The Manument: The Swiss Watch Of Lever Espresso Machines

[@WatchItPlayed]

I just wanted to say: giving this to a Patreon supporter prior to the video releasing so it doesn't cause an artificial (but surely profitable) rush to your Patreon is total class. You're a class act James Hoffmann. Enjoyed seeing this wild machine, and appreciate all the help you've given me and many others on their coffee journeys.

[@Arteafact]

Fancy seeing you here! :O

[@corgas2838]

Its always exciting to see my favourite hobbies intersect like this.

[@WatchItPlayed]

​@@corgas2838I was never a coffee drinker, but was offered "the world's best espresso" while I visited Rome this year on a family vacation, and our guide took us to Sant'Eustachio il Caffè. I have to say, it was pretty transformative. I've fallen down the espresso brewing rabbit hole ever since. It's been a delightful (and infuriating 😀) journey, but made significantly less confounding by the great work of folks like James Hoffmann and the helpful people in this community!

[@countsatyr]

Had WatchItPlayed on another tab and was momentarily confused to see this here. Guess there is a ven diagram between coffee geeks and Board Game geeks

[@YaotzinMI]

Real recognizes real and Rodney and Chaz and Paula and the British one are real ones

[@YEdwardP]

What impressed me above all else is the silence of the machine. No sound of boiling water, no buzzing electric pump. Just the silent flow of espresso. It's almost magical. I can imagine why this would be worth it to someone who can afford it.

[@rogerreverence4737]

When I own a chain of libraries i will have one at the counter.

[@everhardthefirst]

brrrrrr goes the grinder

[@noahmn4985]

Buy a flair58 its silent too😂

[@datb0013]

@@noahmn4985 if you've got a silent kettle sure, and assuming you aren't straining to press it lmao

[@Naokarma]

@@everhardthefirst If you can afford this machine, you can afford a grinder that doesn't wake up sleeping family members.

[@blubvisje666]

I've watched up to 4 video's now... I don't even like or drink coffee. This man is so good at what he does.

[@Spractral]

Well you're gunna start liking it. Dudes content is legendary

[@sippachu9721]

me too, I think I just enjoy seeing people super passionate and knowledgeable about something

[@ReaperCH90]

You could give coffee another try with the things you learned here

[@TsvetanVR]

Facts! After a decade of drinking coffee from fully automatic machines or espresso machines using ESE pods, 5 days into this content and now I've got a machine, grinder, scales, several baskets, tamper...and I just wasted a bunch of very good, freshly roasted coffee (2 weeks ago) just dialing in my grinder settings. 🤣

[@glyph_official]

correction: you don't even like or drink coffee *yet*

[@Alrightdee]

James, as someone with a hard of hearing partner I just want to express my appreciation that you always have perfect subtitles available at the time of upload. So many creators don’t. Thank you!

[@RM15030]

I'm sure the subtitles are generated by KZbin, fact of the matter is just that James speaks so clearly thus it can distinguish between words

[@92Jdmsupra]

@@RM15030 Nope. These subtitles are not auto generated. Turn them on and click on the gear.

[@RM15030]

@@92Jdmsupra yeah but I wouldn't think it's job of the creator to type them out? Surely not?

[@_letstartariot]

I agree. My hearing is also pitiful, proper captions make videos enjoyable.

[@_letstartariot]

@@RM15030creators can get third parties to create subtitles for their videos. Either it’s paid by the creator, or it’s done by volunteers who are kind to those of us poor of hearing folk.

[@seanthebluesheep]

I know it's incredibly silly of me to say, but I was really pleased when I heard that the thing that costs almost what I earn in a year actually makes good coffee.

[@KNURKonesur]

Same here, although it costs more than what I earn in a year :P

[@Jajdjejwi28]

I know it’s incredibly silly of me to say, but I was really pleased when I just read the most british sounding sentence of my life. Don’t get me wrong I’m not making fun or anything but the choice of words and the sequence of them is something I haven’t heard/read in a long time outside of the UK

[@steveelkington8538]

This is soooo exciting for the future of coffee machines. I have a Nespresso machine for the exact reasons James discusses and if the tech in this goes into one day making a more affordable “home user” version of this machine so really good coffee is even more achievable then that can only be a good thing!

[@hvip4]

$20k to make something 30% better tasting than instant coffee and 31% better tasting than dirt 😂

[@excalibro8365]

It costs almost 3 times the avg yearly income worldwide. For a luxury cafe maybe, but you'd have to be a sociopath to buy this thing for your personal use.

[@dotmatrixgamer]

this quick heatup time is exactly why I am happy to use a simple breville/sage espresso machine, it is warm in 20 seconds and you run a shot of hot water through the portafilter and you are ready to brew. It is really nice seeing this flash-heat technology finding itself in more precise and premium machines, maybe soon we'll have prosumer machines that are a bit more affordable but less of a hassle to heat up.

[@StarKnightZ]

Same I don't want to move on from my Gaggia. I sometimes have a random couple of minutes for a break and sometimes I want coffee. I can turn on the Gaggia and it's ready to go by the time the puck is prepped! If I get a prosumer, by the time the machine is warm my break is over! Don't want to be a slave to the machine.

[@Doughny]

100% agree. The only thing I wish the sage had was a 58mm portafilter.

[@djoDadof2]

My thoughts exactly. My Breville duo temp pro is great for this, but the small basket and lack of pro-sumer features make me want something better. I recently upgraded my grinder to a DF83 and would happily upgrade to a better machine with fast startup and no steam. The ECM Puristika is the closest I've found but still has a long startup time so I haven't pulled that trigger yet. Put the heater from this machine in the Puristika and they can take my money!

