The £60 Aldi Espresso Machine

00:19:52
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX6F_l_KreM

Summary

TLDRIl video esamina la nuova macchina per espresso manuale di Aldi, venduta a un prezzo accessibile di £59,99. L'autore esplora le prestazioni della macchina, la qualità del caffè e la maneggevolezza. Nonostante il basso costo, la macchina offre buon espresso se utilizzata con grani di qualità e un adeguato macinacaffè. Tuttavia, ci sono preoccupazioni sulla durata e la manutenzione a lungo termine. L'autore conclude che, sebbene funzioni bene, ci sono compromessi da considerare.

Takeaways

  • 💰 Prezzo basso: £59.99, circa $80.
  • 🍵 Espresso di buona qualità: valutato 7 su 10.
  • ⚙️ Potenza di 1.350 watt consente un buon riscaldamento.
  • 🔧 Importanza di un buon macinacaffè per risultati ottimali.
  • 🛠️ Difficoltà nella pulizia e nell'uso del filtro.
  • 📉 Preoccupazioni sulla durata e riparabilità della macchina.
  • 🥛 Buone performance nella schiumatura del latte.
  • 👍 Facile da usare, ma con alcune limitazioni.
  • 🔍 Adatto per chi ha un budget limitato.
  • ✖️ Mancanza di una valvola di pressione solenoide.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    Oggi si parla della nuova macchina per espresso manuale di Aldi, un supermercato tedesco noto per i suoi prezzi bassi. Viene evidenziato l'eccellente rapporto qualità-prezzo di questa macchina, che costa 59,99 sterline. Si discute l'importanza di avere un buon macinacaffè e il potenziale di una macchina economica come questa per produrre un buon caffè.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    Dopo aver svelato e assemblato la macchina, si effettuano vari test e si parla di attrezzature accessorie come sacchetti e presse. Nonostante un'iniziale scarsa distribuzione dell'acqua, l'utente è soddisfatto della capacità di produzione della macchina e della possibilità di utilizzare un macinacaffè di alta qualità. L'utente è impressionato dalla semplicità della macchina e si prepara a testare varie preparazioni di caffè.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:19:52

    I risultati iniziali del caffè espresso prodotto rivelano una qualità sorprendente rispetto al costo della macchina. Anche se ci sono preoccupazioni riguardo alla longevità e alla manutenzione della macchina, l'esperienza di utilizzo è soddisfacente. Si conclude esprimendo la necessità di ulteriori feedback dagli utenti e un invito a condividere esperienze sul prodotto.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • Quanto costa la nuova macchina per espresso di Aldi?

    Costano £59,99, equivalenti a circa $80.

  • Qual è la potenza della macchina per espresso?

    La macchina ha una potenza di 1.350 watt.

  • Qual è la pressione massima della macchina per l'espresso?

    La macchina offre 20 bar di pressione.

  • La macchina è facile da usare?

    Sì, ma ci sono alcune difficoltà con l'uso e la pulizia del filtro.

  • È necessario un macinacaffè costoso per utilizzare questa macchina?

    Non è necessario, ma un buon macinacaffè migliora la qualità dell'espresso.

  • Quale è la qualità dell'espresso prodotto dalla macchina?

    L'espresso è sorprendentemente buono per il prezzo, valutato 7 su 10.

  • La macchina ha una lunga durata?

    Non è chiaro quanto durerà, potrebbe non essere facilmente riparabile.

  • È possibile utilizzare latte non caseario per la schiumatura?

    Sì, la macchina è in grado di produrre una buona schiuma anche con latte non caseario.

  • Qual'è il principale svantaggio di questa macchina?

    La macchina è un po' ingombrante e non ha una valvola di pressione solenoide.

  • Chi dovrebbe acquistare questa macchina?

    È adatta per chi ha un budget limitato ma vuole comunque preparare un caffè di buona qualità.

