Isomac Zaffiro

Great – Great little machine. Had for 12 months and no issues at all. Coffee great, heating quite fast and clean same as others. Hot water outlet ok for a few cups but that's about it. Steaming wand little hard to clean but water soaking helps a lot. Would by again. Matt.

For the Domestic Barista ! – Having upgraded from a twin thermoblock machine, I can verify that the Zaffiro is a quantum leap away from most home machines in terms of its' build quality and capacities - both espresso delivery and steaming. It has taken me about 4 weeks to learn how to properly exploit this beautiful machine, but now I can consistently deliver top class shots with superb crema and micro foam of true barista quality.

To describe this machine as 'entry level' is a tad misleading. It's 'entry level' in the context of the large professional/commercial coffee lounge machines only, because given the solid build quality and steaming capacity of the Zaffiro, it should be judged in that market. Against most other domestic machines it's a Ferrari competing against Fiats.

Because the Zaffiro is a single boiler machine, I expected a significant time lag between extracting the espresso shot and being able to steam milk. This hasn't eventuated. It would take 2 mins or less to rev up to steam level after pulling the shot. And it takes me nearly that time to pour the milk etc. etc. So very little waiting from the extraction to the steaming. My guess is it's all done in around 5 mins, provided you start with a warm machine (i.e., boiler ready to extract).

To my retro-loving eye, it looks great from all aspects. The back and sides present a clean stainless steel finish and the front is the gleaming, heavily chromed group head. The steam wand is 'cool touch' so no plastic tab is needed, but there are a few bits you only touch once after the Zaffiro is at working temperature - mainly the group head. Overall it's built with the quality you'd expect from a commercial machine, but it looks good too and is quite easy to keep clean and bright.

The three switches for the boiler, hot water and steamer are almost intuitive to understand and the extraction lever is hands-on simplicity itself. The instructions that come with the machine were brief but sufficient. If more depth was needed to tweak the Zaffiro there are a few other coffee related websites that can fill any gaps.

This isn't a machine for the automatic coffee machine brigade. The Zaffiro requires just a bit more than pushing a button or two. However it is very rewarding for the true coffee lover.

Would I recommend to a friend? Sure would, but expect them to take a little while of experimentation before they mastered it. Powerful steaming capacity. Consistent espresso shots. Superb build quality. An adornment to any kitchen. Water tank could be slightly larger.