Saeco Pico Baristo HD8924/47 automatic espresso machine review

Saeco Pico Baristo HD8924/47 automatic espresso machine comes with 8.8oz Bean Container, 15x Waste Container; 60.9oz. It is a premium compact machine which spoils coffee lovers with quality and variety. Via the user interface you can choose from a wide choice of specialties at one touch. And now with the AquaClean filter you can enjoy up to 5,000 cups of coffee without descaling. The espresso machine’s ceramic grinders deliver premium espresso coffee from fresh beans for 20,000 cups guaranteed. Velvety froth at one touch with the automatic milk frother. Find here everything in Saeco Pico Baristo HD8924/47 automatic espresso machine review.

Pros & Cons – Saeco Pico Baristo HD8924/47 automatic espresso machine

Pros

• Makes great ristretto and cafe crema
• Can be bought at a discount compared to MSRP (not the case with Jura)
• Less Cleaning Required – Saeco still leads the pack for easy machine maintenance. The new AquaClean filter, coupled with the removable brew group, spout and large drip tray means less work between you and your espresso.
• Top Tank – Moving the water tank to the top of the machine means you can refill the machine without removing the tank at all.
• Magnificent Menus – The new screen is bright and easy to read, and the dedicated navigation buttons do a fantastic job cleaning up Saeco’s programming controls.

Cons

• The rinse cycle after you select a drink prohibits you from setting a cup under the spout, pushing a button, and walking away
• Again with the rinse cycle when the machine goes in standby (we put a cup under it to prevent it all from going into the drip tray)

• Tall Tray – The PicoBaristo’s face is integrated into the drip tray. While still easy as ever to remove, the drip tray now carries an awkward tall piece along with it.
• Top Tank – Depending on your cabinet height, this may also mean you have to pull out your machine to refill the tank.

Specifications – Saeco Pico Baristo HD8924/47 automatic espresso machine

Feature – Saeco Pico Baristo HD8924/47 automatic espresso machine

• Color: Black & Stainless Steel
• Removable watertank
• Removable brewing group
• Number of ways to adjust coffee length: 3
• Bypass doser for pre-ground coffee: Yes
• Manual steamer (pannarello): No (Available as separate purchase)
• Milk Autofoamer:  Yes
• Milk carafe: No
• Crema adjuster: No
• Bluetooth compatible: No
• Multi-user interface: No
• Accommodates cups in height 3.07- 6.46 inches

Weight and Dimensions

• Product dimensions (W x D x H):
  • 8.5 x 16.9 x 12.9 in
  • 215 x 429 x 330 mm
• Product weight:
  • 16 lbs
  • 7.2 kg
• Water tank capacity:
  • 61 oz
  • 1.8 L
• Coffee bean capacity:
  • 8 oz
  • 250 g
• Waste container capacity: 15 perfect espressos

Key features

• AquaClean Filter – Another new innovation by Saeco, the new sensor-equipped filter is monitored by on-board software, and eliminates the need to descale for 5,000 cups of coffee.
• Milk Options – Choose between automatic frothing with the cappucinatore attachment or pick up a panarello-style wand for more manual steaming.
• Café Crema – A dedicated ‘Café Crema’ button makes a full-dosed long shot that tastes like sweeter cup of drip coffee.
• Adjustable Grinder – Dial-in your grind with the PicoBaristo’s 10 grind settings.

• Programming Prowess – Packed with a high-contrast screen and dedicated menu navigation buttons, the PicoBaristo gives you control over dose, temperature, shot length, and milk volume.
• Removable Brew Group – Designed for hands-free maintenance, the brew group is easily removable and top rack dishwasher safe.
• Top-loading Water and Beans – Both beans and water are accessible from the top of the machine, making it easy to top up both on the fly.

Saeco Pico Baristo HD8924/47 automatic espresso machine review

Size

The overall size of the 27 is about 13-by-9-by-17, so it takes up a fair amount of counter space but will still fit under most cabinets. You can also fit coffee cups up to four inches tall under the spout.

Design

There are two main styles of the Saeco PicoBaristo: the HD8924/47 (the 24) and the HD8927/47 (the 27), which I tried out.

The design of the 27 is fairly straightforward albeit slightly clumsy. The water tank and bean hopper are located at the top of the unit. You can remove the tank and fill it at your sink, though I prefer using a pitcher since the tank’s awkward shape makes it hard to maneuver without spilling. The bean hopper isn’t removable so you have to dump beans into it and then adjust how coarse or fine you prefer your grind.

The main differences have to do with the number of drinks the units can make and how milk is dispensed – the 27 makes more drinks than the 24 and the 24 doesn’t come with a milk carafe. Instead, you put the tube from the milk frother into your own cup to create that frothy goodness, while the 27 comes with a removable carafe that is conveniently attached to the machine itself. The 27 is also currently about $600 more expensive and has better reviews on Amazon.

How to setup the Saeco Pico Baristo HD8924/47 automatic espresso machine?

The overall set-up process took me about 15 minutes and was quite easy except for one hiccup. After you remove the packaging, the first step is to fill the water tank. Then inexplicably, you’re told to Press the OK button to confirm. At this point, I hadn’t been instructed to plug in and turn on the machine so I did that in order to register my button press which led to a series of other missteps that caused me to complete the set-up out of order. This didn’t result in any real problems, but my advice is to skip pressing the OK button entirely, but if you do, you’ll be fine.

