I have owned smaller espresso makers in the past like the Krups single cup manual machine.I enjoy espresso and drink many cups a day. I decided to purchase a larger espresso machine for how frequent I make espresso. I still wanted a semi automatic maker without a coffee bean grinder because I grind and blend my espresso beans in a bur mill grinder. After doing some comparative shopping of different brands in the $200-$300 range I decided to purchase a Saeco Nina Bar as it seemed like a well made brand of espresso makers.
After receiving the Nina Bar I followed the instructions to setup the machine, filling water reservoir and priming. The water tank is in an awkward position in the back of the machine making it difficult to remove and fill. I filled the grind cup with pre ground espresso and pressed the on button to make my first cup of espresso. The pump was very noisy, I actually thought it was broken or not primed properly, but after checking the water flow again it was just as loud again and every time it was used. When I pressed the start button hot water leaked from around the grind basket. I cleaned up the mess and tried it again using a little less grinds. It still leaked so I tried it again with less grinds. I kept experimenting with different techniques for a few days. There still were problems with water leaking from the grind cup even when not in use. The drip tray under the cup holder would fill up with water overnight- in about 12 hours and had to be emptied daily. With the checking of the reviews, there should be selection of the [google_bot_show][/google_bot_show]Best Espresso Machine. The rankings and reviews of the machine will be great for the knowledge of the person. The charges will be under the budget of the person. The installing of the machine will be easy for the person.
I called Saeco to see if they would replace the machine and the customer service rep said I was using too much ground coffee and I should cut back on the amount of grinds. I mentioned about the constant leaking and she said I would have to send it to a service center to determine if the espresso maker was defective. I insisted on a new replacement as it is advertised to be guaranteed for 1 year but she said that could not be arranged. I followed her instructions and cut back on the amount of grinds and that helped a little although it continued to leak water when not in use. I also had to clean the cup screen with a brush after every use.
I continued to use the Nina Bar for a few months and there were continually problems with the leaking and many times the amount of water dispensed was not consistent, usually not enough water. This kept happening more often and I could not control the doses of water. I called Saeco customer support again and the person was very pleasant and sent me 2 new grind baskets- free of charge. After I received the parts I used them and it worked fine for a while.
After about 9 months after I purchased it, it started leaking again from the grind cup. I cleaned around the cup holder and tried it again, it did the same thing and this time I could not stop the leaking. At this point I was so totally disgusted with the Saeco Nina Bar and I threw it out in the garbage. I was tired of the continuous mess and leaking and decided not to deal with Saeco service again. I would not recommend Saeco products to anyone looking to purchase an espresso machine.
Shortly after this I purchased a Gaggia Baby Twin espresso machine and it has worked fine from the start. It is easy to operate, quiet and makes great espresso. There is no mess or dripping water after a shot is brewed. It is very sleek looks great on the countertop in our newly remodeled kitchen.
