If you’re one of the people that never thought they’d see the day an affordable heat exchanger espresso machine would hit the market, then you probably didn’t hear about the Nuova Simonelli Oscar (Amazon). Featuring an impressive build quality and a wide array of features worthy of its beautiful design, the Nuova Simonelli Oscar is a lot cheaper than most other machines in its league, yet the lower price doesn’t sacrifice quality in any way. The machine is offered in 2 water source types, including a tank model and a plumbed variant. Stylish to look at and simple to use, the Simonelli Oscar is perfect for pulling shots whether you adapt to use it with espresso pods or tamp your own.
Features
Heat Exchanger
The heat exchangers on the Oscar are a great replacement of double boilers and they pretty much offer the same benefits, but for a lower price. The unit can steam and brew at the same time.
Simple Interface
A steam knob and 2 buttons are what you’re going to use to prepare coffee with this machine. In fact, once you have the machine delivered to your home, all you need to do is pull it out of the box and then you can start pulling shots right away. It’s that simple.
Professional Portafilter
Given the fact that the Oscar makes use of a rugged and high quality portafilter (fifty eight millimeters), you can rest assured that each shot you pull with it is going to taste amazing. In fact, the portafilter seems to be highly praised on most coffee forums online.
Direct Connect
The direct connect feature allows users to plug the Oscar directly into their water supply. As a result, you can produce large amounts of coffee without ever having to worry about refilling the water tank. This makes the Oscar perfect for coffee shops.
Large Capacity Water Tank
With a two point three liter water reservoir, you won’t need to worry about refilling the water tank after only a couple of shots. This is not only very convenient, but also a great time saver.
Great Steam Pressure
You’ll simply love the steam wand which is not only great at temperature increases, but it also produces high quality microfoam, too. Using it, you can blast milk to latte temperature in just a few seconds.
Cup Warmer
There’s nothing worse than having cold cups when you want to prepare a delicious latte for yourself or your guests. Luckily, the cup warmer function of the Oscar is capable of accommodating 9 cappuccino cups, so no matter how many friends you have over, they’re all going to enjoy a very tasty espresso with rich aroma and great flavor.
Solid Build Quality
This model is very well built, so you can expect to get many years of use out of it. On top of that, it also looks amazing on your kitchen countertop.
Removable Tray
Given the fact that the tray can be removed, cleaning it becomes a breeze. On top of that, it can also accommodate larger cups.
Pros:
- One of the main pros of the Nuova Simonelli Oscar is the fact that it can produce quality shots that taste as great or even better than those produced by significantly more expensive machines.
- You’d be hard pressed to find an affordable heat exchanger espresso machine, but the Nuova Simonelli Oscar is available at a very good price. On top of that, it doesn’t sacrifice on quality at all.
- There are only a few bells and whistles on this model, so even if you’ve never used it before, you’re going to find that operating it is quite a breeze.
Cons:
- The machine does look great in terms of design, but the truth is that the company’s decision of opting for a plastic body gives it a bit of a cheap look. A much better choice would’ve been stainless steel, even at the cost of a higher price.
- Refilling the tank can be quite difficult and that’s because the hole that needs to be used for doing so is rather small.
- Lack of water level indication on the water tank. The Oscar also lacks a hot water spigot as well.
Final Verdict: Should You Buy This Model
With a pretty sturdy build quality, a simple, yet attractive and overall nice design, the Nuova Simonelli Oscar is indeed an espresso machine that’s going to mostly appeal to those who really know what they’re looking for in terms of coffee taste, aroma and flavor. First of all, this model is great for those who’ve never owned a truly high quality heat exchanger espresso machine, not only because operating it is a breeze, but also because the quality of the espressos it produces is simply amazing. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find any other model that makes such delicious coffee at this price.
Secondly, the large capacity water tank and the ability to connect it to your home’s water supply is a huge advantage if you plan on using the Oscar in a coffee shop. By connecting it to a water supply you never have to worry about refilling the tank, which is highly convenient for most people.
Lastly, thanks to the professional portafilter, cup warmer and high quality heat exchanger, you can rest assured that each espresso you pull with this model is going to have a rich aroma and a very impressive flavor. Because of all these features and more, we highly recommend the Nuova Simonelli Oscar to coffee aficionados and casual coffee drinkers alike.
Comparable Models to consider
Nuova Simonelli Musica: This particular model has an impressive design and comes at a higher price, but the quality of the coffee it produces is definitely excellent.
Rancilio Silvia: Featuring a commercial grade group head for great extraction quality and heat stability, the Rancilio Silvia is definitely worth a shot (pun intended), especially when you factor in its very affordable price.
Simonelli Oscar II: The Simonelli Oscar II is the new and improved model which seems to take all the features of the previous generation to the next level.
