However, a person unfamiliar with the appliance can't figure out what to do from those lights (in particular, the need to purge after steaming).The GoodIt heats up very quickly - after turning it on, it will be ready before you can pour milk and load your groundsGets milk hot and delivers a substantial foamCleans easily, although I've found that the purging process between steam and pumping water for espresso keeps things pretty cleanIt takes up minimal counter spaceFeels like a solid applianceThe OkayI'm not sure the cup warmer functionality actually gets warm enough to make a meaningful differencePaint on the on/off button seemed to wear off pretty quicklyMake sure you set your

The shots are low on crema, but for me the more serious still problem is that I cannot froth the (almond) milk well

I foam the milk cold and then heat it on the stove, and although it isn't as hot as if it were steamed, it is perfect microfoam that lasts til the last drop!

but I believe only the expensive espresso makers have the kind of wands that make for consistent tiny milk foam

Second it makes perfect espresso and froths the milk like a little champion.

It take only about 30 seconds to have hot, steamed milk with very good foam

The only thing I've found that works is, make just the espresso for each drink and then go back and steam enough milk for each drink

Before this I used a moka cafetera for strong coffee and hand frothed my milk with aerator

Like other reviewers, I too had trouble getting the steamer to froth the milk well, but I am inexperienced

The milk streamer wand works

It just runs out of steam before the milk is hot, very annoying

Get a good burr grinder, good weighted tamper, nice milk thermometer, and quality beans-you won't be sorry.

Makes good espresso and froths milk fairly well.

This is my process...- Make sure your milk and jug is cold, I put milk in the metal jug and put it in the freezer before I do

Does a great job foaming milk.

The frothed milk isn't barista perfect, but very, very close

After about 6 months of use, the steamer runs out of pressure and shuts off before the milk is super hot.

The trouble is, it produces so much foam so quickly that the 12oz bell I bought gets completely full of milk/foam before the milk is hot enough

None really, though it would be nice if it came with a stainless milk pitcher for frothing.

but no foam, really, just hot milk

The frother does a marvelous job of infusing steam into a pitcher of milk, creating an airy cloud of steamed frothy milk perfect for cappuccinos or lattes

This makes great espresso and does a great job of foaming milk, but it takes too long to clean all the milk out after frothing.

Frothy crema, good milk frother/foam and quality drinks.

It allows you to create much better flavor and crema, and it's insanely cheap.https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JRH3DMS/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1And a final note that I imagine it takes longer to learn on this machine than higher quality ones... because sometimes you can't be sure if insufficient milk texture was due to your own fault or the machine's

I used this machine for a couple of weeks as it works well, steams the milk well, and pretty fast

I used this machine for a couple of weeks as it works well, steams the milk well, and pretty fast

The steam turns off pretty quickly so sometimes my milk is not quite as hot as I would like

I suggest using a separate milk frother (like aerocino).In the end, the ESE pods did not work as well as I had hoped

My only dislike is that I like my milk

At three double shots at .13 oz each per day with 4 fluid ounces of (grass fed local..expensive) milk steamed

I am now able to produce nice, silky, warmed milk with the attached wand

If you like really frothy milk go for it.

Frother produces good foam and nice steamed milk.

Good expresso, good milk froth, fairly easy to operate

Good expresso, good milk froth, fairly easy to operate

Most often, I would wind up with stiff foam on top and liquid milk below.

; I never was able to figure out how to properly steam milk (may be because at the time I only tried milk substitutes like almond milk), so never was able to make a nice latte

I don't use the milk steamer, instead, I bought the Breville Milk Frother, and my new favorite milk to use is Oatly brand milk which I get at a local coffee shop

This is better than all the other barista series milk alternatives and definitely better than even raw organic milk, which used to be my milk of choice

If you like to reload two single shots in order to make a double, enjoy flat hot milk in your coffee, like cleaning up water leaks, and are willing to risk being exposed to residues from whatever cheap metal they used to make this, then go ahead, buy this machine.

It just makes hot milk, the smell of which reminds me of when you add the milk to kraft mac and cheese

Works wonderfully; makes great espresso, froths milk quickly, cleans easily and doesn't take up too much space.

I get a good thick foam after 30 sec; mainly 4 oz of cold milk will froth up the full glass measuring cup for great latte

However, it is quite easy once you learn the simple tricks (pre-chill the pitcher, cold milk, get a good swirl going, not trying to hard -- let the auto-wand do the work)

I use Peets fine ground varieties and 2% cold milk and it wakes up my mornings .

The steam is powerful enough to get pot of milk hot or frothed quickly, with no signs of petering out at the end

It turned a half a glass of whole milk into a whole glass of hot milk foam in seconds

I use Peets fine ground varieties and 2% cold milk and it wakes up my mornings .

I generally use whole goats milk, but have produced excellent foam with different varieties of cows milk and coconut milk as well

Pours perfect, creamy shots of espresso, makes excellent frothy milk fro capuccinos and lattes

Best milk

We like to add some hot milk using the microwave

The only qualm i have with this product is the milk frother

The EC680M vibrates enough that the glass espresso cup being filled moves!