again, tiny tweaks. But you don't have to have coffee making experience to get a good drink out of this little machine. Even my husband, who also worked as a barista and is very particular, had to admit that it makes great coffee and is so easy to use. And it takes up so little counter space. Highly recommend.

SECOND UPDATE - 3/2015: The machine was in the repair shop for two months. The owner said he could not locate a replacement thermostat. I looked on line and found many thermostats for coffee machines. They all looked similar - like enlarged watch batteries. I took a chance and ordered one for $15. I picked up the espresso machine from the repair shop. At home I decided to figure out how to get inside to if the thermostat that I ordered would work. It was not a problem to open the machine. Under the stainless plate on top are four plugs with screws under them. I removed the top and located the thermostats. Much to my surprise while looking around I found a loose connection at one thermostat. I replaced the push-on connection that was loose with a new connector (no soldering needed) and tried the machine. IT WORKS GREAT! The thermostat has not arrived yet but I do not need it. Bottom line, aService has NO customer service and could not be bothered with me, and the repair shop evidently did not even look inside the machine. This shop could have picked up an easy $25 - $35 in repair charges for 5 minutes work. The machine is making great espresso with crema every morning, the steamer is fast and makes lots of foam with cold 2% milk. The machine is simple and cheap, but now works five stars. I cannot raise my rating to more than three stars due to the loose connection and the bad customer service. I am in the market for a grinder and found exactly what I wanted. When I checked the suppler on the Amazon site it was "aService" - no thank you. Not again in my lifetime. I bought the grinder elsewhere. UPDATE: The machine was working great, then several days ago it produced only warm coffee. When the machine was working it was every bit as good as I said in this review. The machine now produces steam, so I think the thermoblock heater is OK. With the low cost of this espresso machine, it is probably not worth repairing. I received very little value for money spent. I wish it was still working and I was attempting to locate repair parts. I inquired to aSavings, the Amazon seller about where to buy parts. My inquiry to aService was simply asking for help locating repair parts. I also asked them if they have encountered this problem with other units. I believe aSavings DID NOT BOTHER TO READ MY INQUIRY! I received a form letter e-mail from aService saying the unit was "out of warranty" and there was nothing aService will do for me. I was not asking aService to return item or for warranty repair because I know that the warranty is expired. I liked the machine very much and wanted to see if it could be repaired at reasonable cost locally (if parts are available). I tried looking on the Capresso web site and there were no parts listed. I thought aService would help me. aService evidently considers the form letter as "customer service". If you are searching for a simple machine that will provide good cappuccino, this might be for you. In the past 5 years I have spent around $1,500 on espresso machines. My first was Breville 650EXL (perhaps not exact model - trashed long ago). The circuit board went out and this was a big deal for the shop to order part and repair. The repair took so much time I bought another Breville (Stupid, I know!) This new machine worked for a short while and then a small plastic pressure relief valve on the pump broke and the repair people said, "the part is no longer available." Nothing now but a high tech door stop. I continued to use the repaired Breville that I bought first, but the "die cast" finish completely fell apart. First there were little pits that looked like dirt and then it became worse and worse until it looked like dumpster trash and so that is where it went! I bought a Cuisinart 200 and loved it at first. It is a good machine, but I am experiencing the same problem as others that own the Cuisinart 200. The machine has a tendency to develop an internal leak that directs water under the drip tray and on to the counter. No one seems to have a solution and Cuisinart is no help in the matter. The Cusinart 200 costs about one-half of the overpriced, piece of crap Breville. The Cusinart still works, but cleaning up the leaking water after making coffee is not something that I should be doing. So, I started searching again for a machine and read the comments and criticisms on the Capresso EC100. This thing is cheap compared to the "status brands" that have proven to me to be poor value for money. I recently received the machine from a seller on Amazon. Of course if you want to compare the appearance of this machine to the pealing heavy die cast Breville or the heavy leaking Cuisinart, you will conclude that this is light and rather "cheap" looking. This little machine costs one-fourth that of Breville and one half that of Cusinart. The stainless steel on the Capresso appears to be REAL stainless steel and the rest of the machine is black plastic. The small filter cups for the coffee are designed for coffee that you grind or for pods. Here is what I received: A little espresso machine heats in about half the time of the other machines. It produces a good amount of creama and the pump is VERY QUIET. There is no "grinding" and "pulsing" like the "high priced spreads". Now, when I switch to steam it produces lots of steam very quickly. It seemed like a great machine for the money and previously rated at 5 stars. To my surprise after two months of use, the machine is now useless junk; and I cannot find, or get help to find, repair parts. BECAUSE OF UPDATE ABOVE, I CAN NO LONGER SUGGEST THAT YOU CONSIDER THIS MACHINE AS GOOD VALUE OR EXPECT ANYTHING OTHER THAN A FORM LETTER FROM aService. I sincerely hope this information helps you.

