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No problems with maintaining he machine. I've used the F9 unit for going on four years and really like the machine. Functions very well. Products very good bean to cup results. Only drawbacks are small water reservoir (we enjoy many coffees and must constantly refill it) and small whole bean container.
I have had this machine for 1 year and with regular maintenance my husband and I both know we can expect an excellent cup of coffee every morning. It works great to make the occasional latte but the coffee it makes is consistant and full bodied.
It knows exactly when to clean itself, or tells you when to start the cleaning cycle. Do yourself a favor and buy one. In any event, I don't think Williams Sonoma still has that same open-ended return policy. So, I figured that if ever I had an issue, I could just return it to my local Williams Sonoma and get a replacement rather than returning the machine to the factory and waiting.
To clean it, all you do is insert a tablet in the coffee powder drawer and it does its thing. Here's how I rationalized payment for such an expensive indulgence: if you figure a Starbucks costs approx. This machine paid for itself in the first year.easily. I have had this espresso machine for nearly two years now, so I know all of its "quirks" and benefits/issues. For some reason, lower fat milk froths better every time; second, be sure to clean the frothing nozzle after each use. It took us several days of research and at least a couple of weeks to build up enough nerve to spend this much on a freakin' coffee machine, but I have to say, this machine has become my new best friend in the kitchen. This is an added bonus for purchasing this machine.
Well, with the automatic counter on my machine, I have made more than 1600 cups. Third, there are two settings on the frother, and you can change the setting by sliding the sleeve on the frothing tip up or down. Kind of a no-brainer, I know. $3, and you buy one everyday (which I was), it would take 600 cups to break even. Turns out I did indeed have to do this once for an electrical issue, which was actually an issue I had with the wiring at the outlet--not the machine afterall. Experiment with this and you will get the perfect froth, really.5) As for the beans, we don't use overly oily beans as I have read that they can cause a build up and make the machine tough to clean, etc. I believe the "Illy" brand that comes in the metal tin is supposed to be too oily. Bottom line, if you just pay attention and clean the machine on a regular basis when it tells you to, this is a no-brainer machine.4) The coffee and espresso are great.
ok, so now that you're past the issue of paying so much for a coffee machine, here's more.3) This machine is crazy smart. In fact, since we have a water filter built into our refrigerator, we just use that filtered water in the coffee machine and therefore we don't need to use the expensive water filters. As for issues, I honestly don't have many. I feel compelled to write a review since I relied so heavily on these reviews when making this purchase.so here goes:1) After much research, I purchased the F9 at Williams Sonoma, primarily because they used to have a policy that you could return anything, at any time, if needed. As a result, we use this for tea and hot cereal all the time.
Others may have a different experience, but we just use whole espresso beans from the grocery store.6) Believe it or not, this machine heats up in about 90 seconds, if not sooner. I guess the only things that bug me are the fact that I have to remove the drawer from time to time and dump the water which is ejected after each use. Sad, but true. Some people complain that the frother doesn't work well, but here's the trick: first, you should use non-fat or low-fat milk. Be sure to research the return policy wherever you make your purchase.2) Overall, I have to say I absolutely LOVE this machine.
Fortunately, when it does 'stick,' it gets stuck on the setting I use, so it's not a huge problem.Net-net, I highly recommend this machine. It knows when it needs water, when the filter needs to be changed, etc. I've learned to make a latte just like Starbuck's and I haven't been back since. I have learned to keep a black coffee cup under the spout so that it collects the rinse water and i just dump it as needed.The only other issue I have had with the machine is that the touch screen sometimes works and sometimes 'sticks.' I've tried cleaning the face, washing my hands, but sometimes this just doesn't work right. Enjoy.
I just purchased an F9 from 1st Line Equipment and have not received it yet, but.I sent an email to the Jura Capresso company asking for info about the product. In less than 24 hours I had a long and detailed message on my answering machine from the company describing the machine, and they are sending me a complimentary video. I don't even have the machine yet but have already had great customer sevice.
I've had an F9 for about 4 years now and have used it almost daily with no problems. Not expecting much, off it goes. Have been using it for two months now and it works like new. Assuming it just needed to be cleaned I dug-in and quickly discovered I was in over my head - I can fix most things, but this machine is complex and quite a piece of engineering. expensive, but great product that is reliable and serviceable. I've not had a lot of success with repairs of this type, but thought I'd give it a go before it became junk. Recently, it had become so sluggish something had to be done (intermittent error code). Arrives back at my door in about a month.
I stuck it back together and made a call. Repair center tells me $250 bucks fixes anything, they pay all shipping (we live in Hawaii and shipping can be an eye opener). So. I'd do it again.
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