Bella - JOLT 20-Bar Slim Espresso Maker - Slate

Brief intro I am addicted to coffee. I am never one to shy away from a new and smaller machine that is used to make espresso, and espresso based drinks. With its small form factor, I expect it to fit nicely into any kitchen, nook, or even at the end of the work desk for my non stop caffeine session. Expectations I expect this little machine to pump out tasty liquid gold just like its larger counterparts. What’s in the package? Out of the box you get the unit, a porta filter, 2 different filter doses, a tamper/scoop/cleaner, some quick start guides, and a main manual. Try it out So off the bat, it has pretty much everything you would expect an espresso machine to have… almost… I’ll get back to that. It even has a steam wand in case you want to steam some milk. It doesn’t however have a small little milk frothing pitcher, so you’ll just have to use a separate cup if you want to make a milk based drink. You have your choice of a single or double dose. I always go for the double, because why not. The drip tray has a nice little feature where when there’s a lot of liquid build up, the little yellow indicator surfaces. I appreciate simple engineering. Once you get your espresso of choice tampered and into the unit, it’s time to go. The espresso came out, and it tasted great. I will say, a rule of thumb for me is to always use cold filtered water. If you want good tasting espresso, used the best water. The steam wand works surprisingly well. Thoughts The only caveat that jumped out at me is what the Bella Jolt didn’t have. I wish it has a small burr grinder built into it. I mean, it can have a small capacity of like 4-5 scoops of beans, but it would have sufficed. Most modern and more expensive units have burr grinders built it, and it would have been great to see a little burr grinder built in. For most people who don’t own a coffee or espresso machine don’t own one, so now you can either buy pre ground beans or go out and buy one. I just would have liked to see a small one built in. Conclusion This little unit fit perfectly into my home office, and although it’s small, it still makes some tasty espresso.

Making espresso is really a lot of work. Anyone who doesn’t work in a coffee house, with all of the best barista technology, knows that it takes patience and a steady spirit to prepare a good shot. I did so much research on how to make at least a decent shot of espresso, and found that you’ll need to have the perfect blend of coffee bean, and you’ve also gotta have the perfect measurement and time. It’s a lot, guys. Enough to make you go and grab your K-cup machine. That being said. I found myself pleasantly surprised by the Bella JOLT 20-bar Slim Espresso Maker. Opening up the box, we get the compact Jolt machine with an integrated steam wand, and a 37 oz water reservoir, a 52mm aluminum diecast portofilter w/double spout. Single and double shot stainless steel filters, a 2-in-1 tamper/,measuring scoop, that also has a cleaning pin attached( Don’t throw that away.). And there’s also a removable stainless steel drip tray. you have experience making espresso shots. You already know that there is so much involved in brewing, as I said earlier. You’ve gotta properly heat the water and the espresso cup that you’ll be drinking from. This could take some time. And you feel that when you have somewhere to be. To be honest, making and enjoying espresso should be done only when there is nothing else on your itinerary . It’s a chill-time drink, IMO. That’s why it seems to take so long to prepare, like a cocktail. This machine makes it much easier than all of those more expensive, more premium machines. You get to heat your cup on the stainless steel top plate, while you preheat your water. Pre-heating doesn’t take very long at all. So you’ll be brewing your shot in no time. This doesn’t have a grinder( I use a separate grinder, for my beans, or I’ll go with ground espresso coffee.) The steamer works well enough for me, for making my frothed milk.This makes a pretty shot, or two, of espresso, for what it is. It’s affordable and fits on pretty much any kitchen counter. The fact that it is super easy to use( Y’all know how much I love easy tech.), may throw veterans off a little, because everything you know pretty much gets thrown out the window. It’s literally almost instant. That alone, will turn some people off. And yes. The better machines and more patience will make for a better shot. This is for people like myself, who love a good cup of coffee and don’t have the patience to invest all of that time into brewing such a small shot of Joe. I did pick up a frothing cup to properly pour my milk. I do recommend this machine, if you're not a complete coffee snob.(You can be kind of a coffee snob, though. You’ll be fine.) It’s a very satisfactory coffee brewing experience.

