Customer Reviews

Cuisinart EM-100C Espresso Maker

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Was great while it worked. After 6 months of very light usage (mainly on weekends), the machine starts emitting smoke and burning smell. Cuisinart warranty is the worst I have ever seen. You have to pay shipping both ways to their location in Ontario. A very dishonest way of discouraging people from sending faulty items for repair IMO. Lesson learned. I will never buy a Cuisinart item again.

This machine does all you would want an espresso machine to do. I do not claim to be a barista but I did own
a Saeco Via Venetia for many years ... and I see absolutely no difference in the results. The Cuisinart seems to
be well built ... all the buttons and switches have a very solid feel about them ... and the case appears to be
brushed metal not plastic but I really can't tell ... and to my eyes at least is very attractive ... all my friends
who saw it thought it cost a real lot more then I paid ... Its not very noisy and the frothing wand works well also
... and it does use pods for those so inclined ... at this price point (~150CDN)its a very nice buy!

A thoughtful touch from Cuisinart was including a metal frothing cup which saves the end user a fair bit of money. The enclosed
tamping tool works but some people might want to get a better one as made out of plastic and is a bit clumsy to hold...
but it was included and it does work ... The machine has a three year guarantee which is really very nice so if you
are in the market for a highly functional espresso machine I suggest that you take a look at the Cuisinart. Not a big
name in the espresso game but big time results ...

Recent Update:
Concerning the water temp for making espresso ... I made the mistake of making espresso with the steam/hot water button set on the hot water setting ... since there are only two icons I presumed that was the correct one .... the steam/hot water knob actually has THREE positions ... the middle UNMARKED setting is used for espresso ... but for some reason there is no marker to show that position. If u keep the knob at the hot water setting it will produce approximately 80ish degree Celsius water (not hot enough) while making espresso ... if u set the knob in the center (espresso) position while making espresso the water temp will be correct at approximately 90ish Celsius. (Experimental error prevents perfectly accurate water temp measurement because we cant measure it inside the filter basket.)

So do check to make sure u have set the steam/hot water button to the right place to make espresso ... believe me i read the instructions many times ... but i certainly missed that small detail. OMG

This machine is great especially considering the price on Amazon. It heats up very quickly and produces great espresso with lots of crema. I steam milk all the time and it works great. Only complaint was it leaked water a little when I first got it and I had to replace the flimsy wire holding the plastic tubing to the water reservoir with a proper clamp. It has been great ever since.

This is our 3rd cappucino maker, having got about 7 years service each from more expensive Briel and Gaggia machines.
Some observations after one month of use:
1. The coffee holder is about 1/3 smaller than the last Gaggia. We make doubles for each of us every morning and about half the time we notice a weaker flavour.
2. It took about a week of use before it would make a reliable coffee. With the same grind on the beans, flow through could vary from 15 sec to 10 minutes from one cup to the next. It is better now.
3. The crema is great compared with prior machines, which often had none.
4. The volume of foam is much greater and more consistent than the other machines (although the steamer wand needs cleaning after every use). Foam varies from larger to smaller bubbles (smaller is richer).
5. The machine seems a lot less robust than the other models we've known. It already leaks a bit when making coffee, which is not a good long run indicator (our Gaggia wore down the seal gasket between the coffee holder and the machine over 7 years).
6. This machine releases the pressure after stopping the coffee cycle. This is good for preventing dripping, but means the waste grinds are always moist and messy to dispose of. Other machines maintained enough pressure to push all the water through (as drips though) and we could just "rap" the coffee holder upside down on the garbage rim and it would come out in a neat plug. With this machine we need a spoon to scrape it out and then a big rinse putting grinds all over the sink to clean it for the next coffee.

If it continues to work like this for the next 5 years, it will be good value. I'm not sure the 3 year warranty will cover seals and leaks. For initial performance, it is

OK for the money, so far.

I've owned this machine for over a year now. There are several models with the same features at this price point. To me it came down to which one was on sale at the time. I don't regret my choise, but if given a second chance, I would have waited until another was on sale.

Let me begin by saying that it makes good coffee. It has sufficient pressure to make crema consistently and it froths milk in an instant.

However, when compared to the Breville machines that a few of my friends owns, this is not the better choice.

it' main advantages:
1) Makes great coffee --which is really the essential feature
2) It's easy to clean
3) It warms up very quickly
4) It's well constructed. Very sturdy.
5) It looks nice.

There are also a few drawbacks

1) The steam want is too low. It's next to nearly impossible to fit anything other than the supplied pitcher. We've put ours on the counter's edge to solve that issue.
2) It's noisy! Sure all machines are, but this one does a bad job at camouflaging the noise and vibrations from the pump.
3) The how water is not really hot enough for tea --my wife is a tea drinker and had hoped to use this instead of the kettle.
4) The "On" button has failed at two occasions. Both times, the issue was resolved by unplugging and waiting a few hours. Both times, the water level was very low.

It worked very well for the first few years when was occasionally used on weekends.

At a sudden it stopped building up pressure and would not work anymore.

After 38 minutes put on hold with the customer service in Ontario, I managed to speak to someone and all what she could say was simply they don't have a service center anymore in Alberta and the best thing they can do is to have the technician calling me back. Never mind, the technician never called back of course.
What a waste, the machine was sent to the recycling dumb..

I would never buy and/or recommend Cuisinart anymore..don't lose you money!!

I love this machine! I have had for 3yrs & usually make 2 lattes per day. Have just had my first problem with the steam wand. If I can't replace the part I will replace with the same machine.

This is a good product. I'm glad i have purchased it. It meets my expectations for taste and is easy to work with.

This machine is a dream and I love it. Would recommend it to anyone who wants an economical Expresso Maker.

Bonjour,
Je suis très satisfaite de ma Cafetière EM-100-C.Mais il me manque un panier filtre pour 2 tasses. Veuillez me le retourner sans frais S.V.P.
Merci devotre attention.
Laurianne Gilbert Dubois