Review on ☕ Black Philips 3200 Series EP3241/54 - LatteGo Fully Automatic Espresso Machine by Klassic Duncan

We've had it for about a month now but it's been lockdown month and between us and our 3 teenagers it's probably made 400 cups of coffee /espresso/latte/cappuccino - no exaggeration, I used a calculator. There's a reason we decided to take the risk and invest in such an expensive machine. We went from a $130 espresso machine with a manual frother and a Ninja drip coffee maker to this guy. So I'm quite confident in writing down some initial assessments of it. Positives: - What made us choose this model after three days of research was the milk frothing system. The lack of tubes for the milk to flow through means it has nowhere to sit and pool. Also, about once a week you can open everything up and really clean up everything - get rid of all built-up areas (not that there are many). You should also lubricate the pump every 2 months I think (my husband has this on his calendar). Many of these parts are dishwasher safe - milk container, overflow and waste container. Love it. He looks very clean. It seemed a little overwhelming at first, but it's actually very easy to use. In fact, our 8 year old likes to make coffee for us. "Mom, make a latte, please? 2 coffees and 2 foams, thanks.” And our younger girls love to just make frothed milk for their tea once we've shown them a workaround for it. - Obviously coffee. It turns out a mediocre latte, my favorite cup. Espresso is good, regular coffee is good, cappuccino is delicious. You have three options for "flavor" level, coffee level, and foam level - so quite a bit of personalization - for both milk and coffee drinks. Somewhere in the neutral zone here, I have to say something about coffee beans in this regard. -- Many people have commented that you should NOT use fat beans, and that's absolutely true. You will have trouble lowering the bunker. And fat beans aren't good beans anyway :) So if you're investing in an $800 car, do yourself a favor and don't buy greasy ::coughstarbuckscough:: beans that don't work (or taste good). ). So far we've tried 5 different types of beans, some are really good, some just fine, some satisfying. We love trying different types and will keep going until we find *one* for this machine. So I won't put it on the "cons" list. Cons: - The buttons, especially the power button, are a little hard to press. You *simply* have to place them in the right place for them to turn on. A bit annoying, especially before the first cup of coffee. Irony of fate. There were a few times I was afraid "OH NO IT'S BROKEN" before I found a happy medium. The lid for the milk container is basically only lightly attached to the top of the milk container. No loop or rubber lip to keep it secure. It knocks off the tiled floor in the kitchen about once a day (because you have to get it out of the fridge every time you want to make a cup). It's flimsy plastic and it's basically just a matter of time before it breaks. It certainly seems that for the price paid it should have been hinged there or more securely fixed. - The machine kicks out at the beginning and before the automatic shutdown. That's a decent amount, so now let's hold a mug to get water. The drip tray holds quite a bit of water, but by the time it shuts off to tell you to empty it, it's VERY full and you're playing a game of balance to get it to the sink without spilling anything. So: Do not switch on the machine and do not put the cup under water - wait until the "garbage water" runs out and then place the cup underneath. When finished, put the "garbage water" cup back to collect clean water. That's all I have at the moment. Maybe the second month will change my mind, but I think the "cons" are pretty minor and overall we're pretty damn happy with our investment.