Hi to all out there in CoffeeSnobs world!
First and foremost, I just want to begin by thanking all those who have posted their own experiences and tips on this forum; this place has been an invaluable wealth of knowledge for me as a newbie coffee enthusiast.
Anyway, moving on - having read what others had to say about models in this price range and based on what I was comfortable beginning with; I chose the SAECO VIA VENEZIA.
Whilst waiting for my new Sunbeam 0480 grinder to come in (this week hopefully!); Ive been getting my beans in 120g super fine ground from the local market; only buying 1 at a time every 2 days to make the best of a grinderless situation.
PULL TIME (PRESSURISED PORTAFILTER)
With light tamping (all thats required for the PPF - more on this later!), the shot would start at the four second mark and count through to 14-16 seconds total. Based on YouTube vids and others posts, this was the recommended timeframe to produce espressos on this unit, and I was quite happy with the results - especially for my first espresso machine in the sub $500 category!
PRESSURISED PORTAFILTER:
Mixed emotions about the portafilter. Found it was a great way to produce great looking espressos with a ridiculous amount of crema. But alas it was an empty feeling, as the crema was fake and in my opinion the amount produced was a little over the top. After doing a bit of homework on google and reading others experiences; I decided to experiment with depressurising the portafilter.
Now I wasnt comfortable doing any major modifications to the portafilter (Im all thumbs!), however I came across somone who had simply removed the internal spring (leaving the plastic pressurising contraption in place but not in use) and screwed it back together. As this was all experimental and Id owned the unit for all of 3 days; I was comfortable doing this minor mod without fear of irrepairable damage!
My first attempt showed me I had not tamped anywhere near as hard enough as the shot now began at the 2-3 second mark and finished around the 11-12..
Second attempt I tamped very firmly using the NSWE method (until I can upgrade my tamp - this week too!) and this time got 3-4 second start time finishing at the 13-14 second mark. The result I got was by far THE BEST SHOT IVE HAD SO FAR out of this machine. As far from perfect my technique and experience has been, I can see a marked improvement in the look and texture of the shot. Theres a lite >1mm crema on top (which i much prefer to the fluffy fake crema of before) and the shot actually has a much more defined and noticable taste. The way I look at it though is the more I practise my tamping and once I can upgrade to one that fits the basket perfectly, the shots can only get BETTER from here...
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Feel free to experiment with depressurising the portafilter; at any time should I desire I can replace the spring and return it to factory settings as it were, but so far Im having much more fun and much better coffee without it!
Hope this brief review helps anyone thats currently in the situation I was in! Sorry I havent had a chance to do too much with the steam wand atm; not really my thing. Will update after I have a chance to mess around with it some more!
First and foremost, I just want to begin by thanking all those who have posted their own experiences and tips on this forum; this place has been an invaluable wealth of knowledge for me as a newbie coffee enthusiast.
Anyway, moving on - having read what others had to say about models in this price range and based on what I was comfortable beginning with; I chose the SAECO VIA VENEZIA.
Whilst waiting for my new Sunbeam 0480 grinder to come in (this week hopefully!); Ive been getting my beans in 120g super fine ground from the local market; only buying 1 at a time every 2 days to make the best of a grinderless situation.
PULL TIME (PRESSURISED PORTAFILTER)
With light tamping (all thats required for the PPF - more on this later!), the shot would start at the four second mark and count through to 14-16 seconds total. Based on YouTube vids and others posts, this was the recommended timeframe to produce espressos on this unit, and I was quite happy with the results - especially for my first espresso machine in the sub $500 category!
PRESSURISED PORTAFILTER:
Mixed emotions about the portafilter. Found it was a great way to produce great looking espressos with a ridiculous amount of crema. But alas it was an empty feeling, as the crema was fake and in my opinion the amount produced was a little over the top. After doing a bit of homework on google and reading others experiences; I decided to experiment with depressurising the portafilter.
Now I wasnt comfortable doing any major modifications to the portafilter (Im all thumbs!), however I came across somone who had simply removed the internal spring (leaving the plastic pressurising contraption in place but not in use) and screwed it back together. As this was all experimental and Id owned the unit for all of 3 days; I was comfortable doing this minor mod without fear of irrepairable damage!
My first attempt showed me I had not tamped anywhere near as hard enough as the shot now began at the 2-3 second mark and finished around the 11-12..
Second attempt I tamped very firmly using the NSWE method (until I can upgrade my tamp - this week too!) and this time got 3-4 second start time finishing at the 13-14 second mark. The result I got was by far THE BEST SHOT IVE HAD SO FAR out of this machine. As far from perfect my technique and experience has been, I can see a marked improvement in the look and texture of the shot. Theres a lite >1mm crema on top (which i much prefer to the fluffy fake crema of before) and the shot actually has a much more defined and noticable taste. The way I look at it though is the more I practise my tamping and once I can upgrade to one that fits the basket perfectly, the shots can only get BETTER from here...
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Feel free to experiment with depressurising the portafilter; at any time should I desire I can replace the spring and return it to factory settings as it were, but so far Im having much more fun and much better coffee without it!
Hope this brief review helps anyone thats currently in the situation I was in! Sorry I havent had a chance to do too much with the steam wand atm; not really my thing. Will update after I have a chance to mess around with it some more!

Hopefully youre genuinely on the path of looking for the perfect coffee and not just flogging a brand name 
- But lets not go there
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