xBloom is an excellent coffee maker and machine. With the exception noted below, it has never failed to make superb brews, regardless of whether I used light- or dark-roasted beans. While it is clearly oriented to the coffee roasters who produce the SOs and blends that they sell pre-packaged, I'm delighted to report that they also responded to the large number of requests to allow other cultivars as well.
Grind levels are generic for the "other" cultivars, so don't expect them to be tailored. But the quality is still excellent.
My only difficulty with the machine is that, after about 200-300 cups, it no longer automatically transitioned from grind to brew. Instead, the lever remained under the grind location and didn't move. I solved this by completely unplugging the machine for about 5-10 seconds before each brew, and then it functioned nominally. YMMV.
Personally, I wouldn't let this hiccup deter me from buying the machine again. (Un)plugging is a small price to pay for an excellent cup of coffee. read more