It's everything I wanted in an espresso machine

Author's Rating:

Pros: Great espresso, easy to use, great froth, great bargain.

Cons: The warmup time, short frothing arm, need to take plastic base out for larger cups.

The Bottom Line: 
This is a steal of an espresso machine. The price was great and it performs like a pro with very few low points.

Author's Review
I had been making espresso with a Moko expess for quite a while and when it came time to make a change, I studied for months for a machine that was inexpensive yet versatile. The Bar32 came at a GREAT price ($30! on Ebay) plus it works every bit as advertised. First, it doesn't make that much noise. The reviews here had me thinking that it was going to rival a jackhammer. Actually the most noise was from the plastic lid banging against the reservoir. Push it down and voila! minimum sound. I'm still testing the 30 min. recommended warmup time. I've done it in less time with no ill effects as long as the green light comes on and you run a bit of hot water into your cup w/o grounds until the OK light goes off, first. Next the espresso tastes great with a great crema. It's fairly easy to clean up. It was confusing how to make a double shot. The manual had me thinking that I needed another filter, but all that had to be done was tamp more grounds into the existing one. The plastic built-in tamper is fine for evening the grounds and I've had no problem putting harder pressure on (30 lbs.) I do worry whether it will break with constant use, however, so I'm going to buy a nice metal one for the pressure tamp. The one problem that I've gotten around is the short frothing arm/wand. I have two frothing pitchers, the largest being 18 oz. To fit it on without spilling the frothed milk, I have to move the machine to the edge of the counter. The froth, though, is great and I have no problem micro-foaming to make latte art (although I need practice) even with the turbo nozzle on (the arm is so short that it is mandatory that you keep it on). The plastic base/cup platform works well for smaller or wider cups, but even my cappucino cup is clumsy unless I remove it before using, which is really no problem at all. Cleaning up is no problem. I have seen no real leaking yet but I took the advice of another reviewer and leave the reservoir on and fill it in place.

This is a really great machine! Pick it up if you want a real deal!