[@dotmatrixgamer]

@@djoDadof2 maybe one of the newer ascaso machines are a better option, they use heat blocks and are of a more substantial quality than the breville products. And if steam is not important like in your case, the uno or dream is a lot cheaper than the duo

[@kmak]

I was really confused by James' comments on the machine taking 20+ mins to warm up since a £700 machine (Sage Barista Pro) can warm up in like 20 seconds. So basically the next level up of machines from the Barista Pro take 20+ mins?! I checked the La Marzocco Linea Micra and apparently that needs 5 mins (which tbf, would annoy me eventually).

[@iau]

I love how you approach it as an actual product: features, innovation, what you enjoy and how it makes your life better. A $20k coffee machine could easily be approached the snarky clickbaity "you won't believe how much this costs" route.

[@sneakysnail9225]

I BOUGHT A 20 THOUSAND DOLLAR COFFEE MACHINE AND THREW IT IN THE OCEAN 😮😮😮😮💯💯💯

[@neondemon5137]

​@@sneakysnail9225Then I cured the oceans blindness and gave it 10 thousand dollars and a Tesla Model S Plaid!!!

[@Biyobi.]

@@sneakysnail9225 At 44kg it does make a credible boat anchor.

[@GeorgeSmileyOBE]

@@sneakysnail9225what was her name?

[@koshey245]

Ah yes, the "lance hedrick" approach to coffee gear

[@swimothy]

I wasn't aware there was a subset of coffee machines that look like beautiful microscopes; thank you for bringing this small niche to light.

[@daves570]

yes, grinder did too!

[@JakubTarnawski]

Grinders, mostly. Many of them also look like beavers... :)

[@MrVorpalsword]

though you would need more than a small niche to accommodate the thing.

[@machineslave3]

My gosh this man is so classy. I had a feeling he would keep to his word and give it away but to give it away in this way is just awesome.

[@Schmiddis_focus]

I could listen to James all day, even talking about things I will never buy. The way he talks, full of knowledge and advice, feels like I‘m having a father and son moment with the Dumbledore of Coffee. Great Job as always!

[@ImportantComment]

James is the Dumbledore of coffee. Brilliant.

[@olamisie]

👌

[@vgerster]

This is totally his brand, even down to the pitch perfect sweaters 😎

[@vass0922]

As an American, the accent gives him the James Bond credibility lol.

[@moritzmhmk]

He did an audiobook btw 😉

[@afterburn2600]

Could you imagine getting a notification from James telling you that he was going to send you a thing that you haven't seen before. And then you get it and it's this thing. The amount of insanity this scenario is causing in my brain is noteworthy.

[@K-Riz314]

Imagine that person living in modest housing with very limited counter space in which they already struggle to accommodate their toaster oven and instant pot.

[@sandrafrancisco]

i wouldn't even be able to fit this in my kitchen

[@IDOLIKIofficial]

@@sandrafrancisco I would just sell it lol. Can buy a car with the money :D

[@afterburn2600]

@@IDOLIKIofficial precisely. Either you have the disposable income to have enough counter space and can afford the taxes or you can sell it and have a very nice bonus for the year.

[@juho6877]

@@IDOLIKIofficial Or sell the car and buy this :P

[@DMSBrian24]

At this price point i'd expect a built-in weight, pressure profiles adjustments, automatic release of leftover liquid/pressure, lifetime warranty (wasn't mentioned so idk if it comes with one), different portafilter sizes and of course everything fitting perfectly, there can be absolutely no room for improvement at this price.

[@IanB22]

I have a restored commercial machine from the early to mid 90's..... it's a 2500$ machine that can probably run a small small coffee shop even today.... looking at this device, I have similar questions. As the only 'disadvantage' I can see of my setup is that it's on all-day, so using electricity I don't 'need' to be able to use.... but come on....we are talking luxury here right??

[@markabrice]

At this price point I'd expect it to rotate my tires for me.

[@woopsserg]

At this price I would expect bartender jumping out of it to serve me coffee, not working myself as a pump.

[@mircomaker5.0.faidate7]

At this price, I BUY A BAR ,IN ITALY

[@3rdHalf1]

You think like a one of them poors, who buys latest BMWs and flys business class.

[@srvo]

*James Hoffman:* It weighs 44 kilos so you can operate the machine without having to stabilise it with your other hand. *Machine:* _slides sideways when portafilter is attached_ 8:44

[@skeetsmcgrew3282]

Wow yeah it sure did, huh

[@LelouchVee]

Well, either James is extremely strong, or the machine has no rubber pads and the countertop is very well polished. Yeah, I'm gonna go with James being buff as heck.

[@anonymouscommentator]

yeah he always needs to hold it down with his other hand when he flicks the lever

[@skeetsmcgrew3282]

@@LelouchVee I love the idea that they left it slippery on purpose in case you wanna move it around. You know, to pull out from under your 10 FOOT TALL CABINETS

[@yakub3962]

He's just really strong like that

[@thatsnotme2]

In the world of incredibly expensive luxury goods, I think this is a much better use of 20,000 Euro than something like a Gucci handbag etc. Spending vast amounts of money on something beautifully designed and built, that also produces results worthy of the price tag is still absolutely an extravagance that few can afford - but at least you're producting something tangible from it.

[@Taylscoffee]

Whoever buys this will surely be using it often, if not multiple times a day. Definitely agree with you, especially if it lasts 30 years

[@AbdulMunimKazia]

I agree with you, but I just want to say Gucci handbags cost nowhere near 20k. They are far cheaper.

[@Sobo272]

​@@AbdulMunimKaziaOk, then half of an Hermes bag. We all get their point.

[@john_john_john]

"that also produces results worthy of the price tag" Lol. It's literally coffee. It's not that different from saying a Gucci bag is worthy of the price because it can carry my phone and keys.

[@David..]

Dude it’s a coffee machine.