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  • 00:00:00
    - Today, we're gonna take a look at this:
  • 00:00:01
    It's the new manual espresso machine
  • 00:00:03
    from everyone's favorite German multinational supermarket,
  • 00:00:07
    Aldi.
  • 00:00:07
    Now, I've had a number of run-ins with Aldi
  • 00:00:09
    and coffee things over the years,
  • 00:00:10
    from some suspiciously wet cheese
  • 00:00:13
    to a very expensive but also inexpensive
  • 00:00:16
    bean-to-cup coffee maker.
  • 00:00:18
    I don't think things being cheap is bad.
  • 00:00:21
    I think it's good.
  • 00:00:22
    I want things to be cheaper and more accessible.
  • 00:00:24
    However, when something is cheap and terrible,
  • 00:00:27
    I think that's doubly bad value for money.
  • 00:00:30
    I think that's a bad thing.
  • 00:00:31
    This is £59.99.
  • 00:00:34
    60 quid, 60 pounds.
  • 00:00:35
    In American money, like, barely $80.
  • 00:00:37
    That is outrageously cheap,
  • 00:00:40
    and for a long time,
  • 00:00:42
    a lot of coffee people, myself included,
  • 00:00:43
    have said the espresso machine has a pretty simple job.
  • 00:00:46
    It's gotta heat water up,
  • 00:00:47
    it's gotta push it forwards at pressure
  • 00:00:49
    through a bed of coffee,
  • 00:00:50
    and the coffee itself is doing most of the kind of work.
  • 00:00:54
    If you have a good grinder, that's the key to good espresso.
  • 00:00:58
    You know, it's kind of,
  • 00:00:59
    for a long time, we said the grinder was more important
  • 00:01:01
    than the espresso machine,
  • 00:01:03
    but what if the espresso machine is £60?
  • 00:01:06
    Can it make good coffee?
  • 00:01:08
    Now, it's got 1,350 watts of raw power,
  • 00:01:12
    so I guess it can heat the water up.
  • 00:01:14
    It offers 20 bars of pressure,
  • 00:01:17
    which is not actually a good thing.
  • 00:01:19
    Generally, we brew at eight to nine bars most often.
  • 00:01:22
    Higher pressures aren't very desirable,
  • 00:01:24
    but often these machines use little vibration pumps
  • 00:01:27
    that are rated to produce sort of higher pressures
  • 00:01:29
    and they'll tend to bleed
  • 00:01:30
    some of that pressure off to the side
  • 00:01:32
    so that not that much goes to the puck.
  • 00:01:34
    It's not like a top trumps thing where more bars is better.
  • 00:01:38
    No.
  • 00:01:39
    Now, I haven't actually used this machine yet,
  • 00:01:40
    I haven't properly unpacked it,
  • 00:01:41
    but we have opened the box,
  • 00:01:43
    broken the many security stickers around the edges of this,
  • 00:01:46
    because I wanted to check the basket,
  • 00:01:47
    and unfortunately, it does come with a pressurized basket
  • 00:01:50
    that is designed to use pre-ground coffee
  • 00:01:53
    that's too coarsely ground for espresso,
  • 00:01:55
    and so the basket itself kind of adds some resistance
  • 00:01:57
    to slow the flow down
  • 00:01:58
    and help make some creme as part of that process.
  • 00:02:01
    I can't test it with that.
  • 00:02:03
    Fortunately, had a little bit of a rummage around.
  • 00:02:06
    We've got loads of strange things like funny-sized baskets.
  • 00:02:08
    We found a matching basket,
  • 00:02:10
    so we can actually test this with a proper grinder
  • 00:02:13
    and see what happens.
  • 00:02:16
    Let's have a little look in the box.
  • 00:02:17
    So, for your £60,
  • 00:02:19
    and bear in mind, in the UK, sales tax is about,
  • 00:02:22
    well, it's about £10
  • 00:02:23
    so this is £50 plus tax,
  • 00:02:25
    which is not much,
  • 00:02:26
    you get your portafilter,
  • 00:02:28
    which comes with the very annoying little flappy bit
  • 00:02:31
    that is designed to stop a basket falling out
  • 00:02:34
    when you knock it out,
  • 00:02:35
    'cause it's got no spring on the inside here.
  • 00:02:37
    One of your classic double pressurized baskets,
  • 00:02:41
