Great results 2 years running

Author's Rating:

Pros: Quality Built System, Quality Results, Good Simple Design

Cons: As with any espresso machine - the learning curve. Watch tape, make cheat notes.

The Bottom Line: 
Quality is great, results are usually better than store bought. It is SIMPLE once you get passed the learning curve.

Author's Review
I was adding up how much money I was spending on espresso's in a months time and soon realized I should invest in a machine to save money in the long run. Thus began the research for which machine to buy. My brother had a Saeco from Costco and he was happy with it, and I knew that the Starbucks line was from Saeco. All the websites had solid good ratings for the brand in general. Ultimately I chose the Classico because I found one on eBay for $150 delivered - and knowing that they retail for twice that, I jumped on the opportunity. I've had this for 2 years now - my previous experience was with the basic Krups - and use it twice a day minimum.

You gotta buy a machine that compliments your personality - and this semi-automatic is good for those who want a nice balance of control. If your a total control person, you may want a manual machine or a "pro-sumer" - borderline professional but for consumer use. If your a hands-off just give me coffee - then get a fully automatic.

Features that "won" my vote:
WATER RESERVOIR: Holds 80 oz of water, allowing you to go many servings without refilling. You can refill it by adding more water before it empties out, or remove it and fill it up.
BOILER SYSTEM: Allows you to pull shot after shot and froth milk back to back - hardly any lag time in between. It also has a "thermal fuse" that protects against burning out if the boiler runs out of water.
PUMP SYSTEM: Has a 15 bar pump, which is the pressure measurement system used to distinguish a true espresso shot from drip coffee. The pump system is the same found in higher end machines.

Neutral Features:
PRESSURIZED PORTAFILTER: Yes, it does make all your shots look nice. But it only makes it LOOK nice, the fact is that for good tasting coffee you still need: fresh water, freshly ground fresh bean & the right grind for the coffee bean.
CUP WARMING AREA: This is only a benefit if you are using the machine for a long period of time. But for one or two cups you probably will be done before your cups are pre-heated.
ESPRESSO POD ADAPTER: I guess it's like having instant coffee in a tea bag, so all you do is pull the shot. Not my style, but it's nice if you need it.

THINGS I DON'T LIKE/PROBLEMS I'VE ENCOUNTERED:
PRESSURIZED PORTAFILTER - occasionally it will send grounds flying all over the place, this is another draw back to the pressurized system. However I have found this usually happens when I fill the filter too full and do not tamp very hard. This is low on the concern list because it happens like twice a year. Just pay attention when you are removing the portafilter - if you hear a suction noise you better go slowly (like a bottle of pop that has been shaken).
STEAM WAND IS DRIPPY - With proper priming and cleaning maybe this wouldn't happen, but I didn't catch on to the need to clean aka "de-calcify" until a year had passed.

THINGS I LIKE NOW THAT I'VE USED IT:
FROTHING: This baby can froth! I didn't have to use any special attachments to get a huge amount of foam, that had a nice consistency.
DRIP/CUP TRAY - generous in size, which is nice because a lot of water is used in the brewing/cleaning process! I empty mine every few days. Top dishwasher rack safe :)
SOLID BUILD - even the black model is steel! Which is cool - you can put a magnet on it to dress it up.
EASY TO OPERATE:
1) Turn on the machine. When the light comes on, it is ready for you to "warm up the parts". 2) Put portafilter into place and run 2 oz of water through into shot glass. 3) Turn on steam wand to let excess water out. 4) Now it is ready to pull your shot - once you've filled the portafilter with espresso grounds and tamped, just flip the brew switch. This should take about 30 seconds from flip on to flip off. If it runs less you may not be grinding your bean fine enough, or tamping hard enough. Likewise, if it takes alot longer than 30 seconds your grind might be to powdery, and you may be tamping too hard.
CLEANING: After done brewing shots, you'll need to 1) turn on the brew switch and let the hot water rinse out your portafilter. I also put the portafilter back into the machine and let it run for 1-2 oz to clean out the inside of the portafilter. 2) Turn on the steam dial and let out any excess water/steam.

TIPS:
For HOT DRINKS, get your water/milk done first - this allows your cup to get pre-heated, which gives you a better cup of hot coffee. For drinks that will be part hot water, after step 2 fill up your cup with desired amount of water from the steam wand (by flipping the BREW switch and rotating the steam dial open, it will let out a nice stream of hot water.) For drinks with frothed milk, again froth your milk after step 2 (flip on the STEAM switch, wait for green light to come on - then place your container of milk under the wand and slowly rotate the STEAM DIAL. I made and used cheater notes for each desired result, and that really helped to cut down on my frustration level while in the learning curve.

The secret to even better FROTHING (from my brother) is to put your pitcher of milk in the freezer for a few minutes before frothing. It makes the difference between weak bubbly foam to thick foam that you can stand a spoon up in. Also, I've learned if you foam the top 1/3 of the milk first, then do the bottom section when your happy with the foam it works better. Tip: Because the milk expands during frothing, don't pour more than 1/3 of the container with milk.

NOTE:
CLEANING AKA DE-CALCIFYING: Should be done every month or two depending on your usage and how hard your water is. Basically you buy a citrus base espresso machine cleaning solution, put it in the reservoir with about 4 cups warm water. Alternately run water through the brew system, and the steam system (allowing maybe 5 minutes between each pull of water to let the parts soak in the solution). At the last pull I will take apart portafilter and brew head and scrub them with the solution. Then when the solution runs empty you run the same steps with fresh water 2 times.