Saeco Odea Giro Plus Fully Automatic Espresso Machine

After owning the Saeco Giro Plus for about a month, here are my observations

Pros:

Great tasting coffee! Very strong without tasting bitter. Rich creme.

Affordable price. Paid $400 from a "club" store.

Relatively quiet compared to my sister's super-automatic Krups.

Cons:

After installing the water filter, the water storage is pretty low, 3 cups of Americano at most.

Machine is very finicky (will go more in detail later)

The "cup warmer" feature is a joke, only thing it can warm are ice cubes.

Here's a list of stuff that might cause the warning light to go off.

Solid Warning Light:

Steam knob not turned all the way off (need to click in place)

Water is low (20% full is still considered low, sensor goes by weight it seems)

Drip tray is full

Slow Blinking Warning Light:

Brew group not inserted properly (DON'T hold the Push button when inserting, it should click in)

Grounds bin not inserted (the sensor is finicky, sometimes you need to pull out and push in again)

Fast Blinking Warning Light (hot water dispensing light will also be on):

Machine needs to be primed (while the hot water dispensing light is on turn the steam knob on till the red light goes away)

Don't forget to rinse the brew unit in hot water (no soap) once a week. This will prevent build up of oils and sludge.

I purchased this machine on the "whole latte love" website. It took a week to arrive via ups ground. Upon arrival it was 100% dead. as soon as you turn it on the alarm light turns on and the machine does not do anything. also the optional filter was missing as well. I called the seller that told me to call Saeco, this is their agreement. I called Saeco (Philips) that issued me a promise for replacement

I received this replacement within less then a week, which is great. Initially they "promised" 10-14 days, but changed that after long phone discussions. the second machine arrived and turned on as promised. It made 5 great espresso shots and after the 5th shot the alarm light turned on (again). Nothing helped besides resetting the machine. Every 3-5 cups I need to reset it for the same reasons. The resetting itself takes about 30-40 seconds, but it is pretty unpleasant to need to do this all the time.

In summary, although it makes a good espresso shot and despite good foaming, I would not buy this one again. I think a machine that needs to be re-set every few cups is pretty unreliable.

Also I tried to publish a negative review about it on the wholelatte art website but they did not publish it. i think they filter negative feedbacks so whatever you read there is most likely unreliable as well.

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This is a review by a Coffee Fanatic who has owned several machines, including the $8000 industrial version. I had the Vienna Plus for 8 months and decided to give that away to get the Odea Go. It does not matter which model you get, all the Odeas have the same BMW mechanics and design. All work the same way. So I'll give a comparison for your own judgement.

The Vienna Plus had more water in the dredge drawer.. so much that I first thought the machine was leaking!! Found out that IS the way the machine works.. But the machine was bigger than the Odea, so it had room. I had to clean it out every 6-8 cups made.

The Vienna also allowed me to see the water level, so it was easy to refill.

Now for the ODEA:

Doesn't matter which model Odea you get, they're the same build. I was impressed by the BMW-designed mechanics, so I bought it for the sleeker look. Smaller unti fitted well on the small kitchen counter I have.

MAKES STRONGER COFFEE than other models of Saeco that I've tried/borrowed/owned/tasted. It's able to extract more flavor.

PROBLEMS:

1. The water container is smaller than the Vienna. And the tank is hidden, so you can NOT see when it's time to refill. YOU MUST refill before it's down to 2 cups left, because the light weight will make the sensor stop working. The sensor is not by water, but by weight of water!

2. The coffee lid can't be opened while the machine is ON. The other models can. This is weird.. because I used to be able to refill the Vienna while it's brewing.

3. The dredge drawer needs to be emptied for every 3-4 cups of coffee brewed!! Though it's not really full, the sensor will not let you brew coffee with water in this drawer!! So you will end up cleaning this every 4 cups max.

4. The drawer can't be seen, the spills can't be seen, because of the sleek design, everything is covered. And everything is BLACK, so you can't see whether you've cleaned it very well. Coffee grinds may be hidden in places you can't see... all gray and black plastic!!

WHEN MY NEW MACHINE WAS 5 WEEKS OLD, THE 3 RED LIGHTS FLASHED QUICKLY which means electrical problems. Turning it off and on did not help. Calling the manufacturer, diagnosed over the phone, and ended up to have to replace it with a new one. IT SIMPLY STOPPED WORKING.

Making the story short: I am now on my third Odea -only because they won't let me get a different one even if I offered additional money to upgrade. And I'm not about to waste over $600 for a couple of months' use.