    and interestingly, a single pressurized basket
  • 00:02:45
    where they've just made it shallower.
  • 00:02:46
    None of the different shapes.
  • 00:02:47
    Just like a little shallow version of those things.
  • 00:02:50
    The final all-important accessory is your scoop.
  • 00:02:54
    This one, a tamp scoop.
  • 00:02:56
    This is the basket that I found.
  • 00:02:58
    I can't remember exactly where I would've gotten it from,
  • 00:03:01
    but fits perfectly.
  • 00:03:03
    We're gonna give it a wash actually first
  • 00:03:05
    'cause it really doesn't smell good,
  • 00:03:06
    and then we're gonna purge some water through it
  • 00:03:08
    'cause that's recommended,
  • 00:03:10
    and then,
  • 00:03:11
    then we can see what you get for your money.
  • 00:03:14
    First step, we're gonna put some good quality
  • 00:03:16
    espresso recipe water into here.
  • 00:03:18
    That's right, we've made our own custom mineralized water
  • 00:03:21
    'cause we're that weird
  • 00:03:22
    to put into a £60 coffee machine.
  • 00:03:24
    Some of this water will have to be purged through
  • 00:03:25
    as part of the initial setup process,
  • 00:03:27
    but it's a worthwhile sacrifice.
  • 00:03:28
    I will say, straight out of the gate,
  • 00:03:31
    that's quite a nice water tank.
  • 00:03:32
    Detachable. That's a win.
  • 00:03:34
    Easy to use, nice to fill.
  • 00:03:36
    Good start.
  • 00:03:37
    Gonna put a little container there and take this dial.
  • 00:03:40
    (machine whirs)
  • 00:03:45
    Now.
  • 00:03:48
    Yup. Ah.
  • 00:03:50
    Now, look at this!
  • 00:03:51
    What they've done here is actually quite charming.
  • 00:03:53
    They've got little photos as buttons,
  • 00:03:57
    all illuminated with color and stuff!
  • 00:03:59
    So, you've got, obviously, power,
  • 00:04:02
    espresso, Americano,
  • 00:04:05
    espresso cool,
  • 00:04:07
    and steam.
  • 00:04:08
    We're not gonna do espresso cool
  • 00:04:10
    because I don't,
  • 00:04:11
    so far, I have yet to really enjoy the outcome of that,
  • 00:04:15
    and so I don't think I'm a good judge of its quality,
  • 00:04:17
    but hot espresso?
  • 00:04:19
    Feel comfortable telling you if that's good or not.
  • 00:04:21
    Now, I am gonna look to see
  • 00:04:23
    how the water's coming out of the shower head.
  • 00:04:25
    I'm hoping for a nice even distribution,
  • 00:04:27
    which would set us up for success
  • 00:04:28
    when it comes to brewing espresso,
  • 00:04:30
    assuming the liquid coming out is hot
  • 00:04:31
    and at the right pressure,
  • 00:04:33
    but if it's nicely distributed from that shower head,
  • 00:04:36
    we could be in a good place.
  • 00:04:37
    That distribution of water from the shower head?
  • 00:04:40
    Not bad. Really not bad.
  • 00:04:41
    Not the best, but I remember we did
  • 00:04:43
    sort of sub-£100 espresso machines before
  • 00:04:46
    and that was one of the key flaws in that.
  • 00:04:49
    I don't think anything was 60 pounds cheap in that.
  • 00:04:51
    I think they were all about 90, 100 pounds.
  • 00:04:53
    60 is just wild,
  • 00:04:55
    but water distribution?
  • 00:04:57
    It's looking all right.
  • 00:04:58
    I guess let's make some coffee.
  • 00:05:02
    This is overkill,
  • 00:05:03
    I know this is overkill,
  • 00:05:04
    but I just wanna know, right.
  • 00:05:06
    Like, if you're not familiar,
  • 00:05:07
    this is a grinder called the Z1
  • 00:05:09
    from a company called Zerno.
  • 00:05:10
    It is a $1,500 grind to grinder,
  • 00:05:13
    64mm flat burrs inside of it.
  • 00:05:15
    We will be reviewing it on the channel.
  • 00:05:17
    I do wanna shout out just quickly our Patreon,
  • 00:05:19
    which allows us to go and buy this stuff.
  • 00:05:21
    It might just be £60, it might be $1,500.
  • 00:05:24
    It lets us review things honestly without bias,
  • 00:05:26
    without having to get loaners or freebies.
