Home > Consumer Reviews > Espressione 1329 Cafe Roma Deluxe Espresso Machine with Built-in Grinder, Anthracite Grey

I received the machine really fast, was very excited and had it up and running in no time. I like the look of the machine, it is impressive and fits nicely in my kitchen. The only problem I have is inconsistent results and I have tried many things. I wish the instructions were a little more detailed as to how fine to grind the beans, how far to fill up the filter, how much to tamp... these things are not second nature to people who were not raised with an espresso machine. I will be contacting the company to see if I can resolve some of the results and hopefully that will take care of my issues.

It was easy to set up and get going. I love the bean grinder. The doser is great too. You just have to keep and eye on it, it's small. It makes great espresso the first time. It has a disc to help with that. You can remove it and tamp hard the old fasion way. For the price range it's a good buy. I have 3 different types of coffee makers now. This is my favorite. I use it to make American's each morning instead of brewing a pot in the conventional machine

This machine is tops. Create your favorite espresso or coffee based beverage by selecting fresh beans, grinding them, tamp the coffee then brew a spectacular beverage...like the professionals do. We love not only the results but also the ambiance created daily when we "fire up" the Cafe Roma Deluxe. Bascially achieve the same result as one of the very expensive super automatic machines, at a fraction of cost and frankly I think...in a more nostalgic and charming manner.

I have purposely waited for more than 3 months since my purchase to write a review, as I wanted to make sure the satisfaction lasted. I chose this model for the features, and for the appearance of being more substantially made than some similarly priced competitor models. It was easy to set up and get started. I do agree that the directions could be more helpful in the "how-to" department for novice espresso makers like me. I put this in my office for the purpose of replacing my daily mid-afternoon Starbucks latte purchase habit. After some experimentation with various beans, tamping pressure, and degrees of grinding, I was able to produce a product that easily rivals what I had been buying over the counter....And for probably .45 - .50 per cup! I have found that the temperature varies somewhat from one cup to another, probably depending on my performance as a barista. Since there is not a cup warmer included, I learned to microwave a cup of water in my latte cup while I'm grinding and frothing. I like my coffee very hot, so on the occasion that drink is still not hot enough, I simply stick the finished product into the microwave for 30 seconds (although I'm sure this probably horrifies espresso purists). All in all, a very good machine for the money. Everything continues to work as designed, and clean-up is very simple.

The first machine we received was faulty. It literally would not pump water through to the coffee. We shipped it back (had to pay for shipping) and then received a replacement about 3 weeks later. The replacement machine does not heat the espresso shots to more then luke warm. But, the biggest issue is actually the plastic water holding bin smells like plastic. It has such a strong plastic smell/taste to it that the steamed milk comes out with a slight plastic taste and smell to it. We have tried cleaning it, dishwashing it, etc but to no avail. I feel like we just threw over $300 out the door. We are past the 30 day return period and have lost interest in trying to fight for a new one. I am now turning my attention towards trying to keep people from buying this poorly designed and functioning machine.