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Let me just start by saying I managed coffee bars for many years. I not only used commercial machines but maintained them as well. I have now owned three different Saeco machines. First was a hand me down. It would leak water all over the counter and had been repaired multiple times. Second I owned was an Incanto, and it was great. I had no problems with this machine at all. Sadly it is only made in Europe, so I could not bring it back to the states with me because of the voltage. Now I own this pile of garbage. First of all it does not have a bypass, so you cannot use any other coffee without digging out all of the beans from the hopper. Sometimes I would like some decaf later in the day, so this is annoying. Unless you managed to use every last bean in the grinder, you might have some caffeinated ones left behind. If you don't have enough beans in the hopper, it will just dump whatever amount into the waste. This machine is very fickle about the beans it likes. When you switch over beans, it will dump that first round of beans. Sometimes it will just waste beans for no reason at all even when you're using the same beans you always use. I like expensive coffee, and for $14.50 for 8 ounces this makes me want to throw this thing out into the street. I will say these machines do give a good shot. This machine has two boilers so you always have enough pressure. Other than that, I wish I could have a different machine.

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I have tried quite a few machines. This is by far my favorite. Every shot is perfect and the crema is gorgeous too. The panarella wand makes perfect froth of microscopic bubbles. I am a latte fanatic and my lattes are gorgeous. When I was researching this machine, I came across a youtube video of a woman that was comparing frothing and showing how to do it on this machine, and basically saying that this machine sucks. She is an idiot. She seriously does not know how to froth milk with a home machine. Maybe her method (no skill whatsoever) works on an industrial machine. Anyway, don't pay attention to her if you come across that video. The reason I didn't give her or any of the negative reviews too much credit is because my sister, who is a personal chef, swears by her Saeco, so I just trusted her. I am really glad I did. A couple of my friends have also bought Saeco machines after using mine. I so prefer my Saeco to the high-end machine we have at work. The shot the other one produces is just as good, but the frothing on the Saeco is substantially superior.

So, a few notes: Yes, the machine is a bit finicky. You do learn quickly what the lights mean when they blink or hold solid or whatever. It takes a bit of just looking up the error message and fixing the issue. The issue is never a big deal. Just clean the dreg container or provide more water (it has a kind of small receptacle). Or, fill up the coffee bean container. But, you have to do stuff like that with every machine, unless you spend $$s to hook one up to a water line or whatever.

Anyway, I have had really good luck with my machine and I would buy another one. And, if it does break down, I would take the effort to find a shop to repair it. I did accidentally drop my panarella wand into the disposal and wrecked it. I called the company and they worked with me to get me the right part for a decent price. Good luck with your decision!!

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Kalorik Coordinates 8-Cup Coffee Maker, White/Red

The carafe cracked on the third usage. As if that wasn't enough to discard product integrity. I return and ordered a second brewer and that carafe cracked on the fourth usage. So there you have! I would be a bit leery in considering this product. Now I have been brewing coffee for a solid 55 years and have never had this happen on any other brewer.

I received my Karolik 8 cup coffee maker and used it for 3 weeks when the carafe broke on the bottom while the coffee was brewing. I contacted Abe's of Maine. The customer service rep was immediately defensive, spewed a bunch of reasons it was not their responsibility and ultimately said they were not responsible because carafes break all the time. A clean dry carafe should not break while the coffee is brewing, especially after a few weeks. I read a review after I purchased that others have had the same issue with this product. In the end he said they do not carry the item anymore and could not help me. So wasted my money buying from this company; they would not support the products they represent.

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This is an inexpensive, good looking product that works as well as any of the more expensive brands.

When I discovered that, in this industry, a cup is only four ounces I went looking for something that would fill two sixteen ounce mugs like real people use. This was perfect. I may buy more for gifts.

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This is a great coffee maker and coffee is very hot the way it should be. Who needs a programmable timer when you can set it up at night and in the morning it only takes 9 minutes for nice fresh, tasty really hot coffee!

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Liter Electric Kettle

I love it for the capacity and the looks, and the fact that it has no fancy options it is either on or off!

When 'on' the water gauge lights up blue, so it is easy to tell.

Just make sure to double check the dimensions as it is quite tall and may not fit under every sink faucet.