  • 00:05:29
    I'm very grateful to those people
  • 00:05:30
    and we like to make sure that these end up
  • 00:05:32
    in a good home afterwards.
  • 00:05:34
    I've never put coffee in this basket before,
  • 00:05:36
    so I'm gonna start with, like, 16 grams and go from there.
  • 00:05:38
    See how that works out.
  • 00:05:39
    Found a dosing funnel.
  • 00:05:40
    It's not a perfect fit,
  • 00:05:42
    but it will help me make a bit less mess.
  • 00:05:45
    If it is a bit fine, I'm not gonna drink it.
  • 00:05:48
    This tamper is very unpleasant.
  • 00:05:51
    See that?
  • 00:05:51
    That's just, that's not nice.
  • 00:05:53
    All right, I'm predicting a choked shot here.
  • 00:05:55
    Can I just say points again to this little espresso machine?
  • 00:05:59
    I can comfortably get a scale under there with a cup,
  • 00:06:03
    clearance on the portafilter.
  • 00:06:05
    That's not true of a lot of machines, annoyingly.
  • 00:06:07
    It should be true of all machines,
  • 00:06:08
    but it's not true.
  • 00:06:09
    That?
  • 00:06:11
    I'm impressed.
  • 00:06:12
    I'll start a timer when it gets going.
  • 00:06:15
    (machine whirs)
  • 00:06:20
    Ooh.
  • 00:06:22
    Hello.
  • 00:06:23
    (machine whirs)
  • 00:06:26
    I disagree on the length of an espresso with this machine.
  • 00:06:29
    This did not give me very much water.
  • 00:06:31
    Flow is actually a little bit fast, which is good news.
  • 00:06:33
    That's good, that's great.
  • 00:06:34
    I'm not gonna taste it.
  • 00:06:35
    I'm gonna push I guess the Americano button next
  • 00:06:38
    to see if I can kinda control the shot length.
  • 00:06:40
    I'm gonna aim for, say, 16 grams in
  • 00:06:42
    and maybe 38 to 40 grams out,
  • 00:06:45
    so not a strict 2:1.
  • 00:06:46
    A little bit longer,
  • 00:06:48
    just 'cause that's what I'm feeling today.
  • 00:06:50
    Now, the question is how terrible
  • 00:06:53
    is the flippy-over thing for knocking out,
  • 00:06:57
    'cause I find, you know,
  • 00:06:58
    that we've gotta get this little thing on there.
  • 00:07:00
    Don't like it.
  • 00:07:02
    Eh.
  • 00:07:04
    Now, I'm feeling pretty good about our 16 gram guess.
  • 00:07:06
    The puck is solid but just,
  • 00:07:09
    so if we'd left too much space in there,
  • 00:07:11
    you get a kinda wet, sloppy puck.
  • 00:07:12
    That isn't a bad thing when it happens,
  • 00:07:14
    if you get, like, a kinda sloppy puck.
  • 00:07:15
    It just says there was quite a lot of space
  • 00:07:18
    for the puck to expand into at the end of the shot,
  • 00:07:19
    but this machine won't have a pressure release valve.
  • 00:07:22
    called a solenoid valve often,
  • 00:07:24
    so that's not gonna be a huge issue anyway,
  • 00:07:26
    but overall,
  • 00:07:29
    yeah, it was all right.
  • 00:07:29
    That, I gotta tell you,
  • 00:07:31
    the scoop tamp is one of nature's worst inventions.
  • 00:07:35
    I will do a little bit more puck prep
  • 00:07:36
    when I feel dialed in before I taste one,
  • 00:07:38
    just to give it the best possible chance of success.
  • 00:07:43
    Let's try the Americano button,
  • 00:07:44
    see if we get a bit more liquid through the old puck.
  • 00:07:49
    Looking pretty good.
  • 00:07:50
    (machine whirs)
  • 00:07:54
    (beep) Ah.
  • 00:07:56
    Now,
  • 00:07:58
    seeing the error of my ways.
  • 00:08:01
    I just said this machine doesn't have a solenoid valve
  • 00:08:04
    and what that means is when you press stop,
  • 00:08:08
    usually in a sort of nicer machine,
  • 00:08:10
    any water that hasn't gone through the cake yet
  • 00:08:12
    is ejected out of the top,
  • 00:08:14
    and so you'd usually stop the shot
  • 00:08:15
    maybe two, three grams ahead of time.
  • 00:08:19
    I didn't think about that very clearly,
  • 00:08:21
    so I stopped the shot at 36 grams
  • 00:08:23
    and this has produced 46 grams
