Espresso machines: what YouTube's top 10 reviewers actually say
Consensus and disagreement by price tier, built from 944 full review transcripts. Compiled for Matt, Oct 13, 2026.
Startup time evidence (machines with 2+ reviewers)
| Machine | Tier | Reviewer statements | Spec / retailer claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eureka Costanza R | Price unknown | Coffee Kev: Usable once the boiler is up to temperature. Eureka states 10 to 15 minutes. Most temperature stable after about 30 to 35 minutes, and he schedules it to turn on about 40 minutes before his first coffee. (reviewer's estimate/experience)6:01 | 10 to 15 minutes |
| Casabrews CM5418 | Under $1,000 | Coffee Kev: about 50 seconds; run a blank shot first (reviewer timed/measured)2:46 | about 50 seconds (heater up to temp) |
| De'Longhi Stilosa | Under $1,000 | Lance Hedrick: a couple of minutes; between 2 and 5 minutes (reviewer's estimate/experience)6:33 Tom's Coffee Corner: about a minute and a half until the ready light (reviewer's estimate/experience)2:51 Lance Hedrick: heats up rapidly because the boiler is small (no time given) (reviewer's estimate/experience)6:24 | ~3 minutes |
| De'Longhi ECP3420 / ECP3531 | Under $1,000 | Tom's Coffee Corner: warms up pretty quickly; gets better once it has been on for 15-20 minutes (reviewer's estimate/experience)15:09 | Fast heating time: 40 seconds |
| ROK Espresso GC | Under $1,000 | James Hoffmann: No heating element. He preheats the portafilter and unit with boiling water by pulling a blank shot, and says the second or third shot is often better than the first. (reviewer's estimate/experience)5:34 | |
| De'Longhi EC146 | Under $1,000 | No reviewer statement | approximately 45 seconds to warm up |
| De'Longhi Dedica Duo | Under $1,000 | Tom's Coffee Corner: steam takes 20-30 seconds to build up (reviewer's estimate/experience)19:40 | |
| Swan Retro Espresso Machine | Under $1,000 | Coffee Kev: heats up quickly (reviewer's estimate/experience)6:42 Coffee Kev: Reaches steam temperature 'pretty quick', shown on its temperature display (reviewer's estimate/experience)7:02 | |
| Solis Barista Perfetta Plus | Under $1,000 | Whole Latte Love: 29 seconds to transition from brewing to steaming (reviewer timed/measured)6:55 Lance Hedrick: a little slower to heat up than the Bambino (thermoblock vs Bambino's system), but very similar (reviewer's estimate/experience)18:57 Tom's Coffee Corner: similar to the Dedica (no time stated) (reviewer's estimate/experience)2:25 | 40 seconds |
| Breville Bambino | Under $1,000 | Coffee Kev: 3 seconds (only the ThermoJet heater is ready); 4 seconds to steam ready. The reviewer recommends a turbo/water-only flush to preheat when using standard baskets and fresh beans. (reviewer timed/measured)5:47 Morgan Eckroth (Morgan Drinks Coffee): about 3 seconds to optimal brewing temperature (reviewer's estimate/experience)3:41 Lance Hedrick: a little faster to heat up than the Solis (reviewer's estimate/experience)18:57 | ready to start in 3 seconds (ThermoJet heating system) |
| De'Longhi Dedica Arte | Under $1,000 | Whole Latte Love: Thermoblock heats on demand; steam ready in about 10 seconds (tested) (reviewer timed/measured)9:17 | |
| Gemilai Owl (G3006) | Under $1,000 | Tom's Coffee Corner: about 1 minute heat-up (reviewer's estimate/experience)0:30 Lance Hedrick: 40 seconds (reviewer's estimate/experience)24:12 | nearly 3 mins (preheat) |
| Breville Duo Temp Pro | Under $1,000 | Tom's Coffee Corner: takes 'a little bit of time' to heat up; a new machine also takes a while to prime (reviewer's estimate/experience)6:11 Coffee Kev: slightly faster heat-up than the Gaggia Classic Pro (no figure spoken); still needs some preheating before the first shot (reviewer's estimate/experience)5:32 Coffee Kev: about 30 seconds (thermocoil) (reviewer's estimate/experience)1:19 | ~15 minutes or more to reach operating temps |
| Lelit Anna (PL41TEM) | Under $1,000 | Coffee Kev: Steam ready time 1 minute 36 seconds. This is the time to steam readiness, not a stated cold heat-up time. (reviewer timed/measured)6:37 Coffee Kev: a few minutes (reviewer's estimate/experience)12:28 Lance Hedrick: about 10 minutes (reviewer's estimate/experience)36:25 | ~10 minutes (including grouphead and portafilter) |
| Turin Legato | Under $1,000 | Hoon's Coffee: Steam is via thermoblock, described as instant with no wait to steam. Overall warm-up time not discussed. (reviewer's estimate/experience)1:52 Hoon's Coffee: Steam is instant from the thermoblock; overall warm-up time not discussed (reviewer's estimate/experience)4:30 Lance Hedrick: about 5 minutes (reviewer's estimate/experience)28:30 | about five minutes (~5 minutes from cold) |
| Aram Espresso Maker | Under $1,000 | James Hoffmann: Needs at least one preheat cycle of a couple of minutes. With 95°C water in a cold brewer, the body only reaches the mid-60s °C, so light roasts may need a second preheat; darker roasts are probably fine straight away. (reviewer timed/measured)2:46 Lance Hedrick: Requires a ton of preheating; max about 86°C even with heavy preheat (reviewer's estimate/experience)22:00 | |
