Breville All-in-One Coffee House, Espresso, Filter and Pods Coffee Machine with Milk Frother, 1.5 liters, Dolce Gusto Compatible [VCF117]

I have only owned this for a few days, but it is the best coffee machine I have owned so far. I have owned a Delonghi espresso maker, Krups combi (filter and espresso/capuccino) and Russell Hobbs filter coffee maker and all had serious design issues that make you doubt the quality control and testing of these supposedly famous brands.The combination of filter coffee and espresso maker in one system is quite ingenious. Other brands that make combi machines just join two systems together side by side taking up space and charging significantly higher. Some customers complained about the size of this machine but for what it does I didn't find it to be big. I bought it for my office and if it performs in the long term, once my separate DL and RH machines die out at home I would definitely by another one for home.The filter coffee brewed by this machine is very smooth and intense. Of course it depends on the quality and freshness of the ground coffee used, but the machine does it's part. The pot itself is double layered and insulated (there is no hot plate in the machine). Some customers complained that the coffee gets cold quickly, but I didn't experience this problem too much. Most modern machines have a 30 minute cutoff anyway (seems to be some regulation). I like the nice feature that you can tell it how many cups you want. Some people complained that the minimum volume is 4 cups. In reality this is 2 large mugs, so can't see what the issue is (actually I found it nice to be able to top up my mug if I fancy an additional fix).The espresso maker is also very good. I was a bit doubtful at first because the portafilter felt less sturdy than that of other machines I owned. But it did its job very well. The pump did its job well and creates nice intense espresso with gold cream on top. My only complaint here is the elevated cup tray which is not wide enough to fit two typical espresso cups which tend to be wider at the top and not fit side by side properly. You can still manage but you have to balance them in a way that they don't fall off the sides, especially with the machine vibrations.I haven't tried the milk frothing wand yet. This tends to be one of the worst designed pieces of other brands (Krups just blows out with the pressure and risks burning your skin, Delonghi is not long enough to do the motion properly). Hopefully this is also a strong point of this machine when I try it.The coffee pods support is a nice additional touch for those who want it. Personally I am against them for both environmental reasons and the fact that coffee pods taste stale. The machine itself is very ecological, not wasting more water than you need and using insulation to keep your coffee warm instead of a hot plate wasting electricity.The only minor issue I found is that the machine gets confused when it runs out of water. It starts to blink but even after filling up the water tank and pressing the brew button it doesn't recover. Only a power cycle restores it's state, which means that if it runs out during half a filter brew it does not resume. A very minor issue. The power chord could have been slightly longer too, but again a very minor issue.Over all a very good machine.

I loved this product, it did everything...but the plastic was so poor quality that the handle on the filter basket broke when I dropped it on the floor (didn't complain about this initially) then the pod holder split and hot water sprayed out when turned on. Took us a while to realise what was causing the problem. I phoned Breville as this was their problem not the suppliers and they said part not it stock but could pass my name to the warehouse if I liked. I did not like and I told them what I think of a company that makes poor quality, expensive goods and passes the problem on to their resellers. Such a shame, great product but lots on Ebay without the plastic parts....not just me then!

Firstly thanks to the the following answer which sorted me out!Q: mine isn't working .... I don't know why...... I did everything said in the manualA: I had the same problem I gave the water container outlet a wiggle. So the water will start to flow. Try it a couple of times. To see if it helps sort out your problemBy MICHAEL NORMINGTON on 16 July 2020I was so disappointed when I couldn't get this machine to work, however it was a simple issue that was not listed on the manual but luckily I found it on the amazon Q&A section as copied above.This machine is convenient as it can take ground coffee and also Dolce Gusto style pods.The machine detects pod or espresso and you can select the size/quantity. I have not used the carafe yet, but could be good for a crowd.So far have made cappuccinos, lattes, espressos and americanos with excellent results, the milk frother takes time - so I tend to do the milk first for a warmer drink.The machine is easy to clean, I don't normally use the plastic sleeve on the milk frother as the metal underneath gets covered in milk anyway and I clean this with a microfibre cloth when it is warm.For a quick drink, I tend to use the pods and frother but when I have time I have the option of ground coffee - overall great to have both options in one machine. Very good value for money.

As an existing Dolce Gusto pod machine user, spotted this machine and decided to buy, based on decent reviews and its ability to use Dolce Gusto as well as the other brewing and espresso features. After the first day, when the machine was fully warmed-up and the various plastic and metal parts had been used, cleaned, and had lost that ‘slight plastic taste’ to the initial results - very, very impressed with the versatility and results. Dolce Gusto results are very good, espresso results and hot milk wand are very good, filter pot coffee... very good. You get the idea then... does a lot of things, and does them well. Only one small criticism, and it is far from a deal breaker - the filter pot doesn’t sit on a ‘hot plate’, so to aid the pot’s ability to keep a second or third cup warm, it has a deep spout, and a tight fitting lid to act like a vacuum flask effect. This means having to hold the pot almost vertically to pour the coffee out into your cup. This isn’t a huge issue, you very quickly accept it as a small trade off in the design of a pot that doesn’t have a hot plate underneath it still keeping your coffee warm. An aside to the steep pouring angle is that sometimes you get a small drip of water from the pot sitting on the drip tray falling onto your work surface as you pour. Again, a small issue, due to the compromise involved in a ‘no hot plate’ design. If you are considering buying this machine, please don’t let this small issue put you off. We are very happy with the versatility and results from this multi-purpose, good solid all-rounder.