  • 00:08:26
    because that residual pressure wasn't released
  • 00:08:28
    and slowly dissipated and pushed through the cake.
  • 00:08:30
    So, I need to stop this shot way, way earlier,
  • 00:08:35
    but the next one I'm feeling pretty good about.
  • 00:08:40
    You'll also therefore find a sort of soupy wet layer
  • 00:08:44
    on the top of the puck
  • 00:08:45
    that will eventually drip through the portafilter.
  • 00:08:46
    You know, that will make a mess
  • 00:08:47
    if you've left a scale underneath,
  • 00:08:49
    so definitely take that out,
  • 00:08:50
    but right now, I've just gotta kinda pour it out,
  • 00:08:52
    put my little flippy thing up,
  • 00:08:54
    and then,
  • 00:08:56
    but that's not uncommon in these kind of machines at all.
  • 00:09:00
    Generally, machines with sort of solenoid valves,
  • 00:09:02
    with these release valves,
  • 00:09:03
    start at, like, 200+ pounds,
  • 00:09:05
    so it's rare to see one this cheap,
  • 00:09:07
    'cause it's more technology, it's more cost.
  • 00:09:09
    You know, makes sense.
  • 00:09:10
    You've just got to allow for these things,
  • 00:09:12
    and remember, think about it,
  • 00:09:14
    and then you can adapt and overcome.
  • 00:09:16
    Gonna up my puck prep game.
  • 00:09:18
    Gonna give this a good shake first,
  • 00:09:20
    break up any clumps that might be in there.
  • 00:09:21
    It's gonna go in. Lovely.
  • 00:09:23
    I'm gonna get a needle distribution tool
  • 00:09:25
    and we're gonna give it a little stir.
  • 00:09:28
    If you wanna see more about my whole puck prep routine
  • 00:09:30
    when I'm making espresso that I really want to enjoy,
  • 00:09:32
    I'll leave a link to a video down below.
  • 00:09:34
    (huffs) I'm gonna destroy all my hard work
  • 00:09:36
    with the tamp scoop.
  • 00:09:39
    (machine whirs)
  • 00:09:44
    (machine beeps)
  • 00:09:49
    39 grams out.
  • 00:09:50
    About 28, 30 seconds. Somewhere in there.
  • 00:09:55
    That's decent.
  • 00:09:58
    That's a pretty balanced,
  • 00:09:59
    well-extracted shot of espresso.
  • 00:10:01
    Is it the best shot of the day? The best shot of my life?
  • 00:10:04
    Heavens no.
  • 00:10:05
    Does it taste like it came from a £60 coffee maker
  • 00:10:09
    from Aldi?
  • 00:10:11
    No, it does not.
  • 00:10:12
    Yeah, it's pretty good.
  • 00:10:16
    It's a little sharp at the end, just a little,
  • 00:10:19
    but generally,
  • 00:10:22
    that is a well-made espresso.
  • 00:10:24
    That is a 7 out of 10 in terms of brewing quality.
  • 00:10:28
    That is astonishing in many ways.
  • 00:10:31
    Now, we'll come onto the downside
  • 00:10:33
    of doing it with a machine like this
  • 00:10:35
    in just a second,
  • 00:10:36
    but the adage of "it's the grinder" is probably true.
  • 00:10:41
    You know, what an espresso machine does
  • 00:10:43
    at a very base level,
  • 00:10:44
    the basic version,
  • 00:10:46
    it's quite simple,
  • 00:10:47
    and now can be done at extremely low costs.
  • 00:10:50
    Like, here's the thing.
  • 00:10:52
    So, 60 pounds.
  • 00:10:53
    10 pounds of that goes to the UK government as sales tax.
  • 00:10:56
    50 pounds.
  • 00:10:57
    Aldi made money on that.
  • 00:10:59
    Maybe they made 15 pounds, 10 pounds, whatever.
  • 00:11:02
    The factory that made it
  • 00:11:03
    and the people that shipped it from the factory to Aldi
  • 00:11:06
    made money.
  • 00:11:08
    How cheap is stuff now?
  • 00:11:10
    That's just wild to me that this was achieved,
  • 00:11:14
    and with some charming details.
  • 00:11:16
    They could've cheaped out even further.
  • 00:11:18
    This didn't need to be a, you know,
  • 00:11:20
    selection of hilarious color pictures for no real reason.
  • 00:11:22
    Like, that's nice.
  • 00:11:24
    The water tank didn't have to be detachable,
  • 00:11:27
    but it is.
  • 00:11:28
    The clearance is good.
  • 00:11:31