[@Brene6]

Hi, I have one of these and do consider myself very privileged. :) For me the highlights are the instant availability (instant coffee - here we go) and listening to the "silent" dripping of the coffee during the flow. And, yes, also, just looking at it, walking towards it, and using it, is an every day several times privilege. Cheers, René - PS: I am Swiss ;-)

[@normankraus6505]

Würde mich ja glatt einladen xD Grüße aus Biel/Bienne

[@josephmother2659]

wow that seems like overkill but it’s not worse than spending tens of thousands for a faster louder car I’m glad you enjoy it!

[@diegosanchez894]

no surprises here, this machine is like a month's minimum wage. /s

[@splashpit]

It’s worth more than the car I drive to the job that will never afford me a luxury like this .

[@karenegan246]

@@diegosanchez894more like a year

[@Randyball711]

This and the Weber EG 1 are the ultimate combination of coffee artillery which is unsurprising because their price point is comparable to an actual tank

[@critical_always]

Using the word artillery is funny. It kinda does look like an anti aircraft gun.

[@ceralor]

I was hoping he'd use that after referring to it as "coffee equipment that looks like a microscope" and am not disappointed.

[@fynn2350]

I'd have matched it up with the Weber HG 1 to keep the (semi) hand powered theme. The lower noise and the visual weight of the flywheel also make it a great fit in my opinion. But I also see the EG 1 fitting in with the telescope vibe and of course the price point.

[@marylandflyer5670]

This is far beyond Weber.

[@Naokarma]

@@marylandflyer5670 Both are (essentially) the most expensive option in their category. One being more expensive or better than the other is irrelevant.

[@antoinedupont9355]

Being an engineering student and enjoying coffee, I've already thought about building a diy espresso machine someday. When thinking about technology choices regarding thermal stability, I've always thought that having a big boiler that takes a while to heat was just a big nonsense regarding time and energy consumption, especially if only to pull one or two shots in a row. Using something smaller and focusing more on temperature control programming made a lot more sense. It makes me happy to see that some manufacturers try to explore other technology options that suite home users a lot more, even though it's crazy expensive (for most of us).

[@mattscarf]

Exactly, and both Flair and Decent have a more focused approach to heating/maintaining heat

[@mysterioanonymous3206]

Zurigo. Almost affordable too. Almost.

[@1000QUZ]

If you ever do make one, I hope you record the process cos I’d love to see it

[@ivanlagrossemoule]

I've worked on a tea machine and a clothes iron and both had very small boilers that heat up very fast. It's still a good amount of work because due to the fast flow, if the water stays too long in the boiler it'll steam up and that's a big problem. Basically steam will trigger safety measures like out of water depending on your design, or overheat protections. Your PID needs to be spot on. Still entirely doable and it's already a trend that's happening, I assume because the microcontrollers are now good enough to allow it.

[@ej5764]

Buy one and reverse engineer it. Then make it better and more affordable, to include the majority of want to buy - but so expensive I can’t or won’t. This would be an idea. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@jeffbergstrom]

I'd love to see a double-blind taste test with this and some other espresso machines.

[@dragulievic]

i am strongly convinced no one could discern good quality, properly prepared coffee from the snake oil coming out of this machine

[@subterrain5293]

​@@dragulievicMore like snake piss

[@11metalfan]

BROKIE ALERT BROKIE ALERT (I have been using the same Lidl machine for 10 years)

[@viperfan7]

@@dragulievic I think this is more of the whole "It heats water damn near instantly" bit is where the real value comes from. It's more a luxury item than anything where you're paying for materials and workmanship, even if it doesn't make much of a difference

[@StuninRub]

@@viperfan7 tankless water heaters are hardly special.

[@cruachan1191]

Watching this, having just made a flat white with a £50 DeLonghi machine that's so loud and violent it sounds like a jackhammer hitting my kitchen counter, feels wrong.

[@YouTubedarek]

Come join the lever club 😅…I mean by Flair.

[@MrChoklad]

The violence makes you feel like you earned your coffee

[@MrWhangdoodles]

🤣🤣🤣@@MrChoklad

[@mephistosprincipium]

you haven’t tried my dedica yet, sounds like a dying alien creator screaming in unbelievable pain and agony

[@lc9245]

I laughed at this because I replaced the used DeLonghi with another used Silvia and it got a lot louder in the morning.

[@afelias]

5:30 There's just something aesthetically bizarre about grinding your beans in a reflecting telescope and then pulling a shot from a giant microscope

[@nahblue]

Looks like James has the most epic bachelor life

[@bitrage.]

Im not a coffee aficionado, somehow find myself here, have NO IDEA wtf ur talking about, but appreciate some1 who appreciates knowledge and passion in any area...

[@LynneCooney]

Rapid heat-up was what sold me on the Decent. It heats up in the time it takes to grind the coffee and set everything up. The Monument is beautiful, but I don't think I would choose it over the Decent if the prices were comparable. Love the look at the machine, though.

[@ganshun]

100% agree on the decent. I can't go back to another espresso machine now cause the heat up time is so good

[@MVargabass]

Me too 😅

[@Screaming-Trees]

@@ganshun We have a Londinium lever and it takes an hour to heat up but it has automation so you can work around it. Ours is programmed to start at 5am. We are usually up around 7. Makes the long ramp up times a non issue.

[@jonnowocky8179]

Another Decent owner here who can never go back 😅 - suddenly seems good value compared to this absolute unit

[@neutraloptions]

Same, by the time I finish grinding the Decent is ready

[@bradleymorgan8223]

This definitely feels like a piece of equipment rather than an appliance.

[@WhatWillYouFind]

Built to such a standard it will be found in a museum lifetimes away from ours. It is an engineering and design marvel.

[@Ryan_DeWitt]

The question is seriously who is going to buy it for that insane price? I mean you can buy 3 absolute top of the line home expresso machines with all the bells and whistles for what that cost that don't take up as much space. Heck you can buy a commercial coffee shop grade machine for that price.

[@mahirabbas3700]

these are units that are sold at quantities of max 30 a year. its that kind of a product@@Ryan_DeWitt

[@LynneCooney]

@@Ryan_DeWitt Rich people.

