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Reviews (1)
22 April 2011
5 Stars, GREAT deco styling, perfect espresso within 15 minutes!
1 of 1 found this helpful I bought a refurbished Sirena over the Internet from SeattleCoffeeGear.com. I paid $269 & it came with a 1 year warranty & free shipping. There are 2 other lower end semi-automatic Saeco espresso makers available either NIB (new in box) or refurbished in this price range - the Aroma and the Via Venezia. I chose the Sirena because it was produced to replace my old model, the Starbucks Barista Athena, which made excellent espresso twice a day for 7 years before it went to heaven.
The Sirena allows you to program the size of the shot (as does the Athena) whereas the Aroma and Via Venezia do not & have to be stopped manually by pressing the brew button. The Sirena is set to default to 1 oz shots with no programming required. It is set up & ready to brew within 15 minutes of opening the box & produces excellent shots just like the Athena. It comes with a metal housing - a big plus since the newer models contain more and more plastic & there are 2 58mm baskets included for the portafilter so you can draw single or double shots either manually or automatically. Drawing manual shots gives better coffee so the Sirena can grow with you as you become more proficient in the art of drawing perfect shots. For manual shots you'll need a coffee tamper which are available at terrific prices right here on eBay. The steam wand on the refurbished Sirena is an upgrade from the Seattle store and produces micro-foam. The water tank is also an upgrade from the original. Check out the Seattle website for replacement parts and to familiarize yourself with their trade-in policy - you may be able to save some $$ by sending them your old machine.
Another great addition to this model is the 90 minute auto shut-off which many semi-automatics do not have. Like many other espresso makers the Sirena steam wand also dispenses hot water so you can make hot tea or any other hot beverage or even instant soup.
So, these are the reasons I bought the Sirena and why I gave it 5 stars! Another excellent Saeco espresso machine!