Saeco HD8833/47 Syntia Automatic Espresso Machine, Black

Have had other semi auto espresso machines in the past and stepped up to this model at Christmas. It took a long time to get the water primed properly and the system had to run maybe a dozen pucks before it really started to settle in on espresso that is loaded with crema, and all the awesome flavors of a good espresso. The instruction note this need to "teach" it what your patterns are so we were patient for for the first few shots. Only knocking off 1 star because the water reservoir is fairly small and at the pace we use it, 5-7 shots a day, we refill every other day it seems. Truly automatic, fast heating, just add water, beans, and toss the pucks. It will make one shot after another, steam milk in a hurry and clean itself and go into standby when you are done.I use the bypass feature for decaf and it works really well.Highly recommend.UPDATE 11/2018 - Have had this for 4 years now and it runs and looks like new. I descale and clean when the automatic service indicator lights up. Just use Descal (see link below) and follow instructions. My wife uses every day at least twice if not more. The steamer/boiler has great power for a machine at this price. It is our second Saeco, both have been bulit like tanks. I roast my own beans and regularly use the bypass to pull shots of different roasts. You will be happy if you buy.https://www.amazon.com/Urnex-Espresso-Machine-Descaler-Activated/dp/B004L8V966/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&psr=EY17&ie=UTF8&qid=1543173524&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=descal

When the unit arrived we noticed that the water drawer did not fit flush with the body of the machine - We decided to ignore it, thinking that it was an imperfection that we could live with (bad move). We love coffee and have had 2 previous Saeco machines that bit the dust over many years - they made excellent coffee by the espresso method - and we were now desperate. We had packed up our old Saeco and now we didn't have a coffee maker and won't settle for the usual including those 1 dose machines (yech) - The coffee of our new Syntia was hot and very good and so we were happy with our choice - However, the "minor imperfection" was not so minor - a few days later we noticed a large puddle of water on the floor - we thought that it was our fault; that we hadn't been careful replacing the water drawer after filling it up. About a week later it happened again, then again and then this weekend- again. Not good for the hardwood floor! By now we were both convinced that neither one of us were to blame - what was happening is that the "minor imperfection" allowed the vibrations during the operation of the coffee maker to slowly disconnect the water drawer from the machine in a manner that allowed water to leak out without shutting off the connector from the drawer.Of course we came to this conclusion after 5 weeks, one week after the Amazon warranty ends. However, after explaining this long story to one of their representatives - they agreed to take it back and supply us with a new one - we still wanted another Saeco Syntia - one that worked of course. i am especially grateful since i have had to deal with Saeco service in the past with our other 2 machines - the last one after many years was no longer making coffee that was of satisfying temperature - Saeco service is surprisingly accessible by phone but unfortunately not very helpful - lukewarm coffee according to them is within specifications - so why after all of this do i just want a replacement?They make excellent coffee - and this unit makes excellent hot coffee with a great crema. We have tried other manufacturers and they are not as good. The Syntia is much smaller than our previous models and take up much less room on the counter, but as others have pointed out, as a consequence, the downside is that both the water and grounds drawers have a smaller capacity - this is not a problem for us - we just fill it with water and empty the grounds drawer when we shut it down each day - i am not sure but i think that the water capacity is at least 4 full cups of coffee (much more with espresso) and probably more. we never make cappuccino so i can't comment about that processOverall, it looks great and if it isn't defective, i can recommend it highly

We bought this device as a replacement for a "full bells and whistles" machine we bought in Europe and used in Australia. The voltage thing killed us and we didn't have enough budget to fully replace it. To be honest I prefer spending the 3 minutes it takes to build my own Latte and am even trying to do the foam art... to mixed successes. This machine is solid. It is designed well and aside from our desire to move back up to a full bells and whistles version it will probably last us years.

I love this coffee maker. It brews the perfect cup of coffee every time. Easy to re-fill the beans and operate. The key to this machine is to clean it regularly and properly. This will ensure best functionality and coffee taste. The one I ordered didn't come with the cleaning supplies recommended for maintenance, but they were easy to purchase separately.Pros: fast, easy and great coffeeCons: water can overflow pretty easily from drainage tray.

With this machine you have to preheat your cups and use 2 short draws to get a good cappuccino. The fact that I have to whack the service door to make the sensor think the door is shut earns this machine 4 stars. One other thing, I got frustrated a few times when I drew espresso with no espresso in it so I unscrewed and removed the cover over the grinder that the beans go through, or don't. Now the beans have no problem finding their way to the grinder. The machine now holds more beans and I never have an issue with a espressoles espresso. BTW I don't plan on cramming my fingers into the grinder so that's not an issue.

Makes such good coffee. I had the more expensive Syntia model when I lived in Europe. This makes just as good coffee with slightly less bells and whistles and less $$$$

This is my second Saeco product. I love the easy set up and ease of use. I'm glad I've decided to stay in the Saeco product family.

This is my second Saeco. First one lasted eight years and I was very satisfied with it. It recently developed a leak which was difficult to repair so I decided to buy a new one. Big mistake. New machine is either a manufacturing defect or just very poorly designed.