| MiiCoffee Apex | Under $1,000 | The Real Sprometheus: around 5 minutes on average; letting it run longer adds some thermal stability (reviewer's estimate/experience)3:39 Tom's Coffee Corner: Not timed. On a next-morning test he pulled a shot before it was fully warmed; it was not very hot and a little sour, which he attributed to needing more heat-up time. (reviewer's estimate/experience)17:03 Coffee Kev: under 5 minutes (listed spec); steam ready almost instantly after a short purge (manufacturer claim cited by reviewer)1:46 | Just 5 minutes to warm up fully to pull a shot |
| Gaggia Classic E24 | Under $1,000 | Whole Latte Love: Started steaming 25 seconds after pressing the steam button (reviewer timed/measured)9:28 Coffee Kev: Ready light comes on in just over a minute (about 20 seconds longer on first use). The usual advice for a Classic is 10-15 minutes to heat up properly. (reviewer timed/measured)3:24 Lance Hedrick: Steam mode reached temperature faster than the Silvia (no time given); he advises letting it go through a heating cycle or two after fresh water enters (reviewer's estimate/experience)33:14 | 15 minutes (portafilter reaches 65–70°C) |
| De'Longhi Dedica | Under $1,000 | Tom's Coffee Corner: similar to the Solis (no time stated) (reviewer's estimate/experience)2:25 Tom's Coffee Corner: about 30 seconds (reviewer's estimate/experience)10:56 Tom's Coffee Corner: already hot right after being turned on; reviewer flushed about 200 ml through to warm everything up (reviewer's estimate/experience)0:28 | approximately 45 seconds to warm up |
| Breville Bambino Plus | Under $1,000 | Tom's Coffee Corner: about 3 seconds (thermojet) (reviewer timed/measured)0:34 Coffee Kev: 3 seconds (only the ThermoJet heater is ready); 4 seconds to steam ready. The reviewer recommends a turbo/water-only flush to preheat. (reviewer timed/measured)5:47 Coffee Kev: 3 seconds (reviewer timed/measured)6:53 | 3 seconds (ThermoJet) |
| De'Longhi Dedica Maestro Plus | Under $1,000 | Tom's Coffee Corner: about 30 seconds; brew group isn't warmed, so leaving it on longer makes no difference (reviewer's estimate/experience)1:35 Tom's Coffee Corner: about 30 seconds (he still suggests preheating the group/portafilter) (reviewer's estimate/experience)1:27 Coffee Kev: fast heat up (advanced thermoblock) (manufacturer claim cited by reviewer)0:00 | reaches optimum brewing temperature in seconds (Advanced Thermoblock Technology) |
| Ninja Luxe Cafe (ES601) | Under $1,000 | James Hoffmann: Does not heat the thermoblock until after grinding; there is a heat-up wait before brewing (reviewer's estimate/experience)5:04 Tom's Coffee Corner: No time given; the thermoblock sits on the brew group, which is already getting warm after a little bit of time (reviewer's estimate/experience)0:57 Coffee Kev: Thermal block heats up as soon as you start grinding, preheating the group while you grind; no time stated (reviewer's estimate/experience)3:16 | |
| Ninja Luxe Cafe Mini / Mini Plus | Under $1,000 | Coffee Kev: roughly 12 seconds steam heat-up from pressing start (steam only; no machine warm-up stated) (reviewer timed/measured)5:42 | Steam system takes about 12 seconds to heat up after pressing start |
| Smeg ECF01 | Under $1,000 | No reviewer statement | Hits optimum temperature in just 40 seconds |
| Gaggia Classic Pro / Evo Pro | Under $1,000 | Tom's Coffee Corner: about 1 minute 20 seconds to brew temperature (timed); portafilter heated in roughly 5-10 minutes; about 50 seconds to reach steam temperature (reviewer timed/measured)10:30 Tom's Coffee Corner: about 2 minutes to brew temperature (timed); portafilter roughly 20 minutes; about 58 seconds to reach steam temperature (reviewer timed/measured)10:30 Coffee Kev: Ready light in about the same time as the E24, just over a minute (reviewer timed/measured)3:24 | 15-20 minutes recommended (retailer/blog guidance, not an official manufacturer spec) |
| Cafelat Robot | Under $1,000 | Kyle Rowsell: No preheating needed; in his testing, preheated and unpreheated results differed by only 2-3 degrees (reviewer timed/measured)15:17 Lance Hedrick: doesn't require much preheating (reviewer's estimate/experience)6:53 Lance Hedrick: About 86-87°C on the initial pour with boiling water, no preheat needed. (reviewer's estimate/experience)14:42 | No heating element — user pours hot (just-off-boil) water into the basket to heat it; no stated warm-up time |
| Breville Infuser | Under $1,000 | Hoon's Coffee: about 17 seconds for steam to start coming (steam readiness, not machine warm-up) (reviewer timed/measured)2:51 | ~20-30 minutes (user reports; manufacturer time not stated) |
| Flair 58 (58/58+/58x) | Under $1,000 | Lance Hedrick: Tested without the heater: about 80°C with no preheat and dropping; about 86°C after a ~40-second preheat; just under 90°C after a further fill. (reviewer timed/measured)12:53 Kyle Rowsell: 5-10 minutes for the electronics to heat up (reviewer's estimate/experience)8:01 Kyle Rowsell: Requires manual preheating (no electronics) (reviewer's estimate/experience)14:21 | preheat system five minutes to bring your brew chamber and portafilter up to temperature |