    We'll steam some milk in just a second.
  • 00:11:33
    I'm just sort of,
  • 00:11:35
    I'm happy and surprised and I have a lot of feelings.
  • 00:11:38
    The instructions for this, sort of how to steam,
  • 00:11:41
    are not particularly clear.
  • 00:11:42
    I'm gonna do the best I can.
  • 00:11:44
    It's a weird steam wand thing.
  • 00:11:46
    Often, these ones where they have the kind of wide tubes
  • 00:11:50
    are kind of auto-foaming
  • 00:11:52
    and you have a little hole here
  • 00:11:53
    that you don't want the milk to cover
  • 00:11:55
    while you're adding air,
  • 00:11:56
    because air will be pulled in here by the steam and injected
  • 00:11:59
    and then when the milk level rises above the hole,
  • 00:12:01
    then you kind of move into the churning phase.
  • 00:12:03
    I presume that's how this works.
  • 00:12:05
    I'm gonna pull a shot, I'm gonna steam some milk.
  • 00:12:07
    We're gonna find out.
  • 00:12:08
    So, while that continues to drip in a slightly annoying way,
  • 00:12:11
    very annoying way,
  • 00:12:13
    let's turn on the steam functionality.
  • 00:12:14
    Now, this is gonna blink on and off
  • 00:12:16
    and when it goes steady state, we're ready to steam.
  • 00:12:19
    I will have to maneuver the machine,
  • 00:12:22
    really twist it around
  • 00:12:23
    so that I could use it in a practical sense.
  • 00:12:26
    We'll try and make sure you can see what's going on.
  • 00:12:28
    I do suspect a large amount of water in this line.
  • 00:12:30
    I'm just gonna purge that out.
  • 00:12:32
    (steam releases)
  • 00:12:38
    Not bad.
  • 00:12:39
    I mean, I don't want that in my milk drink,
  • 00:12:43
    but I'm glad it's gone.
  • 00:12:45
    Are you an auto-steamer or not?
  • 00:12:47
    (steaming)
  • 00:12:51
    (milk burbles)
  • 00:12:56
    Better milk than you think it's gonna be,
  • 00:12:58
    but it's still pretty flawed,
  • 00:13:00
    but I think that if I take off this
  • 00:13:04
    and just use this as a regular steam wand,
  • 00:13:07
    I think I can get some better results.
  • 00:13:08
    I think this auto-frothy-type attachment
  • 00:13:11
    is bad and frustrating and annoying.
  • 00:13:13
    Let me try one more time.
  • 00:13:15
    (steam wand noises)
  • 00:13:18
    So, this is non-dairy milk
  • 00:13:19
    because we tend to have non-dairy
  • 00:13:21
    around here at the studio most of the time,
  • 00:13:23
    and the resulting texture
  • 00:13:26
    is,
  • 00:13:28
    I would say great.
  • 00:13:34
    That's very nice milk texture,
  • 00:13:35
    that's not a very easy steam wand to use,
  • 00:13:38
    but it's not particularly difficult either
  • 00:13:41
    if you understand how to steam milk,
  • 00:13:43
    and of course we've made a video about that.
  • 00:13:44
    It is linked down below,
  • 00:13:45
    but if you know how to steam milk,
  • 00:13:48
    the length of this bit here is annoying for sure,
  • 00:13:51
    but it has plenty of steam power.
  • 00:13:53
    Like, that can really churn the milk around in the jug,
  • 00:13:56
    really knock the bubbles down to be very small
  • 00:13:58
    so that you get microfoam.
  • 00:14:02
    As a milk beverage,
  • 00:14:04
    I'm in the awkward position of saying
  • 00:14:06
    that's delicious.
  • 00:14:08
    That's very nice,
  • 00:14:10
    60 quid,
  • 00:14:13
    but I have feelings.
  • 00:14:14
    This is not at this point a straight endorsement
  • 00:14:17
    to buy this thing.
  • 00:14:18
    Part of me wants to give this thing an enthusiastic yes.
  • 00:14:22
    "If this is the only budget that you have, buy this thing,"
  • 00:14:26
    because in some key areas,
  • 00:14:29
    it performs extremely adequately.
  • 00:14:31
    Like, well even, I would say.
  • 00:14:33
    Like, if you know how to steam milk, taking off the adapter,
  • 00:14:36
    it steams nice milk,
  • 00:14:38
    it heats up from brewing to steam relatively quickly.
  • 00:14:41
