Odea Giro Plus Super Automatic Espresso Machine

I own one of these (bought it back in June) and I have not looked back. A great machine, a great investment if you looove coffee. The price is very good here, and I can vouch for the quality through and through. I live in Canada and bought up here at CDN prices, so this should definitely be attractive to a bunch of wootfolk.

Not very often. I clean out the drippy tray a bit whenever it fills up (which is frankly, often, but that is really the only thing that needs doing often on this machine and just involves dumping water out), and of course dump the grounds pucks (which are a really really good growth medium for mushrooms if you do that kind of gardening). I pull the whole mechanism once a week and clean it, give the whole thing a good wipedown whenever I feel like it, and of course, run the descaler whenever it recommends it (which has only been once so far since June). I bought a stainless foaming pitcher and the stainless foaming attachment because I wasn’t sure how long the plastic would last, and that’s been a good investment as well - easy to soak if needed (although I don’t let milk sit there on it).

It comes with a tube of the appropriate lubricant for the big mechanism and again, only had to re-apply about once or twice. It’s hearty stuff and doesn’t come off easily.

As far as iced coffees go, we just make a lot of ice and add sugar to the hot coffee and … dump it on ice/ice milk. Not too hard. :wink: It has a strength selection from one to three, and it will make doubles no problem, you just push the button twice.

Anyway, I love it and drink far too much coffee as you can probably tell from the length of this message, but I just wanted to say it’s a really good machine.

I am sure you were just trying to be funny, but Super-Automatic is actually a class of espresso machine

(taken from Espresso machine - Wikipedia)

Machines that have pumps, sensors, valves, and grinders to automate the brewing process are generally referred to as automatic.

Semi-automatic use a pump rather than manual force to deliver water. The remaining brew pressure in the basket is released via a three-way valve.

Automatic machines also automate the brewed volume (hence indirectly brew time). They do this by adding an in-line flowmeter to the grouphead: when the programmed amount of water has passed through the meter, the pump turns off. Grinding and tamping are still manual.

Super-automatic machines automatically grind the coffee, tamp it, and extract the espresso shot. The operator only has to fill the bean hopper and, if the machine is not connected to a water line, add water to a reservoir. Some models contain an automated milk frothing and dispensing device. Super-automatic machines take away the ability to manually tamp and grind the coffee, which may affect the quality of the espresso.

Thanks Schtimps … that helps a lot!

Now I just need to figure out where I am going to put it on my counter :slight_smile:

TheDesi wrote:
$399 for an Espresso Machine?
What the…? For Four Hundred bucks I could fly to Italy and back and drink it in the country that invented espresso.

Oh me too, me too! Bags are packed, let’s go! I’ll even buy the first round of espresso…

With coffee house prices averaging between $4 and $5 each time I stop (without anyone else in tow, mind you) this would easily pay for itself in under a year…I just wish I had the extra four bills laying around right now!

Glad to help! I found a nice corner spot for it to hide in. I got the orange colour one so I don’t hide it toooo much. :wink:

I don’t have room for this behemoth in my kitchen! Hmm… maybe in the bedroom.

That was one of our big worries… I mean, do we really drink enough coffee, would it really be that price efficient, but it certainly has turned out to be that way. Two of us in the house drinking $8 of espresso a day if we don’t get anything extra at the stores, vs. a $12-15 bag of beans every couple weeks, not including honey and milk. It’s definitely been good for our budget in that way, not just in random coffee outings but when we are out, we know we can bring dessert home and have the coffee we want without adding another big splash on our bill.

Bathroom! The latest in conversation pieces for your visiting company!

How easy is it to make a latte (froth milk)?

I have had the Costco version of this machine --the ODEA GO – for two years in my office. I have made thousands of cups of espresso and almost every cup comes out perfect.
It was difficult for me to give up my previous machine, a beautiful chrome Pavoni for this hulking box, and harder to give up on the idea that espresso should be work. But whatever this machine lacks in beauty compared to the Pavoni, it makes up for in that it just makes a better espresso.

