Villaware New NDVLEM1000 15 Bar Pressure Home Espresso/Cappuchino Maker, 2, Black & Silver

I just got this in the mail today. Setup was easy. I filled the tank with water, turned it on, selected Froth, within 30 seconds it started steaming. I then made a 2 ounce shot of espresso. A double shot Americano and a Mocha latte. I let the machine cool down between each drink while prepped for the next drink. The pros: It makes a great shot of espresso very quickly. The Froth wand is powerful. It's easy to use. Each drink tasted as good as a coffee shop. Clean up is easy. Each espresso shot was consistently good. It does make a regular cup of coffee. Using the double shot filter, just let 6 ounces of water comes out instead of 2. Then turn the knob to the of position. Coffee cups fit under the filter holder. At the end of making a shot or shots, water comes out into the tray to release the pressure. It cools off quickly. Clean up is quick and easy. The cons: The pump is really loud. It vibrates a little as the pump cycles on and off. The water tank is on the back. The plastic handle could be sturdier. For the price, it a great espresso machine. The shots tastes so good you don't need sugar or cream in them. Definitely read the entire manual and Prime the pump before doing anything. I'm giving this espresso maker 5 stars because it does what it's supposed to do and it does it well. The pump is loud but I can live with it. Some appliances are. My Vitamix blender is just as loud. It weird but in a coffee shop or smoothie place you don't notice the loudness of these two appliances as much. : )

**Do Not Buy** Villaware no longer supports the product and the ones offered here have been non-working units. Believe other reviews that the pump does not prime rendering the product useless. The unit I have just leaks water straight out the bottom of the unit. I waited to open the product until I needed it and now I am past the return window so I am stuck with an expensive piece of garbage and environmentally wasteful dump material. When it works, its makes great espresso.

So to start things off, I like the many of others have had a hard time getting this thing to take a prime upon first purchase. I tried to exchange my original machine for another one hoping it was just a one off problem...... Well..... the second machine had the same problem as the first one.... the water pump was dry locked. So after getting a second machine and it having the same issue the engineer inside of me decided it was time to take this apart and fix it myself. I took the hose off the water tank fitting and got out my 60mL syringe (had one from when my youngest daughter had a feeding tube) and pushed the water through the thing after setting it to froth. Within moments of doing this the machine was fixed. I shut it down, reassembled, and BOOM!!!! My machine finally works. Now as an espresso machine, this is exactly what I expected for a pressurized basket pump espresso machine. I get decent shots and the frothed on this thing is out of sight. The biggest complaint I have is this thing vibrates fairly hard and you have to hold you cups still while drawing a shot. To sum things up, I would definitely buy this thing again for the price I paid. It has more than paid for itself.

It's a mixed bag here. The coffee maker IS noisy but not terrible. The coffee made from it is excellent! I owned mine for exactly 3 years and 2 months until it decided to go on by itself while plugged in. It spewed water all over the counter and if I had not been home and heard the coffeemaker's noise I imagine there could have been worse damages once the motor got hot enough.

*** update *** 2018- Porter Filter seal gave out after four years. Can’t find replacement part which is pretty frustrating . Still great run for $50! 2016- I have had this machine almost two years. It runs loud and sounds like it will break down any minute but it has been like this since day one and is still running strong. It has a bit of a fast flow and larger grind size between espresso and paper filter helps and not pulling the porterfilter too tight. With that it pulls a decent shot with great crema and a flavorful body. The pump is strong enough and after a few trial and errors - like with any new machine- frothing my milk is a breath now. I only paid something around $50.00 for it and feel it was worth it.

This machine works perfectly, makes great espresso, is reliable, and amazingly affordable. I love it, and I loved the price. Starbucks who? 12/23/2015 Update: Nearly two years after I purchased this espresso maker, and it's still going strong. I use it regularly and it still works perfectly. And to help you understand just how much I use it, consider this: I make espresso 2-3 times a week. For each cup of espresso I make, I run one or two shots first just to warm up the machine. I then run my espresso shot, and then another shot to clean the espresso plate. I run the milk frother for one run to froth my milk, then run it again (albeit for just a few seconds) to clean it out--so, or each espresso I make myself, the machine is asked to run at least 3 shots and 2 milk frothing cycles. Multiple these by 2-3 times a week, and then by 2 years, and you have an idea of how reliable this little thing is.