GE Profile - Automatic Espresso Machine with 20 bars of pressure, Milk Frother, and Built-In Wi-Fi - Black

I have had this espresso machine for about two weeks now, and I have enjoyed it greatly. It was quick and easy to set up, and you can be drinking your first cup of espresso, café Americano, or whatever within minutes. The steamer is easy to use as well, and making something like a cappuccino is simple. All the coffee varieties I tried tasted very good. I used whole espresso beans from a well-known national coffee franchise. One thing to keep in mind is that you need to put a cup under both the coffee spout and the steam spout both when you first turn on the machine and when you go to make steam. When the coffee maker is first turned on, it does an automatic “rinse” of the plumbing, and, without warning, water comes out of both spouts. Not a lot, but enough to catch me by surprise and put a small puddle of water on the floor. One think I particularly appreciate is the ease of cleaning. You put the beans in a compartment on top and set the grind level to your liking. As the machine makes coffee, the beans get used up, and the grounds end up in a waste compartment accessible from the front of the machine. The machine indicates when it’s time to empty this waste, and it takes only a few seconds. I find myself not wanting to have used grounds sitting there overnight or whatever, so I take a few seconds and rinse out the waste compartment after every use. Like many appliances today, this one has wifi capability, and you connect to it using the GE SmartHQ app. I’m not sure how valuable this is because there’s not that much you can do that you can’t do from the machine itself except make changes in the default volume of the coffees produced. For example, you can change the amount of espresso produced from 1.25 oz. to 1.0 oz. or 1.5 oz and do similarly for the café Americano as well. Once you’ve done this, though, you’re not likely to need to do it again, so, again, what the advantage is of having a wifi connection to your coffee maker is somewhat lost on me. But like I said, every appliance that runs on electricity these days seems to include wifi capability, whether it really adds any value or utility or not. Overall, though, this machine makes very good coffee very simply. That’s what matters.

When I think of Espresso machine manufacturers, GE doesn’t naturally come to mind. I associate GE with appliances and automobiles. In the end, it doesn’t really matter who is manufacturing the machine, as long as it makes a really good espresso/coffee drinks, then it’s a winner. What caught my eye was the design of the Profile. From the front it looks quite compact. When you view it from the side, you realize that it’s not that compact after all. In my situation, I had the Profile set up in my home office since I already have a conventional espresso maker in the kitchen. The material of the body is a nice piano glossy finish. It makes me think that it’s going to be a non stop finger print magnet.  What you get out of the box are the coffee maker obviously, a drop tray, a milk pitcher, a scrub brush, some cleaning tools, and inserts. After giving the major components a quick clean and rinse, it’s time to make the some coffee. The pro of something being compact and smaller than its count parts is that it fits in tighter spaces. The con is that you find yourself refilling the necessary items to make the coffee. In this case, since I have coffee quite often, I found myself refilling both the hopper and water tank quite often. Also, it’s actually not as compact as the front of the machine would indicate. Still, not as large as a conventional espresso machine. As with most technology devices these days, there’s an app that you can pair with the espresso machine because why not. The app allows you to customize your coffee and grind. The Profile itself has presets that you can press to get some of the basic espresso drinks. One of the best features of course is the built in grinder. One can see that this is probably why the machine is quite hefty. You have the hopper which holds the beans and the grinder. The whole beans stay fresh in the hopper. (I did a silly test by closing the hopper and doing my best to detect the scent of the beans, and surprisingly, I could not, meaning that the cover does a great job of sealing in freshness). Once the espresso is made, the compact espresso grounds are ejected into the small collector. You simply dispose of them and that’s it. Now for the coffee itself. Would I consider myself a coffee snob? Somewhat to yes… I stopped drinking drip coffee a long time ago, my French press hasn’t been used in almost five years, and got rid of my pod coffee maker two years ago. It’s either an espresso machine or the pour over method for me these days. I will say this about the Profile, it makes a pretty good espresso. Choosing the right grind setting and temperature is the key to getting the best balance and flavor, and the Profile comes very close to more expensive machines out there; my own included. The milk frothier attachment isn’t something that has ever thrilled me as separate device or as an attachment on a machine, and this is no different. It’s there for people who want a cappuccino, or a mocha, or whatever, but for me, they always go unused. It does an adequate job getting the milk to be foamy, but not as foamy as you would see at your local café. All in all, it’s a great machine that delivers great espresso, easy to clean up, and looks good. The nitpicks are that the plastic tabs that keeps the handle of the water tank attached to the container is quite flimsy, and the hopper is quite small.

