You don’t need your espresso machine to remember your favorite drink, or for it to heat up at a specific time. You don’t need beautiful LED displays or high tech controls. All you need is a cup of rich, chocolatey, crema-topped espresso that revs your inner gears and you want it with the least manual time and labor involved in its making.
For its amazing price below $500, the Vienna Plus is truly a steal because you don’t have to pay for a separate grinder. So how did they make it so affordable when all other super automatics were over $1000? And most importantly, how does the espresso taste? These are questions that I intend to answer.
What Should You Not Expect
First of all, this espresso machine took off all the fancy add-ons to most super automatic espresso machines, including a “high-quality look”. It uses a strong plastic material to house the inner workings, which are of higher quality. The boiler is stainless steel, which is a step higher than aluminum and more commonly used than expensive brass boilers.
There is no timer, no program and nothing that can confuse the user. The only things that you can adjust are the amount of water or steam, the strength of your coffee, and the size of the grind. For different kinds of beans you will want to find the right size and strength to make the perfect espresso.
They also made this espresso machine small as to cut some cost. I have noticed this with many budget espresso machines, and fortunately the Vienna Plus has adjustable spouts to accommodate different cup sizes.
This is also not one of the smart super automatics that tell you when to clean your machine or empty the grounds drawer. You’ll have to remember to do it yourself or deal with bad coffee and a great mess.
Hot, Delicious Espresso
If you can deal with all that and still reading this, here are the good stuff. You can make an espresso in less than 5 minutes from switch on, and steam milk to hot perfection in another 2 minutes. All that is done without getting any of the mess with grinding and tamping.
What comes out into the cup is great for a budget super automatic, similar to what you would get at coffee bars and depending on your beans and extraction time, better than Starbucks. The espresso is dark and rich, and if you love espresso to the extent of savoring each sip with the tongue, you’ll love the espresso from this machine.
If you like milk-based drinks, the froth from this machine doesn’t disappoint too. It is not exceptional but very good if you have the skill. The steaming wand attachment is designed to help make frothing easier and it works.
Upon checking up on its reliability, the Vienna Plus seems to last anything from one to three years (unless you got a lemon), which translates to a reasonable savings compared to what you would’ve spent buying espressos from franchise chains. I recommend this super automatic espresso machine if you are looking for a grinder and brewer machine that will give you good espressos quickly and without fuss.
If you want something off the higher end, check out the best super automatic espresso machine and best value super automatic espresso machine.