[@1Kaisermerlin]

@@Ryan_DeWitt Rich people, and Test Kitchens.

[@sudokode]

So glad he reviewed it because I almost bought 10 of these for my second vacation home.

[@SpencerDonahue]

I think its time for James to enter into the machine manufacturer stage of his career and put this tech into something more affordable. I would put one in my shop immediately. :)

[@rashadnagi7531]

I would buy one immediately.

[@Danoliveira3]

I thought the same, but for such a high end machine how much would be considered affordable? 2k is not affordable tô me but I don't see a high end machine going for less

[@JoseAlcerreca]

I would start drinking coffee.

[@wushuhsu]

But how does it work?

[@chucklebutt4470]

For real, I would def buy a Hoffman© espresso machine that he designed/approved. You know he'd optimize function to cost and get all the little things right.

[@Tarodenaro]

I'm amazed at how the simplicity of gravity, metal spring and aperture is just an elegant way of making simple machine that works without needing much tech.

[@thebard20]

the use of zoom on your videos is always fun and so much more relevant/uplifting compared to the jittery fake zoom/cuts that we generally see in other channels.

[@Timberjagi]

As a owner (i got a huge discount) i'm pretty happy with it and is often a point of talk. But never had the courage to tell my customers the price afraid they would run away lol. I never used the steamwand and not sure if i ever will use it, its only used for hot water.

[@josipj705]

What % discount though?

[@Egrodo1]

How'd ya get a discount?

[@Arrynek01]

@@Egrodo1 Pretty sure it's like the whole golf thing. It just looks expensive on the paper. But when you actually go in, suddenly everything gets discounted. Still not cheap, but 30-50% drop in price isn't weird.

[@1Luisinga]

The steam wand is for milk. Don't you make all the great Italian coffees?

[@DeanCaruso]

Thank you for the consistently fantastic content! I’ve just recently started my coffee journey. Got a hand grinder and aeropress (wanted to start with something that can eventually become my camping setup) and will upgrade my home setup as I go. Your high production quality and presentation style make it very easy to be excited about making coffee so thank you!

[@JD96893]

Similar journey here! Aeropress is great! If you're starting out on a budget might i recommend the flair neo as your next step? It's the cheapest way to get into high quality espresso. Granted its manual leaver, but its far cheaper than electric machines and can be upgraded as you learn more. With its pressurized portafilter you don't need a good grinder from the start. Later on you can get a good grinder and the normal (non pressurized) portafilter, what i did. With a decent grinder and the standard portafilter you can make outstanding espresso coffee. You dont need to spend 2k euros on a machine. Also don't use that storebought coffee, no doubt you can find a local toastery who likely ship to your door freshly toasted coffee for probably the same price as storebought. Storebought can be fun to try different stuff, but freshly toasted coffee is so much better.

[@jonipaananen9304]

A hand grinder and an aeropress was my start years ago as well =) I still don't have an espresso machine (I just personally prefer infusion brewed coffee), but I've had soo much fun! And great coffee!

[@ben.shields]

Woot woot! Hand grinder and aeropress has been my setup for years! At home, camping, flying somewhere, I enjoy the hands-on ritual.

[@nickcifarelli8887]

You are winning at life to be able to make this kind of content and be supported in this effort

[@DenizTurkmen]

Even though most of us cannot afford a machine like this, I appreciate your review of this piece of technology. Unlike other designer/luxurious machines and tools that paid more attention to style and branding than anything else, this one is quite different in a good way.

[@JoergGebhard]

I would argue its not. You get full control over the the Temperature but not the pressure. no shot timer, no volume measurement, not display to see what actually happenend. Its a piece of art, but i highly doubt this is the best solution for this pricepoint to make good coffee.

[@lgolem09l]

@@JoergGebhard And I would argue that a well designed machine that gives me a good result without having to tinker with every variable is worth more than one where I have to put work (my free time = money) in to produce a good result. I also don't pay more in an expensive restaurant to cook the dishes myself.

[@JoergGebhard]

​@@lgolem09l but this is the point. it does not solve this for you - you have to figure out which pressure and temperature you choose for a certain Coffee/Dose/Grind combination and you get very little feedback from the machine - you will have to tinker a lot. This might work out for James Hoffmann, most others will fail to adjust.

[@goose-lw6js]

What you describe regarding the wait time is exactly why i have an Ascaso Dream PID. The machine is hot as soon as i'm done with dosing and grinding and it just needs a flush to also get the portafilter up to temps.

[@paolocoletti3424]

Also exactly why I've set my sights on an Ascaso Steel Duo PID. It's beautiful with a double coil for simultaneous brewhead and steaming. Like you say, by the time you've ground the coffee it'll be ready to go. All I have to do is convince the wife now tho... No small feat that , but I live in hope 😂.i rather think boiler machines are a thing of the past with their crazy heat up times.

[@secr3t7]

Same here. We have the Ascaso duo PID. Absolutely love the ~30 second warmup time. I have never prepped a portafilter before the machine was at temperature.

[@goose-lw6js]

@@paolocoletti3424 Make sure to get it from a good seller who is configuring the temperature offset. Tell your wife about the low energy usage and book a surprise trip to treviso to try the original tiramisu which you'll be able to make at home with your new machine.

[@ElementalMayonnaise]

ascaso steel uno user here, very happy with it and the timed doses are great for others in the house who don't want to go full weird coffee person

[@havanowoncheese]

As someone that has gotten slightly hooked to espresso ASMR videos this was really enjoyable. A well done review for something that does seem to have some awesome tech in it.

[@dredgerivers7730]

With the shirt he's wearing, you could change the words 'espresso' and 'coffee' to 'warp core' and 'antimatter,' and I'd believe he worked for Scotty.

[@davidrubelowsky8348]

😂

[@hectorherrera4193]

Indeed!!!

