CalphalonBVCLECMP1 Temp iQ Espresso Machine with Steam Wand, Stainless

We love our little Calphalon latte machine. Lattes are creamy and yummy. And only takes a few minutes to brew and steam the milk. The size is perfect for our coffee bar. We even take it on roadtrips in our trailer. It's so light and portable. ...owned it for 2 years and absolutely no issues. Highly recommend for all the latte lovers. Just remember to descale it periodically. Value wise I would say it's a tad over price only because it dosen't grind the beans and others do at this price point. But if you can get it on sale.....problem solved.

This product doesn't have a bean blender, a milk tank or an auto temp turn-off for the steam wand or any fancy gadgets like that.It has a water tank and a steam wand that you have to get a thermometer to put in your milk in order to ensure you have the right temp.You can do one or two shots of espresso that you have to grind in a separate machine.Is this a bad thing?Depends on what you want and your experience. I am a trained barista. I want to make drinks for my nieces I would rather be able to turn off my steam wand at 120 degrees than the machine force the milk to a predetermined temp. Or my mum wants an extra hot London fog? I would rather be able to steam it to 150 for her.Also with fewer gadgets, it's less likely that some gauge or fuse breaks for no reason. It's just simple mechanics in this machine.One troubleshooting thing. If your espresso won't pull fast enough, try and look through your espresso basket. If you can see light through the holes your beans have likely been ground too fine, and the water can't filter fast enough. If you can't see light, try cleaning the basket with a toothbrush, toothpick, or worse case scenario take fire to the holes in your espresso basket, just lightly untill you hear a light popping sound. This is the sound of whatever is in there - old espresso or the plastic from manufacturing - cooking to the point of cracking, the holes in the basket can sometimes be plugged to the point that espresso wont pass through. At least this happened to me.Also invest in a tamper, something that will give you enough pressure to allow for properly pressed espresso.

I've had this for two years now and I love it! Once you get into the rhythm of how this machine works, it's absolutely wonderful. I use it for straight up black coffee. The price point is great as well.

This review is for the Calphalon Temp iQ Espresso Machine with out the grinder. Let me start by saying that I do like this machine and it works pretty well as an entry level machine under $300....if you can get it for that price. I bought my machine a week before Black Friday and only paid $214 new. By December 1st, I noticed that the price shot up to $400. I would never pay $400 for this machine because there are machines with much better features at or near that price point.Some reviewers complained about the steam wand and I'll admit that I had trouble at first. It took some practice to get it exactly right, but now it works great. The game changer for me was to get a thermometer for the milk pitcher. After getting that, I realized that I wasn't letting the milk get to the proper temperature and now it's nearly perfect. Technique is also important so I recommend watching to short how-to videos online.Espresso shots pull pretty good, but there are two things that make significant improvements. First, I bought a scale to weigh my dose. Second is grind freshness. I've been buying coffee from a local store with a grinder and I've noticed that my first few shots taste great and then the quality seems to taper off after a few days. It seems that having your own grinder it very key to getting a good shot (from any machine). Ultimately, this is why I would not pay $400 for this machine because you really need a good grinder so you might as well buy a higher end machine with one included, unless you already have an espresso grinder. Lavazza has a good pre-ground espresso coffee, but again, the quality of the coffee diminishes after a few days of opening the can.This machine comes with pressurized portafilter baskets that are somewhat forgiving on grind size, but I would like to have the option for non-pressurized baskets. So far, I have not found a non pressurized basket that works well. I tried a pro version basket, but the machine does not play well with it and I can't get a good shot to extract. Unfortunately, Calphalon does not currently make any accessories for their machine.So far, I've had no issues with maintenance of the machine and no indication of any problems. It seems to be well built.If you can get this machine for close to the $200 price point then it's definitely a good buy. At the $400 price, you might as well spend a little more and get a better brand that includes a grinder.FYI - This is a completely unpaid, unbiased review by an everyday user of this machine.

I decided replaced a near 20 year old Starbucks Barista Machine. After various repairs(thermostat, prortafilter rebuild kit, Main rubber gasket etc.) the SB machine still worked! I did not enjoy having to prime it after sitting in storage. Loved the parts availability, but it was old and had served me well. The calphalon machine is great. It heats up much faster, auto shut off, steams better and easier tank removal and priming is a non issue. I get some great shots, but like any espresso machine you have to have a good balance of grind, amount, beans, time, tamping etc.. That's part of the fun of making espresso IMO. I have not been disappointed. Unlike my SB machine, there is a pressure release that occurs after your stop the pull, water then drains into the drip tray, so give it a few seconds before removing porta filter. Love this feature as I used to have to wait for the SB to naturally release or it could make a mess with the pressure. I use a very fine grind on my new OXO grinder( 2- 3 setting) that I love, , with a 30lb preset tamper, and very full double/triple basket, 30 second pull and good results most of the time.