Saeco HD8911/47 Incanto Classic Milk Frother Espresso Machine, Black

So after 8 years and over 5,000 shots of Espresso it was time to upgrade my first SAECO Super Automatic espresso machine the ODEA Go. It was a pretty basic machine and worked great so I knew from past experience that SAECO makes a quality product. After a lot of research and reading a lot of reviews I decided on the Incanto with fully automatic carafe. This machine has exceeded all of my expectations!! While I drink mostly Espresso and Espresso Lungo shots, I wanted a machine that automatically made milk based drinks for guests. This thing makes all the drink and does it well. It is very easy to operate and clean, and is built solid and has a sexy appearance (compared to my old basic machine). This was quite a step up for me, but the basic operation of the machine and brew group is the same for all their machines so I should have many years of use. This complaints I see from others I think would all be eliminated by using a quality coffee bean and not oily ones either. The 8 years and 5,000 shots in my old one without a problem were because I used Lavazza, Italtian coffee beans I order right here on Amazon. I NEVER had a problem in 8 years with anything clogging or malfunctioning, so do yourself a favor and use good beans (and FYI Starbucks doesn't always = good beans if they are "oily"). So finally this Incanto has many features, grind adjust, strength adjust, temp adjust, and you can also individually program each drink for quantity IE your espresso can be 2 ounces or 4 ounces, and your cappuccino can have more or less milk, etc. And you can make 5 different drinks with just the touch of a single button. I have experience with the super automatic machines and I'm here to tell you this one is a winner.

Expresso machine worked on and off for a few months. Finally stopped working grinder would grind beans and still say bean hopper was empty and would not dispense any coffee. Called Saaeco Support had to send machine in to be repaired. Machine was gone for over a month and returned to me "REPAIRED". The machine had the exact same problem it did not make even 1 cup of coffee. Called and emailed Saaeco support. Got a response that they had sent my case to a higher up. After another 3 weeks I got a response from stating that they would not give me a refund. That if I wanted to continue I would have to send the machine back in to the service department. They did not fix it the first time. Why should I trust them to fix it this time. Sent an email requesting to speak with a manager. I have gotten no response. In short I now have a 800.00 paper weight. DO NOT BUY. I will not buy anything from PHillips Saaeco again.

Overall this is a great machine for the price. It replaces the older Saeco Incanto Rapid Steam. However this machine does not appear as well build as the older model. More plastic parts, flimsier doors etc.One thing that I can't figure out is how to adjust the grinder setting because as soon as the door opens, the grinder stops. I got around it by using a small toy magnet to fool the door switch. But nothing in the manual indicates this design flaw.Also because beans fill from one side and water from the other, a convenient spot for the machine is hard to find where both sides need access.The brew group seems robust and appears similar to all Saeco designs. The screens have larger openings which make me wonder if there is sufficient pressure to properly extract all the coffee from the beans. And since the lower screen is not removable, I wonder about cleaning.The large dregs hopper is great and the tray catches the drippings well but I still see some debris on the counter below the machine. Not sure what is overflowing.The bypass chute for ground coffee is terrible. The small round opening makes it difficult to put coffee in and spillage is inevitable. Its integration into the whole bean hopper makes for potential cross contamination. And makes it less convenient for that single afternoon decaf coffee.Good part is that it's quiet, warms up quickly and makes a nice cup of coffee as well as a good espresso that exhibits excellent body and crema.All super automatic machines have quirks and this one has a few but overall I like the machine (for the price). Would not have paid the $999 retail price if it was not on sale.

I had no luck with getting a creamy cappuccino. Tried even to mix milk with cream. The milk Frother only mixes the milk with hot water, dilutes the milk and hardly any foam.This is a new machine with about 2 times used. All is cleaned and in good order.Tried different milk - same thing.No where near as the nice pictures in the sales brochures.

It leaks SO BAD. I made 3 measured cups of water (4 cycles) and I measured 0.3 cups of leak water (that is 10% leakage for what comes out). Plus there is a little leakage every time started to clear the lines. Every time I dump the coffee pucks, 6-7 cycles, i have to dump the water; and there is over a cup. It is a little quieter than the prior Saeco model I had but the cycle time is about 15% slower. The beans do feed better than the older model, but they still don't feed from the front side of the hopper; you have to push them over to the grinder. I had the prior model for about 4 years and I thought this new generation would be much better but that is not true. I think it is mixed overall performance and certainly not an upgrade. I would send it back if it wasn't such a hassle.