| Breville Barista Express | Under $1,000 | Coffee Kev: about 30 seconds (reviewer timed/measured)4:56 Hoon's Coffee: about 38 seconds (around 40) to ready from off; about 30 minutes warm-up to get the cup tray and group fully warm (reviewer timed/measured)4:21 Hoon's Coffee: Ready signal at about 40 seconds (timed), but water measured only about 180°F at that point. Reviewer recommends waiting about half an hour to an hour, or pulling 4-5 blank shots to reach about 190°F+. (reviewer timed/measured)1:00 | 40 seconds (per manual, ready when power button stops flashing) |
| Breville Barista Express Impress | Under $1,000 | Kyle Rowsell: around 15 seconds or a little less (thermocoil); he recommends waiting longer for better thermal stability of portafilter and shower head (reviewer's estimate/experience)7:44 Lance Hedrick: takes a little longer to heat up than Thermojet machines (thermocoil); no specific time given (reviewer's estimate/experience)3:30 Tom's Coffee Corner: about 30 seconds (thermocoil) (reviewer's estimate/experience)0:27 | preheat for at least 20 minutes (portafilter needs time to heat up) |
| Gemilai Ele (G3028A) | Under $1,000 | Coffee Kev: just over 2 minutes 30 seconds on first warm-up (reviewer timed/measured)1:22 Tom's Coffee Corner: about 5 minutes from a cold start; about 3 minutes back from economy mode (entered after about 20 minutes idle) (reviewer's estimate/experience)1:53 Coffee Kev: 5 to 10 minutes ideally (reviewer's estimate/experience)16:36 | ~4 minutes (per reviewers); manufacturer support page lists coffee temp 199°F/steam 293°F but no explicit heat-up time |
| Ninja Luxe Cafe Pro (ES701) | Under $1,000 | Tom's Coffee Corner: takes some time to warm up for steaming (no duration given; stated for all three machines) (reviewer's estimate/experience)11:23 Coffee Kev: heat-up phase built into each drink, usually about 12 seconds but can vary (reviewer's estimate/experience)4:19 | |
| Superkop | Under $1,000 | Lance Hedrick: No preheat needed, as the maker claims. He measured 90°C (dropping to 87°C) without preheating and about 92°C after one preheat. (reviewer timed/measured)11:09 Tom's Coffee Corner: no preheating (water is heated separately and poured into the water cup) (manufacturer claim cited by reviewer)16:34 Coffee Kev: No electric heat-up discussed. Chamber preheating is optional: for lighter roasts, fill a blind basket in the chamber with boiling water for a couple of minutes during puck prep. (reviewer's estimate/experience)6:44 | No warm-up time required |
| De'Longhi La Specialista Opera | Under $1,000 | Tom's Coffee Corner: takes some time to warm up for steaming (no duration given; stated for all three machines) (reviewer's estimate/experience)11:23 | |
| Breville Barista Touch | Under $1,000 | Coffee Kev: 3 seconds (heater only); he recommends a turbo flush before the first shot. Steam ready almost instantly, about 1-2 seconds (reviewer timed/measured)3:31 Coffee Kev: three second ready time (Thermojet) (manufacturer claim cited by reviewer)3:45 Seattle Coffee Gear: heats up very quickly after power-on (reviewer's estimate/experience)0:37 | 3 second heat up time (ThermoJet) |
| Lelit Anita | Under $1,000 | Coffee Kev: around 7 minutes (most heating done in about 3 minutes); steam ready about 1 minute 15 seconds to 140°C (reviewer timed/measured)12:40 Seattle Coffee Gear: heats up quickly (no time given); Breville Barista Express is ready faster (reviewer's estimate/experience)2:39 | under 10 minutes |
| Gaggia Classic UP | Under $1,000 | Coffee Kev: about 5 min 30 s to reach 94°C; for temperature stability, schedule it to come on 20-25 minutes before the first shot (reviewer timed/measured)10:16 Whole Latte Love: Claimed 'fastest heat up and ready to brew time in its class' (no brew-ready time given). Full steam-ready measured at 75 seconds, which the reviewer says is about 25 seconds more than the other machines. A colleague puts it at about 45 seconds from brew mode, and good steaming is possible after a 20-30 second heat-up. (reviewer timed/measured)23:56 Lance Hedrick: Has a scheduled auto-on alarm; his example is turning on at 6:00 for a 6:15 shot, 'fully heated, good to go' (reviewer's estimate/experience)7:21 | approximately 40 seconds to heat fully to steam temperature |
| Breville Barista Pro | Under $1,000 | Hoon's Coffee: about 3-4 seconds (ThermoJet, shown side by side against the Barista Express) (reviewer timed/measured)7:11 Hoon's Coffee: about 3-4 seconds (he also says 3 to 5 seconds) (reviewer timed/measured)3:41 Coffee Kev: steam-ready marginally slower than the Bambino Plus (no time given) (reviewer timed/measured)5:05 | 3 second heat up time (ThermoJet) |
