IMUSA GAU-18200 Elecric Espresso / Cappuccino Maker with Milk Frother 4-Cup, Black

I ordered this to replace a Bialetti stove-top maker. I have had it a couple of months and it is great. I saw some reviews about some machines within this price category being flimsy and unreliable. The Imusa is terrific. Easy to clean (Bialetti was awful!), and makes up to a quad in under 5 minutes. It is lightweight, but sturdy; and makes thick rich foam, even with skim milk. I am a former chef and have had some fancy machines that cost thousands of dollars in my kitchens, Imusa gets it done for me at home. I even went back and ordered a second as a gift.

Adding on to this review: If you haven't been using your old espresso/cappuccino maker because it isn't easy, or a pain to clean up, then this is the machine for you.

I'm going to start out stating I am no barista.

But I love coffee and simply don't like paying $4+ a cup and inconveniencing myself in the morning making an out-of-the-way, time-consuming stop during my commute.

That said, this is my first espresso machine. As with many things I don't know if I'll ever use again, I purchase the absolute cheapest low-end model, and if I like it, I research and splurge (or ask Santa.) I feel I really lucked out with this machine since it cost half of other machines I was looking at, and it works. I followed the directions (and a youtube) and with some trial and error (actually only the first try was really bad) I am able to make espresso mocha's in the morning for my wife and I.

I've gotten so good at it that I can make two cups with ~2 shots each, a squirt of chocolate syrup each, about 10oz steamed milk, and clean it all up in under 10 minutes.

Notes and experiences about this machine:

-When you first receive the machine, fill and drain the machine numerous times with hot water (by filling and turning the entire machine upside down.) Mine had a bunch of metallic flakes inside the steam chamber left over from manufacturing. These could definately clog the machine or worse, end up in your espresso.

-Use mildly fine grounds and tamp softly. I wasn't getting any crema until I used a burr grinder on a medium-fine setting. This machine has NO control over the brew group pressure, so the only way to control extraction is with the grounds and tamping pressure. I was using too fine of grounds for the first week or two and was getting weak extraction. If tamped too hard the grounds overheat and the extraction is bitter. Ideally each shot should take 20 seconds.

-The control dial has a "dead zone" where steam continues to come out, but the boiler is off. It is between OFF and LOW STEAM settings. This allows you to safely release pressure in the boiler chamber when you're finished. Never leave the machine sit with pressure in it. The instructions don't mention anything about this 'hidden' setting, but you will find it and use it every time you use the machine for one reason or another.

-Tamping the grounds is important. At first I used my fingers. Then a spoon. Finally I got a tamper. All of them were effective but a tamper makes me feel like a pro and its definately the fastest/easiest. 50mm is a good fit. Not perfect, but good enough; in reality its probably a 51mm or 52mm.

-Don't use the rubber guard for the frothing wand. It's hard to clean. Not just hard, impossible. Also, if not removed and cleaned after every use, it will for sure trap bacteria; it obviously needs to be removed to clean your frothing wand, which you want to clean while its hot so stuff doesn't cake on it, defeating the entire purpose of protecting you from burns since you need to deal with the hot wand, anyway. Just throw this thing away.

-Clean it while its HOT. I rinse and wipe everything right after a session. The steam wand, grounds cup and locking cup, the collection cup and the waste tray all rinse clean with no soap when they're hot. The steam wand takes about 10-15 seconds of wiping to get milk residue off; everything else takes a few seconds.

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For the money, this is one great little machine. It heats quickly, foams the milk easily and promptly, is easy to clean up, and looks cute on the counter. This is our fourth (and least expensive) cappuccino maker it is also the best.

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Especially for the money, this is a great little espresso machine! I've never had an electric espresso machine before. I have several manual espresso makers but no way to easily froth hot milk so I ordered this one. I received it yesterday and made a wonderful latte last night for the first time in my life! It's easy to use, looks cool and has a small footprint so it's great in a small space. (It did not say anywhere to remove the soft black plastic 'cover' on the steaming rod but I did...I don't want ANY plastic of any kind near my food, especially steaming hot plastic. I'm assuming you remove it else there's no way to clean the rod...) It's a perfect 'treat yourself' gift to yourself when you know you deserve it!