The rest of the steps include selecting a preferred language, adding coffee beans, inserting the hot water spout, priming the machine with water, and installing the AquaClean water filter.

Drink types & brew

The unit gives you the ability to choose from five brew strengths, three different temperature options, and 10 different levels of granularity. The drink size – which it calls length – is also adjustable. Because there are so many customizable aspects, if you have a particular drink you enjoy regularly, definitely save it using the Memo function.

The PicoBaristo can make eight different drinks, like a latte macchiato, ristretto, and flat white. The brand says that you can make 11 drinks with the machine but there are two sizes for cappucinos and espressos as well as a hot water option for tea or ramen, so technically, it’s just eight different coffee drinks.

PhilipsSince the unit houses a grinder, water tank, and milk carafe, it takes up some counterspace but still fits underneath most kitchen cabinets.

How to do milk frothing?

The milk frothing process is incredibly easy. You just fill the carafe with milk – cow, soy, almond, whatever – and plug it into the unit where the hot water spout is located, then open the milk dispensing spout and choose a drink. Once the milk is done frothing, one press of another button cleans the spout. You can also put the entire carafe in the refrigerator to keep your milk fresh. The results rivaled what you might get at a good, independent coffee shop; I was impressed with the light, fluffy froth the PicoBaristo produced.

The PicoBaristo takes about two-and-a-half minutes from when I turn on the machine to the moment I have my double espresso in hand. The shots are strong, dark, have the level of bitterness I look for, and are also topped with a nice, thin layer of crema.

Cleaning & maintenance

Keeping the PicoBaristo clean is effortless too. The machine tells you when to empty the drip tray underneath the unit or the grounds drawer, which is around every 15 shots of espresso for me, or you know, two days. There’s also a user manual that provides a schedule for cleaning the brew group and milk carafe (both weekly), lubricating the brew group (monthly), replacing the AquaClean filter (about every 600 shots), and descaling (varies). This may sound like a lot, but each maintenance step takes only a few seconds or minutes to complete.

Lastly, I like that the machine tells me when it needs more beans or water. Cheaper machines will just run without these key ingredients, which can be harmful to the machine and annoyingly increases the time until I get my espresso. Bean and water level aren’t the only warnings though; the unit will also let you know if the grounds drawer is full or the filter needs replacing, or even if the milk carafe isn’t properly inserted.AmazonYou can make a variety of coffee drinks with just a few buttons.

Is it worth buying?

For espresso, I usually use the Saeco Xelsis Super Automatic Espresso Machine, which puts everything else I’ve tried to shame. But at around $2,400, it’s impractical for most buyers. I don’t bring this machine up to brag but I do mention it so you’ll take my criticisms of the PicoBaristo with a grain of salt.The first of which is that the design of the PicoBaristo’s bean hopper could use some tweaking. The Xelsis has a conical hopper that allows the beans to feed easily into the grinder while PicoBaristo’s hopper is long and very narrow at points, which doesn’t allow gravity to do its work guiding the beans into the grinder. This means that you have to mind the beans more often than with a conical design.

That being said though, I like that the PicoBaristo automatically grinds the beans for me and indicates when it needs more.The positioning of the milk carafe and espresso spouts are also a little awkward. If you want to make a drink with milk, you need a cup that is sized just right to catch both the frothed milk and espresso, otherwise the left spout will likely miss your cup all together and send half of your espresso into the drip tray. This happened a couple of times before I wised up and made the milk and espresso separately by removing the milk carafe to get better access to the espresso spout. On the other hand, you might consider purchasing special mugs, such as the Libbey Tempo Glass Mugs.

Alternate of Saeco Pico Baristo HD8924/47 automatic espresso machine

Gaggia 1003380 Accademia: For those who want to explore a different brand, you may want to consider the Gaggia 1003380 Accademia. This machine features an adjustable telescopic coffee dispenser, allowing the use cups of different sizes. Also, this Gaggia super automatic expresso machine also has a high quality ceramic burr grinder. The double lid aroma saver add a special flavor and aroma to each cup of coffee. The Accademia also features a pre-brewing system that gives your coffee that makes your coffee taste even more special.

Saeco PicoBaristo HD8927/47 Super-automatic Espresso Machine  is in many ways similar to this slightly less costly Saeco HD8924/47 PicoBaristo, but includes a more extensive set of available features. The HD8927/47 has all of the great features of the HD8924/47 plus more. The Saeco PicoBaristo HD8927/47 has all the good features of the junior model and the key maintenance reducing design features while adding even more functionality.

What is the difference between this model and the Saeco GranBaristo Espresso Machine?

It depends on which model of Gran Baristo you’re referring to, but generally:

Gran Baristo:
narrower and deeper
variable pressure brew group
profile programming, extra drink options
milk carafe, one-touch drink options
touch-sensitive buttons

Pico Baristo:
Wider and shorter
Bigger drip tray and dump box
Classic Saeco brew group
AquaClean filter
Swappable Cappuccinatore/panarello
physical buttons

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