The AEG Éspria single serve coffee machine exclusively brews Lavazza A Modo Mio capsules. We actually own and use a Tassimo coffee machine at the studio daily, so it has been interesting to acquire our caffeine fix from Lavazza coffee capsules over the past few weeks.

Design

Stylish modernist kitchen countertops will benefit from the sleek charm of the AEG Éspria. All machines have black fronts, but the rest of the body is available in optional red, creamy white and black. It's a compact machine generally, but is rather lengthy, with the dimensions being H24 x W12.8 x D32cm. The practicality of the design may not work in all kitchen environments, because the metal lever which has to be lifted to insert capsules will not always be accessible to lift high enough under cupboards, shelves, etc that are less than 14cm above the top of the Éspria.

Some neat features we like are the cup holder which achieves two heights via being flipped over, and the 0.9 litre water tank, which is out of sight at the back of the unit and is refillable via the lift of a plastic flap. But we really admired the compartment that automatically holds used Lavazza A Modo Mio capsules. It just makes the overall experience that little bit more straightforward.

Lavazza Coffee Variety

We already have preference for Italian coffee blends, so we expected to like the cupfuls of coffee the AEG Éspria released. On this point we were immediately to be proved right. We've now sampled a large selection of the currently available 11 different types of Lavazza coffee capsules. Distinguishing themselves from one another by strength, with some decaffeinated, there are no milk or speciality capsules available, meaning you'd need a separate milk frother to create a cappuccino or latte as one isn't built into the machine. This demonstrates that the AEG Éspria is really aimed towards the purest coffee lovers.

Coffee Quality

Lavazza is a name that is synonymous with excellent Italian coffee blends and the purpose of the Espria is to specifically allow the user to gain the best outcome of freshness and strength from the Lavazza range. From the 'Caffe Crema Lungo Dolcemente', with its lighter more fragrant style, to the 'Le Selezioni Divinamente' or the Rainforest Alliance Sustainable 'Tierra Intenso', both with a much fuller and darker flavour, this machine will give the perfect brew and crema where necessary, so long as you control the amount of coffee brewed to your own taste. The process is undertaken via the Espria's 15 bar pressure pumping through the exclusively produced Lavazza capsules.

Brewing

Engaging the brewing process is very simple: lift the metal lever, insert a capsule and push the lever back down, then press the front brew button to initiate the brewing process. After doing all this we felt that the AEG Éspria became too needy, as it doesn't appear to have any presets for the amount of coffee you desire, meaning you have to manually press the start/stop button when you have your desired amount of coffee. So if we want an espresso, we have to sit with the machine as it brews to make sure it doesn't become too weak. When we feel like an americano, we tend to walk away from it as this takes a great deal longer. Oddly the machine does stop brewing sometimes when dispensing larger quantities of coffee, and from this we can only assume there is a safety feature so that you don't flood your countertop. The lack of automation is a startling contrast to our Tassimo machine, which Kraft even refer to as a brewbot, that precisely knows the the quantity, temperature and method of cycle to brew via a barcode on the T Disc capsules.

Overall

We'd have to say that the AEG Éspria coffee machine makes delicious cups of espresso and americano. However, the requirement to manually control the amount of coffee desired and the lack of any on board milk frother, make this a machine for purist Lavazza coffee addicts, and those outside this world, who desire more choice, will probably feel restricted.