Product Description

Retro stainless steel style design, ground coffee and pod portafilter handles included, free Illy coffee pods included, milk steamer/frother, pump driven boiler, 15 bars of pressure, removable 0.7 liter water tank, cup warmer, built-in drip tray, espresso temperature gauge, high pressure safety valve, on/off ready lights, cord storage, 1000 watts, made in Italy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #310345 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Color: Stainless steel
• Brand: Villaware
• Model: V41006
• Released on: 2006-09-28
• Dimensions: 16.00" h x 13.00" w x 13.00" l, 26.32 pounds

Features

• 1000-watt espresso maker with 15-bar pump pressure
• Accommodates fresh ground coffee and pre-measured pods
• Removable 0.7-liter water tank; brass portafilter; "on/off" ready lights
• Espresso temperature gauge; milk steam/frothing device; cup warmer
• Measures 16-2/5 by 13-1/5 by 12-8/9 inches; 1-year limited warranty

Customer Reviews

beginer
I have the machine for just one week now & I guess for the price ( I paid $204 total) , you probably can't find a better one.
Looks great, makes good espresso with ok crema. I get about an 1/8" crema everytime. I'm not sure if thats ok or to little.
My two major complaints are
1) after you pulled your shot & shut the brewing switch off, about another 2 to 3 oz's of liquid still comes out of the portafilter. All of it goes into the drip tray after you remove your cup from underneath.
I thought it might have been just my machine, but I read a review somewhere else & they had the same problem.

2) The portafilter does not fit very snug into the holder, so when you knock out the grinds into the garbage, sometimes the you have to retrieve the filter. So just hold down the edge of the filter with your thumb when it cools and that should take care of this problem. Just do it with a cool rag if it's still hot.

One more thing) If your steaming milk, in order to get the milks temp up to 160 degrees, you may have to steam it till the temp light comes back on, then wait about 30 seconds till it goes off again and then steam it for a few more seconds.

So if you can live with the minor issues above and can't spend more than $200, this machine will make very good espresso's & capucino's

A Great Machine
After getting poor results from a steam driven Krups I decided to give home espresso brewing another try with a pump driven machine. After many days of research I settled on the Villaware Moderno. In addition to good reviews it was the only pump machine in this price range that did not have a boxy, or plastic look.

All in all I a very happy with my purchase. The machine heats up fast, its easy to use and the foamer is fool proof. I steamed half and half for my cappucino and got mountains of very stable foam on the first try! For espresso I used the Illy pods that came with it and got very satisfactory results. The espresso was plenty hot and had a moderate amount of crema. But I understand that you get less crema anyway if you use pods. The hot water dispensing feature also works fine. I dispense the hot water into a large pyrex measuring cup for preheating the espresso cups.

Some things worth mentioning. Cleaning: In addition to washing everything with soapy water, I ran 4 tanks of water through the system before I could get rid of that "metallic smell". Definately run water through the steam nozzle before using it. I noticed little particles of stuff coming out in the rinse water. Dripping: yes the portafilter does drip after you stop brewing but I shove a shot glass under the spout after I remove the cup and no problem.

Outstanding!
Okay i will be honest. I am a big espresso, cappuccino, latte, tea drinker who spends average of $30 daily at starbucks. My francisfrancis! X1 broke a couple of months ago and i was looking for something almost equal to replace it. I am from Europe and grew up on good coffee, espresso and cappuccino.

I ordered this machine just because I used to own a pasta maker by Villaware. It was outstanding. Therefore i wanted to give this one a try. I received my box earlier this evening and prepared my first shot. it was excellent. The crema on the top was smooth enough to retain the sugar inside slowly.. Its heavy and solid and produces and great foam. (15 bar )

It looks like my francis , hopefully it will last longer than it did. '

It also comes with a box of Illy pods. Great deal, you will not regret.