Francis Francis! X1 review

A coffee machine that looks like a coffee machine should – no fancy stuff here – and pumps out its brews in double-quick fashion.

Pros
There’s no hint of middle-of-the-road blandness here. You can put your own coffee blends through it rather than having to use pods, the looks are pure Italian overkill and there’s an 18 bar pump for cream-crowned, viscous espresso. The flavours aren’t as striking as the looks, but they aren’t far off, and you don’t have to wait too long for a brew, either.

Cons
You won’t be able to use anything other than a smallish cappuccino cup under the low-slung nozzle. Despite being a fair bit more expensive than most Brits will stomach for a coffee maker, competition is fierce in this price-range, with big hitters such as Gaggia and Pavoni providing equally amounts of oral pleasure.

In summary then…
The X1 is a statement piece, and isn’t going to sit comfortably in a fake-pine kitchenette purchased from MFI just before it shut down. In our opinion, it looks stunning. It also makes very good coffee and has a distinct feeling of longevity to it, with its substantial build and brass water reservoir. There are machines for the same or a bit less that make equally good coffee, but nothing matches the X1 for overall panache.

Ease of use

Coffee quality

Looks

Overall

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