If you are searching for an espresso machine that is appealing to the eye and makes an impeccable cup of Joe, then the GE Profile Automatic Espresso Machine should be on your radar. While a bit on the pricier side of things when it comes to at-home brewing systems, the GE Profile Automatic Espresso Machine works extremely well. One of the things that I enjoy about this machine is that it is truly automatic when it comes to making espresso or Americanos. All you have to do is keep the bean hopper full of coffee beans, and the machine handles the rest. DESIGN While pretty basic, sitting on the counter as a large black rectangle, the machine is minimalistic in appearance and looks nice. When turned on, its appearance is immediately upgraded when the touch-sensitive buttons appear and the light ring around the main pour spout turn on. When the machine is actually dispensing your drink, there is a light that shines under the spout into your cup, so that is also pretty cool. I'm not really a fan of the glossy front surface because it develops swirls quickly, even when using the included cleaning cloth. The rest of the matte black appearance on the top and sides does not really leave finger prints, and overall looks nice. I wish there were stainless steel accents, or perhaps a plastic silver or graphite design option. It would perhaps provide additional flare to this espresso machine. OPERATION The GE Profile Automatic Espresso Machine is very simple to use. All you have to do is keep the water tank filled with water, keep the coffee bean hopper filled with coffee beans, and have a cup ready to be filled. There are a series of touch-sensitive buttons along the top of the machine that light up when its turned on, allowing you to select a setting. The light ring on the pour spout lights up in an array of colors to let you know what the machine is doing or what it needs (see user manual for legend on what each color means). By default, you can select Espresso, Americano, "My Brew", Steamer, and Hot Water. The first three come out of the pour spout, where the steam function (for milk-frothing) and hot water both use the steaming wand. The My Brew option works in conjunction with the SmartHQ app where you can access other types of espresso drinks, including Ristretto, Doppio, Triple Espresso, Red Eye, and Lungo. The app also allows you to adjust the default grind and volume settings for the Espresso and Americano buttons. DISLIKES The steaming wand does not seem to position all the way to the left often, so when the machine is first turned on and it goes through its rinse cycle, if you're not careful, the steaming wand will do it's thing and spray water everywhere. The reason is because the wand is not all the way to the left for the ejected water to go into the drip tray. Instead, it hits the top of the drip tray, causing the water to splatter/spray everywhere. I thought it would improve, but after a month of use, I still have to try to push it all the way down to ensure it doesn't make a mess. While not exactly a big deal, it is still somewhat annoying. This could largely be avoided if the drip tray was entirely a grill instead of just two openings under the main and steaming wand spouts. As large as the machine is, and seemingly lots of empty space inside, specially the interior drip and waste container trays, I feel like GE could have done something different to make more efficient use of space to allow for a larger water tank. If doing nothing but espressos, the water tank will suffice, but if you are pouring larger amounts of Americanos or something like that, then you will always be needing to fill the water tank. I still have not mastered the art of figuring out pour size. I continue to play with the settings, but I wish it were easier to specify the specific amount of output for espressos and Americanos. While the SmartHQ app does help a bit with the espresso setting, I have still yet to completely understand the specific Americano output setting. I need to get a measuring cup and play with it some more to find the right setting. LIKES/OVERALL CONCLUSION What I like most about the GE Profile Automatic Espresso Machine is that it looks attractive and uses coffee beans to create a delicious cup of espresso-based drinks at home. It is a far better solution, and more eco-friendly, than pod-based systems from like Kureg and Nespresso. There are other machines in the market at this price range that provide a bit more up-front beverage functions without having to use an app. Be sure to shop around before coming to a decision. With that said, I am happy with the GE Profile Automatic Espresso Machine, and I am positive you will be as well.

