Francis Francis! 201030 X1 Trio Espresso machine

I had wanted this machine for about 3 years. I finally decided to get one in Stainless. It is absolutely gorgeous! It is such a fine ascetically pleasing design. I love the toggle switches. Fit and finish are wonderful.

I had it for about a year. Unfortunately it was only good at making espresso with pods. It was an awful steamer and I drink mostly milk based drinks.

I ended up with the Rancilio Silvia. It is a night and day difference. The Silvia a "real" machine. Better tasting espresso, much, much better steamer ending in a tremendous product.

If you want a beautiful piece of equipment siting on your counter and are not too into coffee, one a week or so, I'd recommend getting this. Otherwise look else where for a good grinder and a good machine. I'd recommend the Silvia as the best you'll find under $800.

This machine is well made and has a user-interface that my destructive wife can handle without breaking anything; although she did scratch it on day 2 using a dish sponge :(

The system is well suited for espresso but its steamer is next to worthless. That is unless you enjoy having milk sprayed all over the machine itself and never really foaming up the milk. Yikes!

If you want only espresso, this is a great machine.

If you want espresso and cappuccino, get something else.

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I bought my pea-green Francis! Francis! X1 from Amazon about 5 years. Since then, I've used it almost every day -let's say 1000+ cups of espresso so far. It still brews good coffee and still looks spectacular.

But its Italian made. Need I say more? Like the Alfa Romeros of the '60s and '70s, my X1 is beautiful to look at and fun to drive, but something is sure to go wrong. And when it does, fixing it is likely to be expensive and time consuming.

In my case the analog temperature gauge that makes the X1 look so retro gradually quit working after a couple of years. I understand this is a typical problem. I'm guessing that because the temperature sensor sits in the water boiler, it gets caked with mineral deposits and no longer measures temperature accurately. From what I've read about the Francis! Francis! US service center, I'm reluctant to send it in for repair. I decided to live with it. It doesn't affect the brewing quality.

Also annoying, the plastic handle on the coffee holder developed a crack in it. I can still use it, but poor design is aggravating.

This said, the fact that it still works and looks so great is enough for me recommend it. Although it is now pretty pricey. I paid about $450 for mine.

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Don't believe the hype about "quality brass components". The pump on my machine died after one year of daily use in the morning. The temperature gauge on the front stopped working a few months prior to that. Don't repeat my mistake of being wooed by the styling on this machine.

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The negative reviews I just read may be spot on, but I only use this machine to make a double-shot of espresso every morning. The machine has worked flawlessly for years and it's a reliable part of my morning routine. The machine itself is nice to look at and cleans up easily. Of course, it costs quite a bit, but I've had my machine for over three years now and I use it every day, so if you spread the cost out over 3-5 years (hopefully more!), then it's truly pennies per day instead of $3 a day.