Cuisinart EM-200 Programmable 15-Bar Espresso Maker, Stainless Steel
by Cuisinart
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Category: Kitchen
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: CuisinartBrand: Cuisinart
Model: EM-200
Color: Stainless Steel
Product features:
- Programmable espresso maker brews single or double espresso
- 15 bars of pressure; uses either ground espresso or pods
- Steam nozzle for cappuccino or latte; pre-programmed cup sizes
- 64-ounce reservoir; cup-warming tray; frothing cup and tamping tool included
- Measures 10-1/2 by 9-1/4 by 12-3/4 inches; 3-year limited warranty
- Cuisinart CBM-18N Programmable Conical Burr Mill
- Classic 12-Cup Percolator in Stainless Steel
- Cuisinart DCG-12BC Grind Central Coffee Grinder
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Cuisinart EM-200 Programmable 15-Bar Espresso Maker, Stainless Steel
Customer Review: Looks great, but defective pump or water line is fatal flaw
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought my first home espresso machine, a baby Gaggia, more than 30 years ago. I know how to make espresso and I have made it with a series of machines we have owned, one at each of our two homes: Gaggia, Starbucks Barrista, a Swiss machine whose name I can't recall, and a Saeco Gran Crema. They generally last 5 to 7 years and (I'm assuming its used to make coffee, not as an ornament) then need replacing because machines in this price range aren't usually reparable at a cost that's worth it. When our Starbucks Barrista failed and we couldn't get another Saeco like the one we currently have at our other house--model discontinued--we tried this Cuisanart. A series of problems persuade me that their common cause is a defective pump or perhaps a defect in the water line feeding the pump.
Others have mentioned difficulty in priming the machine. It's true that every machine we have owned requires priming when you first use it and at any later time if it has been emptied of water. And the standard method for priming is simple--open the steam valve as if you were going to froth milk, except that you have machine set for brewing coffee, not steaming. The result is that a stream of water rather than steam comes out the frothing wand, and that primes the machine. This did not work with the Cuisinart. Having read another user's review suggesting it did work after it sat overnight, I tried that, and it was then able to prime. Odd, I thought, but no real problem. But then I saw that every time we frothed milk the machine would also release a lot of steam, after the frothing was done, from somewhere underneath. (This machine, unlike any I've seen before, seems to have some kind of relief valve located behind the drip tray.) This big cloud of steam concerned me, but so long as everything worked I thought well, another oddity but no real harm.
But everything did not work. The first warning sign was that the machine limped when you first turned on the steam function for frothing--it would take a while for the frother to get up a sufficient head of steam to do anything at all. This is the opposite of any other machine I've used, where the pressure builds up till the machine is ready to froth, and then when you open the steam valve it bursts forth at full pressure. Again, this seemed odd but I continued on. But then I had terrible problems making a decent cup of expresso with this machine and I ultimately had to use three shots to get the flavor for a cappuncino that should have required only two. It was not extracting properly, not after the first few cups I made. Then I tried the manual's recommended method for making a cappuccino, which is to froth first and then get your shot of coffee--not the order I have always thought best with this kind of machine, but since I was not having good success I tried it. Total failure because the cup of espresso it produced after frothing was pathetic--hot brown water with no flavor, not coffee. My wife had the same experience. So we went back to our method and kept hoping we would figure out how to make a decent cup of espresso. But then the machine lost its prime again--in the middle of frothing milk, with a water tank more than half full! That is simply impossible in a properly functioning machine.
So we returned the machine. The problem, I think, is either the pump, or the system for getting water from the tank to the pump. This machine, like the Saeco Gran Crema (a now discontinued model)at our other house, does not have tubes that go down into the water tank to extract the water. Instead, the bottom of the tank has a nozzle that fits over an intake valve on the machine when you set the filled water tank back on the machine. This is actually a very convenient system, and it works on our Saeco. But our Saeco also sometimes, when it had been empty, is a little tricky to prime, and they supply a tool for forcing water through the value in case you have a problem. My guess is that Cuisanart did not want to do that, scare people off, and thought they had designed a tubeless system that would work reliably and not need it. But they didn't. So that might explain why the pump often can't force the water through the coffee properly to extract what it should, and sometimes it won't prime at all without the water tank sitting full for hours, and sometimes it loses its prime in the middle of frothing!
There are other reviews here by folks who love this machine. It may well be that the problem is quality control in production, and that if you get a good one your are fine. But we chose to return rather than exchange for another because my feeling was that these quality problems did not augur well for for durability of even those machines that may start out working better than ours.
It's a big disappointment. The machine looks solid and feels hefty, and the programmable one and two shot buttons is a nice convenience we have never had. In contrast, our old Saeco seems much lighter and less impressive, but in fact it works great, produces great coffee and steams milk just fine.
We had tried the Saeco Aroma from Amazon but returned it without using it because the water tank came with a piece having been cracked off in shipping. But when we saw that machine, we realized it was not the same as the Saeco we have at our other house and love, and has a very annoying steam valve design, as some reviewers of that machine have pointed out. That's when we tried this cuisinart, which we bought locally and returned to the store. We have now ordered a Saeco Via Venezia from Amazon. It is not like the model we currently own, but appears, from the picture, to be very similar to the old Starbucks Barrista machines which we had and liked--and which were made for Starbucks by Saeco. So we are hopeful about that.
In short, my guess is that the Saeco Via Venezia is the best bet now in this price range but we will really know after we get it. But I do know that I would, sadly, have to advise strong against buying this cuisinart.
UPDATE: We have now received our Saeco Via Venezia. We are keeping it. It is clearly a slightly updated version of the old Starbucks' Barrista machine that Saeco made for them. It has no extra bells and whistles like programmable shot buttons on the Cuisanart. But it is built like a tank--as hefty as the Cuisinart with a more solid feel, it clearly has the same stainless steel pressure tank inside, as did the Barrista. It makes a great cup of espresso, good crema, and the steam wand has been improved a bit--froths the milk quickly, nice texture. It still has the steam wand on the left, which is a bit idiosyncratic but not a problem, and the wand, unlike the Saeco Aroma, swivels which is very convenient. Like the original model, you can fill the tank from an hatch opening on the top, or you can remove it entirely by pulling it forward (after removing the drip tray)and bringing it to your water source to fill (we use bottled rather than tap water since the tap water in the Phoenix area is awful and destroys the coffee). No oddities, it just works like it should, and fairly quietly. The main con with the machine is that it is sometimes difficult to see the water level in the tank (just a question of light, the tank is slightly darkened) but that may depend also on the lighting in that part of your kitchen. All in all, a very nice machine that I would expect would last.
Description of Cuisinart EM-200 Programmable 15-Bar Espresso Maker, Stainless Steel
Single or double espresso? The choice is yours, with the Cuisinart Programmable Espresso Maker. Program a single of double espresso, then turn your drink into a luscious cappuccino or latte-- just like the pros, The stainless stem nozzle and frothing cup make it easy. Features a cup-warming plate on top, and a removable drip tray and cover for easy cleanup. Professional-quality single of double espresso, cappuccino, and latte- without leaving the house! Professional stainless steel housing with embossed Cuisinart logo. Pre-programmed cup size at 1.5 ounce and 3.0 ounce-with the option to select the serving size you desire. Steam button is a separate function for easy use.Espresso Machines
Kitchen and Housewares
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