Poor quality and service – D. Africh –
Had the unit for 1 year and then had a problem with the pump not working on the expresso maker. Sent the unit into NJ for repair paying 5 and they only cleaned the unit. After 3 uses the problem reappeared. Sent the unit back again with explicit instructions on problem. They returned the unit stating they could not find a problem. After talking with the RUDE manager. He stated if he could not find a problem he could not fix it. Would not recommend this product or the service.

Parts missing NO service – K. Lenover – Allentown, PA
I would think twice about purchasing anything from Briel, the company refuses to send parts that were not with the machine. It was clear in the packaging that the two peices NEEDED to use the espresso maker were not included. When I contacted the USA distibuter( Cafe West of Medford Oregon) AND Briel directly I was met with piss poor service, actully NO service 4 attempts have gone un answered. I am still waiting to hear back from Amazon as to what they can do for me. This product was purchased for its dual use of coffee and espresso, to this date I still have not been able to try the espresso maker, the coffee pot portion is ok but is flimsy plastic and the lid pops off very easy, this is something you dont notice in the pictures since it looks like metal. In fact its a thin piece of metal glued to plastic. SO far the coffee maker is OK but I am not overly impressed, this could be from the pure lack of customer support.
I am sure Amazon will take care of any problem as they are a great company but it truely sucks that I may have to send the enitre machine back just to get 2 small pieces.
I would seriously consider other coffee makers before commiting to what seems to be a crappy company.

Do Not Buy This Product – J. Doyle – Orange County, CA
Although Amazon was very good in sending out a replacement for the first one which was defective, the second unit is defective as well. Also, both units were actually dirty and showed poor workmanship. Either I got two from a bad batch or this company has poor quality control.
Again, Amazon was good but the product as the kids say ‘sucks’.

Not the worst machine in the world….. – GSR – Northern Colorado
Our Sintra is going on 5 years old now. It must have made ~2000 pots of coffee and easily that many espresso’s. It makes fantastic beverages and that’s the only reason I keep repairing it.
Words of caution:
The distributor is hopeless. Don’t try getting parts or an email/callback from him.
There is a thermal fuse in the hotplate / drip boiler which, although ubiquitous in Europe, requires a trip to an electronics specialty store in N. America to obtain for that day when the light comes on but no coffee comes out.
The older machines have a 2-part lid which hinges on 2 different axes. The slip joint eventually gives out, or the house-sitter breaks it. No replacement, perhaps it’s been redesigned.
The cup size selector knob loses it’s internal detent and will allow the machine to either short-cycle or run till the reservoir is empty. Take the machine apart, set it to wide open, and watch your espresso like any other machine.
Words of praise:
This thing is a workhorse. Consistent coffee and espresso, cup after cup. Not the fastest drip machine out there, but well brewed and not over extracted. It’s lasted longer than many machines we’ve had. And it looks darn good doing it, although the design is a bit dated at this point (2009).

Great coffee and cappaccino maker! – Kathleen Noonan – Irvine, CA
This is a quality machine with sleek lines. Very nice looking and small, fits on the couter nicely. Coffee and the the cappaccino taste fantastic, much better than our last machine. The only issue I have is pouring the water into the back of the coffee machine, the lid gets in the way and spills a little bit.

Overall I would highly recommend this machine for any home or office!

Low Quality – TERRIBLE service – C. H. Campbell – Virginia
After two months of good service the pressure for espresso and temperature of the drip coffee both dropped significantly. I called the New Jersey service department and was dismissed offhand, told only that I should clean the espresso screens. When I pressed the issue of cold coffee I was told that was not a problem. For me it is.

The service is poor enough that I would recommend not buying any Briel products.