Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #155646 in Kitchen & Housewares
- Color: Black
- Brand: Saeco
- Model: 104342
- Released on: 2011-02-03
- Dimensions: 18.00" h x
13.00" w x
16.50" l,
9.00 pounds
Features
- Front access to all features allows you to add beans and water and clean the machine without ever having to pull it out from under your cabinets
- Short or long coffee with one touch, your favorite drink preferences are easily stored with the memo option
- Nine different icons are used on the LED display help to easily identify the functions of the machine
- Adjustable built-in ceramic disc grinder is quiet and features automatic shut off
- Features water filtration, and air-tight and UV protected coffee bean hopper as well as sound insulating technology
Saeco Focus Automatic Espresso Machine
Product Description
Tucked inside the stylish design with clean lines, the Saeco Focus has innovative technology that guarantees pure espresso enjoyment. The Focus is made with premium stainless steel that is then finished in glossy black and chrome that is not only robust, but it also has a modern and stylish look which perfectly adapts to every kitchen d�cor. The Focus combines high-end functionality with sleek design. Front access to all features allows you to add beans and water and clean the machine without ever having to pull it out from under your cabinets. Short or long coffee with one touch, your favorite drink preferences are easily stored with the memo option � made simple with the wide display and its self-explanatory icons. Nine different icons are used on the LED display help to easily identify the functions of the machine. The Saeco OptiDose feature allows the user to regulate the amount of ground coffee beans for each cup to make a mild, medium or strong cup of coffee. The adjustable built-in ceramic disc grinder is quiet and features automatic shut off. Also has a pre-ground bypass coffee doser for that single cup of decaf or trying out a new coffee blend. Steam milk or get hot water with a simple turn of the dial. Turn dial left to create steam to froth milk for cappuccinos or lattes. Turn the dial to the right to dispense hot water for Americanos, tea or hot chocolate. The Rapid Steam feature makes for no waiting between frothing milk and brewing espresso. The Focus also features water filtration, and air-tight and UV protected coffee bean hopper as well as sound insulating technology to provide you with fresh espresso drinks without all the noise. And to help conserve energy this machine has an Energy Safe Mode so if your machine sits idle for an hour, Energy Safe mode is automatically activated. The machine can also be programmed to enter stand-by mode and keep energy consumption at less than 1 Watt per hour.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful.
By C G
This review applies to the steel version as well, except for the aesthetics.The design and layout of this machine has been well-thought out by Saeco. I had a difficult time choosing between the steel and the black version, and ultimately chose the latter because I preferred the contrast of the black and chrome (and it matches my decor better).The set-up of the machine is a bit confusing because there is a small insert paper with instructions that slightly conflicts with the full manual. Perhaps the translation from the original Italian is not entirely accurate. The insert indicated that the supplied intenza water filter must be installed - but this is optional and is not supplied with the machine. So don't waste your time looking for it. Once it is up & running, familiarizing oneself with the meaning of the icons on the LCD is important.Thankfully, Saeco designed the machine with access to the water tank in the front. The spent grounds compartment is also in the front and the beans go in the top. This is important for a compact machine as the potential buyer probably has size restrictions. Some superautos, like the Jura Ena 3/5 have the water tank attach to the back and the Gaggia Platinum I considered has side access.The draw of a superauto is the ability to go from bean to cup with one machine at the push of a button. In this regard, the Syntia performs very well. The bean hopper and water reservoir are small, but if you want any compact machine then this obviously is necessary to retain a small footprint.The espresso the machine produces is quite nice. I choose the strongest setting (3 bean icon) for a dark espresso. I also prefer to produce a double (click twice) rather than a long coffee for a cappuccino so it is not watered down. The machine grinds & brews twice in quick succession when double clicking.I would prefer a more solid feeling (seems to be part steel & part plastic at the top) however it does a surprisingly good job at foaming milk for cappuccino. The foam I've produced is slightly too stiff & aery - but I think it is more a technique issue at this point. Hopefully with practice I'll get just the right consistency between airy & dense. It is also excellent for steaming hot chocolate, Italian style. Just toss in your preferred hot chocolate mix with some added chocolate and a little milk and steam it until all is melted. Go bitter and serve it with some sugar on the side to taste.Clean-up is a breeze. The tray pops out easily. The top comes off via a magnet and you can rinse it in the sink. The water & spent grounds reservoirs pop out from the front easily for rinsing. Wiping down the machine is not a problem.Overall, I've been very pleased with this small machine. It is very easy for anyone to use and you can get great results without much effort.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
