Ascaso Steel UNO PID Programmable Espresso Machine

As someone that mainly drinks espresso and Americanos, the Uno is a great machine to dial in the perfect shot of espresso. With the PID, adjustable OPV, etc you are in control of the variables that make a great shot possible. Paired with a Niche Zero, I'm making great coffee consistently and quickly. One quirk of this machine, the adjustable OPV has a tendency to 'chirp' when set below 11bar at the pump. According to Ascaso, 11 bar at the pump equates to about 9 bars at the group. However, it is annoying that 6 bar profiles may not be possible on this machine. Especially when an adjustable OPV is advertised as one of the features.

This will not be an exhaustive review but it is coming from someone who has owned perhaps thirty espresso machines priced from el cheapo to 'cost as much as a good used car' If your budget is in the 1000-1500 dollar range, the two best machines are the Profitec GO and the Ascaso Uno at this price point. There is an excellent review of GO vs UNO online. Read it. Both are E-61 like machines with PID temp control but the UNO has some compelling added features. Both will produce excellent espresso when matched with a good grinder and good beans Check out the DF64 from Turin for grinders and beans from FRC (Fresh Roasted Coffee) in PA and Good Brothers in MI. Seattle Coffee Gear sent the machine to me quickly and super ultra durable amazingly well-packed. Took me longer to unpack than to dial in my first "God" shot. And now, off to an amazing dopio ristretto macchiato with a little sugar to help me wake up. I may need two or three.

I’m an industrial designer of 18yrs and a home barista/espresso enthusiast of 12yrs. I did a ton of research before buying this machine and overall I’m very satisfied with it. I’m also disappointed with several elements of the design and details in its function. I bought a black Steel Uno and have been using it 1-2 times a day for over a month now. Given the price of the machine I think it deserves a critical review. I may write a more detailed review later, but for now here are my thoughts on it: The Good: + aesthetically beautiful machine. + robust build quality with high quality materials and finishes. The engraved wood handles are a really nice touch of warmth to an overall utilitarian looking machine. + solid tactile switches. + side fill water container is a perfect feature for under cabinet use, and the reservoir is big compared to other machines. + functionally, the drain tray is well designed and easy to clean. + beautifully crafted stainless steel portafilter, with visual alignment queues to attach to the group head. Solid fit up, and easy to clean. I wanted a bottomless, but after using the stock one I’m fully satisfied. + PID and pressure gauge are well integrated and essential for dialing consistent shots. + OPV valve adjustment is easy and yields consistent results. + super fast heat up time, just over one minute. + great steam wand design, and I appreciate the valve control. + quiet operation compared to other machines. + the machine was well tuned right out of the box. + the machine comes with a suite of baskets and a back flush blank. + most importantly, it produces great quality shots that can be accurately dialed to your preferences. The Bad: + the Ascaso lettering on the sheet metal case is cheap looking and redundant since it’s also embossed on the group head and printed on the pressure valve. I removed the letters and the machine now looks much more sophisticated. + all the LED lights (indicator, PID, and brew) are way too bright, like blinding. They cannot be dimmed. I almost returned the machine because of this. + the brew lights are directly reflected in the mirrored stainless steel drip tray cover. This is a design oversight. + underwhelming owners manual that is confusing at points and does not cover several machine functions. I had to find a thread online to tune the OPV. It also doesn’t explain the PID functions, only how to change them. + PID controller interface is not straightforward to use. I often go back through the menu to check if the new settings took effect. + the brew switch does not remember the program times. If you want to control the clock you must hold the switch for the entire duration of the brew, otherwise the machine will decide. It doesn’t do a bad job of automatically sensing the brew time, but it is irregular and that is not how the switch function is advertised. This could be the chromatic setting in the PID, but it’s not clear. + the time between switching from espresso temp to steam temp can be frustrating at first, a little over a minute. However I discovered a way to get the machine to cool down very rapidly, so now I steam first and then brew espresso. There is no down time with this method. + the indicator lights in heating up the brew pump versus the steam pump are inconsistent. The brew warm up actively displays the real time temperature on the PID and only the brew switch light blinks until the temperature is reached. This looks and feels good. On the other hand during the steam warm up, the PID blinks and only displays the final temperature. The brew button and steam button lights are also blinking. There is so much blinking going on that it looks like the machine is throwing an error code. To add to the cacophony they are also blinking out of sync. It’s an unpleasant visual experience. + the steam wand quits after 2 minutes of use. Normally I’m only making 2 back to back drinks in the morning so it doesn’t matter, but in the rare case I’m making more than 2 steamed drinks it’s infuriating. Comments: My frustrations with the time between steam and brew would have been eliminated by the Duo, albeit the 2 minute cutoff, but I was not interested in updating my kitchen electric to accommodate it. I would recommend spending the extra money for the Duo if you can, but I certainly would not avoid purchasing the Uno if you cannot. I was able to resolve the brightness of the LEDs with tinted black stickers that I found on Amazon. I find all the included baskets totally unnecessary. I use a 22 gram IMS competition basket, and brew with a puck screen. The puck screen is great for keeping the group head clean, and also useful if you are not completely filling the basket with coffee as I do. I would definitely recommend a nanotechnology basket for everyone everywhere making espresso. It’s the cheapest and most impactful upgrade to make on any machine. I did read a few nightmare stories about Ascaso’s US warranty department, so I bought a 4 year extended warranty. If anything happens to this machine I will update this review. Ultimately I’m very pleased with my Steel Uno and love my time with it each morning. It heats up very quickly, produced excellent results right out of the box and tunes easily. I also think it’s the best looking machine in its category, and look forward to spending many years together. Its cost is higher in comparison to other machines in its category, but I think it’s a well thought out machine and superior in many ways. I should mention that my Uno is paired with a Rocket Faustino 3.1 grinder, which I am also fond of, and also have some feedback on. More on that another time.. Steel Uno: 4 out of 5 stars

excellent machine and build quality, Highly recommend for any espresso enthusiasts!

Good lattes for about a week and then water and steam started coming out of the sides of the machine and it blew a fuse. I learned that over 20% of Ascasco machines have some defects when sent to the U.S.A. The suppliers know this but sell them anyway. And the shippers like Amazon go along with the deal and dump a 45 lb. box into another box that would hardly fit through my front door. I had to find another box to return the machine, and I'm stuck with 4 bags of packing peanuts. The suppliers 'cover' by being 'real nice' and concerned about my problem. Sure. Thanks Plenty guys.

What a difference!! This thing is fantastic in every way. Shots pulled are very consistent, temp is controlled by PID. Extremely pleased with this machine. 10/10 recommended

I love it. I Would buy it again.

Just like any other espresso machine this one has it's issues. I have two home use uno machines. That being said the first machine has been good for the 6 months I have owned it. I ordered another machine for the house and right out of the box it did not pump water to the portafilter. We did set up, primed it and it never worked. This is not against the seller. The machine was bad from out of the box. Calling Ascaso was very upsetting. They basically have 2 phone techs. Either way they wanted me to jump through hoops to fix this and when it still did not work they pushed me off. So if you want a paper weight for $1500 by all means get this. But don't expect the help or warranty from Ascaso USA. BTW- my buddy has one and has had issues and they are treating him the same way. He is in warranty, basically with no help. Buy something else.