| MHW-3Bomber Sonic | Under $1,000 | Lance Hedrick: No heating element; relies on kettle water. He measured a peak of about 65°C from room temperature and about 83°C after one boiling-water preheat, and estimates two full preheats are needed to reach about 90°C. (reviewer timed/measured)5:59 The Real Sprometheus: Needs a preheat with boiling water; he used two 30-50 second flushes and did his prep work during them (reviewer's estimate/experience)3:17 Lance Hedrick: Can't be preheated enough to reach a decent temperature (reviewer's estimate/experience)31:24 | Preheating takes about 30s-50s |
| Rancilio Silvia | Under $1,000 | Whole Latte Love: takes longer to heat up than the Classic (longest time to steam temp, over 2 minutes) (reviewer timed/measured)8:01 Lance Hedrick: Takes longer than the Gaggia to reach steam temperature (no time given); both machines had been on about 30 minutes during testing (reviewer's estimate/experience)33:14 Coffee Kev: about two minutes for the steam light to go off after turning on, but steam is too powerful then, so about 2 to 2.5 minutes before steaming (reviewer's estimate/experience)2:59 | about 20 minutes |
| Lelit Victoria | Under $1,000 | Coffee Kev: 7 minutes 40 seconds from cold on 220 V; probably a couple of minutes longer on 110 V (reviewer timed/measured)2:48 Lance Hedrick: Slightly quicker to heat up than the Go in his experience, which he links to its smaller boiler (reviewer's estimate/experience)4:38 Lance Hedrick: 10 minutes (reviewer's estimate/experience)44:32 | Approximately 6 minutes |
| ECM Casa V | $1,000–2,000 | Whole Latte Love: about two minutes max to switch from brew to steaming temperature (cold-start time not discussed) (reviewer's estimate/experience)11:09 Whole Latte Love: 5 to 7 minutes from cold to brew-ready (reviewer's estimate/experience)8:51 Whole Latte Love: 5 to 7 minutes from cold to brew-ready (reviewer's estimate/experience)12:36 | 5-7 minutes from cold to brew; ready to steam in just over one minute |
| La Pavoni Europiccola | $1,000–2,000 | Coffee Kev: about 10 minutes to be ready to brew (reviewer's estimate/experience)14:21 | about six minutes (boiler heat-up) |
| Profitec Go | $1,000–2,000 | Whole Latte Love: About 50 seconds from turning on steam to reach the low 250s °F (reviewer timed/measured)16:01 Whole Latte Love: just over 8 minutes on average to fully heated (requesting cooling flush), with the fast heat-up firmware (reviewer timed/measured)7:06 Whole Latte Love: less than 7 minutes to brew-ready (reviewer timed/measured)10:17 | approximately 7 minutes |
| Kafmasino One | $1,000–2,000 | Tom's Coffee Corner: Uses the automatic turn-on timer, set for 5:00 in the morning; no heat-up duration stated (reviewer's estimate/experience)5:23 Tom's Coffee Corner: operational in about two minutes; he suggests a couple of blank shots and a bit longer warm-up ideally (reviewer's estimate/experience)9:04 | |
| Lelit Kate | $1,000–2,000 | Coffee Kev: about 7 minutes 15 seconds to reach 94°C on UK power; steam ready about 52-55 seconds at 140° (reviewer timed/measured)9:50 Seattle Coffee Gear: a little bit longer heat-up than thermoblock all-in-ones (no time given) (reviewer's estimate/experience)1:54 Seattle Coffee Gear: A little longer to warm up than instant-on machines, but not too bad thanks to the small ~250 ml boiler (reviewer's estimate/experience)3:18 | 10 minute heat up time |
| La Pavoni Professional | $1,000–2,000 | Lance Hedrick: about 7.5 minutes to heat up (he estimates the smaller version at about 6 minutes) (reviewer's estimate/experience)11:03 Tom's Coffee Corner: close to 10 minutes to fully warm up, then release false pressure and let it reheat (reviewer's estimate/experience)2:54 Tom's Coffee Corner: At startup you must release the false pressure and then let it heat back up; no time given (reviewer's estimate/experience)3:17 | about 10 minutes |
| Diletta Mio | $1,000–2,000 | Seattle Coffee Gear: Steam is quick if the steam circuit is already engaged; otherwise you wait for it to heat up. No brew warm-up time was stated. (reviewer's estimate/experience)9:36 Seattle Coffee Gear: quick warm-up time (no figure given) (reviewer's estimate/experience)0:55 Seattle Coffee Gear: quickest to warm up of the three showcased machines (reviewer's estimate/experience)6:00 | 7 minutes (manufacturer spec); recommended minimum 15 minutes before first use (retailer guidance) |
| Fellow Espresso Series 1 | $1,000–2,000 | Morgan Eckroth (Morgan Drinks Coffee): about 2.5–3 minutes from adding cold water to heated (reviewer timed/measured)7:58 James Hoffmann: From sleep mode, ready 'pretty soon' (no time given). A temperature offset raises the target for the first shots from cold. (reviewer's estimate/experience)2:47 Seattle Coffee Gear: heats up in under a couple minutes (three-element 'boosted boiler') (manufacturer claim cited by reviewer)1:22 | 2 minutes or less |
| Breville Barista Touch Impress | $1,000–2,000 | Tom's Coffee Corner: quick warm-up time (reviewer's estimate/experience)0:55 Lance Hedrick: around 3 seconds (Thermojet rapid heating) (reviewer's estimate/experience)0:36 Seattle Coffee Gear: three-second heat-up time (ThermoJet), ready almost immediately (manufacturer claim cited by reviewer)1:10 | 3 seconds (ThermoJet heating system) |
