There’s nothing more satisfying than getting cafe-quality coffee right from the comfort of your own home, especially if you also get the fun of pulling your own perfect shot of espresso and steaming up your own nice cup of milk to go along with it. While there are many great home espresso machines out there, not every option can provide you with the complete experience.
With quick steaming, intricate shot pulling, a fast working boiler, high-quality stainless steel and brass parts, and easy clean up, the Rocket Espresso Appartamento machine is one that’s perfect for those looking to create a cafe experience within their home.
What Is the Rocket Espresso Appartamento?
Rocket Espresso Appartamento
The Rocket Espresso Appartamento provides café-grade drinks and uses commercial-grade components in a compact 304 stainless steel design, making it ideal for creating a perfect espresso at home.
The company of Rocket is a partnership between New Zealander Andrew Meo and Italian Daniele Berenbruch. Together, they created a Milan factory that crafts some of the best espresso machines in the world.
One of these, the Rocket Espresso Appartamento, is a home espresso machine that not only provides home baristas with the ability to craft drinks exactly like their favorite coffee shops but it’s also presented in a neat package of a 304 stainless steel compact machine body.
More than that, the Rocket Appartamento also has an E61 group head, which means that this machine has the best temperature stability. Thanks to the E-61 group, those preparing their coffee at home can rest assured that they’ll be able to pull consistent and delicious shots of espresso.
This is done through the continuous circulation of hot water in the boiler and group head so that the best brew temp remains at the group head. It also contains an automatic pre-infusion function so that your espresso can be evenly extracted, without the need for any extra steps from whoever’s handling the machine.
The Rocket Appartamento is an espresso machine that has many great features, which I’ll cover later, and is carefully hand-built by Rocket’s small team in Italy! If that’s not intriguing enough, then the beautiful and aesthetic design of the machine sure is!
Reviewing the Rocket Espresso Appartamento
Rocket Espresso Appartamento
The Rocket Espresso Appartamento provides café-grade drinks and uses commercial-grade components in a compact 304 stainless steel design, making it ideal for creating a perfect espresso at home.
I was very lucky to be offered to receive a Rocket Espresso Appartamento from Coffee Bros, a coffee team of two that sources and sells delicious beans as well as fantastic equipment. With much gratitude, I was eager to open my special delivery of the home espresso machine and get to trying it out!
As an experienced barista, I had much to compare the machine to, including a few smaller and less advanced home machines, as well as large commercial machines used in coffee shops. I can safely say that the Rocket Appartamento was a happy medium between the two, giving other home espresso machines a run for their money and providing coffee lovers with a way to produce cafe-quality drinks from their own kitchens.
Features of the Machine
The machine itself contains a black boiler pressure gauge, brass components, 304 stainless steel, an E61 group head, no-burn hot water and steam wands, a 1.8-liter brass/copper boiler, a 2.25-liter water tank, and a cup warmer with a removable cup guard.
The black boiler pressure gauge tells the user when the machine is ready for use by showing the bar level. As mentioned earlier, the E61 group head provides temperature stability. The hot water and steam wands have black handles that stay cool to the touch to avoid burns, with the steam wand featuring two holes in order to distribute heat evenly.
The 1.8-liter copper boiler helps the machine to be able to brew espresso and steam milk at the same time through heat exchange, while the copper component of the boiler allows for better sanitation. The water tank of the Rocket Appartamento contains 2.25 liters and is super easy to refill.
The top of the machine works as a cup warmer and comes with a removable plastic cup guard so that they can’t slide off. Of course, that’s not all that this stainless steel machine comes with.
What’s Included
The Rocket Espresso Appartamento also has accessories that include an aluminum tamper, a polishing cloth, a brew head brush for easy cleaning, a starter pack of cleaner chemicals, and a blind basket for cleaning.
It also includes single and dual spout portafilters with 14g and 7g baskets, as well as a removable drip tray for easier cleaning.
Rocket Espresso Appartamento Unboxing
The Rocket Appartamento espresso machine came very well packaged, in a sturdy box that had a careful opening process, so you can rest assured that it will come safely delivered. After I opened the machine (and took a moment to look at the beauty of it all!), I set it up on my counter and got to reading the handy user manual that was included.
For first use and installation, there’s a numbered process that’s easy to follow so that you can get the machine running. It’s important to fill the water reservoir with filtered water to prolong the life of the appliance by minimizing scale build-up.
After that, I plugged the machine into an appropriate power supply and flipped the switch to ‘on.’ I then opened the steam handle and let the boiler fill with water, which can be clearly heard. Once this noise stopped, I closed the steam handle and allowed the machine to heat up.
When the boiler pressure gauge got to one bar, I opened the steam handle once again to release some of the steam, an important step any time you plan on steaming milk to avoid a vacuum within the boiler.
After the pressure gauge reaches one bar again, the next step is one that’s only necessary for the first use, which requires you to lift the lever for brewing and release a cup of hot water from the group head. Once this was done, I pushed the lever down to stop the water and let the machine finish warming up for about 15 more minutes.
