Our review of Rocket Appartamento

Since Rocket Appartamento was released, it has been one of the best-selling espresso machines by the Italian espresso machine manufacturer Rocket Espresso Milan. It is compact, gives a luxurious feel, and critics say it brews very good espresso considering its attractive price. In this article, we share our experiences and opinions About Rocket Appartamento and hopefully can give you a good picture of what this espresso machine is capable of.

Rocket Espresso has been around since 2007 and creates handmade premium espresso machines for both commercial businesses and home use. All details have a high finish and are carefully designed to last a lifetime. Yes! These espresso machines, with good care, can last a lifetime. With internal components from the Rockets commercial espresso machines, you can achieve café-quality espresso in your home.

The espresso machine comes well-packed. The machine comes with several accessories such as two portafilter, one with a single outlet and one with two outlets, single/double cup, backflush cleaning basket, microfiber cloth with Rocket brand, cleaning tablets, water hardness test strip, aluminum tamper, and a brush. It also comes with a USB stick with in-depth knowledge About use of the espresso machine and a well-thought-out instruction book.

Our first impression of Rocket Appartamento was very good, although something that was noted was the rail for the cup tray which is made of plastic, which felt very cheap considering that everything else felt very luxurious and well-made. Luckily, there are aftermarket rails made of metal that can be purchased.

Appartamento comes with two separate valves for hot water and steam. Some other manufacturers omit the hot water outlet to save on costs. Rocket has always had large and user-friendly knobs for hot water and the steam wand with its classic R on the left knob.

The best thing about the espresso machine is that it has an E61 group, which gives a cool look and has an important function for espresso brewing. By pulling up the left lever, you open the three-way valve and activate the pump. The E61 group constantly circulates hot water from the pump to the brew head, thereby providing a stable brewing temperature. A tip! About you don't like the sticker that warns you About that the brew head gets very hot, remove it before first use as it is much easier to remove.

Something that we were disappointed with was that Appartamento has only one pressure gauge. This pressure gauge only shows the pressure for the boiler and not the actual brewing pressure. The advantage of knowing the pressure in the boiler is that you can correlate the boiler pressure with the brewing temperature and see About the machine is ready for brewing or not. However, despite this, we would wish they had added an extra pressure gauge for the actual brewing as it can show About you have tamped the puck well or had the right amount of coffee in the cup. The design of the pressure gauge itself looks really good.

A good feature that Appartamento has is that it warns you when the water tank starts to run low by the green diode on the front of the espresso machine starting to blink. On the front, there is also Rocket's sign reminding you About that you have purchased an espresso machine of premium quality.

Rocket has always had small drip trays, which means they need to be emptied regularly considering that Appartamento is an espresso machine with a heat exchanger and a pressure switch; you need to flush water through before each brewing. A nice touch that Rocket has made is to have magnets on the drip tray, which ensures that the tray sits properly and always ends up in the right place. 

Rocket Appartamento is designed for home use and thus built as compact as possible with low and wide feet, unlike other models that have high and narrow ones. Since Appartamento has a boiler with a vibration pump, the machine cannot be directly connected to water but has a 2.5-liter freshwater tank. The advantage of having a water tank is that you can place the espresso machine anywhere. On the underside of the machine, there is a green button where you can activate Eco mode. Eco mode means that the machine turns off 90 minutes after the last brewing. This can be handy About if you happen to forget to turn off the machine before leaving home. Personally, I would use a timer that can be controlled by an app as the machine needs about 20 to 30 minutes to get fully warm. By using a timer with an app, you have the ability to start the machine at any time and even create an on/off schedule to always have a warm and ready machine. 

Usage

Grind, tamp the puck, and brew. The entire brewing process with Appartamento is very simple and smooth. Something to keep in mind when brewing is to flush water through the brew unit as very hot water can accumulate at the brew unit after the machine has been on for a while. By flushing the water, you cool down the brewing water to the right temperature. About if you brew more than 3 coffee drinks at once, Appartamento's boiler may need to recover, and this can take a few minutes.

