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Contents |
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Introduction |
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Quite simply the Brewtus' no fuss temperature control allows a home barista to use a large range of blends and single origin coffees, and to quickly and accurately determine the optimal brew conditions for each blend. The ease and freedom this brings encourages experimentation and leads to a better overall espresso experience. Although Brewtus requires some flushing to warm the group to brew temperature, the amount is significantly smaller than that of a typical prosumer HX machine, and again, the "3 in 3" rule makes temperature management a trivial task. The temperature profile within a shot (the so-called "slant L") is very similar to the temperature profile of a commercial dual boiler machine; users who wish to reproduce that temperature curve in the home environment will find the Expobar Brewtus to be a very close facsimile.
Despite the Brewtus advantage over the Giotto, this is not to say that one cannot control a wide range of temperatures on a HX machine. Chris Tacy is author of the Pro's Perspective series on Home-Barista.com and he has demonstrated a 1°F temperature control in his experimentation. However, I found it difficult to repeat the same degree of accuracy on my own Giotto. The loud vibration pump, and possibly differences in machine internal plumbing and components design made it harder for me to achieve the same results. But even in the best of circumstances, in my opinion, a moderately trained home barista will find it hard to repeat Chris' performance. It is the equivalent of a high wire act in temperature control. One second off in misjudging the countdown starting point, a slight change in countdown pace, and you may end up with an overshoot or undershoot of a few degrees.
The key words in the "Brewtus advantage" are: ease, consistency, and repeatability. In testing the Brewtus temperature control, I tried to answer two questions: Does it deliver the brew temperature that its digital controller displays, and can it do it repeatedly with no fuss? The answer is a confident yes. However, there is room for more refinement in the Brewtus temperature selection, since some demanding home baristas may find the 1°C increments (about 1.8°F) to be too wide for their preferred coffees.
This guide retains the same informal scores of the previous reviews, starting with the exceptional espresso score™. This is a rating of the espresso quality a barista with moderate experience should expect on a daily basis using a wide range of coffee beans and blends. Here Brewtus outperforms the Giotto due to its accurate and easy temperature control and range. That advantage brings exceptional consistency, and a higher likelihood of an exceptional espresso.
The "morning after" score considers those who are learning and what they should reasonably expect in the early days following delivery—assuming of course that they have read the manual, usage notes, and so on. Here the Expobar Brewtus takes a significant lead, meriting a 9.0 thanks again to its incredible temperature control. Mastering temperature surfing on a HX machine takes time and skill.
How well does the machine handles a large crowed and back to back shots? The unofficial "crowd pleaser" score speaks to the fast moving party animals among us. As hard as I tried, I could not outrun the machine. Running 30 back-to-back shots in 30 minutes, the machine did not waver and continued to deliver consistent temperature, earning it a score of 8.75. In all fairness, the Giotto did keep up well for a brisk measured pace, but wasn't up to the task of 30 shots in thirty minutes, so I docked it a quarter-point for a score of 8.5.
The cappuccino lover's score weighs the speed and ease of frothing. Both the single and two-hole tips performed well, and they should be used according to the barista's skills with milk. A beginner may want to use the single-hole tip, as it is slower, and allows finer control over the process. The two-hole tip cuts steaming time almost in half, and produces high quality velvet microfoam. However, despite having a dedicated boiler for steaming, the Expobar Brewtus lagged slightly behind the Giotto in steaming power, costing it a half-point to arrive at a score of 8.5.
The convenience and features score is where Brewtus really shines. It gets high marks for the ease of setting and controlling brew temperature, the easier flushing requirements which produce impressive no-brainer consistency. The Brewtus also scores big for its swimming pool depth drip tray and a large water tank, earning an impressive 9.0. Were it not for my quibbles about the ergonomics of the driptray, cup holder, and small water tank opening, Brewtus would make strides towards a perfect 10 in this category. The Giotto Premium picks up extra points for its insulated steam wand, but due to the extra effort it demands for temperature management, it trails Brewtus by a full point, earning an 8.0.
When it comes to aesthetics, the Giotto gets the cigar. Expobar was never big on aesthetics, and style is just not their thing. There is little in the Brewtus design that will impress the eye compared to the understated elegance and curves of the Giotto. The attention to details and to the machines "presence" is missing altogether from the Brewtus, and is in abundance in the Giotto Premium.
To answer the larger question: Which espresso machine is best for your needs, the Expobar Brewtus or an HX machine like the Giotto Premium? I believe the answer lies in your personal preference. Do you enjoy learning and applying developed skills to bring a certain "artistic flare" to your espresso making? Or are you purely pragmatic—it's about a good espresso before facing the day? Few would dispute that both machines are capable of exceptional espresso in the hands of a skilled barista.
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Exceptional |
Morning |
Cappuccino |
Convenience / Features |
Materials / Workmanship |
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Expobar Brewtus |
9.0 |
9.0 |
8.5 |
9.0 |
7.5 |
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Giotto Premium |
8.5 |
7.5 |
9.0 |
8.0 |
8.5 |
In closing, I recall fellow owner Ken Krone's wonderfully succinct thoughts on Brewtus:
"...the bottom line is that I roll out of
bed in the a.m., grind my Code Brown, pull shots for my daughter, wife,
and myself knowing that the only variable will be the state of the
beans, and I smile. Then I pull another shot... Ho, hum... another
consistently wonderful shot... wonder what the poor people are doing...
"
The Bench, June 28, 2005
I think that sums up this review nicely.
If you want to read about the process of reviewing this machine, see this review's thread in The Bench forum. If you have comments or questions specific to this article, see the Article Feedback forum. If you would like to read about easy recommended upgrades, Brewtus owner resources on the web, and oodles of the technical data behind this report, continue to the Epilogue.
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