| Stone Plus | $1,000–2,000 | Seattle Coffee Gear: about 10 minutes to brew and steam simultaneously (reviewer's estimate/experience)4:09 Seattle Coffee Gear: heats up extremely fast (no time given) (reviewer's estimate/experience)4:25 Lance Hedrick: about 10 minutes, possibly more (reviewer's estimate/experience)8:27 | 10 minutes (dual-element system) |
| Breville Dual Boiler | $1,000–2,000 | James Hoffmann: can be programmed to wake up so it's hot and ready when wanted (reviewer's estimate/experience)19:04 Lance Hedrick: around 11 minutes to be ready; boiler reached 96°C in about 5 minutes, with the group head and brass portafilter taking a bit longer (reviewer's estimate/experience)2:44 Seattle Coffee Gear: about 10 minutes; can be programmed to auto-start at a set time (reviewer's estimate/experience)2:21 | about 7 minutes |
| ECM Puristika | $1,000–2,000 | Whole Latte Love: Brewable after about 25 minutes with a group flush. Fully stable after about 50 minutes with no intervention, or about 26 minutes with five 10-second flushes every 5 minutes. A smart plug is suggested to avoid waiting. (reviewer timed/measured)11:03 Lance Hedrick: about 10 minutes for brew temp, about 20 minutes ideal (reviewer's estimate/experience)23:37 | ~5 min to reach boiler temp, another 4-5 min for brewhead warmup (home-barista forum); some sources cite 10-12 min with Fast Heat-Up mode |
| Gaggia Classic GT | $1,000–2,000 | Coffee Kev: About 4 minutes to brew temp from cold; about 6 min 55 s to hot water temp; about 7 min 15 s to the hottest steam temp (UK, 220V). It overshoots at first, so flush about 5 s, or let it heat 15-20 minutes for more consistent first shots. (reviewer timed/measured)4:15 Whole Latte Love: Ready to brew in under 5 minutes, ready to steam about 3 minutes later. Needs a 3-5 second flush if brewing at 5 minutes; no flush needed at 10 minutes. Time-of-day turn-on available. (reviewer timed/measured)5:17 Whole Latte Love: about 6 minutes to heat up; about 9 minutes to full brew and steam temperature (tested) (reviewer timed/measured)5:12 | rapid 5-minute heat-up time |
| Lelit Mara X (V2/X3) | $1,000–2,000 | Lance Hedrick: Ready light goes off in just under 15 minutes (1800 W element, claimed 15 vs 24 minutes), but water is still only 60-65°C then. He recommends waiting 25 minutes, the same as V1/V2. (reviewer timed/measured)8:14 Coffee Kev: just over 12 minutes for the boilers to be ready; best temperature stability after 30 minutes, peaking after 1 hour left on (reviewer timed/measured)3:44 Coffee Kev: about 13.5 minutes for the boilers to be ready (reviewer timed/measured)3:44 | 24 minutes |
| Meraki Espresso Machine | $1,000–2,000 | Coffee Kev: about 2 minutes 35 seconds for brew (UK, 220V), plus about 20 seconds for steam (reviewer timed/measured)8:44 Coffee Kev: about 2 minutes for the espresso boiler, about 3 minutes for the steam boiler (reviewer's estimate/experience)17:35 Lance Hedrick: 3-4 minutes (reviewer's estimate/experience)36:54 | About 3-4 minutes |
| Lelit Elizabeth | $1,000–2,000 | Coffee Kev: about 8 minutes technically (220V); he recommends about 20 minutes for best results, e.g. via a smart plug schedule; do a cooling flush if using it at ~8 minutes (reviewer timed/measured)4:30 Coffee Kev: just under 10 minutes (UK power); the displayed brew temperature arrives sooner but overshoots by design (reviewer timed/measured)12:42 Kyle Rowsell: about 10 to 15 minutes (reviewer's estimate/experience)4:57 | 10-15 minutes (both boilers to target temperature); 20-25 minutes for full thermal stability |
| Profitec Pro 300 | $1,000–2,000 | Whole Latte Love: quick 10 minute warm-up (a favorite feature cited from customer reviews) ()3:21 Whole Latte Love: about 8 1/2 minutes with Fast Heat (reviewer's estimate/experience)4:19 Whole Latte Love: five minutes from turn on to ready to brew (if not steaming) (reviewer's estimate/experience)1:20 | ~5 minutes as single boiler; ~10 minutes with steam boiler |
| Meticulous Home Espresso Machine | $1,000–2,000 | Lance Hedrick: 3 to 4 minutes from room-temperature water to brew temperature; faster if pre-heated water from a kettle is poured in (reviewer's estimate/experience)3:10 Hoon's Coffee: Water is heated after it is poured in. In the demo it took 'a little bit' to heat, with the display rising from 67°C to 71°C. (manufacturer claim cited by reviewer)8:01 | waiting 2-3 minutes for heating (vs. 30-60 minutes for boiler machines) |
| ECM Classika PID | $1,000–2,000 | Whole Latte Love: Steam prep: turn on steam, then three 5-second wand purges at 20-second intervals (about 55 seconds of hands-on time) (reviewer's estimate/experience)17:48 | about 15 minutes until brew-ready |
| Odyssey Argos | $1,000–2,000 | Lance Hedrick: about 5 to 7 minutes depending on the temperature of the water put in; first shot is on temperature (reviewer's estimate/experience)6:53 | about 5 minutes for the boiler to get up to temp |
