Bosch Barino TCA-4101 Espresso Machine
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- Max. Power: 1260 Watts
- Operation: Electric
- Type: Espresso Machine
- Max. Pump Pressure: 15 Bar
Similar in Espresso Machines & Coffee Makers
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A slight step up from a steam pressure design but not great by any means
Pros
Sleek design, simple operation, makes hot water fast
Cons
Slow and due to it shots not very hot, little crema
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
Better than a steamer, but rests at the bottom of pump models and is priced accordingly. As a buyer you have to consider these pros and cons.
First things first, the Bosch Barino is priced at quite a bit more than a steam pressure machine but is at the at the lower end of pump models. Steam machines have the inherent flaw of not making real espresso but rather just dark strong coffee. Real espresso has a nice Crema which the Barino promises to offer. It also claims to achieve 15 bar through its pump design. I however believe this is exaggerated.
I bought the Barino second hand (I don't know if it was used, I couldn't find a mark of a water droplet on it and when I ran water through it still had the new smell, I had to run several cups through it). I bought this machine mainly because my Saeco Classico takes up a lot of counter space. Anyone who owns it will admit it. I figured I'd be happy if it produced at least a similar cup of coffee. I think anyone hoping for that will be sorely disappointed in this machine particularly if they pay full retail.
The Barino's operation is straight forward enough, you turn it on wait for the green light and its ready. A knob on the side depicts what you're doing, be it making coffee, or making steam. When I was pumping clear water through it was mighty fast. It would make a nice hot water making machine perhaps. It heated quickly and pumped it out fast.
After I had it good and clean I put in the double sized basket (it has two basket sizes, unlike the Saeco which just has one). I put in coffee, I hadn't even achieved a very good grind on the coffee and was a bit coarser than I'd normally use, but it should have yielded a decent enough double shot in the Saeco. Once the machine was lit green I tried to extract a double shot. Due to the fact that the coffee was coarse I expected a quick watery shot. Instead the process was agonizingly slow. The pump pumped mighty fast using plain water, but with a little coffee in the basket it crept along. A lot longer than I'd have expected especially considering the grind was a tad coarse. The result still however was a watery shot, the crema was an uneventful centimeter at best. It also didn't evenly shoot the water to both sides, meaning one shot filled faster than the other. I'd prewarm the cup too. It took, what was to me, an agonizingly long time to brew two shots. More than the few seconds the Saeco would have done. This could leave the coffee cooler than you'd like.
I can't help compare this to the Saeco. While hardly a professional machine, it is priced only a hair more than this, it would easily extract a beautifully creamy espresso even from the stuff I used in the Bosch, and it would have taken a fraction of the time.
To compare the postives and negatives:
On the plus is has a nice small footprint and modern design. The layout and operation require what I'd consider little skill to master. If you made espresso before you can do it in here. It can steam fairly well and makes great cups of hot water quickly. It takes little time to heat. Its light and easy to move even when full of water.
On the negatives: It doesn't make a good crema. Even after I tried the 3rd or 4th cup, with a better grind the amount was a scant centimeter at best. Far better than a steam machine which would yield none at all. I don't for one minute believe their 15 bar claim. It is very slow to extract, not always even from side to side and that is even with different tamping procedures. The coffee is not exactly hot. While the water coming out seems hot enough I think the problem is here the small amount and the length of time it takes to draw the shot result here. Preheat a large cup if you're running a double into it (which you can do as it has enough space to shove any old coffee cup under there, unlike the Saeco which needs a striaght espresso cup of some kind).
Bottom line. Discounted at $150 which seems fairly normal to find, it is $50 more than a top of the line steam machine. It will still produce better coffee than a steamer so if thats your goal and you're not looking to spend a penny more then fine. For $50-$100 more you can buy a substantially better machine, with better consistancy, perhaps not as easy to operate but much more satisfying in its results.
After pulling shots in both the Saeco Classico and Bosch Barino in a few different grinds with both decaf and regular, my wife and I both agreeed the Saeco produced a far superior results. Thus it will remain on the countertop despite its large size and this unit will probably be gifted to her sister who likes espresso but would never invest this much in buying the machine. It would perhaps be a slightly better alternative to the Krups steam machine I used to use many years ago.
I bought the Barino second hand (I don't know if it was used, I couldn't find a mark of a water droplet on it and when I ran water through it still had the new smell, I had to run several cups through it). I bought this machine mainly because my Saeco Classico takes up a lot of counter space. Anyone who owns it will admit it. I figured I'd be happy if it produced at least a similar cup of coffee. I think anyone hoping for that will be sorely disappointed in this machine particularly if they pay full retail.
The Barino's operation is straight forward enough, you turn it on wait for the green light and its ready. A knob on the side depicts what you're doing, be it making coffee, or making steam. When I was pumping clear water through it was mighty fast. It would make a nice hot water making machine perhaps. It heated quickly and pumped it out fast.
After I had it good and clean I put in the double sized basket (it has two basket sizes, unlike the Saeco which just has one). I put in coffee, I hadn't even achieved a very good grind on the coffee and was a bit coarser than I'd normally use, but it should have yielded a decent enough double shot in the Saeco. Once the machine was lit green I tried to extract a double shot. Due to the fact that the coffee was coarse I expected a quick watery shot. Instead the process was agonizingly slow. The pump pumped mighty fast using plain water, but with a little coffee in the basket it crept along. A lot longer than I'd have expected especially considering the grind was a tad coarse. The result still however was a watery shot, the crema was an uneventful centimeter at best. It also didn't evenly shoot the water to both sides, meaning one shot filled faster than the other. I'd prewarm the cup too. It took, what was to me, an agonizingly long time to brew two shots. More than the few seconds the Saeco would have done. This could leave the coffee cooler than you'd like.
I can't help compare this to the Saeco. While hardly a professional machine, it is priced only a hair more than this, it would easily extract a beautifully creamy espresso even from the stuff I used in the Bosch, and it would have taken a fraction of the time.
To compare the postives and negatives:
On the plus is has a nice small footprint and modern design. The layout and operation require what I'd consider little skill to master. If you made espresso before you can do it in here. It can steam fairly well and makes great cups of hot water quickly. It takes little time to heat. Its light and easy to move even when full of water.
On the negatives: It doesn't make a good crema. Even after I tried the 3rd or 4th cup, with a better grind the amount was a scant centimeter at best. Far better than a steam machine which would yield none at all. I don't for one minute believe their 15 bar claim. It is very slow to extract, not always even from side to side and that is even with different tamping procedures. The coffee is not exactly hot. While the water coming out seems hot enough I think the problem is here the small amount and the length of time it takes to draw the shot result here. Preheat a large cup if you're running a double into it (which you can do as it has enough space to shove any old coffee cup under there, unlike the Saeco which needs a striaght espresso cup of some kind).
Bottom line. Discounted at $150 which seems fairly normal to find, it is $50 more than a top of the line steam machine. It will still produce better coffee than a steamer so if thats your goal and you're not looking to spend a penny more then fine. For $50-$100 more you can buy a substantially better machine, with better consistancy, perhaps not as easy to operate but much more satisfying in its results.
After pulling shots in both the Saeco Classico and Bosch Barino in a few different grinds with both decaf and regular, my wife and I both agreeed the Saeco produced a far superior results. Thus it will remain on the countertop despite its large size and this unit will probably be gifted to her sister who likes espresso but would never invest this much in buying the machine. It would perhaps be a slightly better alternative to the Krups steam machine I used to use many years ago.