>> Overview The GE Profile Automatic Espresso Machine (with 20 bars of pressure) is the first coffee machine I’ve ever owned which I can say extracts the taste and aroma of your coffee beans to the highest level, it produces some of the best tasting coffee I’ve tried. I think it is mainly because of the pressure it is applied while brewing. I would give the device 5 stars just because of this, I am in awe of how good the coffee tastes (even if I add more water or milk to it). You can prepare espresso or americano, and even set your own preferred preparation, plus it comes with a frother to add steam and extra water if needed. The default settings for espresso and americano and for the other options work just fine for me; however, you can customize all of them using the Smart HQ App from GE, which is one of the first things you’d want to do to get the best results. - Pros: automatic, easy to operate, espresso and americano options, frother, customizable with App, high pressure, space saver. - Cons: none so far. >> Set up and first use The espresso machine is heavy and comes tightly and securely packed. It can easily join your other devices on your kitchen counter as it is slim (it has a space saver design). After unpacking the device, it is worth copying the Wi-Fi password that is on the back of the device as you’ll need it later (if you are placing the device where the back is not easily accessible). Next, follow the quick setup guide that comes in the box, but make sure you follow the first-use sequence properly, I mistakenly went from step 1 to 5 directly (browsing vertically), so I got to power the machine before replacing the water tank with water. After placing the water tank full of water in the espresso machine, and before powering it up, make sure that the frother is pointing down to the drip tray or have a container ready to hold a few blasts of water that come from the frother and spout, as the espresso machine automatically rinses soon after being turned on. When rinsing, the “Rinsing” light will come up, and don’t be fooled, it’ll take about 25 secs before you are surprised with a blast of water and steam. I wet the tablecloth because I had the frother pointing away the bottom drip tray. This would be my only complaint, and it is my opinion that the device spills a little too much water/steam when rinsing and with the frother pointing a little to the side, it can create a mess (well the manufacturer knows better). After having it all in place, place some coffee beans on the machine, choose the grinding size, and start preparing your first espresso! >> GE Smart HQ App Although I was fine with the default configuration and mode of operation of the device, I was expecting some other buttons to customize griding time and volume, and so I feared it lacked customization capabilities; well, I noticed the “My brew” button with a Wi-Fi label on it and I thought that maybe there was hope. Indeed, you can customize the machine settings using the Smart HQ App from GE. Using the application, besides being able to change the default values on the buttons, you can choose your own special coffee preparation. I should stress, get the App for your device as soon as you can to configure the machine to your needs. In my case, I have only changed the “My brew” option and I have left the other ones intact as I think GE did a good job at setting the defaults (at least for my taste). The only curious thing that happened during the Smart HQ App setup was that it took a while to configure and connect the device (it was three tries before it was able to connect/detect the device). I would say to just follow the instructions in the App (and you’ll need the device’s WiFi password at this point) and in a couple of tries, you should have access to the Espresso machine and its settings. The software is neat and easy to use, and I have even applied one update to the device in the few days I’ve been using it. >> Dark or lighter roasted beans I mostly use dark roasted coffee beans for all my coffee preparations, I like my coffee to be strong, flavorful, and aromatic. The GE Espresso machine is by far the one device that has been able to extract that flavor and aroma from those coffee beans that other devices have not. However, I read in the GE Espresso manual that it is not recommended to use only oily coffee beans that usually come from darker ones as they will adversely affect the lifetime of the espresso machine. Given my experience with this device and the recommendation provided, I don’t mind exploring lighter roasted and less oily coffee beans (experiment with new flavors and aromas). >> Finer or coarser grind There is a mechanism in the bean container that you can use to adjust the griding size. I would have thought that having a finer grain was better than a coarser one, but I found that at least for my dark roasted beans, medium size brings the most taste out of it. I plan on experimenting with other bean roasts and grind sizes in the coming weeks. >> Other observations - The temperature the coffee comes out is hot but not too hot. If you are the kind of person that wants very hot coffee, you’ll need to microwave it (or add boiling water to it). - Although I haven’t cleaned up the machine yet, I am glad it comes with its own cleaning supplies. - The Disposal tray and box need to get emptied and cleaned somehow too frequently, although there is some space left on the Disposal Box, the machine will notify you that you need to empty it. - The frother doesn’t really point directly to the hole in the drip tray (it is a little rotated to the side), so you have to be ready to have a container or with your hand force it to point downwards when the machine is rinsing. This has been one of the only couple of inconveniences I’ve found with this device. - Be careful when moving the machine when it is on, it is easy to press the top buttons and spill some water on the table/counter. Perhaps having the buttons at the front would have been a better idea? - When using the steamer, make sure you wait until the light starts flashing, also, have the steamer point downwards since it rinses a little bit.