| ACS Minima | $1,000–2,000 | Lance Hedrick: 10 minutes, 25 ideal (15 may do) (reviewer's estimate/experience)41:43 | under 20 minutes to 30 minutes or more |
| Breville Oracle Jet | $1,000–2,000 | Seattle Coffee Gear: faster heat-up / ready to use faster due to Thermojet plus a group heating element (no time given) (reviewer's estimate/experience)7:53 The Real Sprometheus: instant (reviewer's estimate/experience)6:33 The Real Sprometheus: Primed and warmed up after a single button press, immediately ready to brew (reviewer's estimate/experience)6:02 | ThermoJet heating system - fast heat up (~2:30-3 minutes new, per user reports; manufacturer states fast heat up without exact figure) |
| Profitec Pro 500 | $2,000–3,000 | James Hoffmann: 30 to 40 minutes; he'd want it on a timer (reviewer's estimate/experience)17:42 Whole Latte Love: about 20+ minutes (stated generally for the machines other than the BZ13) (reviewer's estimate/experience)2:49 Lance Hedrick: 10 minutes, 25 ideal (reviewer's estimate/experience)38:42 | 15 to 20 minutes (until pressure gauge reaches 1.0-1.25 bar) |
| Ascaso Steel Duo PID | $2,000–3,000 | Seattle Coffee Gear: Thermoblocks heat up pretty quickly; steam takes a second to ramp up (reviewer's estimate/experience)1:47 Tom's Coffee Corner: Ready in a few minutes because it is a thermoblock machine. He still suggests turning it on half an hour ahead so the portafilter and cup tray get hot, and uses an automatic timer himself. (reviewer's estimate/experience)3:50 Seattle Coffee Gear: about 3-4 minutes; steam almost immediately after flipping the switch (reviewer's estimate/experience)0:28 | about three and a half minutes to warm up |
| Diletta Bello+ | $2,000–3,000 | Seattle Coffee Gear: about 30 minutes on and heating, which he says is plenty to be fully up to temperature (reviewer's estimate/experience)6:16 Seattle Coffee Gear: From eco mode (idling at about 160°F), it heats back up to 250°F extremely fast and warm-up times are very fast. No full cold-start time was given. (reviewer's estimate/experience)6:34 Seattle Coffee Gear: Standby or Eco modes help it warm up faster from idle (no time given) ()3:03 | |
| ECM Mechanika | $2,000–3,000 | Whole Latte Love: about 16.5 minutes on average to reach temperature (reviewer timed/measured)6:09 Whole Latte Love: about 20-30 minutes (stated for the E61 group machines in the group) (reviewer's estimate/experience)4:53 | at least 15 minutes to warm up |
| Rancilio Silvia Pro X | $2,000–3,000 | Lance Hedrick: Brew boiler reaches temperature in about 3 minutes (steam off); about 6-7 minutes with a flush or two for full temp; an extra ~15 minutes for the steam boiler (reviewer timed/measured)5:07 Morgan Eckroth (Morgan Drinks Coffee): several minutes to preheat (reviewer's estimate/experience)0:54 Seattle Coffee Gear: Has an auto start timer so you don't wait for it to boot up in the morning; no time given (reviewer's estimate/experience)4:38 | about 15 minutes to heat up (dual boiler) |
| Profitec Move | $2,000–3,000 | Whole Latte Love: About 12 minutes to fully heated with the fast heat function. In testing, the steam boiler hit temp in 5.5 minutes, the flush prompt came at under 11 minutes, and the brew boiler recovered 1.5 minutes after the flush. The machine can also be scheduled on/off by day and time. (reviewer timed/measured)1:44 Whole Latte Love: quick heat up (no time given) (reviewer's estimate/experience)5:06 Whole Latte Love: heats up extremely fast (has a fast-heating setting); no time given (reviewer's estimate/experience)6:15 | 9 minutes (Fast Heat Up mode) |
| Rocket Appartamento | $2,000–3,000 | James Hoffmann: at least 30 minutes to fully heat up; he'd want it on an automated timer (reviewer's estimate/experience)5:42 Seattle Coffee Gear: about 20-30 minutes for the thermosiphon and group to be up to temp (reviewer's estimate/experience)2:23 Lance Hedrick: 20 minutes, 35 minutes ideal (reviewer's estimate/experience)27:59 | 15-20 minutes |
| Rocket Appartamento TCA | $2,000–3,000 | Coffee Kev: Manual recommends 15-18 minutes; the reviewer says 30-45 minutes is normal for E61 machines and suggests a smart plug (manufacturer claim cited by reviewer)5:53 Whole Latte Love: allowed 25 minutes to fully warm up (plus 10 more minutes of rest) before temperature testing (reviewer's estimate/experience)4:23 | 15-20 minutes |
| Wendougee Lita | $2,000–3,000 | No reviewer statement | fast heat up time (5 min) |
| Ascaso Steel Uno PID | $2,000–3,000 | Seattle Coffee Gear: usually only a few minutes; he gives it about 10 minutes for temperature stability (reviewer's estimate/experience)1:45 Seattle Coffee Gear: about 2-3 minutes to operating temperature, but he recommends 10-12 minutes in the morning so the group head is warm (reviewer's estimate/experience)6:23 Seattle Coffee Gear: quick warm-up time (no figure given) (reviewer's estimate/experience)1:16 | Fast Heat-Up – ready to brew in 3.5 minutes (3 minutes 30 seconds) |
