Capresso 119.05 Stainless Steel Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Machine

*** I've noticed many users have complained about water leak or short lifetime, but mine hasn't shown any problem over the past 1.5 years that I've owned it and still works like the day I received it. ***I've been a espresso enthusiast for over a decade, but this is the first pump-driven espresso machine I've owned and I just LOVE it! Prior to this, I owned a steam-driven "espresso" machine (which was mediocre) and have also owned a stove-top Moka pot (very nice but hard to clean and not quite a espresso maker), but this Capresso machine single-handedly beats them all, and gives you a barista quality crema-top espresso with minimum effort.It takes only couple minutes to make one/two cup of espresso and is super simple to use: 1) turn the machine on to heat up the water, 2) fill the basket with ground coffee, tamp it and lock the portafilter in place, and 3) when the green light is on, toggle the coffee/pump switch (to brew espresso) or the steam switch (for milk frothing). Besides the nice, sleek, and modern design, there are several nice features, such as the 1 liter water reservoir, folding milk frother, two (small and large) baskets, the top heated metal for warming up cups, and bottom container to collect excessive dripping coffee or water that you run in the system for cleaning. The pump is a bit loud, but I'm OK with it. My only complain is that the plastic parts in the portafilter change color overtime, and also the plastic tamper/scoop is very weak and flimsy (I just stick to my old metal tamper - you may get yours for less than 10 bucks). I also only use the large basket that has a very fine single hole and hence extracts more crema and flavor, while the small one results in watery (by my standards) espresso, although some might like it. I only drink triple-shots, so don't use the milk frother and can't comment on it confidently, although once I used it and it worked just fine.Bottom line, this is the most affordable quality pump-driven espresso machine I've come across: If you visit coffee shops on daily basis (like what I used to do), this machine will save you hundreds of dollars in less than three months.

Just finished trying this machine out for the 2nd day. Not sure it's worth the money or the hassle. The directions and the machine are misleading. In the directions it says, "When the green Ready indicator light illuminates, the internal components are heated and ready to brew". This usually happens within 2-3 minutes. I waited 5 minutes this morning. As the espresso was coming out of the machine I held a Thermo Works Thermapen into the stream and also in the cup. It measured 134 degrees. Not hot enough for me.... So I turned I turned the machine off and let it cool down. After about 15 minutes, I turned the machine back on and waited over 10 minutes and tried again. Now the espresso came out @ 161 degrees - much better! I noticed a huge pool of water under the machine (the reservoir was on tightly!). I have no idea why they didn't just use a button instead of the dial on the front of the machine for activating the water to go thru the machine.

Ok - we don't hate the unit itself; in fact we kind of like it. Makes good coffee and my 14-year-old son finds it easy enough to use. Why the 1 star? In a word Jura's customer service is, uh, sub-optimal. No wait - "abysmal" is more accurate...The unit we got leaked all over our counter from day one. Every morning we'd come down to a river running across the counter from the machine to the sink. I tried to figure out where it was leaking from; AFAICT it looks like a seal at the bottom of the tank could be the issue but of course I can't be sure since most of the unit is sealed up and the water is coming out of the corner of the unit. So my wife e-mailed Jura to get it resolved. Jura's customer "service" representative called and told me that the warranty "only covers the mechanics - like if it didn't turn on". She explicitly told me that leaking is not covered under the warranty, even for a brand-new unit! She told me that since I identified the problem as the tank seal (which I didn't - it was the only part I could see that might be at fault but I have no real idea where the leak is) that she would be happy to SELL me a new seal and I could install it myself. I pointed out that the unit was defective and I should at least not have to pay for a part which might or might not fix the problem; she told me in no uncertain terms that the warranty does not cover ANY defects other than the unit not turning on, and if I didn't want to buy the part then the conversation was over. >>click<<Fortunately I bought through Amazon; their support guy was happy to handle a swap. Hopefully the new one won't leak...

Makes a pretty good cup of espresso. I use the pressurized portafilter basket. I get a better double shot if I tamp the grounds even though it's a pressurized portafilter screen.The shot has good crema. I use a grinder and always look for the oiliest coffee beans. Some of the Starbucks and Peets darker roasts are good. Sometimes lighter roasts get a good crema too.So why does this picture have 3 portafilters in it? Because I really like this Capresso but it breaks. The first one sprang a big leak in the bottom. It was barely out of warranty. So when I bought a replacement I bought the SquareTrade warranty. The 2nd one sprang a big leak on the bottom and eventually I got SquareTrade to honor the warranty. I bought a 3rd! And a SquareTrade warranty for that!

I purchased this machine exactly 13 months ago. One month after the one-year warranty runs out, the steam valve refuses to close, no matter which way I turn the knob. It makes fantastic espresso when it works, but it's not made to last.