A Great Home Machine

Author's Rating:

Pros: A great durable home machine with commercial components.

Cons: A little loud; steam pressure may need adjustment.

The Bottom Line: 
Highly recommended. It still performs like the day I bought it. It is easy to use, clean and requires little maintenance. For serious espresso drinkers.

Author's Review
I have owned my Oscar now for about 4-5 years so wanted to offer a review after some real use. I paid around $750 at the time I purchased it and know they are now going for $1000. I usually make 2 drinks from it every morning and that may or may not be what the folks at Nuova Simonelli intended. However, that is probably what one would realistically expect for a home user -- unless you have a big family :). I love my machine and would highly recommend it to others. At the time I bought, it was certainly one of the best home machines on the market and it still is today.

The machine is a real workhorse and has held up very well for me with minimal maintenance. You will have to replace the gasket every year or two depending on use. I also had the pressure adjusted for the steam wand since it had become less that desirable for doing latte art. But that was an easy adjustment. The other reviewer indicated that it took him 35 seconds to steam milk. I can usually do this in 10-15 seconds so I suspect that his unit may need pressure adjustment as well. The internals of this machine are strictly professional – in fact they are the same as their commercial version except you get just one group head. So because of this, you will need a decent grinder since the cheap ones made for the cheap Krups style machines do not grind fine enough for espresso in the Oscar. This will likely cost you about $150-$200 (I have the Nuova Simonelli one). BTW, the machine is quite heavy and a bit bulky so be careful if you are bringing it in to a certified dealer for maintenance.

The machine is a little loud for home use and add to this a grinder, just enough to get the dogs barking :). As the other reviewer indicated, there is no water indicator so you need to check how much is in the tank. I usually just add water each morning before I turn on the machine. Also, it would be nice if the machine had a direct water line similar to professional ones since the internal tank is not that large – especially if you are hosting a large party. But you can just fill it up again with ease.

Cleaning the Oscar is easy to do as well. The base tray and grate come right out and can be rinsed in a matter of seconds. The steam wand has a very flexible arm that makes it easy to use and clean no matter where you place the machine. The machine comes with both single and double portafilters, but I (and most baristas) just use the double (and toss away a shot if you want only a single).

The bottom-line is that I really love my Oscar and it has continued to create great drinks since the day I bought it will very little maintenance required. Highly recommended.