| Profitec Pro 600 | $2,000–3,000 | The Real Sprometheus: about 15 minutes, a bit less for espresso only (steam boiler off) (reviewer's estimate/experience)2:43 | Heat-up time averages 10-25 minutes; with fast heat-up mode, pulling shots within 10 minutes of powering on |
| La Spaziale Mini Vivaldi II | $2,000–3,000 | Tom's Coffee Corner: Technically brew-ready in 5 minutes and steam-ready in about 10 minutes; he still recommends letting it warm up 30 minutes to an hour and pulling a couple of empty shots so the group is preheated (reviewer's estimate/experience)1:24 The Real Sprometheus: about 10 to 15 minutes to brewing and steaming temp from a cold start; reviewer recommends letting it sit about 30 minutes so the group surfaces and portafilter heat up (reviewer's estimate/experience)2:34 | Time to Heat (Minimum Seconds): 420; Time to Heat (Recommended Seconds): 900 |
| Arkel Coast | $2,000–3,000 | Whole Latte Love: about 12 minutes to ready to brew (vs 25-30 minutes for a traditional E61) (manufacturer claim cited by reviewer)2:50 Lance Hedrick: 3-5 minutes (reviewer's estimate/experience)46:12 | around 12 minutes (per Lance Hedrick review); some retailers state ~3 minutes |
| Rocket Mozzafiato | $2,000–3,000 | Seattle Coffee Gear: as little as 12 minutes, depending on ambient temperature (vs 20 minutes for previous models) (manufacturer claim cited by reviewer)1:50 Seattle Coffee Gear: 12 to 15 minutes; reviewer says it really is ready in 15 minutes (reviewer's estimate/experience)1:24 Seattle Coffee Gear: about 12 minutes from first power on (vs 20 to 30 minutes for previous generations) (reviewer's estimate/experience)6:03 | brew-ready temperatures in 15 minutes |
| Breville Oracle Touch | $2,000–3,000 | James Hoffmann: He set it on a timer to switch on about half an hour before he got up, and it was hot when he came down (reviewer's estimate/experience)7:29 Coffee Kev: slowest to heat up of the machines compared (dual boiler, same as Oracle) (reviewer's estimate/experience)6:17 Coffee Kev: about 6 minutes (very fast for a dual boiler) (reviewer's estimate/experience)17:15 | ~5 minutes (user-reported, not an official manufacturer spec) |
| Profitec Pro 700 | $2,000–3,000 | No reviewer statement | Warm up time fairly long (30-45 min) |
| Breville Oracle | $2,000–3,000 | Tom's Coffee Corner: about 5 minutes to be ready; a few more minutes is even better (reviewer's estimate/experience)1:25 The Real Sprometheus: about 5 minutes from cold start to brewing temperature; he recommends letting the portafilter area warm up longer for stability (reviewer's estimate/experience)3:42 Tom's Coffee Corner: No heat-up time given; the app can turn it on or schedule it to turn on in the morning ()0:00 | |
| Lelit Bianca | $2,000–3,000 | Kyle Rowsell: around 15 minutes; he suggests waiting at least about 20 minutes for thermal stability in the portafilter (reviewer's estimate/experience)4:34 Kyle Rowsell: 15 to 20 minutes from a cold start, helped by a quick heat-up feature. He says it returns to full temperature in a few minutes from standby. (reviewer's estimate/experience)5:38 Kyle Rowsell: about 20 minutes (reviewer's estimate/experience)6:38 | roughly 20-25 minutes |
| Rocket Giotto | $3,000–4,000 | Seattle Coffee Gear: as little as 12 minutes, depending on ambient temperature (vs 20 minutes for previous models) (manufacturer claim cited by reviewer)1:50 Whole Latte Love: No time given; the group heater is described as addressing E61 heat-up times and heats the group to about 90°C before the thermosiphon takes over ()29:47 Seattle Coffee Gear: up to about 20 minutes to heat up all the way (stated for heat exchanger machines) (reviewer's estimate/experience)4:43 | approximately 12 minutes |
| Profitec Pro 800 | $3,000–4,000 | The Real Sprometheus: not instant (contrasted with the Decent's near-instant heat-up; no time given) (reviewer's estimate/experience)7:08 Whole Latte Love: about 40 minutes total heat-up; reviewer suggests a properly rated appliance timer (reviewer's estimate/experience)11:58 The Real Sprometheus: Manufacturer says 30 minutes; reviewer suggests 45+ minutes for max temperature stability (reviewer's estimate/experience)3:33 | up to 30 minutes to heat up completely to ideal temperature of 245-255F |
| Profitec Pro 700 Drive | $3,000–4,000 | Whole Latte Love: About 11 minutes until he could make a coffee using fast heating mode (flush message at about 10 min 20 s). Hot water at about 14.5 minutes, minimum steam temp at 15 minutes, maximum steam temp at 16 minutes. He contrasts this with 25-30 minutes for normal E61 machines. (reviewer timed/measured)17:34 Whole Latte Love: about 11 minutes from power on to ready to brew with Fast Heat (vs usual ~30 minutes) (reviewer timed/measured)3:49 Whole Latte Love: about 13 to 14 minutes in fast heat up mode (reviewer's estimate/experience)7:58 | Without Fast Heat mode enabled, heat-up takes around 20 minutes (faster, roughly 10-12 minutes, with Fast Heat mode enabled) |
