The Bonsenkitchen Espresso Machine 20 Bar is a budget espresso machine with a milk frother for making cafe style cappuccinos, lattes and other coffee beverages in the comfort of your own home. The specifications are impressive and would seemingly place the Bonsenkitchen in the same class as the stylish De’Longhi Dedica for a fraction of the price. Read until the end to see which pros and cons bubble up to the surface.
At first unboxing the Bonsenkitchen is a handsome coffee maker, with dusky gray plastic and steel panels at the front and on the drip tray. It won’t leave you in awe like the more slender De’Longhi which is over 1 inch thinner and almost 1 inch taller. However, the Bonsenkitchen comes with some very nice features that the De’Longhi doesn’t include, namely a user friendly handle on the water reservoir and that reservoir is .25 liters larger than that of the De’Longhi Dedica.
At 7 pounds in weight the Bonsenkitchen is 2 pounds lighter than the Dedica (for those who have plans to transport it regularly it may be an advantage).
How do I operate The Bonsenkitchen Espresso Machine 20 Bar?
The Bonsenkitchen 20 Bar espresso machine is very user friendly. Slide the water resevoir out from the back using the fold out handle and fill with cold water up to the marker (no higher). Snap the handle back down. Press the left button on the side of the digital display for 1 shot and the button on the other side for 2 shots. The machine comes with a portafilter and 2 baskets: one shot and 2 shots.
Slip your chosen basket into the portafilter. Take a scoop of your favorite ground coffee with the scoop provided and use the tamper to flatten the grounds. Slot the portafilter easily into the machine. Press the button of the shot you want. The thermo block system starts to hum (which isn’t quiet but won’t wake the family).
A thick crema sits on top of a delicious hot espresso in a matter of seconds. To create milk froth for lattes and cappuccinos press the button, above and on the right side of the frothing wand.
Place a steel pitcher underneath the wand and purge the steam first. Add milk and begin to froth the milk with the wand’s powerful steam.
Bonsenkitchen are a well known brand in the milk frothing world. Their budget handheld devices have been among the top sellers on Amazon for years with a reputation for good quality at very affordable prices. The Bonsenkitchen 20 bar espresso machine solidly backs their axiom: ‘value for money’.
The final brewed espresso is delicious with a good, thick crema. The milk froth is decent and with practice will allow you to impress your guests with cafe style beverages. As a pressurized filter system only far more expensive machines (with unpressurized portafilters will produce a more aficionado friendly espresso. The flavor is neither sour or bitter which are traits of cheap machines with inadequate bars of pressure.
With this 1350W espresso machine with a 20 bar pump the benefits are a quicker cup of espresso. You should have two shots distributed into your cups within 45 seconds. An impressive thermo bloack system which has no right to be on a machine this affordable will be ready only 30 seconds after pressing the on button.
To keep the Bonsenkitchen Espresso Machine 20 Bar clean, it’s important to wipe down the steel wand with a clean cloth and remove the sleeve daily for a proper clean. The drip tray is also removable for easy sink washing with detergent.
Things We Liked
- Undoubted value for money
- 20 bars of pressure
- Water container handle
- Easy operation
- Fast Heating
Cons
- Pressurized portafilter (but you would have to spend much more to buy a pressurized portafilter)
In Conclusion
The Bonsenkitchen Espresso Machine 20 Bar comes with eye widening specifications for an eye popping price. At present it’s hard to think of a worthy competitor for the Bonsenkitchen at this rock bottom price.
It’s not the most beautiful machine on the market but it’s certainly no ugly duckling either. A pleasant espresso can be brewed in a quick time and with a 7 inch width the Bonsenkitchen will leave a smallish but welcome footprint on your countertop.
Check out the great price I found on Amazon (I may get a small commission for purchases)
