Looking for this month's best coffee machine? Find Sage, KitchenAid and De'Longhi a little low-rent for your tastes? SMEG recently hosted an exclusive coffee masterclass to showcase its expert coffee machine brand, La Pavoni – you'll find their machines in many of the world's finest coffee shops. Harrods’ master barista Bartosz Ciepaj was on hand to show us how the professionals do it. We couldn't make it as we were on holiday, but you get the general idea. They were showing off three serious coffee machines – two espresso makers and a grinder – for serious coffee lovers, and rich people who like lots of chrome and knobs to twiddle.
Choosing the best espresso machine can be tricky, given the array of options out there, but if it's high quality you're after, a La Pavoni Cellini semi-pro coffee maker – now under the SMEG banner after a recent acquisition – is worth very serious consideration. This is a £2,000/$2,500 espresso machine that is designed for coffee enthusiasts and features a beefy specification that delivers premium coffee, every time, with minimal effort and maximal expense.
Now THAT is a coffee machine
Central to this is its copper and insulated boiler, which helps to deliver improved thermal stability, as well as saving energy into the bargain. Handy at the moment, right?
On top of that, there are twin manometers that keep tabs on the pressure of the pump and the boiler. What that means is a more precision brewing extraction process.
As the price tag suggests, this is a premium grade machine, so it’s also been designed to not only produce great coffee but deliver the goods for a long time to come. The design is stylish while the quality of components should ensure that the machine keeps on working, when other lesser espresso machines have given up the ghost.
Not convinced and prefer an easier option? Take a look at our best pod coffee machines or best bean to cup machines, which pretty much remove most of the manual intervention needed for producing great coffee.
La Pavoni Cilindro coffee grinder
Get your grind on, with digital precision
Meanwhile, if you’re looking for the ultimate collection of coffee-making gadgets then the La Pavoni Cilindro coffee grinder should be added to your wants list. This £599 beauty is unusually high-end and certainly expensive for a domestic grinder, but it's perfect if you’ve got a passion for freshly ground coffee.
There’s a sizeable 600 gram Tritan hopper at the top where you load in your preferred bean of choice. The machine can grind a specific dose to order, meaning that you’re going to get a jungle fresh brew every time. Just like the Cellini espresso machine, the design, materials used and end result are all high-end and it sits beautifully alongside the coffee-brewing unit.
La Pavoni Esperto lever machine
Taking things up a further notch or two is the £1,349 La Pavoni Esperto lever machine, which completes the new collection. This is something for the real coffee connoisseur as the benefit of using a manual lever machine is that it lets you decide on the exact brewing pressure. If you’re very picky about your coffee – and like chrome-coated machines with eagle crests nesting on them – it’s a must-have.
The La Pavoni Esperto lever machine comes complete with a selection of accessories including a steam wand, Cappuccino automatic, professional filter holder, Fascine filter holder, three filters – single, double and competition for those of you who like to make coffee competitively – a coffee scoop and a stainless steel tamper. Expect quality all the way from machines and accessories alike.
- Find out more at the La Pavoni portion of SMEG's website
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