Pros:

1. Coffee has an automatic brew timer.

2. Good sized water reservoir, especially if you are making a load of espressos.

3. Has a frother. The frothing wand could be longer.

4. The PRICE is the best out there for a good beginner espresso machine. I’ve had cheaper ones that break easily and do not produce a good espresso WITH crema.

5. Simple operation. You’ll read some reviews about the instructions, but come on-it’s not rocket science…it’s coffee. Water in the water reserve. Check. Grounds in the mesh filter (no more paper-yah!). Check. Push the on button. Check = Coffee. For espresso: Water in reservoir. Push espresso on button. Make sure that you are set for the cup and not steam (pictures). Pump should be off. Put empty portafilter in machine and turn the pump on when green indicator light is on. Run water through for 5 seconds and then turn the pump off. Remove portafilter and put finely ground beans in. Lock portafilter into machine. Turn on the pump. Here is the confusing part: How long do I run the machine for? The manufacturer does not say. I run it until the brown crema gets too light (yeah, subjective-I know). Turn the pump off and turn the machine to steam production. Wait until the green indicator light turns on and then turn the dial ever-so-slowly to flush out water in the line. Then bring your milk to the frothing wand (that you have perfectly placed the rubber tip onto according to my advice below) and turn the steam on ever-so-slowly. When the green light turns off, it’s still ok to keep running the steam (if you check, sculding hot steam is still coming from the machine) unless you go way too long. You should be able to steam and foam with this machine in one pass (I started out requiring two warm ups of the steam boiler to get this right, but I guess I really wasn’t getting it right-it should take you one pass).

6. Looks attractive.

7. 15 bars of pressure is competitive with very expensive machines.

8. Has a removable drip tray under the espresso machine.

Cons:

1. Only makes 10 cups of coffee.

2. The frothing tip is rubber and sits over a single-walled metal wand. The wand gets very hot, which can burn the milk (so I am told by “experts”-can’t tell the difference except for the dried milk that requires a quick and easy rub with a wet rag for clean-up). Nonetheless, the metal part does not have a side spout, which is needed for microfoam production. So, if you want microfoam, you have to place the rubber tip over the wand ever-so-perfectly. Looking inside the rubber tip, there is a groove along the inner cylinder. If the metal tip is just a little higher than this inner cylinder groove exit, then you can actually produce microfoam with this machine and do it quickly-complicated? Sorry. You’ll understand when you make a dozen lattes and can’t understand what you’re doing wrong and then start to experiment.

3.If you get leakage out of the portafilter (the part where ground espresso goes) then you are probably not tamping the grounds down hard enough (requires ~30 lbs of pressure) OR have grounds in the groove. The machine is sensitive in this regard. Also, make sure you do not remove the portafilter until the pressure dissipates (just leave it off for a few minutes) otherwise when you unlock the portafilter grounds are shot into the groove and makes a small mess.

4. There is not a carafe temperature control knob.

5. There are no temperature gauges to tell you what the operating water temperature is (good to know for perfect espresso).

6. Portafilter is fairly small, so making double shot espressos is hard.

Tips:
1. Get coffee flavoring-vanilla, hazelnut, caramel, mocha-whatever you prefer and put 1/2 a shot glass amount into each latte. It really changes everything.
2. Tamp a little ground cinnamon onto the final product for a little extra. It adds flavor and a good smell.

I hope this helps. I do not usually write reviews, but this machine is very impressive for the price, so I wanted to help you out by giving more details.

Fire hazard! Beware! – Joseph Holecek –
my wife and i bought this thinking it was a great deal. after the third time using the espresso side, we noticed the frother was not producing steam. in fact the steam was being released INSIDE the unit. after that the coffee heater would stay on as long as the unit was plugged in! this could have burnt down our house had we not caught it! Be warned, this product is dangerous!

Caution for durability – Daniel L. Shartle – Lebanon, PA
The Coffeemaker worked well and made good coffee. The espresso side worked well for about 3 weeks until the pump button had intermittent problems staying on. Returned it to target for a full refund. I’m researching other options.

unfortunate return – Q.T. – Bay Area, CA
I received this unit as a xmas gift. I typically enjoy the boldness of coffee and used to put in an extra teaspoon of coffee ground in to brew. You may do this if you are used to using paper filters. You don’t need that extra teaspoon with this mesh filter.
The problem I had was that the espresso maker teased me with very tasty espresso, then the frother broke down. After the 3rd time using the frother, some sort of liquid leaked from the right side of the unit and steamed up the clock area. I used the unit daily for 3 months. It’s pleasing to the eye and I liked it except for the disappointing frother. Emerson customer service was pleasant and they said to send the unit back for a replacement.
We decided to return it to Target. We are thinking of trying a different brand altogether.