bella JOLT 20-bar Slim Espresso Maker - Slate. I love the color and the size it fits perfectly in the small space I’ve made for my coffee bar it’s a perfect compact size. Although compact size you are still able to make a single or double shot at the same time. It comes with two filter baskets one for a single shot and one for a double shot. It also comes a a measuring scoop that has the tamper on the other end also a cleaning pin that snaps into the handle so it doesn’t get lost it has two size cleaning needles one thicker then the other. Besides being able to make espresso you can also use it for plan hot water. It has a knob on the side and wand to choose hot water or to steam/make froth milk it says it can froth any type of milk. I have learned to love my new Bella Jolt espresso maker I have gotten the hang of using it the instructions are very vague they were more about telling you the parts and about set up, if you are new to making your own espresso with a machine it doesn’t tell you how to make it or the amount of espresso coffee grounds to use and it doesn’t tell you the type of grind you need, luckily the coffee shop I go to I was able to tell them and brought up a picture to show what type of basket it has so they knew how much to grind the beans for me. It also does not tell you what the cleaning needle is for or how to use it, the portafilter does not just slide right in I had to feel or look under just to look for the insert to line it up to the machine & it is hard to turn to lock & unlock into & out of place. I felt a single shot was less than my other machine makes so I always make a double shot to add to my regular brewed coffee, it brews fast & cools quickly between brews. Also no directions on how to steam/froth milk I had to google and find you tube videos to figure out how to use it since the steam and hot water use the same wand it was squirting out so much water the first few times I tried to froth my half & half I had to change my container I use to froth. So if once again if you are new to homemade espresso and frothing Bella slim works great once you get the hang of it, but step by step directions are very lacking, even on their website no instructions, except a set up manual.That’s why I only gave 4 stars.

This coffee machine sits at the entry price level, but it does its job pretty well. Design and Features The machine looks great. It has a nice metal accent on the top, and overall build quality is surprisingly pretty good. There’s no integrated grinder, but all of the tools needed to produce a great cup of espresso are there. There are measurement cup and tamping tool included. Also, there’s integrated steamer so making a great cup of cappuccino is all possible without needing an extra steaming machine. Performance Making an espresso is pretty much the same basic process on any coffee machine. On this machine, however, the measurement process can be a hit and miss with the provided tool. Also, the machine does not have pressure indicator to tell us that the machine is applying optimal pressure when producing coffee. So, the only way to ensure that a good cup of espresso is produced is by looking at the flow rate of coffee coming out of the portafilter and by tasting the coffee. It’s not something that I would say ideal for beginners. I have successfully produced great coffee from the machine with very nice crema so the machine’s performance is very good. Conclusion This is a no-frills espresso machine. It looks great, made of good materials and feels solid. Most importantly, it performs very well. There are some features missing but considering that this machine sits at the affordable price bracket, it’s understandable why these features are not there. Pros: Makes great coffee Integrated steam wand Easy to operate and maintain Cons: No grinding machine Measurement can be a hit and miss process No pressure indicator

As a coffee enthusiast whose home setup had never gone beyond a French press, the Bella Jolt 20-bar Slim Espresso Maker made espresso feel surprisingly approachable. It has a compact footprint, so it fits neatly on my counter without turning the kitchen into a cafe workstation. The first few shots took practice as grind size, dose, and tamping really matter, but the machine’s single and double shot options kept the learning curve manageable. Once dialed in, I got rich, concentrated espresso with a nice crema that my French press simply could not produce. The 20-bar pump delivers plenty of pressure, while the steam wand opened up a whole new world of cappuccinos, lattes, and Americanos. I especially appreciate that the wand also dispenses hot water. The one drawback was the instructions were not clear at all on which buttons needed to be pressed and initially it took random pushing of buttons before I figured it out. Cleanup is straightforward thanks to the removable drip tray and water tank. However, when I had to push the handle to the left it took some effort and I had to hold the entire machine down so it would not move. I wish there were suction cups on the bottom of the machine so it wouldn’t move during this process. Overall, it is not a push-button, bean to cup machine, but that is part of the appeal: it made me slow down and actually learn the basics of espresso. For a first-time owner who wants cafe-style drinks without sacrificing counter space, this is a very good entry point.