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At different points during this test the machine was left on continuously and at other times it was only fired up in order to pull shots. Over time, the latter became less and less common. Partially this is due to the Bricoletta's slow heat-up time (30 minutes at the least). But largely it's due to the simple convenience of leaving the machine on. With a plumbed-in machine like this, there doesn't seem to be a great argument for turning the machine off. Now, that being said, in the midst of a "heat wave" here in Portland, I got into the habit of turning the machine off in the late afternoon and then turning it back on again right before going to bed. But this was largely due to my obsessive desire to eliminate all sources of heat from my house. And the Bricoletta is one giant source of heat. This is an uninsulated machine and you'll likely see an immediate impact on your energy bill if you leave it on all the time. In addition, if it's hot in your house before you have a Bricoletta, it's going to be much, much hotter afterwards.
Contents |
Introduction |
I found myself becoming attached to this machine quite quickly. I would guess that I've gone out for espresso less than a half-dozen times in recent weeks. This is almost certainly a new low for me. Is the espresso as good at home as what I get when I go out? Well... that's kind of an unfair question. First of all, at home I'm pulling shots strictly to my own personal taste which gives the espresso at home a huge advantage. But that being said, there is an "experience" attribute in going out that gives a little edge to the espresso in coffee bars. And, of course, I happen to live in Portland which means I have a choice of a whole range of fantastic coffee bars to go to. I'd have to say that, overall, it's been a tie. I know that might sound like a cop-out, but it's the honest truth. I've had some glorious shots at home. But I've had some equally amazing shots in coffee bars here in Portland. I've yet to have a shot at one of the coffee bars as bad as some of the shots I've had at home, however that's partially because I simply don't go to any bad coffee bars and mostly because the coffee bars I go to only serve Hairbender. At home, I was pulling shots with a range of coffees, some of which were experimental and others that turned out to be unsuitable for espresso.
I've enjoyed working with the Bricoletta. The quality of the espresso is really good. It steams as well as pretty much any home machine I've experienced. It's attractive, well built and easy to work with. I have so little to complain about that is actually material that it shocks me. I mean, I genuinely thought home machines sucked. And here I am finding that I like a home machine—that I have little to complain about. To make matters worse, it's a heat exchanger machine. For a professional barista, this is an unexpected development to say the least.
Yeah, the Briccoletta has its issues. It's far from a perfect espresso machine. Some of the challenges are typical for the class of machine (temperature management requirements, moderate steam power, average tip, laughable documentation). Others are specific to the Bricoletta. In particular:
But stack all those complaints up and balance them against the positives of this machine and I think you'll find that overall this is still a really good machine. It has truly great performance when it comes to espresso. The steaming performance is acceptable (once you swap tips) and the aesthetics of the machine are wonderful. Add to the whole equation the convenience of a plumbed in machine (which I consider invaluable) and the power, performance, consistency and reliability of a Procon rotary pump (okay... I admit I'm obsessed with rotary pumps) and all those niggling little issues become far less significant. If you have good barista skills and pay attention to what you're doing, you're unlikey to ever feel that the Bricoletta is holding you back.
What can I say? The Bricoletta is great. I'd love to at some point compare it to a competitive plumbed-in, rotary pump dual boiler home machine. And it would be nice to compare it to a similar machine that doesn't use the E61 group. Given my limited experience with home equipment, I can't say the Bricoletta is the end-all be-all of home machines, but it's far and away the nicest one I've ever used.
I've learned a lot testing this machine. I continue to be impressed
by the state of the home espresso market. At the same time, I also continue to get more insight into the fascination
with upgrading, technique,
protocols, and methodologies which lead home baristas to
focus more on the machine than on the espresso. With HX machines like the Bricoletta, so much is required of a barista. At the same
time, I honestly believe that almost all baristas, professionals
and enthusiasts alike, would be better advised to pay attention to
improving their own skills, as these will have a far more dramatic
result than any machine tweaks.
Yes, temperature management on the Bricoletta is a challenge. But it's understandable, it's managable... you can do it. And once you learn how to do this, you are going to understand so much more about espresso. Your espresso will be so much better by learning to pay attention than it ever would be by adding further automation.
If you have a lot of experience with HX machine and understand temperature surfing, learning to use the Bricoletta is going to be a relatively quick and easy process. If, on the other hand, you are new to this sort of process, it could take some time. Don't be frustrated. Read the copious information that's been published on the topic. Ask questions. Practice. It will all be worthwhile in the end. Trust me.
Once you learn how to use an HX machine and dial in the Bricoletta you're going to find that you possess one of the sweetest home HX machines around. There are very few baristas (professional or otherwise) who will find the Bricoletta limits their abilities. With skill and practice, you should be able to produce consistently very good espresso with the Bricoletta. With a deeper understanding, you can produce truly exceptional espresso with it. As with all espresso machines, the limiting factor will almost always be the barista with this machine. And that is high praise indeed.
To sum up:
As noted earlier, I decided to score the Bricoletta overall against the machines I know best: a stock La Marzocco Linea, a temperature stabilized Linea, and the mighty Mistral. I know, I know... it's unfair, it's wrong. Too bad.
| Bricoletta | Stock LM Linea | Modified Linea | Mistral | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Espresso |
8 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
|
Milk |
7 |
9 |
9 |
8 |
|
Usability |
7 |
8 |
9 |
8 |
|
Liveability |
8 |
8 |
8 |
9 |
|
Workmanship |
8 |
8 |
8 |
10 |
|
Aesthetics |
9 |
7 |
7 |
10 |
47 |
47 |
50 |
54 |
And it's another shocker! Of course, as I said earlier, all these scores are for use in a home environment. If the machines were evaluated for use in a coffee bar, we'd see different evaluation criteria and very different results. And yes, the aesthetics score is purely subjective and personal. Some people like the look of a Linea, but regardless, the ideal that we would have a tie between the current benchmark for high-end commercial machine and a home machine... stunning. Even if you were to alter that aesthetics score and make the two equal, the scores would still be surprisingly close. In fact, the only area where the Bricoletta really suffers by comparison is in its steaming ability. And in this case we're comparing a 220V, 4000w steaming behemoth to a 110V, 1900w home machine. Unfair I say! But this is my reality. I'm not interested in the acceptable, merely the excellent.
As usual, I have to warn that it's foolish to assume that the Bricoletta is going to make the espresso for you. Know that you are the barista and it is just a tool you use. If you have the skills to use the tool—the Bricoletta is going to outperform you. If you don't have the skills... well... it would be like buying a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR and assuming you could duplicate Sterling Moss' performance at the Mille Miglia.
A lovely machine - that's capable of making lovely espresso drinks.
Mention Home-Barista.com when you order from 1st-line equipment and they will add a two-hole Pro steam tip at no cost! This is the chromed version of the Gold Pro 2 steam tip that has proven to make your learning curve easier for frothing milk (read more about it in the forums).
If you want to read about the process of reviewing this machine, see this review's thread in the On The Bench forum. If you have comments or questions specific to this article, see the Article Feedback forum. If you are interested in step-by-step operating instructions for the Bricoletta, see my Cribsheet on the next page.
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