    Like, the steaming side?
  • 00:14:43
    Yeah, pretty good.
  • 00:14:45
    The brewing side?
  • 00:14:47
    Not bad.
  • 00:14:48
    Like, it can make decent espresso
  • 00:14:51
    if you have good coffee beans,
  • 00:14:53
    if you have good water for brewing,
  • 00:14:55
    and if you have a good grinder.
  • 00:14:56
    Do you need a grinder this good?
  • 00:14:58
    (Because this is an excellent grinder.
  • 00:15:01
    When I review this, we'll be getting into
  • 00:15:02
    the sort of minutia around its excellence,
  • 00:15:04
    but it's unquestionably a very good grinder.)
  • 00:15:07
    No.
  • 00:15:07
    You could get away with something
  • 00:15:09
    like one of the grinders from the sub-£250 category
  • 00:15:13
    that we reviewed recently.
  • 00:15:14
    Something like the Baratza ESP or the DF54.
  • 00:15:17
    When we talk about using other grinders, this is a,
  • 00:15:19
    let's call it a 9 out of 10 grinder.
  • 00:15:20
    Very, very good grinder.
  • 00:15:22
    If you used, let's say, a 7 out of 10 grinder,
  • 00:15:24
    you wouldn't get quite as good of shots out of it,
  • 00:15:27
    but you'd still get pretty decent shots,
  • 00:15:28
    and if you understand espresso technique
  • 00:15:30
    and let's say you are using a sort of cheaper grinder,
  • 00:15:33
    the shots were a little sour,
  • 00:15:34
    if you're willing to compromise, say, texture and mouthfeel,
  • 00:15:37
    you could pull those shots a little longer,
  • 00:15:39
    a bit more liquid through them
  • 00:15:40
    and still probably get decent and tasty and balanced results
  • 00:15:43
    that would be great in drinks like an Americano,
  • 00:15:46
    or a cappuccino, or a caffe latte,
  • 00:15:47
    or whatever else you might use,
  • 00:15:49
    even if it's not the perfect espresso,
  • 00:15:51
    but yeah, this is doing well
  • 00:15:54
    because it's set up for success with something excellent.
  • 00:15:56
    Something pretty good
  • 00:15:58
    would see a kinda matching loss of quality, I guess.
  • 00:16:01
    And maybe that's okay.
  • 00:16:02
    We've always said spend more money on the grinder
  • 00:16:04
    than the espresso machine
  • 00:16:05
    and the espresso you get from it is okay.
  • 00:16:08
    It's good, it's good.
  • 00:16:10
    It's not great, but it's good.
  • 00:16:11
    There may be some fluctuations in temperature here.
  • 00:16:13
    I have no idea where the pressure really is sitting.
  • 00:16:16
    There's not a lot of control or insight with this,
  • 00:16:20
    but it's £60.
  • 00:16:22
    But I have this hesitation in me,
  • 00:16:23
    this sort of hesitancy to give it
  • 00:16:25
    this full-throated sort of recommendation,
  • 00:16:28
    and that's because everything in this world
  • 00:16:29
    has a cost, right?
  • 00:16:30
    To get this delivered to me here for this little money
  • 00:16:36
    must involve compromise.
  • 00:16:37
    Like, I don't think this is something
  • 00:16:39
    that anyone is going to repair meaningfully.
  • 00:16:42
    I don't think it's gonna be easy to repair.
  • 00:16:43
    I have no idea about its true longevity.
  • 00:16:47
    Do I expect it to survive its warranty?
  • 00:16:50
    Honestly, I'm not sure.
  • 00:16:52
    It's so cheap. It's so cheap.
  • 00:16:54
    Corners have to have been cut somewhere.
  • 00:16:56
    That bit makes me nervous because buying this,
  • 00:16:58
    getting let's say 12 months out of it.
  • 00:17:01
    Just after warranty, but a planned obsolescence.
  • 00:17:02
    It dies.
  • 00:17:03
    Into landfill it goes, and that's not what I want.
  • 00:17:06
    A good espresso machine lasts decades
  • 00:17:09
    if you look after it,
  • 00:17:10
    literally decades,
  • 00:17:11
    and I don't see this as having a really long lifespan,
  • 00:17:14
    and you might say, "Yeah, but it's £60,"
  • 00:17:17
    and I'm like, "Yeah, but."
  • 00:17:19
    You know, buying one of these every year
  • 00:17:21
