Those of you who make espresso on a regular basis know all too well what goes into making the perfect cup. You need to get your grind size, dose, brew temperature, ratio, and pressure right. You can always buy multiple devices to handle those for you. The AMZCHEF Espresso Machine with Grinder has those covered. It is a gorgeous espresso machine with a grinder and milk frother. It also has a cold brew function. AMZCHEF was kind enough to send us a unit to test. Let’s see what was included:
This espresso machine replaces multiple machines and saves you some space in the process. It came very well packaged. We received the main machine, single- and double-shot filters, a portafilter, a dosing ring, a measuring spoon with tamper, and a professional quality tamper. The main unit has removable parts, including a bean hopper and water reservoir. You can also remove the drip plate and tray for cleaning. You can find the steam knob on the side and the frother on the left side of the machine.
Before getting started, you will want to learn what each button does. This machine has a user-friendly touch interface. You can select steam, temperature, and cold brew modes with a simple touch. It is also possible to choose single and double shot modes for your drink. Here is the neat part: a lot of these “buttons” are multifunctional. For example, if you press and hold the 2-shot button, you can change the brew time from 10 to 60 seconds, allowing you to adjust the amount of coffee dispensed. You can also press and hold the grind button to adjust grind time from 1 to 25 seconds.
This espresso machine has 4 temperature settings for you to choose from. It also has 44 grind levels. You will want to be between the 8 to 20 level range as lower grind settings are better for Turkish coffee. Once you understand the basics of how the controls work, the rest is pretty easy. You will want to run water through the machine and release some steam before getting started. We used medium-roast coffee beans and grind level 9 and had no issues. The machine doesn’t make a whole lot of noise and stays put, thanks to its suction cups.
To make espresso, we had to tamp our ground coffee, install the portafilter, and press the 2-shot button. We decided to go with the 60-second program to fill the entire cup. We used a normal teacup for our espresso, but you can use anything as long as it is not too tall. This machine can make cold espresso as well. Just add ice water to the water reservoir or use ice cubes in your coffee cup, and you are set. If you decide to go with a hot brew, you will just have to wait for the preheating process to complete, which is pretty quick. To switch to cold brew, you will have to run a brewing cycle without coffee grounds to cool it down.
The AMZCHEF Touchscreen Espresso Machine also has a very capable milk frother. It has a steam button that you can press to start the preheating process. Once done, you will have to release a bit of hot water before you get the steam. Just use cold milk, and you will be able to prepare frothed milk for lattes and other drinks. As long as your steam wand is just below the surface of the milk, you are set.
Mastering espresso takes work. Even with a convenient machine like this, you will want to get your grind size, tamping force, and other aspects of preparation right. This model simply replaces multiple machines, so you can go from coffee beans to a latte or cappuccino pretty fast. It doesn’t take up a whole lot of space, so we were able to fit it in our small kitchen. The cleaning process is pretty straightforward as various components are removable. If you are looking for a modern espresso machine that makes cold and hot drinks in a flash, you should give this one a look.