I continue to have problems with this product. I purchased the first 9 months ago. In September I couldn’t open the drawer with the grounds. Best Buy couldn’t open it either so I got a replacement. Now I’m having software problems. The machine automatically runs a rinse everytime it’s turned on (which is really annoying btw). Now the rinse doesn’t stop and empties the water container if I don’t keep my eyes on it. Plus, I’m unimpressed with the quality of the espresso even though it’s always coming from fresh ground coffee. I’d pass on this on for sure

TLDR: (that’s Too Long, Didn’t Read) A few design quirks mar an otherwise nice machine. Overall, it works as described and makes great coffee beverages. Pros: * Attractive overall design. * Easy to use but relies of memorizing light sequences to understand what’s going on. * Easy enough to refill water and coffee beans. * Easy to empty used coffee grounds and waste water. * WiFi setup works and the app is useful for setup but not essential otherwise. Cons: * Need access to front (obviously), top and left side of unit which makes placement tricky. * App is required to set up “My Beverage” mode to something other than Ristretto. * Notifications are not as useful as they could be. * Water tank is a bit cumbersome. * A bit noisy when operating. Details - Setup: Removing the unit from the box was a pleasant surprise - there’s a lifting strap that surrounds the product so you can pull it straight up and out of the box without fear of it dropping on the floor. Setup was easy enough with few parts to install. Once it is assembled and plugged in, you just add water and beans and make your first cup. If you want to get fancier and adjust the grind timers and water amounts per drink, you need to get the unit on your WiFi and connected to the phone app. This was fairly straightforward but wasn’t the easiest I have seen. I did notice that settings I changed in the app sometimes didn’t “stick” in that you’d change a setting, exit that menu and see that the change you made wasn’t there. Details - Typical Usage: The buttons are all capacitive, backlit and on the top front edge. You turn the unit on and it preps itself for making a coffee beverage… Be careful not to put a cup under the spouts yet, though, as it will probably rinse both spouts with leftover water that is intended to go in the drip tray and not in your cup. Another thing to be really careful of is that the hot water/milk frother spout rinses, too, but at a significantly higher pressure than the coffee spout. This frother spout can be manually rotated to the right to make it easier to froth milk in your cup or the provided pitcher. If you don’t return that spout to *perfectly* vertical, it won’t be aimed into the respective hole in the drip tray and will splash hot water all over when the machine runs its rinse cycle. I had to get in the habit of making sure that spout is aligned with the associated drip tray hole before turning on the machine to avoid the splash. There is an attractive light ring on the top of the coffee spout. It is colorful and animated, but the purpose of them is not 100% obvious. You probably will need to read the manual a few times to remember what each pattern means. A small LED display with words and/or icons would have helped a LOT instead of just a light ring. At this price point, I wouldn’t think a small display would be out of the question. A nice touch, though, is a bright white led under the spout to illuminate the inside of your cup as the coffee is dispensed. I really like this so I can see what’s going on. For example, an “Americano” brews and dispenses an Espresso first, then the internal machine ejects the coffee grounds and runs another 4ish ounces of hot water through the same spout to dilute the espresso and make your typical cup of coffee. This whole process seems like two separate back-to-back brews and if you catch the machine between, you might pull the cup before it’s done. The light helps you see that the cup isn’t full yet so you can give it some more time to finish. Details - Typical Maintenance & Refills Adding coffee beans is as easy as you’d expect; just pull off the lid and pour in the beans. The water tank is kinda odd, though. There is a freely hinged top lid that pulls the tank up and out of the body of the unit. The water tank fits in one direction, but the “fill to here” line is printed on the back side of the tank. You might think that it would be printed on the front in the same orientation as you would install it. The WiFi and App enable notifications like when the water tank needs a refill. Since the tank is fully enclosed in the machine’s body, you would otherwise have to lift the lid and remove the tank to check the water level. The app will send you a push notification when the tank needs a refill, but there may not be enough water for your last cup before you get that notice. I prefer being able to see the water level visually, or at least getting that push notification early enough that I can be assured that my cup will have enough water to finish. By the way, I seem to get two separate but similar notifications when I pull the water tank to refill it - perhaps this can be fixed on the server end? When it comes time to empty the used coffee grounds and drip tray; both are easily accessed from the front of the machine. The drip tray magnetically attaches to the front and is easy enough to pull off and rinse in the sink. The used coffee grounds are dumped in an internal bin that you get to it by sliding a drawer out the front of the machine. I have another competing espresso machine with a similar layout and like this machine’s implementation a bit more. Conclusion: Overall, this espresso machine makes some seriously good coffee beverages. It is generally attractive on your countertop and its nice to not need expensive and wasteful pods. Typical maintenance and refills could be easier, but it’s not a deal-breaker. The app is moderately useful but not essential after initial setup. There are a few odd design choices that mar an otherwise nice product. While this is not a perfect machine, competitor units are much more expensive so this is actually not a bad value for an otherwise good machine.

