Cafelat Robot review

Thick, syrupy espresso, with shot-to-shot variation that comes from your hands7.5/10

The espresso is the reason to buy the Robot, and it is widely liked. Shots come out thick, heavy in texture and intense, and the comparison that keeps coming up is with machines much bigger and much more expensive.1

Heat is handled by the design. The basket sits apart from the heavy steel around it, so medium and darker roasts work with boiling water poured straight from the kettle and no preheating at all. Light roasts are the exception: they still need a preheat to give their best.2

The caveat is consistency, because you are the pump. Alternative Brewing puts it plainly: "that same human element introduces variation from shot to shot".3 One home-barista.com member fought uneven shots until he settled on a single coffee and added preheating. The basket is not made for single shots, crema can be modest, and there is no milk steaming of any kind.

A short routine, a steep start and a grinder it will not forgive4.2/10

Ease divides opinion, and the split is between the routine and the learning. The routine is short: grind into the basket, tamp, pour in hot water, press. In Lance Hedrick's comparison of manual levers the one "easiest to get a great shot on without question would be the robot".4

The start is harder. The machine does very little for you, so grind, dose, temperature and pressure are all yours to work out. The Coffee Chronicler needed a month of experimenting before the shots came good, and a home-barista.com member calls it "very hard learning initially".5 Another reports a spouse who refuses to touch it.

The grinder is not optional. The only basket in the box is unpressurized, and it needs a precise grind to work. A buyer quoted by 4barista.com is blunt: "Buy a grinder otherwise dont bother".6 A pressurized basket is sold separately for anyone putting that purchase off. Pace is the other limit: beyond a couple of shots in a row, the routine tests your patience.

Narrow legs, a gauge you duck to read and a basket few accessories fit

The most specific complaints are about space and grip. The legs stand close together, which makes it, in Home Grounds' words, "nearly impossible to squeeze in a scale".7 A mug will not fit underneath either. The gauge is small, sits on one arm and is hard to read without getting down to its level.

Pressing takes real force. The handles are not comfortable when you lean on them, and the Coffee Chronicler describes lighter roasts at high pressure as "close to legit exercise".8 Once you start a pull you should not stop, and lifting the arms too far can tilt the screen so that the next press damages it.

The portafilter is its own shape. The Real Sprometheus says "it feels more like holding a measuring cup",9 and its deep, tall-walled basket makes tamping awkward and rules out most standard tools. Getting it in and out means raising the arms first. The upside of the size is that you can grind straight into it.

Cleanup is the easy part. Alternative Brewing times it in seconds,10 and with no boiler there is no scale to remove, no backflushing and no drip tray to empty.

Stainless steel with no plastic, and a dispersion screen that bends7.0/10

Build is consistently praised. The Robot is metal throughout, mostly stainless steel, with no plastic and only a few silicone seals. Lance Hedrick says it is "built like a tank",11 and Kyle Rowsell calls the build quality superb.

Simplicity is the durability argument. With no electronics, no heater and very few moving parts, there is little to fail.12 Upkeep amounts to looking after the piston seal and relubricating it now and then. The Coffee Chronicler sees no reason it should not last for decades, which is an expectation, not a record.

The weak point is the thin metal dispersion screen that sits on the coffee. It bends if mistreated, and the Coffee Chronicler ruined one.13 A spare comes in the box, and newer units ship with a rubber-tipped screen meant to prevent bending. Kyle Rowsell also marks it down for its rubber base.

Cheap beside a prosumer machine, close to a semi-automatic with the gauge7.1/10

Value is widely liked, on the strength of the coffee. At $518, The Wired Gourmet calls it "a fraction of the cost of prosumer machines that cannot actually make better coffee".14 Running costs are close to nothing: no rebuilds, no descaler, an occasional seal. A tamper comes in the box.

The counter-argument is about what else the money buys. With the pressure gauge fitted, the Coffee Chronicler finds it pricey for what it is: "for the same money you're starting to get close to some nice semi-automatic machines".15 Those machines steam milk and heat their own water.

The bill does not stop at the machine. A dedicated espresso grinder is needed to get the best from it, and the padded grips that soften the handles are sold separately, which Home Grounds thinks they should not be.

No plug needed, and 7.5 lb of steel that belongs on a counter3.8/10

Portability is the clear weakness, despite the lack of a power cord. The Robot needs no electricity, but it was not designed for travel, and Alternative Brewing describes it as "more of a countertop tank".16 It will survive luggage; it just does not suit it.

A car is the realistic limit. The Coffee Chronicler sees no problem with putting it in the trunk or on the back seat, and would not take it as carry-on. You still need a kettle and a grinder wherever it goes.

Around the house it is easier. At 7.5 lb with a small footprint, it shares a table with other things and moves without trouble, as Barista Magazine found.

Our verdict

Buy the Robot if straight espresso is what you drink and you want a machine that rewards practice and should outlast most electric ones. Skip it if you want lattes, several shots in a row or good results in the first week. Budget for a dedicated espresso grinder from day one, and check that your scale fits between the legs. Start with a medium or dark roast and boiling water, and treat the dispersion screen gently.