If anything goes awry, I'll certainly update this review but I feel good about it and it works just like I've seen my daughter's much more expensive coffe/espresso/cappuccino maker. I'd NEVER consume name brand commercial coffe store, overly sweetened and overly fat and chemical ladened products, and I cringe when I see so many people putting that inside their bodies, but if I were one of those people, this would pay for itself within a week! (Can you tell I'm a cancer survivor and that I want to keep it that way!)

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The metal water basin contains lead. I recently purchased this espresso maker and at first really liked it as it does the job, and I made delicious decaf lattes with it. The plastic on the outside is number 5 which is considered generally safe, but I was unsure about the metal used on the inside. I recently bought some lead test kits and decided to test the metal on the inside of the opening where you pour the water in. I highly doubted that it would be positive, because who would put lead in a machine that makes beverages especially that part that holds the water you drink?!!! But, because I am pregnant, I decided to check it just in case. Anyhow the test turned red which means it has a dangerous level of LEAD! I am so angry that they have this product on the market. Not only did they put lead in my body and my babies body, they are poisoning everybody who uses it. I already drank 3 lattes using this machine before my lead tests arrived in the mail. Amazon, please do not sell this product.

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Aroma cups 4/2

I wanted a simple, beautiful espresso maker, preferably Italian.

The Stella's lovely design caught my eye. It is a looker! Simple,

robust design, easy to clean. Consistent espresso that is piping

hot. A pleasure to have this in my kitchen.

I should give 5 stars for " how good coffee this can make " and i should give 1 star for " how inaccurate product features this have ". This product make 0.5 cup of coffee ( picture ). I have also Nespresso for make hot milk what make my coffee hot even if i add 3/4 milk. Otherwise your coffee will be cold. Im lucky for 2 people its enough. Anyway this product can make best coffee in your home if you dont want to spend $5k for pro machine. Actually Stella-Aroma can be a hard concurrent for expensive machine. Stainless steal is the best way to get better coffee, not aluminium.

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DeLonghi Magnifica EAM 3400 Super Automatic Espresso Machine

I actually bought this machine at Starbucks and also tried the 3200 unit. The machine is great and great looking and worked as advertised. Except, I like Lattes made with steamed milk and just "a little" bit of foam. This unit does not really have a steam wand, it has a "frother" attachment which produces lots and lots of foam. I used less milk and I used more milk but I could not get it right--the frother with its foam just overtook the milk pitcher. The problem is you cannot take off the frother and use a steam wand because under the frother is a plastic tube that is held in place by (you guessed it) the frother. I actually took off the frother to see if I could just use the plastic tube and very quickly the steam pressure blew it off the machine into my pitcher. If you like really large quantities of foam this will do it for you. I returned the Delonghi and bought the Saeco Vspresso machine. . It has all the features of the Delonghi plus you can remove the frother and the steam wand is available to use alone. It also has a stainless steel boiler and my wife loves this part--it is more compact on the counter than the Delonghi. Again, this machine worked as advertised and would please most people.

2 WEEK UPDATE: The steam/froth knob stopped working on the Saeco V spresso today. Not acceptable on a $1000 machine. I returned it for the Delonghi 3200 and saved about $250. So far, so good.

Bought this unit at Starbucks. A couple of weeks after the "warranty" expired it developed an internal leak, ending up all over our counter. It no longer froths milk and the bean grinder is completely inconsistent in the amount of beans dosed. We would have to ship it from Colorado to California to have it looked at by an authorized Delonghi repair shop. No. Way. This was a supposedly $1200 machine we got on sale for $700. A machine in that price range (either one: 1200 OR 700) should be expected to last much longer and you would think Delonghi might take better care of their customer. The machine was maintained meticulously, as I have a fetish about taking care of my kitchen equipment.

We spent the money because I had a good impression of Delonghi and thought they built quality product. Because of their "we can't help you and don't care" attitude I will NEVER purchase another delonghi product, and will take every opportunity to trash them. Too bad there isn't a negative star rating!

