It comes with a light, non-calibrated, non-standard 54mm tamper that can be replaced for about $35, but there are also third-party alternatives available. The reservoir is decently sized and simple to remove it lifts out easily, though if the machine is flush against the kitchen wall, it must be rotated to access it. We struggled, however, to achieve the truly café-quality microfoam the company claims in its literature, at least in the time we had the machine. The integrated milk frother with adjustable wand (up and down only) works well for latte and cappuccino and it has a hot water setting if you want to use it to make tea. With the right powder coffee grind, we found this machine pulls an above-average shot of espresso with good crema when using the included non-pressurized baskets. Everything on the machine is operated digitally via the lighted front panel buttons - there’s not even a dedicated power switch. Plus, the process is automated you just push a button and the machine pulls the shot according to predefined settings. Many traditional espresso machines take 10 minutes or more to come up to temperature.Ī built-in PID control keeps the temperature accurate, and you can choose and program settings for shot temperature and timing. More importantly for many users, its “ThermoJet” thermocoil heats up in just three seconds, so you’ll be ready to pull a shot almost immediately after turning it on. The Bambino Plus incorporates a lot of the features Breville uses on its more expensive and larger machines, so you can easily get a ton of control over your shots. Other machines in this price range of similar build quality don’t offer the same amount of digital control or convenience available in the Bambino Plus. The Bambino Plus is Breville’s entry-level compact espresso machine, and with its speedy startup, automated functions and solid build quality it’s a good choice for beginners who want high-quality espresso drinks without practice or guesswork. Warranty: 1 year (extended 3- and 4-year coverage is available at additional cost).Programmable shot length, brew temperature, steam temperature.$500 at Crate & Barrel, Williams-Sonoma and Sur La Table We give the edge to the De’Longhi because of its longer warranty: two years to Capresso’s one.īest compact automatic espresso machine: Breville Bambino Plus If you can’t find the Stilosa, the Capresso EC is a very similar machine with nearly identical build quality and performance, and frankly, we had a hard time deciding between the two. If you’re on a strict budget or just exploring the idea of home espresso, the Stilosa is a reasonable purchase that can make great coffee, if not last a lifetime. The supplied plastic tamper is flimsy and can be hard to use to compress your coffee puck. The Stilosa also uses a nonstandard dual-wall pressurized portafilter, which is meant to let you use preground or coarse-ground coffee, but it can be difficult and messy to tamp and clean up with the lightweight, plastic supplied tamper, so you’ll want a straight edge to level it, such as the flat end of a knife. Its plasticky construction isn’t likely to hold up in the long term, and it probably isn’t worth replacing or repairing the pump once it wears out (vibratory pumps can wear out with heavy use in as little as a couple of years) as you might on a more expensive machine. The Stilosa is perfect for someone who drinks an occasional espresso, or just has one in the morning, but it isn’t as sturdy as the more expensive machines. It does a solid job for basic milk drinks, but you won’t be able to produce latte-art-quality microfoam. To froth the milk, you’ll need another 15 or 20 seconds to ramp up to steam mode. The drinks weren’t on the level of our better-built, more full-featured recommendations like the Bambino Plus or Gaggia Classic, but again, this is a solid product for the money. But once we got comfortable with the machine, we were able to easily pull satisfying shots. The machine heats up quickly and is ready to go in about a minute, though you’ll need to prime the pump to move water through the system before pulling your first shot. It’s a capable machine, though it takes a little technique and practice to get the best results - you’ll need to grind the coffee to powder level (all espresso machines need to be paired with a good grinder) and make sure you tamp properly.Įven with a lot of espresso experience, we threw away about a dozen shots as we got the hang of the Stilosa. Available for just under $100, the De’Longhi Stilosa is the machine you should consider if you want real espresso drinks at home and need to spend as little as possible.
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