I don't think I've ever been so disappointed with a product that I thought would be an "upgrade" from my "cheaper" product. My old espresso maker cost about a third of what this Capresso costs. (I won't mention the brand so this review doesn't get censored, but it's a big name in cheap coffee makers.) Here are the two things that make this purchase such a disappointment: #1 — Coffee cups and mugs don't fit. We have a large collection of souvenir and custom-printed mugs, and the vast majority of them are about 3¾ inches (9.6 cm) tall. We can't use any of them in this appliance because they are all too tall. This was not the case with our older, cheaper espresso maker. The little glass cups they use in their photos are deceiving. I've never seen an American coffee shop or a friend use anything like them. In Italy, shorter cups are often used, but this is being sold in America. In my old espresso maker, I could even fit an oversized mug in there. The only way to get around this flaw is to remove the tray, but then you need to put it back in before the Capresso purges itself or you'll get water all over your counter. #2 — The filter cup is too small for a double shot of ground espresso beans (unless you're making it in their dollhouse size cups). Any effort to make a flavorful double shot cappuccino results in much more coffee grounds mess...there's no extra room to allow spooning sufficient grounds into the filter cup before tamping down. I wish I could return this, but I guess I was supposed to "know" that these inherent flaws are part of their "working" product? It basically works...and it works faster than the old one did, but everything else about it is horrible. A third annoyance is how hard it is to twist the filter cup into place. You need to hold the whole product to keep it from turning while you lock the filter into place. I'm so disappointed. What a waste of money.

I got this for a family member's birthday present. They have told me many times how much they love it and how good the lattes are but I finally got a chance to try it for myself when I visited recently and they were definitely not exaggerating. The espresso comes out looking and tasting just like at a cafe- rich, strong, dark, with lots of crema. The milk steams up with a smooth, creamy froth that is absolutely perfect. The coffee comes out quickly and the milk steams fast. All told, a latte takes maybe 5 minutes to make. I'm thinking of getting one for myself now! I read all the reviews before buying this and to respond to a couple criticisms: Yes, large mugs do not fit beneath it. But a teacup would. And, of course, small espresso cups that you can empty into a larger mug or glass if you want. You can usually find little espresso cups at thrift stores for super cheap if you want to save money on this. You do need to stay near the machine and watch as it makes your coffee because there doesn't appear to be an automatic shut off function. You need to switch it off when your cups are full or they will overflow, which is fine because it only takes a couple of minutes. Remove the cups quickly after you turn the dial to "off" because the machine will pump any extra water left in the "pipes" out and you don't want that in your coffee. It will fall into the little collection box underneath the metal grate that holds the cup. This box will need emptying and cleaning every two or three brew cycles or it will overflow onto your counter. This is the only drawback I can see to this machine, but it's not a big one.

[Updated] I’m leaving my original 3-star review below for my EC100, but this is my update (now 5 stars). After a month of use, the crema is back to what I expected. I am sure it was not the beans, grind, or placebo, since I ran comparisons with my old EC50 in the first week. It seems the machine just needed some break-in time for the seals and parts to settle, and maybe get a little coffee-stained. The manufacturer confirmed the EC50 and EC100 use the same pressure and mechanism. I now love my EC100. (Side note: the portafilter is heavier on the EC100 due to an internal weight and cap that holds it in. Mine keeps falling out, so I set them aside and have yet to decide whether to glue them on. I may not bother since it’s not needed, so no big deal. ----------- [Original review] Capresso EC100 & EC50 have been my favorites since 2014, but every 3-5 I've had to buy replacement when they start leaking. My first to were EC100, then EC50, and just got an EC100. The take up little space, are inexpensive, but what made me a fanboy was the rich crema they made and how it flavored the coffee. Only once before did I order one from Amazon and had to return it for not working, then ordered it from Jura (since they ship after testing). A friend who I recommended it too also had to return what he ordered from Amazon, then bought a different espresso machine that doesn't give him the crema experience. I don't know why they start leaking water during coffee making, taking longer to fill a cup and filling the water tray after 6 or so cups are made. Perhaps because I leave it going beyond a tiny espresso cup so that both jets fill a larger 8 oz cup. But I was hooked on the crema, so I keep buying one of these every couple of years. Now, I just bought the EC100 from Amazon when my EC50 had been leaking for some months. The new one ran quieter than the old one on the first day of use but the crema was much less and it dissipates quickly. The coffee tastes stronger and the bottom of the portafilter feels much hotter than on my older models. After two days of usage, it has gotten noisier, and the crema seems to be even less. I hate going to the trouble of returning it and ordering one from Jura. But my real worry is that the EC100 (and EC50) may have changed pressure, heat or other mechanisms, which diminishes the one thing that kept me being a Capresso fanboy. If I do get another one and the crema is no longer what it was, then I will be trying out other manufacturer models. So sad.

The machine is very loud and the metal plate rattles when on. The espresso handle came apart and broke within the first month’s use. The plastic tamper doesn’t cover the entire disc when pressing into the espresso.

Todo perfecto y funciona al 100%, Con todas las piezas ademas de que es muy fácil de utilizar y preparar café,

The machine met my expectations. Makes excelent espresso, lots of crema. Deliverey was fast (3 days). I will recomend it to my friends.

Todo salió bien. Mi novia la disfruta mucho. Es práctica, fácil de utilizar, fácil de lavar y de buen material.

For the price this is an outstanding espresso machine!

I bought this for my boyfriend's birthday and he loves it. He says it makes the best cappuccino he has ever had. So, in terms of coffee quality and the speed it produces it, it gets a 5 star (we use Lavatza Crema in it and it works like a charm). However, no matter what we do the water carafe leaks. We wake up to half an inch of water all over our counter top. So we have to empty the carafe each time we finish using it. It's not a big deal, but it creates a mess if we forget. So, from that point I would rate this a three. If this didn't have a water leakage problem I would give it an unqualified 5.