Why I buy this one ?
- 15-bar pump pressure brews 2 cups in about 35 seconds
- Accommodates fresh-ground coffee or ESE coffee pods
- Thermostats for regulating coffee cycle, steaming process, and safe use
- Large removable water reservoir; no-drip system; VHS instructional video included
- Measures 12-3/4 by 10-1/2 by 13-1/4 inches; 10-year pump warranty

What our customer's say!

"You can do better", I received this machine for Christmas, and it's broken - a valve fell out. I called the toll free number for service, and I have to ship it to New Jersey - and I'm in Illinois!! It made great espresso and capuccino while it lasted, but six months isn't long and certainly not worth the purchase price. It will be cheaper for me to buy another, less expensive model.

"nice when it works", We have this machine at work...the pods work well & we can get good-tasting espresso drinks with minimal fuss. The steamer does seem kinda weak, though. You have to let it warm up several minutes and/or turn the steamer knob FULL on & wait while the steam slowly build up. But anyhow, it's easy to use, and a great alternative to spending [money]+ at [local coffee store]. I'm not a purist, so I love the convenience of pods. And if I were a purist, I would probably hate most coffee shops anyhow.

After enjoying it at work, I decided to buy a machine for home use. However, the water pressure was very poor...10-minute espresso, not good! So I primed it a few times & eventually got 30-second shots, but poor steaming. After letting the steamer run for a minute the steam pressure would be good enough, but then a few days later the unit wouldn't heat up at all. Totally broken. I called the service dept. and they said the thermostat was probably shot. I didn't want to ship them the unit + [money] & have it come back & break again, so I'll try to order a different unit from Amazon.

Bottom line -- when the unit works, it makes nice espresso for a great price. And if you're unsure of your grinding & tamping skills (or you're busy and/or lazy), using espresso pods is great. But it seems like there are quality problems in some of the units, so cross your fingers.

"Don't bother!!", Don't bother with this machine unless you have at least one hour to make espresso! The pump is not strong enough for ground espresso. Also, you can't drip espresso and steam milk at the same time. My recommendation..DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY!!

"Hey, what do you WANT for 70 bucks?", I got my Apollo a couple weeks ago, and I couldn't be more impressed by it. Weak coffee? No way! I'm using the packaged pods and I'm talking perfect espresso everytime! I can smell the valleys of Tuscany with this machine!

Others have complained about the crema filter and how difficult it is to get it apart. If they're talking about the two-cup filter, I can see how that might be true. The small filter holder, however, is made so that you just pop the screen out and have full access to it all. I bought this for my office (I have a Chamonix at home, which I'm totally happy with after more than 18 months), and I wasn't expecting the top quality machine.

I'll say this, however, I got a heck of a lot better espresso maker than I dreamed possible for [the money]! Consider that many disgruntled shoppers return here to lodge complaints--the happy ones are less likely to be looking for a place to vent. The 3/5 stars on this one has be scratching my head.

"Adequate", This machine works if you're just making cappuccinos, lattes, etc., drinks that don't require anything more than steam and a strong coffee substance poured into them. If you drink espresso straight, and actually like it as a beverage on it's own, don't get with-in a hundred feet of this machine. The espresso it produces is only god-awful luke warm brown caffinated water.

I do want to respond to other reviews and point out that the steam arm does turn off after thirty seconds unless you crank the nob as far as it will go. If the green "brew" light is still on while you're trying to steam, then you haven't turned the steam nob far enough.

That's all the defence the machine will get, the espressos's passable if you're going to drown it in milk, and the steam arm works (though is set way too low on the machine, I had to put the machine up on an old dictionary to get it high enough off the counter to put a mug under). Get another machine. This one's just not worth it.

Read this reviews before You buy...

