Lindsey sent me the heads up about this new Expobar Brewtus pro-sumer espresso machine and said it was the hot new mechano-squirter that coffee geeks are all hot for. I knew that meant I had to call in the big coffee guns: my man Tonx, barista to the stars. Here’s what he had to say about this new $1,500 machine (after the shonen jump).
Looks like a dual boiler machine from a good manufacturer, built to the specs of one of the more respected pro-sumer machine dealers, PID control for superb temperature stability… it looks like a winner. The dual boiler means you have a separate boiler for shots and steaming milk rather than a single boiler that must move temperature dramatically for multiple functions. A lot of home espresso geeks have hacked PID controllers onto cheaper machines with good results. But assuming there are no chronic performance bugs (a reasonably big if on a new product), this is a very attractive bang for the buck. I’d urge folks to watch the reviews roll in on coffeegeek for awhile before making a plunge.
In short – proper espresso requires water delivered with consistent and high pressure (about 9 bars or better) at a consistent and stable temp. Most consumer level “espresso” machines deliver overhot water at weak pressure and fail to deliver the real emulsion of oils and colloids that is espresso. Reasonable pro-sumer machines start around $500 and climb around $10k for the good professional machines. The pricetag of having real espresso at home is going to be approaching the ballpark of this machine.
And don’t get me started on grinders…
I guess this means my cowboy coffee isn’t going to cut it anymore.
Expobar Brewtus Double Boiler Machine [WholeLatteLove]