[@LadyTigerLily]

Having worked at Ogawa Coffee, which exclusively uses Dalla Corte machines, much of the seemingly odd decisions make a lot of sense. At the Boston shop, they have an XT 3-group and a Mina single group that my lead barista and I have gotten to play with for special espressos. I see a lot of similarities between the Mina and the Manument, especially with the regard to "flow control", as the Mina also had a lever-controlled aperture leading into the group head. The tool to remove the brew head block for the Manument is genius, as is the drip tray. I really appreciate the placement of the lights behind the group head as well as the mirrored angled surface for you to watch shots. If this is ever available at a coffee convention, I'd absolutely have to give it a try, despite never being able to afford having one, or really wanting to.

[@himwo.]

This is some amazing insight

[@malletandchisel5154]

“I’m going to be sad, I’m going to miss it”. This is why we love you.

[@zanshibumi]

You are so good at this. Such precision in each possibly misinterpretable message. Such accurate prediction of possible reactions and responses. It's calming to just think about your process.

[@Jamvan001]

What is the reason behind this kind of fawning, sycophantic comment? They're everywhere. Barely coherent, only tangentially related to the video, heaping praise on some menial detail. Is it an attempt to appear more insightful or intelligent than other viewers? Or just a shameless attempt to get a pinned comment?

[@zanshibumi]

@@Jamvan001 It's similar but in reverse to your toxic negative reply that adds nothing but a grain of sadness to the world. Just as pointless but they make us feel a little better. The difference is I feel better sharing my general happiness and you feel better spreading your inner rot.

[@Jamvan001]

@@zanshibumi It's meaningless word vomit meant to stimulate a response without the effort required to actually write something relevant or substantial. You may as well copy-paste from an online affirmation generator. You aren't "sharing your general happiness", you're a white noise generator. Basically indistinguishable from a bot.

[@zanshibumi]

@@Jamvan001 how much of that negativity do you need to spew per day before you start feeling better with yourself? Two answers? Ten?

[@Jamvan001]

@@zanshibumi Don't know, let's find out

[@thebitterfig9903]

The speed of this reminds me of something I really love about the $350 Breville Bambino (not sure if the Sage has a different name). Tiny machine, but fast. I’d wager that shots won’t be as good, but there’s no possible way that these shots are 57 times better. But the fact that the machine is ready in less time than it takes to grind and prepare a dose of coffee is very pleasing.

[@iainhay6892]

I have the Bambino Plus and was thinking the same thing, seems to be an underrated machine

[@rapzid3536]

It's borderline irresponsible not mentioning these cheaper alternatives lol.

[@ryan_nstuff]

yea, I've got a $500 Breville 'the Infuser' and I was thinking the whole time, "my machine is hot long before I'm done grinding my beans". but this machine is still beautiful, and if I could burn $20k like it was nothing this would be a neat buy. But I can't, so I'll just enjoy the video.

[@sebastianmalton5967]

Yeah, my 'infuser' heats up very fast.

[@jason_chan]

Any recent Breville/Sage machine will have the Thermojet instantaneous heating element and having used a BBP for years, it’s very good at efficiently heating water on demand.

[@BrianPerktold]

Again, (and again and again) top-notch delivery of a review/explanatory guide. Makes me happy to have heard about it.

[@willthedingo]

Such complete, blissful silence while running that machine, is something to behold. This is one of those machines that fit the "I love coffee so much, if I won the lottery, THIS is the machine that would help me fall deeper in love with coffee". HILARIOUSLY, this also looks like a machine that would fit perfectly into the universe of the newly released Bethesda video game, Starfield. The body of that machine would be perfect for a ton of stickers, also.

[@WisePenguin007]

One of the reasons why I love my Sage Barista Pro. Heats up in seconds, come with integrated grinder and it's allowing me to learn and explore the world of coffee, not only espresso. It's not the best machine out there for certain, but at my brewing level it's just perfect.

[@27bit]

Agreed upon.

[@zachariahacquaviva4399]

YES! Very excited about the new technology! The speed, efficiency, ability to adjust temperature quickly and accurately, incredible tech. I completely agree with this joy around being ready to go when you are. Puts the ex- in expresso 😉

[@JRL03]

I would never spend that much money on such a machine- but it’s very cool to see! Thank you! 😊

[@joshiedL]

The editing and new studio are taking this channel to a new level of professional 🔥 Wish I could be a part of the team!

[@jarebellum]

Rarely do I drink coffee, but I watched the full video and loved every second! I appreciate the depth of the review, and I wish this kind of time was taken to uncover the intricacies of every product out there! Well done.

[@maxpower8460]

Breville/Sage have a pretty good rapid heating solution at a much lower price point with their thermocoil system. Tech like that I would like to see in more competitors in that range. Sure it still not perfect but sometimes flexibility > consistency.

[@nehok]

I have a barista express, it is very convenient compared to my other machine, (a la pavoni), but I still find I need to run a number of shots through it if I want to make 2 good coffees in a row.

[@maxpower8460]

yeah I agree, my infuser I usually at least run one blank @@nehok

[@goncalorosas8023]

I also have the Sage Bambino because of this. I’m a wanna be weird coffee person, but my girlfriend definitely is not. The Sage was a good compromise and even her is happy!

[@robinclaidlaw]

@@nehok This, exactly! It took me a while to figure out why I had so much shot to shot variability in settings and would be chasing the settings all over the place until I ran 3 blank shots then dialed in the grinder for the particular beans. Then I could pull them all the same. So now I have to run 3 blank shots before I start pulling espresso shots. But it's not too bad because the machine is still fast to heat in the first place, so by the time I have weighed out beans for 2 shots (or whatever) and ground the first lot, and got everything else ready, I can have done the warm up routine and be ready to go, so it's still only a couple of minutes to get an espresso out.

[@ian3314]

This was an awesome video. It is a beautiful product and new studio. Big props on giving to a previous patron, seems super honest. Thanks for all your content.

