First the pros:It is very easy to make drip coffee. You just add the water, beans, and pick your size of cup. It basically creates an Americano with an espresso like puck of coffee. The coffee has a little crema on the top which is nicer than almost all drip coffee machines that I have used but it isn't a real crema like you would have from an espresso machine Americano. You get options from 3 oz to 24 oz plus cooler brew for ice coffee and using pre-ground. I have tried a variety of drip coffee from the Technivorm, which in my opinion is overrated, to a basic cheap auto drip. The one that I tended to like the most is the Ninja Hot and Cold Brewed System. I like to just walk up, pick a size of coffee, and have it make it. The Ninja holds enough water for several cups of coffee and allows you to pick a cup of coffee, add filter, grounds, and done. The TrueBrew is even easier though since there is no filter and the water reservoir is large enough that you can get several cups of coffee without adding water. The coffee is better than the Ninja since it is more like an Americano taste than a drip coffee taste. Even the Techniovorm has a drip coffee taste but it is even more annoying because of the simplistic build, it will brew whatever amount of water is in the reservoir, which means you need to add water, filter, and coffee every time you use it. Overall, I do like the coffee better than most drip coffee machines that I have tried.Now the cons:It is making coffee similar to their auto espresso machine, which I have tried also. It creates an expresso puck which is dumped into the a bin behind the front of the machine. The bin is small so you need to pull the front off the machine often to dump it. Also, it rinses the mechanics similar to the auto espresso machine so uses more water for that process. No big deal since the water reservoir is large enough but the water bin inside to catch it is small so it fills up quickly. It also splashes water and coffee grounds all over the inside, and no matter how gently you pull the front off to empty them, coffee water will spill on your counter and, in my case, down the front of the cabinet, and on the floor. Every time you empty it, you will need to wipe up the mess on the inside of the machine, on your counter, the front of you cabinet, and off the floor. Very poor design on this part of it. The flap that you lower to put an espresso cup on is very flimsy and feels like it could break off without much effort, the lid to the water reservoir is kind of hard to get a hold of so it is easy to drop it into the reservoir, and the lid over the coffee beans has to fit just right to close properly and for some reason, it usually takes me a bit to get it on correctly. The 3 oz setting is espresso style but not a real espresso. It has a little crema but not much so if you want espresso with a nice crema, you will be disappointed. The temp coming out is about 180 degrees so lower than the suggested best extraction temp of 195 to 205. To use pre-ground coffee it is a bit of a process and the hole to dump it in is kind of small. You have to press start, size of cup, type of brew so you repeatedly press Type until it gets to the pre-ground selection, then press Brew, add the pre-ground coffee, and then press Brew again. Not hard but just a clumsy process. Also, even though the front looks like you could just press the coffee size, you can't. They are just lights. You need to press the Size or Type button repeatedly to scroll through them. Seems like that could have been done better for a $500 coffee machine.Overall impression:I am not sure if I will keep it or not. I may go back to the Ninja. I will admit it is nice to not deal with the filter or grinding separately. I have a separate Breville grinder so grinding and dumping into the Ninja isn't a huge hassle but it is nice to not do it. You do get a bit of flexibility with your brew from light to gold, and bold and it does stay at your previous setting so if you brew the same thing all the time, you just put your cup in there, hit power, and brew...done...unless you need to add more water. Some folks will love the convenience of this machine and will not be concerned about the mess but anyone who wants a real espresso or wants the perfect extraction temp, will be disappointed. I would take this over the Technivorm though.