I love coffee, so I decided to try this product when I had the chance. The unit is sleek and has a very modern look, and although it takes up a bit of counter space, it doesn’t have an overly huge footprint, especially given that it’s storing and grinding beans. Setup was straight forward, mainly just removing packing/shipping material, putting the drip tray in place, rinsing/filling the water reservoir, adding beans and selecting the coarseness of the grind, and plugging in the power cord. Everything was fine until I turned the power on and the unit went thru its rinse procedure. During this step, heated water is passed through the steam wand as well as the coffee dispenser. I hadn’t noticed the steam wand on my unit wasn’t pointing straight down, but was instead pointing a bit to the right, so when the water was expelled, instead of it passing through the hole in the drip tray directly beneath the wand, it hit beside the hole and splattered all over the counter and stove top. I tried straightening the wand, but since I thought I’d break something, I contacted GE support and was told to twist the wand to the left until it was in the correct position. I’ve done this repeatedly, but the wand slowly wanders back into the ‘askew’ position over time. The wand rotates out to the side of the machine for easier use, and kind of locks when it gets to the max position, so I would think the same would hold true for the ‘home’ position. Other than that one issue, the machine works great, and the coffee it makes is very tasty. The control buttons are all located along the top edge of the unit and illuminated white once the power is on. You can select either Espresso, Americano, or you can set up your own customized settings to deliver a specified volume and strength. Once a drink is selected, there’s a colored light ring on the coffee dispenser that gives visual feedback as to what’s happening and how much time is left to completion. There’s also an led under the dispenser that allows you to see the mug. I found this helpful if the kitchen wasn’t fully lit in the evening. Cleanup is surprisingly simple. The used coffee is held in a removeable bin behind the drip tray, and both are easily removeable as is the steam wand. The brewer itself is accessed from a panel on the left side and is held in place with locking tabs that are easily depressed to allow the brewer to be removed for cleaning. I’ve been enjoying experimenting with different grinds, amounts of water, and steamed milk, trying to find the perfect cup. Overall, I’m quite pleased with this product. It’s attractive, doesn’t take up a ton of counter space for the functions it provides, and it makes great coffee. The only nit I’ll pick is with the steam wand. If you’re charging north of $700 for your product, with all its bells and whistles, why not make sure something as simple as a water outlet pipe locks in the correct position? As it is, the machine is still a solid 4 out of 5, and I’d recommend it for anyone looking for an espresso machine.

Pros Compact design Clean look with buttons that disappear Simple after setup Consistent results Quiet Works with large cups Can be improved with software updates Sealed bean Hopper Built-in cup light Water tank works perfect for GE refrigerators Good quality milk froth Cons Doesn’t work well darker beans Limited grind selection No grinder bypass No easy way to clean grinder No easy way to empty beans Can run out of water mid brew Cannot be set above 198° Awkward angle of steam wand Not stainless steel like the rest of the Profile line Design The GE Profile Fully Automatic Espresso Machine has a sleek black minimalistic design. The unit has made an almost entirely out of black plastic with a matte finish around and a glossy finish in the front. The only stainless-steel part is a covering of the steam wand. While attractive, it seems a bit of a strange design choice considering the rest of the GE Profile line is stainless steel. Controls are touch sensitive buttons hidden underneath the plastic on top. When off, only the power and Wi-Fi button are visible. Other options, such as status and brew buttons, only light up when needed. The water tank is removable and fits perfectly inside the water dispenser of a GE refrigerator. The coffee bean hopper has a seal to help keep the air out, slowing oxidation of beans. On top of the brew head is a color changing status light that shows you the status of the brew. Beneath the brew head a light that turns on when brewing allowing you to see the brew in process Setup and Performance While the unit can be used straight out of the box, it is best to set it up in the app. This allows you to fully configure the machine and install updates. In fact, shortly after setting up the device an update was available that added new features, improved brew quality, and fixed some quirks of the way it operated. Hopefully GE continues to improve it further. The app currently allows you to set different settings for temperature, grind time, and brew volume for each type of brew. The machine has a dedicated espresso, Americano, and a custom My Brew button. The My Brew button allows you to assign one custom brew such as a Ristretto, Doppio, Triple, Red Eye, or Lungo. While it’s nice to see the app allow more customization, it would be nice if GE added a little bit more flexibility. For example, brew temperature maxes out at 198° and on most settings only has two temperature options. If possible, it would be nice if there was an option to go up to as much as 204°. Sometimes after brewing at the max of 