The Breville Cafe Roma had once been a popular and widely raved-about espresso maker, and rightly so too, because this little compact espresso machine makes a good espresso and doesn’t cost a lot to own. If you frequent cafes too often for the comfort of your wallet, this may be a good money-saving solution.
Compact Espresso Maker
The Cafe Roma has a small footprint, measuring only 9 square inches at the base and 12 inch tall, so people with small kitchens, rejoice! I like the stainless steel look too. This espresso machine is bound to fit in anywhere with its simple but classy design.
Upon unboxing, I found that this espresso maker includes two stainless steel cups and a frothing jug. There’s a plastic tamper too, but I threw it away and used my stainless steel tamper. The filter has two walls, which has been said to be very hard to clean if you happen to clog it. The solution is to use a coarser grind instead of powder-fine grind.
Use the Right Grind Size and Tamp Pressure
You’ll need to tamp more lightly for the Cafe Roma if you find that the coffee doesn’t come out, but tamp too lightly and there will be very little crema and may even result in weak coffee.
Does it sound difficult to use already? If this is your first espresso machine you may feel a bit frustrated but if you know the basics of espresso making you’ll have no problem handling this espresso maker.
The espresso this machine makes is great and the frother works really well for the milk too. I’m happy that the milk gets hot enough not to cool down my coffee. If you find the frother difficult to use, perhaps you should pull it out and just use the metal part. I find it makes frothing easier.
After making a shot, the puck is dry enough to empty with a knock of the filter, unless you’ve gone and clogged it by using extra-fine grind. If this actually happens (never did to me) someone suggested baking the filter in the oven for half an hour to unclog it.
At first I was excited to see there’s a transparent strip of window for the water tank so that you can see the water level as it runs low, but it turned out to be very difficult to see due to the steam.
Very Affordable
This is one of the cheaper espresso machines on the market, though not the cheapest, definitely one of the best espresso machines under $200. Check out the price here.
I have more espresso maker reviews for higher end espresso machines like Breville BES870XL and Gaggia Classic. Do check them out before you buy.