VonHaus VonChef 15 Bar Pro Expresso Machine Review
THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER'S OWN.
Reviewed by Dorothy White
Over the Christmas period I kept looking at the VonHaus 15 Bar Pro Espresso Coffee Machine longingly, really wanting to buy one, but with all the expense of Christmas I never managed to get one. Imagine how thrilled I was to have the opportunity to receive one to review.
The machine arrived in a sturdy box with a sticker warning me to ‘Open With Care’ and ‘Do not use Sharp Blades, Do not use Knives, Do not use Scissors.’
My first task was to unpack this machine. As the machine was packaged extremely well I struggled to get into it without the aid of a sharp knife or scissors. To be honest in the end I cheated a little bit on one corner which allowed me to gain access! There was never any danger of anything having been damaged in transit!
Once I had removed the machine from the box and had taken all the protective wrapping and tape off, I familiarised myself with all the pieces before reading the instructions.
Once I had read the instruction book which was very easy to follow, I set about washing all the parts in warm soapy water. I was quite surprised that the removable water tank appears to be made of plastic, although this only holds cold water! What I particularly like about this machine is that it has a removable drip tray which holds spilled water or coffee, unlike my old coffee machine where I had to use a cloth to mop up spillages.
There are two filter measure cups which fit into the filter holder/handle along with a coffee measuring spoon which has a flat circular disc at the opposite end to press the coffee grains down before putting in the machine. The part of the machine which attracted me to this particular model in the first place is the steaming wand, it has a dial to control the amount of steam used. Along the front of the machine there is the on/off button, buttons for one cup or two, manual or steam. I almost forgot to mention that the top of the machine is a cup warmer.
Now for the exciting part, trying the machine out for the first time! First I ran the machine three times without ground coffee using the manual button to put hot water through the machine and empty coffee filter to flush out the inside before use. I also put some water in a jug and used the steam wand to heat it so that would also be cleaned.
Once I was ready to make my first coffee and had the required amount of ground coffee in the filter holder compacted down, I inserted it into the machine. As this is an Espresso Machine the amount of coffee produced is quite small depending on whether it is for one or two cups, but it is very concentrated.
Next I poured cold milk into a suitable jug and pressed the steam button and turned the dial which controls the amount of steam which heats and froths the milk. I think I turned the dial too far round that first time as the milk was very quickly spitting and splashing although it hadn’t had chance to heat up . I tried again!! This time I was more cautious with the dial to control the steam and it was more successful, although I still need a lot more practice to become as expert as the Barista’s in coffee bars..
I am really pleased with this machine, it is a great machine especially for the low price! I just need more practice in using the steam wand.
Rating: 4.5/5
RRP: £99.99
This product can be purchased from VonHaus here.
Editor’s note – You can read our review of the 5 piece coffee making accessory set here.