By lizellis
There are those purists who swear that a super automatic can't produce the same results as a manual machine or even a semi-automatic and then there are those who just enjoy tinkering around with their espresso machines. This might not be the best choice for those people but if you are pressed for time or just want a decent cup of espresso or a quick latte or cappuccino without all the fiddling, the Saeco Syntia Focus more than fills the bill. I've owned a semi-automatic for years and while I can usually produce a decent shot with it, I've never truly become proficient; they can be finicky little devils. The coffee I've gotten from the Saeco is rich in crema and aroma and is at least as good, if not better. It's also a good deal faster with much less work.The stainless steel Rapid Steam (single) boiler heats up quickly so there's minimal waiting and a very short interval between steaming milk and making coffee. Although the machine is a super-auto, there are some choices that are programmable so you can customize your cup. You can adjust the settings on the grinder if you prefer the grind to be coarser or finer and you can bypass the grinder entirely and use pre-ground coffee if you wish. You can select the strength of your brew from mild to medium to strong. It also allows you to adjust the amount of brewed coffee produced when you press the espresso or the long coffee buttons.The Focus comes equipped with a Pannarello wand for frothing the milk for cappuccinos. Although some people don't care for them, the Pannarello is reputed to be more user-friendly than a conventional steam wand. Just make sure to run water through it after each use and regularly remove the tip and rinse it under running water. I drink more espressos than anything else but I've been experimenting with the Pannarello and find it easy to use. If you've never used one, with just a little practice you'll be able to produce an acceptable microfoam without spraying milk all over your kitchen.The Syntia Focus is relatively compact, so it doesn't take up too much valuable counter space. The actual measurements are 10"W x 16.5"D x 12.5"H although they are slightly different in the product description. Maintenance is simple and straightforward. Pretty much everything that you need to access on a regular basis--the water reservoir, the coffee grounds drawer, the bean hopper and the brew group are positioned at or toward the front so the machine doesn't need to be moved for cleaning or replenishing. Saeco recommends that you remove and clean the brew group at least once a week and descale the machine every 3 months. None of this is particularly onerous and is a small price to pay in order to keep it functioning in good condition.I've really come to appreciate the speed and ease of this small machine and to relish the delicious coffee that it produces on demand.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
By Shane O. Laake
Using a semi-automatic espresso machine (Francis Francis X5), I'm well aware of the craft of grinding the right grind, metering the right dose, tamping with the correct pressure, and using a stop watch and measured shots to fine tune technique. That approach made great coffee, when I invested the time in the process. Sadly that wasn't always what I wanted to do the first thing in the morning. ESE pods sped things up, but really seemed pricey, as does any of the K-Cup systems. Do we have a solution?Yes!Do you have to grind coffee--noDo you have to meter the dose--noDo you have to tamp the grounds--noDo you have to stand around and time pulls--noYou really just set it and forget it. Throw some beans up top, add water on the left, and press a button. Afterward, you empty the drip tray and ground canister on occasion. That rocks! Cappuccino and lattes do require manual frothing/steaming, but that's rather easy to do, and the ample boiler makes that a breeze.Really my only complaints are that the water canister is a bit small (the ability to connect to a water line would rock), the controls, while simple, are far from intuitive, and the machine required a tweak to make a good solid puck (thus affording great espresso). These are rather petty complaints, but at $1000, that's what you get. Bear in mind, the $1000 investment does allow you to use whole beans (preferably top quality ones without too much oil) rather than ridiculously pricey pods of K-Cups. It won't pay for itself anytime soon, but I somehow feel less wasteful. Go figure.Anyway, this machine makes great espresso without the fuss. That's what a superautomatic machine is all about.
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