Café Retro Espresso Machine, Red

Have that mashine for a years. still working. great product!

It has been a while so I came back to rethink my first review.I have changed my rating from 4 of 5 stars to just 2. Why? Because the machine recently stopped working. It requires backwashing the filter (shower) head. But guess what? Unlike a professional machine, there is absolutely no way to remove the filter head for cleaning, or backwashing the system. The pump worked perfectly as did the entire machine save for the plugged filter. The upshot is that I threw it in the dumpster after several days of pondering. It was beautiful to look at. Fun to use. I could have sent it back for service, but at what cost? All for a $10 dollar plugged filter head. Another issue was that the boiler could never be drained when not used for a period of time.I have a 20-year-old professional Pavoni lever operated machine. Guess what? It can be dismantled down to every bolt, widget and nut. And! All the parts are available by mail so the entire machine can be repaired, even completely restored by its owner. I like that. And that is a very important point to consider when purchasing any machine, no matter what it does. So my advice is to hang the picture of this machine on the wall and buy a professionally rated machine, or a cheaper throwaway.My First Review:It has a small reservoir in the rear and consumes a lot of water. I bought it to replace my aging lever operated Pavoni Professional. I was basically going backwards in machines and not being able to "feel" the resistance, I was running blind, so the learning curve was high for me. But, it is fast to warm up and works quite well.Despite being panned from some reviewers, it is a good machine. Yes, they WILL drip. That is the nature of the beast with high pressure pumps. And they are slow return to brewing temperature if you have been steaming. But that is the law of physics. Its a beautiful looking machine that will get its share of compliments from visitors to your kitchen.

AVOID!!! We bought this machine because it looked great, and figured for the price it must be high quality and expected years of good service. It worked ONCE...only ONCE. Since then, despite multiple attempts, it has only produced cold, slightly colored water. AVOID. I feel so ripped off....especially for the price. I was expecting years of service. At least my cheap one from Walmart a lasted several years.

I wanted to share with others what I wish I had known before I bought this machine. If I had known these things, I wouldn't have bought it. Unfortunately, there are a lot of fake reviews out there, which I read before buying, so beware!1.There is only one boiler for both espresso and steam. Espresso and steam require two different temperatures. To get a latte, you have to switch between temperatures, and either way the delay to make the temperature switch is unacceptable. I make my espresso first, then switch to steam, wait two to three minutes, then make the froth. Repeat this for each latte you make.2.The water reservoir is small and requires frequent refilling. However, I use a measuring cup with a spout, to refill the water without removing the reservoir. You just pull the tank out enough to pour the water in. Then push the tank back in.3.The porta filter comes apart. There is a basket inside the porta filter that has three little bumps. The basket slides into the porta filter with the bumps lined up with notches, then you twist the basket so that it stays in the porta filter. The problem is that the twising motion of removing the porta filter from the espresso machine causes the basket to shift, and the result is that you often lose the basket when you go to bang out your grounds. The basket is very hot, so to retrieve it is an issue.4.After making the first espresso, the porta filter remains filled with soupy grounds. It is very messy. If you're making a series of shots, this is a very big disadvantage. You have to carefully clean it. Usually involves rinsing under the sink. Then you have to heat the porta filter again for the next shot.5.It is advertised that it has a "pull-out knock box ". It doesn't. It has a flimsy plastic drip tray with a metal face, and if you banged your grounds out on this, I'm sure you'd break it.6.It drips a lot. There is a tray under the unit that pulls out for pouring out drippings. It comes out all at once, so it may spill if you have a lot of drippings in there. It drips after you've pulled a shot. It drips even more when you steam. I put a cup under the porta filter to catch drips. It can be a little tricky to align the drip tray when putting it back in, but not a big deal.7.The tamper is a flimsy plastic thing. When I bought it I pictured a metal one with weight for tamping.8.It is hard to get the steam bucket (not included) up under the steam wand. It is not flexible, though it does rotate. It is awkward.In summary, I would not have bought it if I knew all these things, but I live with it now that I have it. I wouldn't return it. It is very good looking, makes decent espresso, and is tolerable for occasional use. I use it about once a week.

Although the box arrived in good condition and the machine was well-packed inside, the machine arrived broken. Makes me wonder when/where it was dropped! The front plate and knob were broken off. Since this affected the aesthetics only, we just glued it back on.When my husband began to make our first lattes, the machine began to smoke. I dreaded the thought of having to pack it back up and go through the return process. How disappointed I was, especially since it was a Christmas gift!Thank goodness my husband is good at fixing things! He removed the back cover to take a look at the insides, and low and behold, a couple of wires were not connected. Evidently, they became disconnected at the same time the front plate and knob were broken off. So he connected the wires and it has worked fine ever since Christmas.For the price, it's a little disappointing to have to rewire and glue it back together. But it sure does look cute on the counter, and the latte's are exceptional!