****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I'm no espresso officionado, but my husband and I enjoy our coffee so we decided to get an espresso machine that wasn't too pricey and try it out. It took a bit of practice and You Tube watching, but we are satisfied with our morning "espresso-ccino". We enjoy a little cream/froth in our espresso.What I have learned: if you move the machine around on your counter by holding onto the back water tank IT WILL Leak. So, don't do that.I froth first, bleeding off steamy water before frothing (watch videos), then turning off froth button and allowing temp to cool enough for coffee (usually cools enough after frothing and priming pump again) . If it's too hot, coffee will sputter and leak around the filter.Getting the right grind is important. Mine is between fine and medium. We have a separate grinder for that.The lower tray can be removed to make a bigger cup of cappuccino.Keep watching videos and practicing. This is a good espresso machine, not great. Don't expect perfection.Lucky to get near steaming temp...Pressure cup leaks at front top seal after a few seconds of brewing,runs down handle, out past drip tray, onto desk...First couple brews produced nice dry pucks, but from then on has liquid standing on top of grounds...Messy to dispose.Update: Leaking from PortaFilter has stopped, just needed to settle in and 'seat' after a few months of use, I guess. I'm tempted to give it 5 Stars, as I've gotten used to going and doing something else while I wait for the boiler to heat up. I'd like to get a naked-portafilter for it, and I've contacted mfgr - no word back yet. Was really an awesome addition to life at the homeless shelter and the staff enjoyed the occasional pull I did for them, after 9 months I'm now in an Apartment, and YES! I brought my Espresso machine WITH! Wouldn't know what to do without my shot in the morning.. lolUpdate (12/30/21):Must be a language barrier @ Gevi...After 3 eMails they finally understood my very plainly worded questions about a bottomless portafilter and the capacity of the measure 'spoon' they sent with the unit. I wish people would simply answer the questions asked, instead of trying to morph it into something else so they can answer with a 'scripted response' that does NOT directly answer the question, but only confuses the issue...They do NOT offer a Naked-Portafilter...They do NOT mfgr Pod-Adapters (which I did NOT ask them if they produced)...I don't appreciate having to repeat myself twice or thrice in order to get an answer.(end of review - no more updates)The Gevi 5403 is a fantastic way to learn and gauge if you wish to continue making espresso. As a note before making espresso I do allow the boiler to bring the machine up to temperature for 20 minutes. First of all the heating gauge is set low compared to where the light indicators are, meaning that for example if the device is on standard espresso mode the arm of the pointer will not quite reach the espresso cup, but the machine will be ready. At proper temperature with fresh coffee this produces a beautiful crema on the espresso and doesn’t burn it. As a pure espresso machine, this device is great!However, for milk steaming, it does take longer than expected to get up to temperature (add a dash of sugar to the cup you are playing the espresso into to keep the crema from collapsing). When on espresso only mode, the pressure doesn’t push all of the water through (not unusual in a manual model), make sure you place a vessel beneath when heating to milk frothing temperature as pressure will build and place the remaining water through the portafilter, I recommend doing this before knocking the portafilter regardless.For milk frothing, as with any low boiler device, it’ll take a minute, place a different cup beneath the nozzle to get the excess moisture buildup out and allow it to come back to pressure. Sometimes it takes two cycles to properly froth the milk (using whole milk). The nozzle is convenient for storage, but I do wish it was longer to accommodate pitchers larger than 12oz with 4oz milk properly.Overall this is a great device to learn on a see if you’re interested in making your own espresso drinks at home, but the quality is expected for the price point.OK, really, what would you pay for a decent espresso machine?... 3x, 5x, 10x times? So, getting a dry puck is a bit of a challenge (dry puck? - go online to discover) - hint, it helps if you relieve some of the pressure on the steamer prior to your (espresso) pull. But even if you don't pull a dry puck, you can achieve a great espresso pull. Good idea to have a couple of double walled insulated glass/plastic espresso mugs so they fit under machine side-by-side @ 5.4-ounces ea. (order separately). You'll also want to test your grind (another research online). And the type of pack (pressure) for your pull... It takes some practice, but after some experimentation I finally got a decent pull with a nice foam extraction. It's an art form. And note that the button for the steamer does not have an indicator light, so be aware that it's in the out position when pulling your shots, or your water will be to hot. Once done, I always clean inside the drip cavity and the steamer stem. Aside, only drawback for me was that for some reason my package lacked the plastic scoop/tamper. I instead bought a higher quality metal tamper and steamer frothing container.Go forth and make some good crema'!
