# Bezzera Opinions?



## KirinChris (Mar 20, 2017)

I'm even more confused than I was a few weeks ago now...

I've been looking at something not too far north of £1000 like an Appartamento or ECM Barista.

I saw the Rocket at the LCF but the Bella Barista lady on the stand (and from a few comments here) suggested the Barista would be a better choice, however they didn't have one to see.

As I was in Berlin for a few days this week I thought I would take the opportunity to check them out in their home country. But the place I went to (Espresso Meisterei near Ku'damm) were surprisingly down on the Barista suggesting it wasn't the best value and steered me towards a Bezzera Magica (or Mitica). It wasn't one I'd considered much but looking around it gets good reviews (the brand seems to be big in Australia), especially for steaming which is quite important for me.

But I see that BB don't have any Bezzera of any description in stock. Does anyone know if that's because of some issue? And I'd be interested in any general thoughts on Bezzera or the Magica/Mitica please (as far as I can establish the differences are purely aesthetic and also to do with access to the reservoir).

On the other hand I think I have settled on a Mahlkonig Vario as a grinder !


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## El carajillo (Mar 16, 2013)

Contact glevum (top of this page) he has a Bezzera possibly a Mitica.


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## Syenitic (Dec 1, 2013)

Hello, I bought a Mitica Top from here a year or so ago. It was a jump up from a long owned Gaggia Classic bought new in 2003. I have no experience of other manufacturers offerings so cannot provide any A to B pros & cons, but can say it is a pleasure to use and until visiting Foundry's coffee shop in Sheffield yesterday never thought about upgrading it.

I have read many times, but cannot verify, that many manufacturers pro-sumer E61 machines start out in the Bezzera factory.

The member I bought the Mitica from moved onto an ECM a month or so later I think, might be worth hearing his experiences if he is willing to share... @np123 ?


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## johnealey (May 19, 2014)

@KirinChris

Might be worth your time, dependant on location, to give Bella Barista a call to see if they have any Bezzera on display as they sometimes have demonstrators operating for items not currently in stock (might also allow you to see other machines in your price range hands on if you book some time with them).

Machina Espresso in Edinburgh may be another option if you further north and always a good idea to get hands on (and taste on) with any machine you about to drop a fair amount of cash on. Don't forget the grinder though as this plays a much more critical role in espresso than you first think and you will need to factor this into your budget.

Looking forward to hearing of your journey

John


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## KirinChris (Mar 20, 2017)

@johnealey Thanks John, yes a visit to BB is looking like a necessity but unfortunately I'm on completely the wrong side of London.

Plus my wife already thinks I'm being a bit obsessive (and my real obsession is cycling) so explaining that I'm taking a day to drive up to Northants and look at coffee machines will raise more than an eyebrow.

I'm really surprised there isn't something like BB in London actually. Lord knows there are enough cafes and coffee snobs !

I take your point about a grinder. Maybe I'm overthinking this whole thing and should just get a decent grinder and not get too worried about the machine - at the end of the day given they are all in the same range they will probably all be much of a muchness.


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## PeteHr (Nov 18, 2015)

Spending this sort of money definitely warrants a visit to BellaBarista. I was in a similar quandary as you, spent a good few hours at BB playing with both a Bezzera (Unica) - which was what I thought I was going to buy before I went to BB, and an ECM Barista (which BB recommended). I ended up with the ECM and 18 months down the line I am still totally happy with it...


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

KirinChris said:


> @johnealey Thanks John, yes a visit to BB is looking like a necessity but unfortunately I'm on completely the wrong side of London.
> 
> Plus my wife already thinks I'm being a bit obsessive (and my real obsession is cycling) so explaining that I'm taking a day to drive up to Northants and look at coffee machines will raise more than an eyebrow.
> 
> ...


Just twist the truth a little.......


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## KirinChris (Mar 20, 2017)

So according to BB they aren't going to be re-stocking Bezzera at the moment, as the prices are not competitive against competitor machines.

Back to Plan B (for Barista) I think.


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