Last month, Italian coffee company Lavazza revealed its latest espresso machine, the Lavazza Assoluta. It’s a good-looking bean-to-cup machine with an interesting selling point: rather than tinkering with brew settings yourself, just scan the barcode on your bag of Lavazza coffee beans into an app, and the Assoluta will automatically adjust its settings to achieve the optimum extraction and flavor.
It’s a very interesting idea, which should (in theory at least) take the trial and error out of making consistently good espresso, and make it easy for even total beginners to get perfect results every time.
So how well does it really work? I’m currently in the process of testing the Assoluta to see whether it can earn a place in my guide to the best coffee makers, and I will bring you a full review very soon, but for now, I thought I’d share my initial impressions of this unusual super-automatic machine.
The Assoluta is certainly attractive, with a burnished bronze-colored case, finished with glossy black and stainless steel accents. It’s large too, and at around 22lbs / 10kg, is one of the heaviest machines I’ve tested to date.
My review unit came with half a kilo of Lavazza’s Espresso Barista Gran Crema coffee, a light-roasted blend of arabica and robusta beans. I usually prefer light or medium-roasted arabica with chocolatey notes that work well with milk, but I’m not averse to a more punchy, traditionally Italian style either, so it’s a reasonable place to begin.
I installed the Piacere Lavazza app on my phone, created an account, paired the app with the Assoluta via Bluetooth, and then linked the machine to my Wi-Fi network. That done, it was time to scan the barcode on the coffee package and allow the app to send the appropriate brew temperature and time settings to the machine.
The Assoluta only has two grind settings (coarse and fine), which is surprising; it’s not unusual for espresso machines to offer 20 grind sizes so you can ensure the water infuses through your coffee at exactly the right rate.
Grind your coffee too fine and the water will move through too slowly, giving you a sour and over-extracted espresso. Grind it too coarsely and the water will run through in a handful of seconds, giving you a bitter flavor and an unpleasantly thin mouthfeel.
Having just two options seems risky, but I put my trust in Lavazza and went with the flow.
The machine can’t adjust these itself, but will tell you which one to pick for optimum results. You do, however, have control over your coffee’s ‘intensity’, which you can adjust by rotating the top of the bean hopper. When you do, a blue light will show the current setting: high, medium, or low. I’m assuming this changes the dosage (the amount of coffee the machine uses to brew a shot), but I’m not entirely certain.
Beginner-friendly brewing
Once the Assoluta is switched on and has rinsed its circuits, the top drink menu will illuminate, giving you a selection of espresso drinks without milk. You can place a large cup on the main drip tray, or use a smaller fold-out tray to hold an espresso cup and avoid splashing.
The machine’s grinder and pump seem pretty quiet (I’ll measure the exact volume using a decibel meter before writing my full review), and after hitting the espresso button, I soon had a richly flavored and full-bodied double shot, with plenty of crema. Not my usual, but definitely tasty.
I’m looking forward to testing the Assoluta with some of Lavazza’s other coffees, particularly the Espresso Italiano Classica, which is 100% arabica and should have a very different flavor profile.
Of course, there’s nothing to prevent you from using beans other than Lavazza’s own, but you’re warned that the results might not be optimal. After all, you only have two grind sizes to choose from, and the app’s customizable options are quite scant. You can choose the size of your drink, whether you want it hot or extra-hot, and whether the ‘aroma’ should be light, standard, or strong.
Foam, sweet foam
So far, I’m most surprised by the Assoluta’s milk-texturizing system. Most espresso machines I’ve tested (including those from Smeg, Jura, Philips, and Siemens) pump milk from a carafe or tank, steam and aerate it, then dispense it into your cup. It’s a tried-and-tested technique that works well, but Lavazza’s designers have taken a different tack.
The Assoluta comes with a large glass cup, which has a lid containing a steam pipe and a whisk. When you’re craving a cappuccino or longing for a latte, you must fill the cup with milk to the appropriate level marked on the side, push the lid into place, then slide the whole assembly between the drip tray and dispenser. It’s a snug fit, so don’t be afraid to give it a good push.
When it’s correctly positioned, the buttons for milk-based beverages will illuminate on the Assoluta’s control panel. Make your selection and the machine will begin pumping steam into the milk while a magnet just in front of the coffee dispenser drives the whisk. The overall effect looks similar to the whirlpool created when you use a manual steam wand with a milk pitcher, but sadly, the results don’t seem to be as good.
When it’s done, the machine will prepare a shot of espresso, pour it through a hole in the cup’s lid, and beep to inform you it’s ready to drink.
I prepared an XL cappuccino (what can I say, it was Friday afternoon and I was flagging), and although the flavor was good, the milk was very hot and the foam was thinner than I would have expected. I only had semi-skimmed and oat milk available at the time, so I’m hoping that full-fat dairy will yield better results. Nevertheless, I expected something more from a machine with a list price of £699.95 (about $930 / AU$1,400), even though that price is halved when you subscribe to Lavazza’s coffee delivery service.
The Assoluta currently seems to be available only in Europe, but I’ve asked Lavazza if and when it’s likely to launch elsewhere, and how much it’s likely to cost. For now, I’m continuing my testing and will bring you a full review very soon so you can see how it compares with the best bean-to-cup coffee machines available today.