Prior to the 3400 we had a Gaggia Super Auto (Symphony) and it lasted six years and cost a LOT less. (and its Cafe Crema was superior)

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The Delonghi EAM3400 Magnifica is likely the finest home-use espresso machine on the market today. The company has upgraded their line, which now is characterized by a handsome brushed aluminum finish. Designed and manufactured in Italy, the EAM3400 is a joy to operate. This machine replaced a year-old Starbucks Italia Espresso Machine made by Saeco, and it is superior in many respects:

* EAM comes with detailed instruction manual as well as a DVD that provides visual instruction, a package of descaler and a water hardness test strip that can be used to custom tailor the machine to your household tap water.

* Sleek and thoughtful design, including integrated compartment for espresso beans, a separate compartment for ground coffee with a built in measuring spoon, and a 60-oz water container that is easily removed from the front of the machine.

* A control menu that is easy to use for setting the time, auto start time, strength of coffee, and temperature of coffee, personal adjustment of shot sizes and preferred language-English or one of several others.

* The steam mechanism is different from most machines in that the wand is fitted with a frother-device. That requires one extra step in cleaning the nozzle, but the trade-off is an exceptional "head" of creamy foam on top of the steamed milk. You will find yourself using less milk in the container due to the huge expansion of the foam. It's impressive!

This is an expensive home appliance-retailing for $1200.00 in the U.S. But if you are a "starbucksfreak" like me, it's very much worth the investment. Plus it is discounted for a limited time to just under $1K at Starbucks and some other retailers.

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I am a Seattleite and a serious coffee consumer. I recently purchased this machine at Starbucks for $999.99 and it was worth every penny.

I was at first worried that it would be too cumbersome and difficult to be a worthwhile investment. I was very happy to find that it as as easy as brewing a pot of coffee to use. The digital screen tells you when to add more coffee, water or to empty the grounds bin. It rinses intself during the heating process (which you can program to be automatic)and during shut off. You really only have to presteam and post to keep the nozzle clear. Beans are easiest to use. Preground is an option, but it can only load enough for two brews. Place your cups on top for warming on the preset option -what a joy to wake up to on a rainy morning.

Purchase a taller stainless steamer and a thermometer and you'll be all set.

January 2010 repairs were expensive ($350) whe the central interior compenent misaligned itself. And it took months to get it back.

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I bought my magnifica in 2007 and am still just as in love with it today as I was back then. Although it is automatic, you can adjust the espresso setting to your own personal taste (I like mine strong!) and you can also steam your own milk unlike other delonghi machines that steam the milk for you.

To the reviewer who said they cannot adjust the amount of froth...you can! I actually never use the frothing attachment. I have more control over aerating my milk without it and I always end up with the most beautiful foam on my lattes (better than any coffeehouse I have been to).

One word of caution about the steam wand: Make sure the black tip is SECURE on the steam wand. I'm not talking about the frothing attachment, I'm talking about the black piece that is under the frothing attachment. If it is not secured onto the steam wand properly it will pop off. It's not only scary when this happens but messy as well. Also, if it comes off when your milk is nearly steamed you could also potentially burn yourself. That is the only thing I am not entirely pleased with in regards to this machine...but other than that I love it. It's expensive but well worth the money :)

Celestial Seasonings Southern Sweet Iced Tea K-Cup (Pack of 96)

This tea is perfect. It only takes a couple of minutes to brew a great glass of iced tea with your Keurig coffee maker. I can't say enough about the flavor. It's very good.

I would recommend this to people who lile sweet tea but cannot get it all the time. It convienent to brew instead of going out and buying tea every day.

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Makes the best iced tea we have had from a brewer at home. As good as and sometimes better than iced tea in a restaurant.

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i would recommend this tea for everyone that likes sweet tea. It has just the right amount of sweetness. The small cups make it easy for storage beside the machine for easy excess. Again i love the taste of this tea.

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Have been using Celestial Seasoning Southern sweet tea since last summer, we love the taste and the easy of using the K cups for that perfect fresh glass of iced tea. Love the convience of the large pack.