illy Y3.3 Espresso Machine, Single Serve Coffee Machine, Red

This machine makes a relatively good espresso with its “Illy iperespresso pods”. I love espresso’s but between work, kids, etc., I don’t have time to mess with more complex machines, fresh beans, etc. I needed something that would make a decent espresso quickly and this machine does that. The Classico pods make the perfect dopio sized, classic flavor, espresso and the Brasile makes a smaller espresso with a hint of caramel and chocolate notes. I purchased this exactly 2 years ago (2022) and it’s still running flawlessly and my wife and I use it every day.

I liked this enough that I bought it again for a second home. The espresso pods are bizarrely over-engineered, but the end result is a hot espresso with an excellent crema. The narrow profile means it doesn’t take up much counter space. It’s a great little machine and a good value at its price point. That being said, I would recommend the Intenso pods for espresso, and the Classico Lungo pods of you want more of a coffee. The decaf pods are ok. I found the Brasilia and Columbia pods so bad as to be undrinkable. But that’s just an opinion. The machine itself is excellent and the Intenso pods produce the best espresso I’ve tasted from the field of its competitors, ie Nespresso, etc.

Not sure if I received a defective machine or not, but after brewing a whole 4 espressos over the past week, the machine has started to brew water into the used pod compartment instead of through the espresso pod. I don't know how this is even possible, but that is what is happening. I am using the Iper pods, which are quite pricey. I tried it with a second pod, same issue. So disappointed. I stocked up on a few cans of pods that are now useless to me unless I get another Illy machine. I have an email in to Illy service, and I did register the machine right away, so we'll see how that goes. Based on other reviews, I am not hopeful. I did notice that the machine was incredibly loud when brewing. Don't know if that is normal, so maybe the whole machine was bad to begin with. All in all, a big disappointment right out of the gate. EDITED: I returned the first machine I ordered to Amazon and ordered a second one, since I had stocked up on Illy pods. It was very disappointing to find that Illy customer service never replied to me about fixing my registered machine. Something was definitely wrong with it as this one is much quieter and is brewing appropriately. It makes a good cup of espresso, I must say. However, I hope it lasts because it doesn't seem like Illy customer service is very good.

I love this little machine. The coffee capsules and espresso capsules make delicious coffee products in this machine. It's very easy to use. I also invested in a set of two stainless steel reusable pods for coffee and espresso instead of buying the capsules all the time. I've used the reusable cups a couple of times and have had good results; still playing around with that though. My only complaint is the huge power cable on this machine. It's way too long, plus it's a super heavy-duty cord with a plug that sticks out from the outlet at least an inch more than a regular plug. The cord is very inflexible making it very difficult to position the machine against the wall because the cord won't bend. Because the water container is at the back of the machine, I can't hide the excess cord behind the machine without making it difficult to get to the water container. AND the machine I have is white and the cord is black. This is one of my pet peeves - a white appliance that has a black cord. Other than the cord issue, the machine itself is very satisfactory and makes good tasting coffee and espresso.

I have a nespresso machine, but I want to switch some flavors, so this looks like a good option. It’s about the same price and same size as my nespresso, but there are a few things I like more about this machine. First, I cannot use my nespresso machine to get a quick cup of hot water because of the design. If you don’t put in a capsule, the water will flow directly into the used capsule collector, instead of your mug. I don’t have that problem with this one. Really easy to get a nice hot cup of tea. Secondly, the water tank comes with a detachable lid, so I don’t have to remove the entire water tank every time to add more water. The white machine is also very aesthetically pleasing. There are some cons to this machine, mostly environmental-wise. Illy capsules are recyclable, but the recycling kit is 15 dollars, and you have to purchase that on their website. Nespresso recycles their capsules for free, and the capsules are aluminum, so I guess it’s better than the plastic capsules Illy uses. Nespresso also has a wider range of coffee to choose from. With that being said, I absolutely don’t think you need two capsule coffee machines, but I also cannot decide which one do I like more. I would say, get the illy if you drink both coffee and tea, but nespresso if you only drink coffee.

This little machine does a really good job at extracting a pull. It surpasses the Nespresso in final result quality. The one notable downside is the limited coffee options to Illy pods only. However, with experience, it's not as bad as you would think. Example: Nespresso compatibility pods are a dime a dozen which allows you to explore. However, I've found the upwards to 80% of Nespresso compatible pods aren't that good and some just downright horrible. I have settled on Illy for the Nespresso as it's my favorite. This machine does Illy's coffee better than the Nespresso.

I took a chance, having read other reviews about the machine breaking, but here we are…. For the first 2 weeks, I was pretty happy with the espresso quality and flavor. But it was never quite precise with the amount it dispensed, so once in a while, it would overflow my 2oz cup. And like other reviewers have mentioned, it is LOUD. But then after about the third week, it started to act up and no longer stops dispersing liquid until you press the button again. I discovered this the first time after it had poured all over my counter, unfortunately. I tried to put up with it and just watch it while it dispenses and turn it off, but it also now just makes garbage espresso…no crema, bad taste… So I am returning the machine and not requesting a replacement, despite having a whole container of pods left. I do not recommend this device - my hunt for an espresso machine continues!

This is my second one of these. I love the very small size but it makes perfect espresso. For my lattes, I use a small battery operated frother after heating the milk in the microwave. They rival anything you can get at Starbucks for a quarter of the cost! Now, 2 years later, after multiple descaling cycles, it just dribbles out. Seems like the pumps has failed. I need the small size for my space, but am hesitant to buy another.

Simple, small and effective. Tasty espresso too

El expreso es delicioso!!!