ESPRESSO MAKER PLUS

Other machines in this price range of similar build quality donвЂ™t offer the same amount of digital control or convenience available in the Bambino Plus.

ESPRESSO MAKER PLUS

The Bambino Plus is BrevilleвЂ™s entry-level compact espresso machine, and with its speedy startup, automated functions and solid build quality itвЂ™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.We give the edge to the DeвЂ™Longhi because of its longer warranty: two years to CapressoвЂ™s one.Д«est compact automatic espresso machine: Breville Bambino Plus ($499.99 ) If you canвЂ™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 youвЂ™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 youвЂ™ll want a straight edge to level it, such as the flat end of a knife. Its plasticky construction isnвЂ™t likely to hold up in the long term, and it probably isnвЂ™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 isnвЂ™t as sturdy as the more expensive machines. It does a solid job for basic milk drinks, but you wonвЂ™t be able to produce latte-art-quality microfoam. To froth the milk, youвЂ™ll need another 15 or 20 seconds to ramp up to steam mode. The drinks werenвЂ™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 youвЂ™ll need to prime the pump to move water through the system before pulling your first shot. ItвЂ™s a capable machine, though it takes a little technique and practice to get the best results - youвЂ™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.Д®ven 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 DeвЂ™Longhi Stilosa is the machine you should consider if you want real espresso drinks at home and need to spend as little as possible.

Espresso maker