TowerT13014MNB Cavaletto Espresso Maker with Frothing Function, Glass Carafe, Steel Filter, 800 W, 4-Shot, Midnight Blue, Rose Gold Edition

Ciao amici miei! Or something like that.that Anyway, if I'm honest I, in part, bought this due to the ridiculous cost of "Costa" cappuccinos (other, weak coffee baristas can be applied here) and a life-long love of both Italian opera and Combia music - blame a misspent youth. As they might say in Columbia "Instruction in youth is like engraving in stones" But I digress.So, this is:- Comapact- Easy to use - at least if you read the instructions if you have not used an electric expresso machine and steamer before.- Aesthetically as pleasing as a kitchen appliance can be expected to be.- Quick- Easy to clean- Despite it "only" having 3 to 4 bars of pressure it produces a strong enough coffee - depending on what blend you use of course. To me, it certainly produces more "bite" than my beloved stove moko pot.- Frother works surprisingly well,What it is not:- Dangerous. It will only "leak" steam if you: don't screw the lead down fully (remember it works by producing high pressure) Equally make sure you "vent it" before opening the water container after using it (turn it to the frother, stand back a little and turn on till steam is depleted. - A poor or dangerous frother. You need to stick that plastic frother nozzle well into the milk. Agitated a bit if you like. Don't have the nozzle just resting on top of the milk.Overall, a wise purchase.Arrivederci

This is a reasonably priced espresso coffee maker. The m/c its self is quite small compared with some but does the job adequately. It is easy to use and makes good coffee in about 3mins,The frothier is a bonus and works well. It came as quite a surprise that a m/c at the lower end of the price range was so good.Follow the instructions and you can not go wrong.

It does look like it’s been made on the cheap. I’m beginning to think all it takes to make the gold bits flake off is to look at it, the tower logo on the bottom was half hanging off when it came too.Aside from that it holds a fair bit of grounds, the milk frother is easy to clean, the tank holds enough water to make 4 smallish cups of coffee with milk, otherwise it’s plenty for 2 large lattes. It only takes a few minutes to boil and pour.I did see a review about one that exploded, I have been worried about that happening but the lid is very tight so unless you use the finest of the fine grounds you should be alright.I think it’s about 2 weeks now and I use it every day, if there are any problems I’ll update this review but although the gold is chronically peeling (which happens with just about EVERY Tower product) it’s pretty decent and it makes a quick cup in the morning.

Why do Amazon ask you to rate blending power? It's a coffee machine. We bought this as we've no car but wanted decent coffee on holiday, so forced to carry everything on buses and trains with a dog in tow and both disabled. We usually have to put up with cafetières supplied wherever we stay if we're lucky. At home we have a professional style machine and missed it so much I bought this. It is very lightweight and compact and makes a pretty good coffee. Having tried it out at home I decided to buy a second one in case the first broke as it was such a good price too. We stuck it loose in the suitcase wrapped in a bag and clothes as the box was too big but I made a box which just fits the glass jug in, which then sits in the machine as it would be in use so it's protected by the machine itself. We've taken it on 3 holidays so far, had great coffee and got it back in one piece so we're doing well so far. The machine itself is strong enough, it's just the jug we worry about, but they're not exactly made to stick in a suitcase on buses and trains, but that is not the fault of Tower, that's just us. I generally rate Tower and would try most of their products.

Bought this in a hurry to replace my broken espresso machine - the fact that it only has 3 pressure bars should have stopped me but didn't and I tried it anyway.Followed the instructions and what puzzled me was the fact you're only supposed to use coarse coffee grounds (like you would for French press)Ground my coffee coarser than usual and tried the 2 shots - the coffee comes out running like water, no crema at all. By the time the cup filled, machine started overheating and leaking steam and water... The taste was off as well despite the fact that I used the exact same beans as usual - tasted burnt like the cheapest disgusting coffee. I was not impressed but tried another cup next morning, this time I filled the pod to the maximum for 4 shots and used even coarser powder. The machine really struggled and was only dripping drop by drop, before starting to overheat and steaming. I stopped in the process as it did not feel safe, not sure if I had a faulty one but considering my first experience the coffee it produces is not good anyway even when it works.... it's a French press machine not an espresso machine - with the difference that you can just buy a cheaper manual French press, save on electricity and have better coffee... So I really feel like this one is completely useless and dangerous!

You get what you pay for. It’s a fancy version of a kettle. Not strong enough for espresso but I suppose it would make decent long black coffee… not what I needed and better save up for a more powerful machine…It might be me not having found the best way to get the best out of it but the steam wand is less than efficient comparing to the French press I live been using to froth up the milk, unless you prefer your milk super foamy.

A bit fiddly to start with but easy to use and great when you find a good coffee to use with it!!