Gevi Espresso Machine Review: Fast but quirky

Coffee tool The market has caused a huge proliferation of devices for all tastes, preferences and budgets, but it is still easy to divide them into a range of levels when you consider what kind of gift each will make.

The lower level contains inexpensive machines that one can buy as a housewarming gift for a friend or relative’s third or fourth ownership, such as a country timeshare or a newly minted yacht. The second is an obligatory gift for someone you don’t know well or care much about, such as the wedding of a distant cousin or former enemy. The third layer is a gift for someone you know and Like, the fourth is a great gift to give yourself after you finish a big project, get a promotion at work, or finally make a profit in your custom AI-powered marketing and SEO agency.

The Gevi Espresso Machine is located at the top of the second tier. This 15-bar, single-boiler machine performs basic functions such as grinding coffee, dosing and steaming milk, at an acceptable level for its cost. The mostly plastic body won’t impress most average people, but the lack of scales, digital menus, and other customization options might actually excite the type of rude Palestinian who shouts “black coffee” at the barista before they can even get a word in every time they walk into a third-wave café. You can also stay home with this situation, in which case all the Americans who have no trouble talking to humans are in your own kitchen.

Power up

The machine is easy to assemble and comes with a small selection of nifty accessories that you’ll need to replace straight away, the first of which is the shiny plastic plunger that weighs just about 80g – one-fifth the weight of the plunger included with the Casabrews 5700PRO. The included portafilter uses the same plastic for the handle, but the stainless steel basket feels solid enough while pressing. The tank holds 2.3 liters of water and is easy to fill while plugged into the machine or under the tap. It locks into place seamlessly without any drips or leaks. It doesn’t have a maximum or minimum fill line, but the small hole about a half-inch below the hinged lid at the top works like the former in a relatively intuitive way.

The grain hopper is a notable bright spot of the machine in terms of quality and ease of use. A durable lid with rubber gasket keeps beans in the hopper fresh, and a clear guide to grind size adjustments is printed in white letters directly above the tag on the top of the machine indicating your current setting. It was a pleasure to know exactly which way to turn the disc for a looser or tighter grind, and there’s a satisfying feel and click to the action. The simple guide suggests a setting between 5 and 10 for espresso. I settled on 3 when I dialed in the machine and took shots daily for about three months, which resulted in consistent enough production that didn’t stress the grinder or clog the group head.