Red 49mm Espresso Tamper Stainless Steel Coffee

I have a DeLonghi EC155 and the inside diameter of the portafilter basket is 51mm. Many larger machines have 53 or 58mm baskets so these larger tampers won't work with the EC155. I couldn't find any 50 or 51mm sizes, so I ordered this 49mm size. It works perfectly, no problems whatsoever. Much more convenient than using the attached plastic tamper on the machine. The problem with that is that you must push the basket UP to compress the coffee while holding your other hand on top of the machine to hold it down. Much, much easier to just push down with this tamper. Also, this is a substantial tool, made of 18/8 Stainless Steel and weighs in at almost a half-pound (7.5 oz or 212 g). Unlike aluminum alloys, this will not discolor in the dishwasher.

This is the second tamper that I bought. The first one was 1mm too big for my Mr. Coffee machine. It was my fault that I didn't measure it carefully and it was misleading to see the first tamper I bought featured with the Mr. Coffee machine I have as having been bought together by some customers. Thanks for the review posted earlier about this being the perfect one for the Mr. Coffee machine. Anyway, this tamper works and looks great. I used it for the first time today and I can taste the difference. I had been using a measuring cup while waiting for this item in the mail. I like the feel of it in my hands and it has a pretty good weight. I love the price too. I ordered this from Chef Tools and it was a pretty smooth transactiongreat communication and fast shipping.

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A good press is essential to making good espresso. If you don't get the grounds packed enough, the steam will go through too quickly to get all the oils extracted; if you pack the grounds too tightly, the steam won't be able to get through the grounds quickly enough and you'll have a burnt, bitter taste (a la $tarbucks). The perfect method is to use a flat-bottomed tamper, press down with about 50 lbs of force and twist. This is a substantial, ergonomic tamper that will let you do just that. It feels nice and firm in the hand, the rounded "jewel" on top lets you push hard without any discomfort, and it's solid metal (not cladding over softer metal as some of the other tampers are made these days) so you don't have to worry about the dishwasher turning it gray or getting heavy metals in your drink.

I spend a lot of time researching products before I spend my hard-earned dollars and this was no exception. After comparing the reviews of products and comparing the specs to what professional baristas in Italy say is the perfect tamper, this one is the hands-down winner.

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Item arrived promptly & in good shape but the tamper is a little too small for the Delonghi EC-155 contrary to what other reviewers stated, it is actually smaller than the one included with the unit which is small to begin with, the tamper is of course better than that one but coffee squeezes up about .5 cm from the edge of the basket which is rather annoying when attempting to create an even pack.

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If you own a Pavoni, this is the tamper for you. It fits the filter basket to a "T" and with it's slightly rolled edges allows for a gentle rolling action when tamping down your choice of grind.

Urnex Cleancaf Home Coffee Maker & Espresso Machine Cleaner ans Descaler 2 PACK

• Dual-action formula eliminates coffee oils and dissolves mineral deposits.
• Cleans both home coffee and home espresso machines.
• You get 2 boxes - 3 single use packets per box (each single use packet weighs 1/3 oz.)
• Product includes the full US manufacturers warranty
• Cleancaf® Brand Cleaner and Descaler is an essential component to maintaining great tasting coffee at home. Cleancaf® is designed to remove flavor-tainting stale coffee oil residue from home machines. Its dual action formula also prevents the accumulation of scale deposits which are responsible for slow brew times and machine malfunctions. Portion packaged for easy use Cleancaf® also contains a blue-dye which helps to insure proper rinsing.

The package on these and my old ones show a cup of coffee. The new ones I just received show a pot. Had read a previous review warning of same, but since photo shows cup I fig'd all was ok. Does not seem the same strength as before??? Did not help much, went from 30 minutes brewing to about 23. I have since on Capresso's advice tried Durgol and cut my brew time down to 15 minutes just like when coffee maker was new. I'm switched despite the hefty price diff., you apparently get what you pay for.

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This is the best stuff that I've ever used to clean a coffeemaker! I was introduced to it when I received a free sample with the purchase of our coffeemaker, and after trying it, I was sold. I've been ordering and using this product for the past 2-3 years.

I will caution you to be sure to buy the product as pictured. Either the company has reformulated and repackaged these, or there is a counterfeit version out there, but the latest purchase I made (which has a picture of a coffeepot on the front rather than a coffee cup) does not seem to work as well. I sometimes have to repeat the process twice (using twice as much product) to get the same effect that I did before.

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Not sure I can come up with 20 words about this. It is awesome. Cleans the coffee maker very well and is easy to use. Makes the coffee taste better and your coffee maker will last longer and work better if it is clean. ;-)

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Best coffee maker cleaner that I've ever found. I've used others and this works so much better than the rest!

It is easy to use, I use it in my Keurig coffee maker. I like it a lot better than using vinegar, then you have to run cold water through forever to get the spell and taste out. I am glad I found it on-line.