The i-Joy makes a visually quite appealing impression. A beautiful red decorates the front side, otherwise a lot of plastic in black and chrome look. The water tank is attached to the back, which makes it inevitable that machine does not have press stand on a wall, do not want to use persistent they are. Bottom right rear of arrival you is off, which makes it necessary that the machine on the right side has enough space to the next wall. Higher up, is a hot plate so that the coffee does not come in cold cups. This heating plate is not adjustable or turn off. It is heated, no matter whether you want to use them or not.
The panel consists of three keys that are given all the commands. Whether you want one or two espressos, smaller or larger Cappuccini or latte macchiato or hot milk or make trigger the cleaning function, the three buttons are all that is. Either you press one of the buttons once or twice or three seconds. So are nine functions. Before you start you have to when the water tank is filled and the machine is preheated, place the filter holder in either ground coffee or a pad. The filter holder is then used, which requires a certain effort. If there is to be a drink with milk, and the milk container must be used filled. If no milk container used, most of the functions are simply not available. It happened to me that the milk container was not used sufficiently strong then can neither be nor cappuccino latte macchiato trigger. The machine brings but no message. Then you have to come themselves.
Likewise, a lack of any evidence that the water tank is empty or that the machine would be cleaned. That's one of the big differences to a (much more expensive) KVA. There is nothing but it is also evacuate and no grinder, which would be cleaned.
I'd like to mention that there is a second drip tray with support grid when smaller cups (like espresso) used. If this higher area not in use, it is simply pushed away. This is a good solution. For the portafilter three screen inserts are included. For a cup / a pad, for two cups / two pads and Special ESE pads. Frankly, the commercial pads are simpler and cleaner alternative, even if you then logically can draw in the varieties only on a limited selection. We switch between starting powder and pads.
The result is the present time in order, particularly as cappuccino and macchiato especially a latte terms. The former is lagging behind that of the Saeco a little, the bar, however, is actually better. The milk froth is not quite as strong as in the Saeco, but still of sufficient consistency. When Espresso I still experimenting. Now I myself am not an avid coffee drinker, so my macchiato easier for the assessment of coffee, cappuccino or latte.
The volume in the preparation is bearable because the grinding is eliminated. That hissing sound when you press the steam / water through the filter holder at 20 bar is quite noisy. The milk container is quite large, but acts from a processing perspective, something cheap. The Milchschaumdüse is manually rotated over the cup. If you forget this, the milk goes next to the cup. A message does not take place. By turning the nozzle a little too far, splashes of milk froth on the cup next to the machine. So watch out and executed looks exactly.
It is very positive that the various coffees are really very hot, even if you do not pre-heats the cup. Something long is the warm-up phase, not for the coffee, but for all other variants. Is the machine out of service for some time, it switches fortunately in a standby mode.
On balance, the i-Joy is not in competition with our coffee machines, but a good complement for espresso when guests are there. The possibility of using pads also mention positive, as well as an attractive price-performance ratio. Solid four star.