[@bob_obba]

I’m watching this video with a cup of tea in my hand, with ambivalence. In the one hand I’m delighted that that I don’t have the enormous stress in my life of needing a university degree to get a shot of caffeine. On the other hand I’m missing the opportunity to aspire to have this bizarre extravagance in my kitchen as a talking point for guests.

[@UncleChopChop22]

Yes. I had questions. Like who in their right mind would pay that much for a coffee machine....and that was answered in the 1st 25 secs.

[@imallfordabulls]

I thought he was going to say “I can buy it, review it, and return it”

[@Not_Lewis]

Honestly he'll probably give it away to one lucky Patreon subscriber

[@TheGroundedCoffee]

Probably the same type of people that spend 500k to 1m on a watch, own 6 different custom racing cars and at least 3 houses. Might be people who own a boat with internal space bigger than your apartment.

[@pepperypeppers2755]

High end bars if we're being honest

[@ihmpall]

Eat the rich

[@cogspace]

Instant espresso is definitely a game changer. Personally I'm happy with my $300 Bambino which takes all of 3 seconds to get up to temp, but I'm sure the quality is no contest to a really discerning palate. Definitely great to see the innovation, and here's hoping it'll make its way into less obscenely priced machines eventually.

[@itopitop497]

I have a Bambino as well, and my only complain is the temperature, I don't know if it's my machine but it just reach ~80 deg

[@chrispresso1]

+1 for the bambino

[@AsOriginalAsYou]

Same for me. The convenience makes it hard to think of going to a 'better' traditional machine

[@andreashunter4513]

Bambino owner here too. Pretty sure my skills are already out-matched by the machine! That seems to have solved my upgradeitis for now...

[@psychoterrorism]

Just made a similar comment, and agree entirely. I am aware that some cannot "go back" to drinking good espresso vs whatever standard (real or imagined) they have attained, but for a coffee lover, it's anathema to not drink it just because it's not the very best you've had at all times. It's like not eating your lunch because it's not a 10 course Michelin star dinner, truly making perfect the enemy of good.

[@HisMajesty99]

Fam, that’s an electron microscope 💀😂

[@jonascastejon5888]

Yes, it aligns the electrons in the coffee's atom orbits to ⚛️ to obtain a proper extraction 💀😹

[@imnotgivingyoumyname810]

That low heating time is why I love my babino. Breville made a shockingly good machine. I just wish that instead of buttons, they used timers and dials. That looks like a cool little machine.

[@AlanW]

My absolute favorite thing about this is the silent operation. If I could get a machine that had a quiet motor to compress the spring that drove the water, that would be brilliant.

[@HarshNerf]

quiet motors aren't cheap unless they're mass produced sadly

[@weeverob]

quiet machines have been available for ages. look for one that has a rotary pump vs the cheaper, noisy vibratory pump.

[@piersto]

I have never thought it can take 20 min to heat the machine!!! 😮😮😮 My new THE BARISTA EXPRESS Impress do it in in seconds. I switch it on, go to prepare my pack and do my coffee. That's it! 😍

[@redpandamaniacal]

Yellow would look great, I feel. For me, the greatest friction towards making espresso is probably having to change the grind setting on my grinder away from my filter setting and clean out the parts. Also, given my limited space, I have to clear up an area to actually make espresso. It would certainly take forever to save up enough for that, although I'd also rather spend the money on something else if I were to spend that amount. Any video from this channel though is always worth a watch, I've felt!

[@varza_cu_ciolan]

James' impeccable pronunciation of the Swiss German company name is just what I needed to start my day

[@KimLB]

Not surprised! I heard him pronounce “LaCroix” and “croissant” perfectly in another video. His effort to pronounce non-English words correctly is noted and appreciated.

[@kevinwhite6176]

Very casual home espresso drinker here - you have nailed it with the instant-ness. A Breville Barista Pro will go from 'off' to 'emitting espresso' in about 5 seconds. Does it make amazing espresso? Well, I suppose if it had a better grinder, it would make very good espresso. Does it make me and my husband multiple actual real espressos a day that we actively enjoy drinking? Absolutely. I've watched a friend with an E61 machine make espresso and it's like "do you want espresso? ok you'll have one in twenty minutes!"

[@ruinerblodsinn6648]

Waiting for espresso is a thing of the past for me since I bought the Ascaso Steel Duo - it's amazing.

[@paolocoletti3424]

I'm just waiting for them to come into stock too! Glad you love it (rather confirms my research) Can you recommend a vendor?

[@ruinerblodsinn6648]

@@paolocoletti3424 I paid 50€ more and bought it at my local espresso shop. They are nice people and the best thing is: they have a workshop, which means if anything happens I can bring it there and get it fixed quickly. Also like to support local places before everything turns into another phone repair shop etc...

[@wingwangtingtang]

i just want to say that, although by no means am i a ''coffee guy'' coffee is coffee to me, i keep ending up on your videos every now and then because some of these machines are so interesting! plus although i have never had much interest in the processes behind coffee your presenting style is very approachable and easy to understand, thanks for your videos man

[@alperbenzet4363]

That thing looks like an astronomical observation device that makes it so unique among all the espresso machines, such a great piece of art and technology combined. Would love to use that.

[@mariogutierrezdiaz3366]

If you wanted additional flow, you would need to increase the pressure through the system. As you mentioned, the springs provide pressure in this system which fixes the flow as a function of the resistance to flow (valves, piping, coffee, etc). You'd need a peristaltic pump inside this system instead of springs to get constant flow and changing pressures.

[@wadsworth2351]

Very thorough and considerate review. Would not have expected anything less from Mr Hoffmann.

[@ycaglaya]

Never realized that 20 minutes of heating was standing between you and great espresso. Waiting is truly the greatest enemy in times of instant coffee desire...