Milk Frothing

The steam function on Rocket Appartamento works very well as expected but was experienced as a bit weak compared to Rocket's other models. The reason lies in the fact that Appartamento has the smallest boiler among Rocket's model series. But with all that said, you will not be disappointed with Appartamento's milk frothing, and it is fully capable of frothing cappuccino and latte milk with perfect texture. Being able to froth latte milk is an art and is something that needs to be practiced. Appartamento comes with a steam wand with two holes, but About if you wish to froth the milk faster, we recommend replacing the steam wand's end with one that has 3 or 4 holes.

Rocket Appartamento has a pressure switch, which in practice means that the heating element turns off or on based on the boiler's pressure. This technique has been used for years and is a very safe method that has always worked. About if you wish to change the brewing temperature, you need to do so by adjusting the pressure switch inside the machine.

Our thoughts on Rocket Appartamento

Espresso machines by Rocket have always been our favorites, and Appartamento will not disappoint you. Appartamento is an espresso machine that is worth every penny, both with its unique appearance and functionality. Owning such an espresso machine is like having an Italian artwork in your kitchen. Appartamento is a very simple machine compared to the other models of Rocket which have dual boilers and can be directly connected to water, etc., but in reality, most people do not need machines that can produce like a commercial espresso machine in their kitchen.

Who is the espresso machine for?

• Someone who wants to reach the next level with their espresso brewing. A very serious but simple machine.
• Someone who wants to own their second espresso machine or needs an espresso machine for their office or summer house.
• Someone who is looking for a small and compact espresso machine that delivers as well as the big ones. 

Advantages:

• A small and compact package, Appartamento fits in most kitchens.
• Comes with exceptionally good accessories and attachments with a tamper of full metal which is not common with other brands.
• Has both a steam wand and hot water outlet. This is not always found in compact espresso machines.
• The heat exchanger allows you to froth milk and brew espresso at the same time, which is a unique advantage with an espresso machine with a boiler.

Disadvantages:

• Has only one pressure gauge. An additional pressure gauge for brewing would be something you'd want to see in the future with a Rocket Appartamento.
• The rail for the cup tray felt cheap.
• Since the machine is compact, there is not much room for cups on the cup tray.
• The drip tray could be larger.
• Needs to perform a short flush before each brew to cool down the brew head.

Things to know About Appartamento

• It has a vibration pump. Can be perceived as noisy.
• The internal 2.5L water tank needs to be refilled fairly regularly. Consider using good quality water to avoid damage due to limescale buildup.
• Appartamento is a small compact heat exchanger. It is therefore not designed for commercial environments but is fully capable of brewing for the whole family.
• Appartamento has a pressostat that regulates the brewing temperature, unlike more modern PID temperature control systems which are better and more stable control systems. If you are looking for a similar espresso machine with PID, we can recommend our Rocket Cronometro V.

Good to consider About you are thinking of buying a Appartamento

• Make sure to buy a good coffee grinder About you plan to purchase an expensive espresso machine. We can recommend Eureka Mignon Specialita or Rocket Faustino. The espresso machine can only produce as good as the grinder can deliver and therefore it is important to have a grinder that is capable.
• Buy a bottomless portafilter! It is one of the most satisfying things with espresso brewing where you can see how the espresso flows down from the portafilter. Yes, it may sound a bit nerdy.  
• For those who plan to drink coffee drinks with milk, we recommend buying a milk jug for frothing milk. We offer jugs of Rocket, but any milk jug designed for milk frothing would suffice.
• A tamping mat is something that seems unnecessary but trust me. After using one, you will change your mind. A tamping mat protects the surface from damage and also simplifies your process of preparing your coffee puck.
• A Knock Box is a must! Instead of sitting and banging out your coffee puck after brewing at the kitchen compost, a knock box is a perfect solution to the problem and will
] definitely make your life easier.
• Always have a microfiber cloth by your side to keep the espresso machine's fine mirror finish always clean.