![]() ![]() We made coffee as we might have to in the woods-water measured without a scale or thermometer, coffee measured with a spoon-and still got a shot that was much better than the $100–$200 espresso machines we tested for this review. However, the Nanopresso was very forgiving. Tasted side by side with a shot from a Breville Infuser machine, it held its own, even if it had a bit less brightness than the machine-pulled shot. We were able to pull a shot with a decent layer of smooth crema on top. Position your coffee cup below and a stream of espresso comes out of a small hole at the bottom of the little pill-shaped espresso maker. The tiny tool works by creating pressure through a piston pump: If you’re at home with a scale and a grinder, just fill the machine with 8 grams of freshly ground coffee, tamp it down with the back of the plastic scoop, and add 80 milliliters of water heated between 190°–200☏, then squeeze a button on the front of the machine repeatedly. Because it’s on its own circuit, we were able to use it immediately without waiting for the machine to shift from brew mode to steam mode as we did with the Breville. Speaking of the steam wand, it’s connected to its own heating circuit, which you can turn on or off-better to leave it off and save energy if you are just drinking espresso shots. It uses buttons for all of its functions instead of switches and dials, which not only looks sleeker, but offers a much better user experience of the steam wand-toggling on or off immediately instead of manually opening and closing a valve. And the Diletta’s design was the smartest of the bunch. Lots of people who use prosumer espresso machines are very passionate about their coffee and their coffee-making equipment and may disagree with this, but after testing several of them we believe it: When you get into high-end espresso machines, there are not huge differences in the quality of coffee, so choosing one is more about design, both aesthetic and functional. Often, prosumer machines are scaled-down versions of the most sought-after commercial machines. #ESPRESSO MACHINE WITH GRINDER PROFESSIONAL#Prosumer (that is, professional + consumer) is a portmanteau that could accurately describe a whole lot of elite-level home kitchen gear- Vitamix blenders come to mind-but it’s used quite often to refer to high-end espresso makers. We even tried the function with oat milk to see how it would handle something nondairy and it gave more volume and texture than we got on any other home machine. And while a feature like this could be gimmicky, the texture of the milk was rich and smooth. ![]() ![]() You don’t need to angle the jug or even hold it, it’s totally hands-free. You can set how foamy you want your milk, place the milk jug under the steam wand, push a button and just let it go. The great triumph of this machine though, is its automatic milk steaming. We should note that, even though only pressurized baskets come with the machine, we tried a non-pressurized (single-walled) filter basket from the Breville Infuser, which fit the Bambino, and the results were still quite good. Pressurized baskets also work with pre-ground coffee. Pressurized baskets almost guarantee the proper pressure and good extraction from a single or double shot even if you don’t tamp perfectly, grind your coffee beans too finely or too coarsely, or don’t have precisely the right amount of grounds. It only comes with pressurized filter baskets (also known as double-walled filter baskets). For one thing, it heats up almost instantly, from off to ready to brew in less than five seconds. The newest entry to Breville’s diminutive Bambino line has made huge improvements over both the not-tricked-out regular Bambino and Breville’s more expensive (and hulking) Infuser. After checking it with an Acaia scale, we’re impressed with the automatic adjustments the grinder makes, but anyone without a gram scale will have to take it on faith (or take our word for it) that they’re getting the right amount of ground coffee. As it is, the dial just sets a longer or shorter time without any information on what that time is. It would also be nice to have some sort of specific setting on the grinder, whether that is time or weight. The drip tray is also quite far from the group head, which allowed us to fit regular-size coffee mugs underneath it, but made for a little bit of splash back when brewing shots of espresso. This is, however, true of every machine we’ve tested in this price range. The brew system and the steam wand run off the same heat source, so we had to wait 15–20 seconds between brewing and steaming milk. What we didn’t like about the Breville Barista Express Impressīesides the name, which is a real tongue twister, we don’t have many complaints about the Barista Express Impress. ![]()
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