[@skeetsmcgrew3282]

He's a busy man lol

[@dimitrikatsaros9212]

As for color recommendations, I would LOVE to see this in either high gloss Robin's egg blue or matte tiffany blue! As you might be, I'm somewhat surprised that, at this price point, there isn't the option to pick whatever RAL color you want for a slight upcharge. That and the option to go with brass or gold plating on the hardware rather than chrome would complement the wood elements beautifully.

[@Dave-lr2wo]

I'll paint yours for fiddy bucks.

[@dimitrikatsaros9212]

@@Dave-lr2wo LOLs ... Tree-fiddy and that's my final offer! ;-)

[@Brando56894]

From the thumbnail I thought it was going to be a little bigger than a large grinder...but nope, that thing is absolutely GIGANTIC. Imagine your friends coming over and seeing that beast of a machine, then saying it cost 20 grand and seeing the shock on their face, then telling them you got it for only a tiny fraction of that price because you support a KZbin creator. Your giveaways have to be the best on here and it always amazes me what you're willing to part with! I can see how it weighs about 100 pounds, I was shocked when I got my DF64 and it weighs a good 15 pounds or so, considering my Barazza Encore weighs maybe two pounds. Every time I turn on the DF64 it makes me laugh regarding how much torque it has. I have it on a smooth countertop and it will jump to the right (facing it) a good inch or so when the motor starts up.

[@AdamKlingenberger]

Luckily, more modern espresso machines are using rapid heating instead of keeping a hot boiler. A relative has the Baby T from Ascaso and it also heats up really fast (not seconds like this machine though). It does mean a lot to be able to make espresso on a whim and to save the energy

[@loganbeck5028]

I was thinking about Ascaso as well. I picked up an Uno, and the ability to make an espresso almost on a whim is one of my favorite parts of it.

[@lutzvonderburchard3246]

I've also been using an Ascaso (Duo PID) happily for a few years now. Great espresso, great milk, maybe two minutes of startup time necessary. I'd love to see a comparison between boiler machines and thermoblock-style machines!

[@booinky]

Sage Bambino Plus (any maybe others) has basically no waiting time either. PID controllers cost only cents nowadays, it's crazy to boil a ton of water for a cup of espresso.

[@james123j1]

Excellent video, I love the idea of a 20k espresso machine to save electricity! By my reckoning it is a bargain, assuming an electricity cost of £0.30kWh and a normal 2k machine using 2kWh extra per day the payback is only 78 years.

[@BoyceBailey]

don't worry, your eclectic company will do it's very best to bring the years down to break even ASAP.

[@parasbhargava6047]

3500.W i doubt electricity is saved

[@1Luisinga]

This machine is not for saving electricity , is for making great espressos in a simple quick way

The reason that you can buy this machine is your previous patreon supporters, so you are very thoughtful of giving it before the video. If I were richer I would definitely help you in your journey monetarily. Excellent quality, excellent content.

[@laneschaich9382]

Fabulous idea! Love the immediate heat as well! I've always struggled with machines because of pre heat. Great review.. for me personally couldn't spend that much on a machine of coffee nature.. but I hope the tech does transpire to more budget friendly machine! Thanks for all you do for this community!

[@pawelkomarnicki]

There are SO many other machines having exactly that feature, literally any thermo block machine on the market has „instant heat”. My 600€ Sage Barista Pro has it

[@6thwatergateplumber]

This is quite an interesting piece. The whisper quietness of it seems at first blush great, but when I think about my process in the mornings, and all the different sounds that occur, I find myself weirdly sitting on the fence about it. I love the sounds. But overall "silence is golden" as they say, and I'd probably get used to it over time. Cheers for a great video on this one!!

[@medodream1]

The editing and new studio are taking this channel to a new level of professional Wish I could be a part of the team!

[@Conservator.]

I have a few of these: In the kitchen, the study, the office, the guesthouses, near the pool, etc. 🤪

[@mistirion4929]

Outro: James Hoffmann: Firstly, do any of you have one of these. Me: Starts laughing uncontrollably

[@chrismayes1700]

The best thing about it is that after only 300,000 espressos it pays for itself!

[@PoittevinRaphael]

At my local coffee shop, a double espresso si worth about 5$ (with taxes and tips)... so around 4000 espressos and it pays for itself... At the rate of 1 espresso a day, that's about 10 years... I hope it is at least that robust :P

[@r4lpha]

Hi James, I've had one of these for a couple of weeks now, and am thoroughly enjoying it! I've not actually used it personally, but my house servants are using it to pour some tasty shots for me. I don't really understand your issue with leaving coffee machines on all day -- I'm a CEO of a large oil company, and such behavior is actually quite beneficial to our bottom line!

[@Christiaan357]

Extremely appealing: beautiful, efficient, craftsmanship, ecological and last but absolutely not least: quiet.

[@superbee1970]

Interesting machine, I like the instant heat feature! Also, this machine sure looks like the big brother to the fancy grinder you used in this vid! :) Keep up the great vids, learning a lot...

[@tortolita633]

This is really a super episode. Worth the wait. It's not just the Manument, but also the Weber grinder too and you're in the $30k range. Total and complete ease and luxury. Can other manufacturers duplicate the Manument at lower cost? No doubt they'll try. But I rather suspect the Manument's enormous size exists for a reason. If Cafe's acquire one of these they will get a lot of action as people will want to taste the product. Well done.

[@zachariahacquaviva4399]

Agreed. It would be ideal for a “slow bar” set up. The little single origin/pour over bar at the side of the shop.

[@maximkonechno8742]

Nah only really useful things gets copied. There is more efficient $2000 machines with real tech support lines and huge user base.

[@BoulderConnoisseur]

Man these videos are so well put together it's insane

[@steffanomartinez1446]

The technology to price feels like when the first personal computer was announced, and you could either only see them in the big cities libraries or universities with exclusive access only. I am also excited to see this technology into more commercial machines, at least we can see that it is possible now to flick on a switch, pull a shot, and in the meantime have no reason to have the machine on. Really enjoyed the video!

