There is both a science and an art to making espresso. A powerful espresso machine can’t do everything for you, but it can simplify the process. You will just have to bring your coffee beans and get your grind size right. Take the AMZCHEF FC3102 Espresso Maker, for instance: it is a gorgeous espresso maker with 40 grind settings and a touchscreen display that gives you control over how you want your drink made. The good folks at AMZCHEF were kind enough to send us one to test. Let’s see what was included:
This espresso maker has a sleek design with a generous digital display that shows grinding and brewing time as well as the temperature. It comes with single- and double-shot baskets, a cleaning brush, a measuring spoon with a built-in tamper, and a portafilter that you can fully assemble in a couple of seconds. The bean hopper, drip plate, and drip tray are all removable for easy cleaning. The machine is lightweight enough for us to move it with one hand. Instead of a regular knob, it has a handle on the side for releasing steam.
The installation process is easy. You will just have to remove all the tape, attach the bean hopper, put together the portafilter, and choose the right basket. Fill the water reservoir and plug in the machine to get started. Just like all other espresso makers, this one requires a clean cycle with no beans to flush the internal water system. Once the machine preheats and you release hot water for a few seconds, you should run the single-shot program with no beans.
This espresso maker has a sleek grinder with 40 easily adjustable settings. Everything is marked, so you won’t struggle when it comes to assembling the hopper and locking it. While the company suggests going with a grind size between 10 and 15, we have had the best success with a grind size of 6 to 8. The grinder has a few safety features. For example, it alerts you when the hopper is not installed. This machine can make hot and cold espresso. You can adjust preheat and bloom times from 1 to 5 seconds. Brew time can be increased from 15 to 60 seconds. Brew temperature can also be adjusted from 190°F to 205°F.
The Hot Brew program is plug-and-play. For the Cold Brew mode, you will have to make sure the machine has cooled down for you to complete the process. When you press the cold brew button, if the CO indicator flashes, it means you will have to release hot water through the steam wand. The rest of the settings can be changed the same as in the Hot Brew program.
For a latte or cappuccino, you are going to need frothed milk. As with our other tests, we used cold whole milk for this machine. The trick is to release a bit of steam from the wand and then position it just under the surface of the milk to create a vortex and foam. If you have not done this before, it will take a couple of tries to get the temperature and timing right. Since we have done many tests with espresso machines in the past, this part has become second nature.
This machine is also capable of giving you hot water for tea. Place a cup under the steam wand and turn the handle. The cleaning process is pretty easy too. We used an electric air duster to clean the grinder. You can always run clean cycles with no beans to keep the machine in great shape. The AMZCHEF FC3102 Espresso Maker doesn’t have an analog pressure gauge, but you can make adjustments if your coffee flows too quickly or barely drips by going with a finer or coarser grind. Every espresso machine requires descaling after a couple of hundred brews. You can buy a descaling agent or use citric acid.
Overall, we found this machine to be quite elegant. The touchscreen is gorgeous. For an espresso machine, this is about as close to plug-and-play as you can get. You will just need high-quality roasted beans and a willingness to do a few tests to get your bloom/brew time and temperature right. Even when you are not using it, the FC3102 is a decent conversation starter as it looks different from most other espresso makers on the market. If you are looking for a next-level touchscreen espresso machine with a short learning curve, you should give this one a look.
