Coffee Gator Espresso Machine, Quick-Brew Espresso Maker with Milk Frother & 1.3 Liter Removable Water Tank

being such a coffee lover. I wanted something that would fit on my counter and still provide the convenience and quality of a great espresso. this compact espresso machine has truly exceeded my expectations in terms of performance, design, and ease of use. Despite the small size, the Coffee Gator Espresso Machine, Quick-Brew Espresso Maker with Milk Frother & 1.3 Liter, has an impressive performance. the water reservoir is easy to fill and access. the high-quality heating system provides a rich beautiful crema layer. I can brew a single shot or a double shot the espresso always comes out with a perfect balance of boldness and smoothness. It has been easy to use, with the control knob to adjust the settings from steaming to coffee. the removable drip tray makes it easy to take out and clean up. this has been a hassle-free brewing machine that is small and mighty. The price was within my budget compared to other espresso machines which is one of the other reasons that I have decided to purchase this one. I do not need to purchase a larger one at all. I am super satisfied with my purchase.

This little thing has been a workhorse since I purchased it in July 2022. It's consistent and provides good espresso. It has been reliable and quality. The wand froths really well. I've not had anything negative to say about it. This morning, the wand stopped working and I'm thinking there's an issue with the pump. I got nearly three years of good mornings from this machine. Would have loved a few more years, but I'll take what I got.

After a couple weeks using this machine (and purchasing some key low-cost upgrades), I'm managing some properly good shots and finally making nice drinks. Here's how I managed to take this machine from "meh" to "heck yeah"!First, it's important to understand that these types of machines are practically disposable. Realistically, they tend to run into issues after a year or two, so this is not a "buy it for life" kind of appliance. Build quality is on par with a classic Keurig. Nonetheless, this particular machine looks nice, holds a decent amount of water, and has a narrow profile on the countertop, which I like.Despite being a budget-friendly machine, I was initially very disappointed in its performance. I couldn't dial in a good shot with either of the included baskets and the portafilter was often leaking once under pressure.The first thing I figured out is that you have to turn the portafilter all the way to right to get a good seal and prevent leaking. This means turning the handle well past "center" as you insert it. I still had some minor spurting at first, but after 4-5 uses, the seals settled in nicely. Also, it's important to clean the gasket underneath between each shot to remove any leftover grounds, especially if you are not using a screen (more on that below).The second major improvement I made to my workflow was to preheat the head group before each shot. This unit comes with 2 baskets to hold coffee grounds, one single and one double. Whichever basket I am not using immediately, I place in the portafilter and run 1-2 ounces of hot water through the machine. This preheats the entire brewing group, which results in far less temperature loss when pulling the "real" shot soon after, leading to much better extraction and improved flavor.As for add-ons, these are the ones that made the biggest changes to my shots:First, I replaced the included plastic tamp/spoon combo with a proper, heavy metal 51mm tamper (this one: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09H2H7QJ9). You don't need a fancy spring-loaded model as they provide no real benefit and tend to wear out quickly. At the end of the day, the key is to tamp your grounds until they are as compressed as possible (trust me, you can't really over-tamp). The solid build and weight of the tamp I chose makes this easy to do. Plus, it fits the included baskets WAY better than the plastic monstrosity that came with the machine.The next major improvement was using a good quality 51mm stainless steel screen (this one: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BZS1FY19). This little gem sits on top of your puck after tamping and immediately solved the issue with excess grounds getting into the seal area. It also resulted in longer, more consistent pulls with more even water distribution. In other words, less mess, drier pucks, and better tasting coffee overall.The only other purchases that I recommend considering right away are a 51mm dosing funnel (especially for getting 15-16g into the larger basket without a mess) and a proper frothing pitcher if you intend to foam milk (I purchased this one: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BXF9672).With this revised workflow and these inexpensive add-ons, I am able to get coffee stand quality shots from this budget machine! Even my wife, who is much pickier than I am when it comes to the flavor profile of coffee and espresso, has been enjoying the drinks I make her with this machine. So, the machine gets a "3" on its own, but manages a solid "4" with the improvements noted above.As far as grind size and dosing amount, I'm having great luck with 8g in the small basket and 15g (16g if I'm careful) in the large basket with a grind on the coarser end of the "espresso" setting on my grinder (Baratza Encore ESP) using relatively dry, medium-roast beans.Speaking of grinders, if you don't have a decent grinder that will give you consistent grinding results, that should definitely be your first purchase right after (or even before) buying this machine. If you're on a budget, quality hand grinders are available for $60 or so right here on Amazon.All in all, I'm happy with the machine for the price. The question that remains to be answered is how durable it is. I'll update the review if/when I run into any issues. But, for now, I can say this machine is a recommended buy!

I've had the Coffee Gator for over a year. It made prett good espresso and was a decent little workhorse around the kitchen.Lately, I've had a lot of leakage around the main gasket. *This is standard maintenance for any espresso machine.* Every espresso machine needs this seal replaced at least once a year.I've been able to pull mine out and cannot find any information for how to replace it. I have contacted their service group; the result has been several vague emails with no follow-up.I repeat: this is a standard repair. There has been zero effort made to make sure that this is useful past a year. *Any* other maker has these supplies easily accessible to purchase. It's like buying a car with an unreplaceable oil filter.

As a former espresso business owner, I have an idea of what espresso machines can do. With that in mind, after I sold my business, I decided to look for "non-professional" machines that could make good espresso. I've tried many machines. This machine is the best I've found so far for the following reasons: 1) It allows you to decide how long to pull a shot. 2) It allows you to decide how hot you want the milk. 3) Frothing milk is very easy with this machine. 4) It's the best "hand crafted espresso" (for the price) that I've seen since I sold my business in 2012. 5) The instructions are very clear.If you're NOT familiar with espresso machines, many on the market now are "semi-automatic" and pretty much do everything for you (grinding, pulling shots, etc.). They are also very expensive. The more automatic they become, the more expensive they are. So, if you're looking for a good basic machine that will pull decent shots and allows you to hand craft your own drinks, this is a great machine for the price. My only complaint is that when I put the portafilter on, you have to hold the machine so it doesn't slide around. The portafilter is not the highest quality but that doesn't matter as much as other features that are good.