[@Aethid]

I have to say, that is a fairly absurd comparison. There is nothing in this machine that is pushing technology forward like how early PCs did. I don't think the R&D budget for this is measured in the billions.

[@maximkonechno8742]

Yeah, computers used everywhere and changing the way we interact with the world and white coffee maker is the same thing...

[@Australiaisupsidedown]

how the hell did this tarded comment get upvotes😂

[@rubberonasphalt]

I'm extemely curious how the heating works, to be so quick and quiet. And its heating water for a steam wand too? Amazing! I really hope patents dont get in the way of cheaper versions in the future

[@v0ldy54]

Same. Maybe part of the weight is because of a battery capable of quick heating without tripping your power line?

[@TheWondermittens]

My best guess is that there is a small (60-100 mL) ferrous container wrapped in an induction coil. induction heating is extremely efficient, accurate, and quick, especially considering the low volume. my friend's induction stovetop can boil a liter of water in under a minute.

[@izzienesss]

Nah, I think it’s probably atomic cold fusion at this price point 😂

[@davidallen3490]

I almost didn't watch the video because this machine will never be in my possession (way too much money for me to spend on a coffee machine and no place to put it in my small kitchen), but glad I stuck around because your video and the machine's capability made me excited as well!

[@mightyn8]

This machine makes me very excited for the future of espresso-making, and as you said yourself, I'm hopeful that this kind of tech makes it into more affordable machines soon. That being said, if I were to ever have enough money to open a small coffee shop, I'd want one of these as the main attraction so much. I really like the aesthetic of lever machines, and this one is so beautiful and quiet - I'd have a blast making coffee for customers with it!

[@StuninRub]

This is a manual espresso machine. They are less then 300 bucks on Amazon. What tech are you talking about here? The tankless water heater that they installed? Only cost 500 bucks at home depot.

[@maximkonechno8742]

It would never be mass-produced because then it would loss crazy pricing. It is $2000 at max to produce this thing .

[@BuellXB12SDucati1198]

As usual, James delivers a highly entertaining video experience. This monster machine is neat. Nothing I personally would purchase but cool that it even exists. I'll stick with my fabulous 9barista espresso machine as it never disappoints. As a matter of fact, I am enjoying my latte freshly made with my 9barista while writing this comment. Thank you, James, for recommending the 9barista espresso machine!

[@1Luisinga]

Sorry to say but a 9barista espresso machine will never make an espresso like this monster.

[@artycharr]

just gonna say how restrained James is for having a machine shaped like that and talking about its length, how hard it is the pull the end and not make any dirty jokes.

[@joshuahillerup4290]

I love the implication that there's such a thing as a non-luxury home espresso machine

[@Laurabeck329]

La Pavoni might as well be a Fiat 500 compared to this

[@Naokarma]

You can find machines for under $100. They're just not good.

[@mattscarf]

Spending £1000 on a manual setup that’s going to last at least 10x longer than your average smartphone is a lot less of a luxury, though.

[@tonymante8759]

those arent real espresso machines but dark coffee machines i call them no crema or minimal cosnumer aquriam grade pump nope nope nope @@Naokarma

[@soulfuzz368]

@@mattscarfcoffee is always a luxury

[@kwilj]

I think this is secretly a La Marzocco video intended to make the Micra seem affordable 😊

[@jevenator]

The whole section on life changing experience, is exactly why I love the Odyssey Argos. You can have espresso ready to make in 5 minutes.

[@alex3785a]

Why am i watching this at 1am... It costs more than my car is worth...

[@DarkMuj]

I’m watching at 2am and don’t even have a car

[@enshongmiranda]

14:31 The Breville Dual Boiler is pretty fast from cold to ready to brew. And with a slayer mod, it's pretty amazing.

[@dream-bits]

Thanks a lot for your review. Now I finally found the perfect gift for Christmas for my whole family and friends!

[@KurtBlanken]

I find it amusing that long heating times are so standard in the enthusiast price bracket that James completely forgot that Breville/Sage espresso machines exist.

[@Raynhardx]

Yes, I was so confused. My sage pro is ready way before the coffee is done grinding.

[@djuri1985]

I've owned this machine for about 3 months now. Have very little complaints about it. The only minor gripe that comes to mind is that it doesn't make an exceptionally good anvil when I want to use it as such in my workshop. The coffee's been great!

[@darkeye77]

I'm glad to hear that my Breville Bambino Plus shares a key feature of an insanely high-end machine. Espresso whenever I want is a key reason why i went for it.

[@happyfarang]

i like to point out that you used the correct grinder for this machine... 🤣 on a note, my delonghi coffee machine heat up in about the time it takes me to grind and prep the pug :) It's not something that stops me from making my morning coffee ;)

[@amunak_]

Yeah there are plenty of "cheap" espresso machines even with the same tech (flow heater). This is beautifully silent though, and that's because it doesn't use a pump to push the water. Kinda neat and clever, but off the price is steep.

[@happyfarang]

@@amunak_ yeah, it's a nice machine :) but sadly over my budget hehe. And it pairs well with the EG-1 grinder - though it makes the EG-1 looks like a bargain hehe

[@umk4s]

You are a fantastic human being! You have made my day with this and many other videos❤

[@dertuel]

I love something about it I can’t put in words. Sometimes luxury is just paying the people that put their souls, hearts, brains in this object.

[@MatthewOBrien-p9v]

James , the very best of luck with the new studio - it looks incredible. Always love to see a machine review. Where did you get that flat white cup? It's beautiful.

[@MarkDavidBlack]

This is easily the best video I've watched this week. Thank you.

[@adambooth4011]

The fast start up is a really great feature. My machine (Sage Bambino Plus) is likely no where close to this in terms of quality but the fact it has no warm up time is a real bonus and makes both the making and drinking a joy.