198° the coffee is lukewarm after adding creamer. This makes for a perfect temperature to drink immediately it does not allow much time before the coffee becomes too cold to drink. While not marketed at coffee connoisseurs, some may so find it worthwhile. Espresso might not be as strong or full bodied as from experience barista, but the results are still very good with little more than the press the button. Once you have your settings dialed in, the results should be consistent and enjoyable for those times when you just want a decent espresso with little fuss. Admittedly, the steam wand is awkward to use and feels a bit cheap, but the froth it produces is good quality with micro bubbles. Strangely, after using the steam wand you must move it back-and-forth several times in for it to properly upright again and point into the drip tray. One nice feature is that if you have a GE fridge, the espresso machine water tank fits perfectly in the water dispenser of the fridge. The bean hopper is easy to fill and has a seal to slow oxidation of the beans, so they last longer. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to empty the beans and no bypass if you would like a single cup using different beans. Not a dealbreaker, but not great for those who love to change brews regularly. Inside the bean hopper is the grind size adjustment. In usage, the finest grind setting always produced the best result and the machine never struggled to extract the shot properly at this setting. Possibly the only exceptions are dark roast beans and beans with a flavor added that creates a sticky coating on the beans. This causes the beans to stick while feeding in the grinder and result in poor shot quality. Once you figure out which beans and settings work best for you, most of the time having an espresso or Americano is as easy as pressing a button. Probably one of the most underrated features is how quiet it operates. Anyone who’s ever been in a coffee shop knows how loud the machines can be. This machine, even during grinding, is barely louder than some regular coffee machines. No need to wake the rest the family to have your favorite fresh ground morning brew. It’s also far easier and simpler for guests to use. Beyond underrated features GE didn’t seem to even market other functions. For instance, with the steam wand it can make cappuccinos, espressos, and flat whites. Almost nothing is mentioned in any of the materials and no instructions are given on how to create these drinks. This could be easily remedied by adding how-to videos on their YouTube channel and possibly adding them in the app. While this machine does take a lot of the guesswork out of the process, it isn’t without quirks. For instance, the low water sensor stops the early when there’s enough water to finish. Hopefully a software update can fix this, but currently, it might stop the espresso shot before completion saying add water when enough is left. After filling, it will continue even though it’s been sitting causing the shot to taste off. There is also a sensor that indicates when too few beans were ground into the shot, but so far that has not been triggered even when no coffee was ground. While not a dealbreaker, it does take away from the smart aspect of this machine slightly. Maintenance is straightforward. The machine lets you know it needs to be descaled or grounds empty. Most of the time all you need to do is pull out the tray and dump it in the trash. Occasionally, it may require more thorough cleaning with the included cleaning brush. However, the brush doesn’t get all the debris. There is a spot that the brush can’t clean, and you can’t quite reach with your fingers that collects grounds. Sometimes it prevents the waste tray from going back in. This is easily fixed with a handheld vacuum and crevice wand, but GE should include a better cleaning tool or design the space slightly different. Final Thoughts Overall, the GE Fully Automatic Espresso Machine removes a lot of the complication out of espresso. If you wanted a simple way to have more of your favorite coffee shop drinks at home without adding too much complexity this machine might be a great fit. Just be prepared to look beyond the manual if you would like to take full advantage of this machine.

This espresso maker makes yummy espresso and the frother is great! I love that you can froth and warm your milk separately on its own setting. The milk frothing pitcher is a perfect size to make enough frothed milk for a few cups of coffee. The coffee spout can move up and down to adjust to your coffee cup size. It will not move high enough to adjust to the oversized coffee cups I own but I’m okay with that. The coffee grinding settings is easy to adjust and I love that the instructions briefly explain what the grind settings mean. When I first got an espresso maker a few years ago, there was no explanation on what the numbers mean so I had to look it up myself. Not really that big of a deal, but it is helpful to know. I made about 5 cups of espresso and 5 americanos and had to clean the coffee reservoir once and fill up the water reservoir twice. That is not bad since I won’t make espresso daily but a few times a week or when it gets warmer, and I make iced coffee at home. I love that there are not buttons, the top part lights up when you plug in the machine to show where you need to press to make espresso, americano, steam, etc. It fits perfectly next to our coffee maker on our coffee cart and does not take up much space. The instructions were easy to follow and the machine to get up and running.