    versus spending £300 on something
  • 00:17:23
    that lasts for 20 years?
  • 00:17:25
    Well, that's the sort of question, right?
  • 00:17:27
    Like, which would you rather do?
  • 00:17:28
    And to be, you know, totally fair and honest to the test,
  • 00:17:32
    this isn't just 60 pounds.
  • 00:17:33
    Already we've added cost of a basket to this,
  • 00:17:35
    so let's say another 20 pounds,
  • 00:17:37
    so this is like an 80 pound espresso machine.
  • 00:17:40
    You are 100%, if you use this every day,
  • 00:17:42
    going to want a tamper,
  • 00:17:44
    because the scoop tamper is horrific.
  • 00:17:46
    Even on the cheap end, let's say 15, 20 pounds,
  • 00:17:48
    we're at 100 pounds now.
  • 00:17:50
    For 100 pounds,
  • 00:17:52
    yeah, it's still surprisingly good actually.
  • 00:17:54
    I don't know.
  • 00:17:55
    I'm not really arguing against myself,
  • 00:17:56
    but I do wanna kind of give you the true cost
  • 00:17:59
    of getting a functional useful one of these.
  • 00:18:01
    The pressurized basket is not useful
  • 00:18:04
    so that has to be replaced
  • 00:18:05
    to get something delicious, and good,
  • 00:18:07
    and high quality out of this thing.
  • 00:18:08
    The experience of using it isn't very good, right?
  • 00:18:12
    Like, it doesn't feel good.
  • 00:18:13
    It drips everywhere. It's constantly dripping.
  • 00:18:16
    It's messy. It's unpleasant to knock the puck out.
  • 00:18:19
    I don't particularly like using it in any meaningful way.
  • 00:18:24
    You know, I think about something
  • 00:18:25
    like a solenoid valve in the group head.
  • 00:18:28
    That's actually a real quality of life improvement
  • 00:18:30
    for the money
  • 00:18:31
    when you do buy a machine with one of those in there.
  • 00:18:33
    Would I want this mess in my house every single day?
  • 00:18:37
    I'd have to really love espresso
  • 00:18:39
    and be pretty confident in making espresso
  • 00:18:41
    to get the most out of this,
  • 00:18:43
    and so then I wonder,
  • 00:18:44
    well, who's the audience really for it,
  • 00:18:46
    because for most people who look at this
  • 00:18:48
    and say, "60 pounds?"
  • 00:18:49
    they'd be like, "It's a toy, it's useless."
  • 00:18:51
    If they know something about coffee,
  • 00:18:52
    turns out it is useful,
  • 00:18:53
    but if you've made espresso well enough and often enough
  • 00:18:58
    to understand the process,
  • 00:18:59
    then you might find this very cumbersome and annoying
  • 00:19:02
    and frustrating on a daily basis.
  • 00:19:05
    I think that's kind of where I want to get to
  • 00:19:06
    with my feelings on this.
  • 00:19:08
    I have no idea how long it's gonna last,
  • 00:19:10
    I have no expectations to be able to fix it when it breaks,
  • 00:19:12
    I have no idea how it will break,
  • 00:19:14
    any of those things,
  • 00:19:15
    but it made,
  • 00:19:19
    for the money, surprisingly good espresso.
  • 00:19:22
    Now, I wanna hear from you.
  • 00:19:23
    Did one of you buy this?
  • 00:19:25
    Have you changed the basket?
  • 00:19:26
    Have you just been using the pressurized basket?
  • 00:19:28
    Have you been putting good coffee in it?
  • 00:19:30
    Have you had some good results?
  • 00:19:31
    If you steamed milk as it sort of comes,
  • 00:19:34
    will you now try taking off the little attachment
  • 00:19:36
    and foaming it properly
  • 00:19:37
    because the result's genuinely very surprising.
  • 00:19:41
    I'd love to hear any of your experiences
  • 00:19:43
    and any other thoughts you have
  • 00:19:44
    or questions you might have about this brewer
  • 00:19:46
    down in the comments below,
  • 00:19:47
    but for now, I will say thank you so much for watching
  • 00:19:51
    and I hope you have a great day.
Tags
  • espresso
  • Aldi
  • macchina caffè
  • recensione
  • qualità
  • prezzo
  • grinder
  • caffè
  • cucina
  • accessori