| Rocket R58 Cinquantotto | $3,000–4,000 | Seattle Coffee Gear: about 12 to 15 minutes; reviewer recommends the full 15, offset by auto on/off (reviewer's estimate/experience)1:40 Seattle Coffee Gear: auto-on setting so it is already fully heated when you come to it (no time stated) (reviewer's estimate/experience)4:15 Seattle Coffee Gear: Auto-on times programmable via touchscreen; no warm-up time stated ()6:14 | around 15 minutes |
| Decent DE1 (all versions) | $3,000–4,000 | The Real Sprometheus: instant / almost instant heat-up (reviewer's estimate/experience)9:54 Lance Hedrick: flash heats water quickly (reviewer's estimate/experience)6:06 The Real Sprometheus: about 90 seconds from cold to brewing, plus about 10-15 seconds of final heating after pressing brew (reviewer's estimate/experience)3:06 | under 5 minutes (3-5 min) |
| ECM Synchronika | $3,000–4,000 | Whole Latte Love: under 7 minutes to brew temperature from cold (reviewer timed/measured)11:43 The Real Sprometheus: 7 to 10 minutes from cold to brew temperature, plus about 5 to 7 more minutes for steam (reviewer's estimate/experience)3:15 Whole Latte Love: heats up really quickly thanks to cartridge heaters in the group (no time given) (reviewer's estimate/experience)17:15 | 6.5 minute heat-up time |
| ECM Mechanika Max | $3,000–4,000 | Lance Hedrick: Ready signal at around 18 minutes; around 30-35 minutes before actual water temperature was where needed. Best used between about 30 minutes and 1 hour; recommends a standby timer or smart plug. (reviewer timed/measured)4:05 Whole Latte Love: ECM test graph shows near-perfect temps 25–35 minutes after turn-on; a smart timer can schedule on/off times so the machine is ready on your schedule (manufacturer claim cited by reviewer)5:33 Whole Latte Love: No heat-up time stated. Has time-of-day on/off timer programming. ()8:08 | approximately 20-25 minutes |
| Wendougee Data S | $3,000–4,000 | Coffee Kev: Just under 5.5 minutes for the brew boiler to reach 94°C; about 4 min 45 s for the steam boiler to reach 130°C (about 5 min 10 s for 140°C); stable brew temp pretty much as soon as heated, thanks to the saturated group (reviewer timed/measured)4:12 Tom's Coffee Corner: about 15 minutes to heat up completely; he uses a smart-plug timer (on at 5:15, ready by 5:45) (reviewer's estimate/experience)5:18 | About 10 minutes from cold to brew-ready |
| Olympia Express Cremina | $4,000–5,000 | No reviewer statement | within 10 minutes(+-5) to heat up depending on the water level |
| La Marzocco Linea Micra | $4,000–5,000 | The Real Sprometheus: about 5 minutes ready to brew and about 10 to steam; portafilter needs about 20 minutes or a couple of hot-water flushes from the group (reviewer timed/measured)2:52 Lance Hedrick: 5 to 8 minutes (reviewer's estimate/experience)6:06 Lance Hedrick: about 5 minutes (vs 15-20 for the Linea Mini) (reviewer's estimate/experience)4:12 | |
| Rocket Bicocca | $5,000+ | Whole Latte Love: about 10 minutes (brew boiler 4 min 11 s; steam boiler at 1.4 bar in 10 min; portafilter at temperature in a little under 10 min) (reviewer timed/measured)15:19 Seattle Coffee Gear: faster heat-up from cold (no time given) (reviewer's estimate/experience)3:18 Coffee Kev: No time stated; with the auto on/off schedule, it is ready when the first person arrives in the morning (reviewer's estimate/experience)8:25 | brings the machine to brew temperature in around 8 to 10 minutes |
| La Marzocco Linea Mini | $5,000+ | The Real Sprometheus: No warm-up time stated; he uses the app's remote startup to warm the machine, but it only works on the same wi-fi network (reviewer's estimate/experience)4:08 The Real Sprometheus: No heat-up time stated. He does not leave it on 24/7 because of limited power, and notes La Marzocco recommends leaving it on all the time. (manufacturer claim cited by reviewer)10:40 Lance Hedrick: about 15-20 minutes (reviewer's estimate/experience)3:45 | 10 minutes for espresso |
| Rocket R Nine One | $5,000+ | No reviewer statement | Allow 20 to 25 minutes warm up time |
| Sanremo YOU | $5,000+ | The Real Sprometheus: 5 minutes to brew temp, 10 minutes to steam (manufacturer claim cited by reviewer)4:17 Seattle Coffee Gear: about 10 minutes to be ready to brew (reviewer's estimate/experience)5:12 | ~15 minutes until full stability |
| La Marzocco GS3 | $5,000+ | No reviewer statement | 30 minutes for full brewing and steaming temp (officially advertised as approx. 15 minutes by La Marzocco, but tested at ~30 minutes) |
| La Marzocco GS3 MP | $5,000+ | The Real Sprometheus: about 30 to 40 minutes from cold to ready (reviewer's estimate/experience)2:18 | 30 minutes for full brewing and steaming temp |
| Synesso ES.1 | $5,000+ | The Real Sprometheus: 20+ minutes full warm-up; the steam boiler cannot be turned off to shorten it (reviewer's estimate/experience)8:04 The Real Sprometheus: about 25 minutes from cold (reviewer's estimate/experience)4:13 | ~15 to 20 minutes from a cold start (per Pro Coffee Gear); reddit user notes documentation says ~20-30 minutes |