Hamilton Beach 40729 Espresso Machine

Pros: Space-saving design, holds enough water for multiple cups and is easy to refill.
Cons: Espresso is watery, steam wand is too short and doesn't make much froth.

Before I comment on this machine, let me say that I am a coffee geek. I have barristad at a friend's coffee shop in the past, and when I travel, I taste coffee at small shops the entire way. However, I firmly believe in value. I don't spend money that ...

Pros: Easy tasty espresso shots from ese pods (IF a 1.5oz shot does it for you)
Cons: Too many to name! Mainly poor choice for latte, cappuccino. mocha drinks

I learned about this machine on Amazon and after reading all of the (mostly) glowing reviews decided to purchase one locally. I currently have a $45 Krups mini espresso machine. It does an excellent job, steams milk beautifully and I can make great ...

Pros: plenty of crema extracting pressure, makes lattes well, 58mm Portofilter, value packed, deep drip tray
Cons: Short steam wand, Brewgroup too low, reservoir and steam wand leak a bit, weak steam

First off this is no $400 Rancilio, Gaggia, or Saeco espresso maker. It is however the best machine that can be had new for 3 times its price. It is a huge value. It features an 1100 watt aluminum thermoblock heating element that does the job well ...

Pros: Compact size won't hog kitchen. Features relative to price. Save $$$ making espresso at home.
Cons: O-rings holding steaming wand attachment in place broke. Learning curve.

Before I get to the good aspects of the Hamilton Beach Cappuccino Plus Espresso Maker, I'll start off with the bad: I used my Hamilton Beach Cappuccino Plus Espresso Maker [40729] less than six times when the rubber gaskets that hold on the plastic ...

Pros: Might make a nice door stop.
Cons: Life is too short to list them all.

No matter the price, this machine is a not a good value for the money. Never having owned an espresso machine before, this machine seemed to have a lot of nice features. I purchased mine at Kohl's back in Nov. 06 for $80. A week later I found it on ...

Pros: Not many- cup warming area, easy access water tank.
Cons: frothing just ok, WILL NOT GIVE GOOD CREMA!

I had a DeLonghi ec140b and it worked fine- decent crema, decent frothing. It had an accident and I had to find a new machine. Money being extremely tight, I went with this Hamilton Beach machine thinking it looked similar enough but was cheaper on ...

Pros: easy to clean, sleek design
Cons: hard to use, instructions are not easy to read, doesn't come with pots or cups

We have wanted an expresso maker for so long that when we got one for Christmas last year we were extatic.  But after using the machine, we were disappointed.The machine just did not live up to our expectations.  I love cappachino, and ...

Pros: - Well written intstructions.
- Nice DVD.
- Seems very well made.
- Easy to use.
Cons: - It didn't come with espresso cups or a pitcher. I found both at home.

I bought this machine as a replacement for my little Krups that was acting up. The reviews I read BEFORE I bought it were really good. Then I checked epinions AFTER I bought it and was sort of scared.  I was almost ready to take it back before I ...

Pros: Pump driven, steam wand is sufficient
Cons: Very low quality. Steamed milk tastes very strange

I bought this machine about a year and a half ago based on the price (about $70.00 at K-Mart). I figured that for $70.00 I would try it (I held on the to receipt though). We I got it home I was quickly disappointed in the quality. First off, the only ...

Pros: Good inexpensive entry level machine
Cons: Time will tell

I bought this machine at Kohl's on the clearance table without the benefit of ever reading a review on it. Total price was just over $30, so how could I go wrong? After reading a number of reviews and before using the machine, I realized that a lot ...

Pros: Fast warm up time, great results. Great for small kitchens. Came with DVD.
Cons: Mine leaked from beginning, but still gave a great cup of espresso.

Great machine for the money, under $80 at K-mart. Mine leaked water under and around the grind holder. Took it back, made great espresso. The quality of the coffee determined the resulting espresso. I tried 2 brands of beans and found quality does count toward the results.

Pros: Nice and small. Doesn't take up much counter space. Hasn't exploded yet.
Cons: Smells bad. Tastes bad. Makes me angry.

The instructions said to run it a couple times to clean it out but I have made about 25 drinks with this machine and they all taste just as bad as the first -- strong plastic smell and taste. The machine smells like burning plastic whenever I use it. It's just nasty. I could make better-tasting espresso with a belt sander.

Pros: Little counter space, quick, easy, looks good, good cup of espresso and of course price
Cons: It does leaks steam and water a very little bit.

This is my first espresso machine. I have used it for one week straight and have not had any issues. I followed the out of the box procedure for cleaning the machine and did not experience any of the plastic smell or taste of other reviewers. It has been very good so far and makes a good cup of espresso. Very easy to use. The trick I use with the steam wand is to make sure it is cranked up. It heats and froths milk very well. Plain and simply read the directions and this machine will work great for you. Sometimes I read reviews and can tell somebody just plugged it in without reading anything.

Pros: Great coffee, easy to use, little wait time, great results for the money.
Cons: No boiler seen as a drawback by Espresso purists.

Ideally an espresso machine should have a boiler, a 15 bar pump and an Italian name, but if you can't spend upwards of $200 and want quality espresso the Hamilton Beach machine is what you want.

The HB has a 15 bar pump, this is no steam machine (usually you can tell steam machines because they are $30 "Espresso" machines that really just brew very strong coffee). The HB doesn't have a boiler, which is a plus because it doesn't need to take as long to heat up, but some see it as a drawback. Allegedly machines like these can heat water unevenly, but I haven't noticed a difference in taste or temperature.

The espresso that comes out of it is great, I got crema even out of ESE pods. Can be used with pods (surprisingly the Starbucks pods deliver a decent shot) or grounds. Easy to use and clean.

For the same price as less powerful brands pick the Hamilton Beach, but if you've got money to spend check out products by Gaggia ($200-400 new) or FrancisFrancis! (~$600 new).

Pros: small compact size
seemed easy to use
Cons: cups didn't fit in machine
broke after 2 uses

Piece of junk despit glowing reviews all over internet-  Used this machine twice,( got lukewarm tiny cups of espresso, nothing to rave about)  the rest of its life was spent trendily decorating my kitchen counter.  I got a hankering for an espresso yesterday and ta-da! now it won't brew anything at all.  I call Hamilton Beach, and they tell me to run vinegar through it.  I do this and now the lights will not light up at all.  I call back and the representative asks if I have the reciept.  (Sure I have it right here, I just got done moving...I am being sarcastic) So without the reciept I am dead in the water.  They suggest I send it in for "evaluation" at my cost.  Haven't decided if I am going to do this or not.  I may take it apart myself and see if I can fix it.  In my opinion the product was noisy, slow, and not a good value for the money I spent.  I figure it cost me around $20. a serving for the 4 or 5 cups I got out of it before it broke.  I should have gone to starbuck's.