Forget Amazon, where are the Coffee Geek review links?

Oh! Here they are:
http://coffeegeek.com/reviews/consumer/saecoodea

Alright ladies and gentlemen, I will give you the lowdown. I just returned the up-model of this (Talea Touch) to Costco and bought the Saeco Vienna for about this price. My Costco does not carry these, only online, and the online price is about $100 more.

This makes mediocre espresso that is more convenient than my Rancilio Silvia, so I settle. We would use it to make our two american size mugs of cafe crema each morning before going to work.

The coffee is acceptable, better by far than the Vienna. There is a knob on the front to control water volume and coffee volume. You can hit the button twice and it will do a double- you will need a double. Find the water/coffee ratio you like that fills your cup half way and then leave it alone and do a double each time.

There is no by-pass doser, so no decaf espresso for you. The water reservoir and bean reservoir are insanely small and I would have to refill it after our two mugs in the morning. They are so small that it sort of eliminates the convenience of the super-automatic nature of the machine. Every 4th time you pull a shot you have to do something (so you may as well do everything). It may say that the dregs tray holds a certain volume of pucks but we found that it considered itself full (and it doesn’t pass go if something is amiss) way sooner than we would have called it full. It also considers the water to be empty when there is about 4oz left in the bottom.

By far the most annoying thing is that it would do a “flush” and spew a couple of ounces of boiling hot water out unpredictably. Sometimes when you went to pull a shot it deemed itself in need of a flush, sometimes not- so keep a something under the spout. This also uses up your water.

We ditched the upmodel b/c it was $800ish and didn’t turn itself on and off on a timer as described. We bought the Vienna b/c the water reservoir and the bean hopper are bigger, since we needed convenience more than quality.

This does have an hard on/off switch so you can plug it into a wall timer for convenience.

Having owned an Odea Giro for going on 3 years, I, too, would shy away from this deal. And don’t assume my timidity comes from a lack of knowledge about how it works - I’ve had it in pieces on the workbench many times.
Several times it has refused to do anything until I used an air compressor to blow out errant grinds. I’ve replaced the O-rings in the steam valve at least thrice and it’s currently leaking again. Often, I must hold the steam valve (manually) while the thing brews or it shuts down and wastes the fresh grinds by dumping them in the waste bin. I’m a technically handy guy, but this thing is not easy to repair and it WILL need repair. All that said, it makes great espresso and it will impress your friends. But don’t get too caught up in its superautomaticness; it’s more hands on than its hefty price would imply.

eat a doodoo pie Amazon! A 400 coffee maker? You have lost your gd mind!

I’m finding myself on the fence with this deal – wouldn’t bother me much if it sold out.

At the moment, I’m running a 5-year-old Breville Espresso Roma (Amazon $250) which makes 2-4 shots a day, and has been rock-solid. Good crema, a little bubbly, but the flavor is right.

My concerns with the Saeco are the tuning/repair issues that some mention, together with the question: given that I already get a decent shot from the Roma, how much more does a super-automatic offer? I’m not sure the sexiness and jealous looks from friends are all that worth it.

Not as much doodoo as you might hope: remember, Amazon now OWNS WOOT. :wink:

Or is that what you meant?

Hey, I paid twice as much for my high end Saeco, and even that was half price.

I have owned one of these (not the exact same model, but it is very similar) for about 2 years. This thing is great. The Rapid Steam is an upgrade from the bare bones model, and is necessary if you plan to make steamed milk drinks. If you don’t have this option you must wait several minutes after steaming milk before you can make coffee. As for the bypass doser, this does not have it and this is also an upgrade. Tough to find a machine with rapid steam and a bypass doser for under $800. This is a great price for this machine, and I have not had any issues with mine, although you must be diligent in cleaning the brew group as well as descaling when the machine indicates it is time. Also a good idea to use filtered water.

The machine is programmed to clear the pipes with a spray of water every time you turn it on if it has been off for more than 1 hour. This helps lessen the number of manual cleanings and means that you should always keep something under the spout.