First Brew on the Rocket Espresso Appartamento
I was very excited to get to brewing up a latte using the Rocket Appartamento, so I ground some espresso beans and filled the dual spout portafilter. After giving it a good tamp using the provided aluminum tamper, I locked it into place on the group head and lifted the brew lever.
The shot came out beautifully and I will say that the brew lever was very easy to use, allowing you to start and stop the shot whenever you deem necessary. I then tested out the steam wand by steaming up a bit of coconut milk for my latte. I was very pleased with the efficiency of the wand, as it steamed the milk quickly without any problems and gave even the coconut milk a good microfoam.
Since my first brew, I have also used this machine with whole milk and the results are still amazing if not better. The Rocket Appartamento has a great steam wand with excellent steam pressure to use for practicing latte art and getting a delicious hot latte without any extra work.
Pros and Cons of the Rocket Espresso Appartamento
Not every machine is perfect for every coffee lover, so it’s important to look at the list of pros and cons that come with the Rocket Espresso Appartamento.
Pros
There are many great things about this espresso machine, including a high-quality build that ensures longevity and low maintenance, great temperature stability with the E61 group head, the fact that it’s carefully handmade in Italy, has two beautiful and sturdy portafilters, and three-year warranty.
It’s also super easy to use as long as you know what you’re doing and can allow you to create cafe-quality brews within the comfort of your own home. The steam wand works wonders by providing a good, quick steam every time.
Not to mention the beautiful classic design of the machine itself, with a 304 stainless steel body and gorgeous copper components!
Cons
With the pros, come the cons. Despite how great this machine is, there are a few things that might not work out for everyone. The Rocket Appartamento doesn’t actually come with a plumbing option, but rather just a water reservoir so those looking for the ease of an automatic plumbing system will have to look elsewhere.
While the appliance does come with a removable drip tray, it is on the smaller side so it needs more frequent emptying. There’s also no PID controller on the machine, which just means there’s a bit less temperature stability compared to other Rocket models.
If you’re looking for a quick brewing process, you’ll probably want to start heating up your machine before you’re actually ready to brew since it can take a bit of time to heat up to its full potential.
A Few Other Details to Know About the Rocket Espresso Appartamento
There’s honestly so much to tell when it comes to the 304 stainless steel Rocket Appartamento. It’s unique from other models in the same price range due to its high build quality, with commercial-grade internal brass components, the stainless steel body, and a brass/copper boiler.
If Rocket Espresso machines are correctly maintained and cared for, they can last for more than 15 years. That’s a long time! Of course, you have to make sure you’re keeping up the cleaning of the machine.
How to Care for the Rocket Espresso Appartamento
It’s important that you take care of your espresso machine, which means frequent cleanings and careful following of instructions. Parts of the machine to clean include the steam nozzle, group brew head, portafilters, water reservoir, and drip tray.
Every time you use the milk steamer, you should clean it with a damp cloth and turn it on to release any residue. It’s also good to make sure the hot water wand is clean by wiping it down as well.
The brew head is the most important place to keep up with cleaning, using the blind basket for backwashing, adding espresso cleaner to the blind basket weekly for a more efficient backflush, and removing the shower foil and head seal for an even more thorough cleansing with the provided group brush.
The portafilters can be cleansed by removing the filter basket and scrubbing each piece clean, even using espresso cleaner to soak them if needed. The water reservoir can be removed for cleaning purposes, which can then be soaked in warm soapy water and refilled with filtered water. As mentioned earlier, the drip tray is small and needs to be emptied and cleaned after every use.
Rocket Espresso Appartamento: Tying it All Together
Rocket Espresso Appartamento
The Rocket Espresso Appartamento provides café-grade drinks and uses commercial-grade components in a compact 304 stainless steel design, making it ideal for creating a perfect espresso at home.
Overall, the Rocket Espresso Appartamento is a machine that’s exciting and beautiful, has high-quality components, is easy to use, and won’t let you down. As I said before, I’ve had plenty of experience with many different types of espresso machines, from home to commercial. The Rocket Appartamento is definitely a happy and exquisite medium between the two.
Considering it is a high-end machine that can perform just as well as those in your favorite coffee shop, though of course without the ability to produce at a higher demand, it is on the pricier side of home espresso machines. At the time of writing, the Rocket Espresso Appartamento, which can be purchased on the Coffee Bros website, is priced at about $1,850.
However, if you’re looking to make a true investment that will last you for years to come as long as it’s properly cared for, then the Rocket Espresso Appartamento is definitely the way to go. From delicious shot pulling to speedy milk steaming, this beautiful machine can get you cafe-quality drinks with the fun of doing it yourself!
Happy Caffeinating!
Rocket Espresso Appartamento Review: A High-end Machine
A Rocket Espresso Appartamento Review that covers everything you need to know about the high-end home espresso machine.
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