"Follow Up: Is Briel Apollo Made to Break ??? 4 Stars ???", I got my Briel Apollo back from the repair shop last week (warrenty repair) the problem was taken care of in a timely manner. I wast told that a thermal fuse blew (very [inexpensive] to relace I didn't pay anything). The machine appears to be working fine. Although I was told by the repair center that the machine will continuously circulate water to provide steam they couldn't explain why the thermal fuse blew. Also the Briel WEB SITE says the machine can supply "a couple of minutes" of steam (very vague) this is not mentioned in any of the instructions that came with the apollo. To play it safe I would not recommend using the steamer for more than four minutes at a time (maybe less) that is about the same amount of time it took for my fuse to blow. After a few minutes I recomend that you reprime the boiler (heating block ??) this is done by simply activating the pump until you see water come out of the group head (thats where the coffee basket screws on). That is always done anyway between brewings. Considering that the unit brews two espressos at a time this would be adequate to froth two cups of milk back to back perhaps even more I am not sure (I did three tonight with no problems)
But unlike my Briel First Class (an older machine) I suspect it cannot provide almost unlimited steam. So I wouldn't steam too many cups before repriming. Briel should clarify this in their instructions but they don't. If overheating while steaming could be a problem with the apollo they should use an easily accessable circuit breaker instead of a fuse. Perhaps even a steam timer. Or make the shutdown and reset automatic with reset after the unit is reprimed and cooler. Maybe these options are not cost worthy; but Briel please don't let us find out the hard way. Can the appollo provide near unlimited steam I am not sure nor willing to find out. But I will let you know if it blows under normal use. It would also be nice if Briel would CLEARLY define what normal use for this machine is. Other than that, the apollo does make good espresso and lattes for a machine of it's type and price range. I would give this product a five if it could provide plenty of steam time (Can it ????). A four perhaps if it provides merely adequate steam time (it probably does) AND Briel clearly documented these facts. As it is I don't know what to rate this machine. Briel can you help me in that area???

"Would Have Passed But Made to Break (Must Work or a no go)", I bought this machine as an open box return...The Machine looks nice and made good espressos. It produced just enough steam for lattes, any less would not have done. This is the only Briel machine produced as far as I know with a teflon coated aluminum boiler or heating block ??? (the others use stainless steel boilers). It looks nice and it fuctioned well, for a week, then [went] out on me when I had the steamer on. First it stopped steaming then I smelled an electrical component frying (coil or thermostat? Who knows.) then it wouldn't heat again. I asked the service center if the machine had any design issues and if the problem was a burnt coil. I was told the machine is well made and it's probably a faulty thermostat. It is still under warrenty so I sent it out. I am now using an old Briel First Class that I brought 3 years ago (stainless boiler) I had to replace steamer valve recently...but it works good. Will the Apollo last after it's repaired ?????????????????? I will let you know. This would have been a nice little machine if only it worked. When I save up enough money I will buy the Rancilio Sylvia...then I won't have to bother with this nonsense.

"watery brew", We retired our Krups after years of dutiful service and purchased the Briel Apollo for frequent home use. The machine seems well built and reliable, but it failed the real test - making a decent espresso. We found it produced a very watery espresso overall, even after experimenting with different grinds (we don't have a burr grinder, btw). A few other small details were bothersome, like the inability to get anything other than a small teacup underneath to catch the espresso, and a pretty strange system of buttons and indicators to run the brewing process. We ended up buying a Capresso #101 (a bit more expensive and no longer produced, but if you can find one its a good deal) and are very happy.

"BUYER BEWARE!!", I bought the Apollo as an entry-level espresso machine, so I wasn't expecting grand things. However, after about a week of moderate use, the pump seems to have malfunctioned - the espresso now only comes out in slow drips. It now takes about 15 minutes to brew two shots of espresso.

Specific complaints:
1. Poor quality construction - witness the already-broken pump.
2. Even when working, the machine didn't produce hot espresso - I needed to warm it in the microwave.
3. The steaming wand doesn't extend far enough from the machine to allow easy steaming, and (despite the hint given in other comments here) doesn't detach easily for cleaning.

Positives:
1. Price.
2. Good espresso when the pump worked.
3. Produces lots of steam quickly after brewing coffee.

I'd guess from the range of comments here that the construction quality of the Apollo is very uneven. So if you're going to buy one, know that you're probably taking a chance on quality and may have to return the machine.

"GREAT LATTE but must froth milk a while to get hot", Just got machine today and made a couple latte's! Great taste ! My only complaint (on day one) is that it takes a while to get the froth hot (quite a while longer than my old machine). But will give it a couple weeks here to get used to. Overall, it does make a better latte than my old unit. Hope it works well in the long run.

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