No where can I find a picture or any info on what type of soft pod ?or capsule to use.

This machine makes adequate espresso but the worst feature is the steam function. it is completely useless, you only get 90 seconds of not very impressive steam which means you can't heat a jug or even a mug of milk, & have to wait for it to reboot. Very frustrating & not very impressive if you are entertaining & making coffee for several folk. Also the steam wand is very fiddly to clean afterwards & I had 2 blockages from milk in wand in the brief time we used the wand. This was never a problem with our previous machine ( Gaggia ). We eventually gave up using the steam & heat the milk in the microwave then use the espresso from the machine just poured in. I would avoid this machine at all costs unless you like being very frustrated and drinking lukewarm latte.

This machine makes adequate espresso but the worst feature is the steam function. it is completely useless, you only get 90 seconds of not very impressive steam which means you can't heat a jug or even a mug of milk, & have to wait for it to reboot. Very frustrating & not very impressive if you are entertaining & making coffee for several folk. Also the steam wand is very fiddly to clean afterwards & I had 2 blockages from milk in wand in the brief time we used the wand. This was never a problem with our previous machine ( Gaggia ). We eventually gave up using the steam & heat the milk in the microwave then use the espresso from the machine just poured in. I would avoid this machine at all costs unless you like being very frustrated and drinking lukewarm latte.

I purchased this as a Christmas gift for my folks but have made plenty of coffees with it myself. At the time of purchase there were no reviews but now there's a few being left and there seems to be a common theme amongst a lot of them regarding the overflow tray. And yes it does fill up with water every time even after making a coffee for one. It's annoying. The build quality isn't brilliant either. Looks better in the pic as it's a mostly plastic construction. The coffee is decent though and the milk steamer does its job quite well. In retrospect, though, I probably wouldn't have bought it and should've maybe researched the market a bit more.

This is a well made machine that does not take up too much room on the kitchen worktop and looks smart in its piano black and silver finish. Even though the majority of the machine is made from plastic it does not feel flimsy and, so far, has operated flawlessly.The reasons that I have not given it a five star rating are as follows:• This is a one-trick pony, it makes Espresso coffee.• It is fiddly to use and even more so to clean. The initial cleaning cycle takes around ten minutes to complete.• There are two nozzles from which the coffee pours (even when using the one-cup filter) and you need the liquid to start flowing before you know exactly where to place your cup.• Each time that I have made a cup of coffee the drip tray has filled with water and so needs emptying regularly.• There is nowhere to store the filter holder when not in use. It sticks out some 10cm from the front of the machine, so it regularly gets knocked.The bottom line is that I find this machine takes quite a lot of faffing around to make a 50ml Espresso whereas my Tassimo can make a wide variety of hot drinks in much quicker time and is far more convenient.

I have and use a De’Longhi bean to cup machine regularly but I wanted a smaller machine for my home office so was excited to try this. I don’t think it’s worth the money as the results aren’t that great, and you have to empty the drip tray after every use really. A big disappointment as I had always wanted to try a Krups machine.

I have owned quite a few home espresso makers over the years, so feel as though I have some experience of what's good or bad. Firstly, I had a look through the various Amazon listings of similar machines made by other manufacturers and this product seems to be sold at a much higher price point.

The Pros:

* A handy size; the footprint doesn't take up too much countertop space
* The machine looks stylish
* There's a handy storage nook in top of the unit to store the other filter and the scoop
* The steam wand is thinner than usual and made of metal, not plastic

Cons:

* The drip tray really floods; I've had to empty it a few times and this is only my initial use
* There's no sprung loaded catch on the portafilter, so one cannot use a knock box and when emptied, the hot filter comes away with the grounds
* The crema isn't great, which always tends to mean that the pump's not powerful enough
* The coffee tasted a bit off; I am, however, prepared to give it a few more tries though as it is new

In conclusion: I doubt that I'd part with my money for this item; it performs like a £30 own brand machine. That said, It's early days and I'll make another coffee tomorrow to check whether it improves with increased use.

I have owned quite a few home espresso makers over the years, so feel as though I have some experience of what's good or bad. Firstly, I had a look through the various Amazon listings of similar machines made by other manufacturers and this product seems to be sold at a much higher price point.The Pros:* A handy size; the footprint doesn't take up too much countertop space* The machine looks stylish* There's a handy storage nook in top of the unit to store the other filter and the scoop* The steam wand is thinner than usual and made of metal, not plasticCons:* The drip tray really floods; I've had to empty it a few times and this is only my initial use* There's no sprung loaded catch on the portafilter, so one cannot use a knock box and when emptied, the hot filter comes away with the grounds* The crema isn't great, which always tends to mean that the pump's not powerful enough* The coffee tasted a bit off; I am, however, prepared to give it a few more tries though as it is newIn conclusion: I doubt that I'd part with my money for this item; it performs like a £30 own brand machine. That said, It's early days and I'll make another coffee tomorrow to check whether it improves with increased use.

Overall as you might expect from the German giant, I've owned Krups before and the build quality is up to their standards. This was 2ndhand so missing some (unneeded) components, and had a European 2 pin round plug on it - luckily I found a travel adaptor to convert it to UK 13amp square pin. A delicate hand is needed switching on, and it seems to spew out a lot of water into the drip tray - switching back to vertical from the right to make coffee sends the steam pump into overdrive, corrected by briefly switching to the left (steam) and back again. This may be an electronic fault with this unit, though the troubleshooting guide lists this as a "feature" requiring regular emptying of the drip tray. Compact size fits nicely into my small kitchen and the crème is smooth and bubbly. Grind the beans a little finer than you might for a stove top percolator for best flavour, I would give it 4 stars but for the flooding issue.

Bought this as a Christmas present assuming it was for the UK market as no indication otherwise, but have just been informed that when my relative opened the present, the plug is not compatible for the UK and so useless until she can buy an adaptor. Very disappointed.