Let's Brew Better with the Cafelat Robot

The cutest manual brewer on the market is taking the world by storm, and for some great reasons. Whether you’re looking to upgrade your brew bar with a manual espresso maker, looking to simplify your routine, or just want a fun gadget on your bar that will have folks talking, the Cafelat Robot nails every one of these points (and more!)

We’ll talk a little bit about why people are loving it and who we would recommend with it, then we’ll share the ways we’ve levelled up our brewing with it!

So, what’s the big deal with the Cafelat Robot?

Before I even started working at Coffee Addicts, I remember reading about the Robot and simultaneously being so intrigued and so overwhelmed about how it would work. After watching a few videos, I can confidently say that it seems a lot more intense than it actually is and you’d be surprised to learn how simple the workflow is (which we’ll get into later!)

The Cafelat Robot is a high-quality espresso maker that makes incredible espresso at an astounding price. The premium materials makes it a sturdy brewer, plus the design of it makes it incredibly low maintenance. It’s super compact, has incredible thermal management that allows you to get great espresso, and it’s a fairly quick and easy workflow. There are two different iterations: the Barista edition, which features a pressure gauge, and the Regular one, which doesn't have the pressure gauge (you can get the Regular and then add a pressure gauge later down the line). Everything else is exactly the same!

Sounds pretty great, right?

Let’s get more in-depth:

• Design and materials

  • Due to the silicone gasket, this makes the Robot a totally plastic-free machine for peace of mind!

• Due to its verticality, it rivals the entire Flair lineup bar none, allowing you to save tons of counter space. We’ll get into the thermal management a bit later and how comparable that is, but the design and material rival the Flair manual brewers in that price range

• The brewer is made up of die-cast aluminum, with the portafilter, basket, dispersion screen, and brewing arms made of stainless steel

• Maintenance

  • I will say with the Barista Robot that sometimes, when using large amounts of coffee (or really, any coffee) without the filter screen, we’ve seen the tube break. This requires a bit of finagling to get back together; send us an email if this has happened to you (and please promise to use the filter screen!) 

• There’s not much to say here for maintenance, honestly. Because this machine is so simple and compacted, you would just need to replace the silicone gasket when needed!

• Thermal Management

• I’ll say it; a little bit of pre-heating never hurt anyone. But, with the Robot, it’s not entirely necessary. 

• Since you are putting your brewing water directly into the basket/brewing chamber, it essentially pre-heats it for you prior to brewing (and the stainless steel makes it heat up super fast!) So, consider that one less thing you have to worry about!

• Workflow

• When brewing with the Robot, I treated it very similarly to a portafilter, making my routine incredibly simple (which I’ll share down below!)

• The only extra step was adding in boiled water on top, but other than that it was less than 5 minutes from prep to espresso!

What’s your brew routine with the Robot?

I’m so happy you asked! Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to brew with the Robot, with a couple of essential items highlighted (and our reasons for why!)

• Set your kettle to your preferred brewing temperature – for a medium roast, I chose 94°C. 
  • I did anticipate the brewing temperature to drop, especially when it comes into contact with the brewer, but I struggle with actually increasing the temperature as I don’t want to affect the beans too much. 
  • I waited until the last second to pour my water into the basket, and did a quick assembly (less than 1 minute) to pour my espresso. Final brewing temperature was 88°C, but I know that coffee releases a lot of flavour and aroma when that temperature drops. So… inconclusive!
• Grind your coffee

  • I did about a 17 grind size on the Turin CF64V (it gave me a 30 second extraction time, so it would be worth it to coarsen it up!)

• Puck prep (seriously, so worth it!)

  • The paper filters make a world of difference, especially to take out those fine grinds in your cup. Plus, it makes the espresso taste extra clear, and makes cleaning up a breeze!
  • Not enough people talk about this, but I would HIGHLY recommend doing some WDT and treating this unit exactly as you would a regular portafilter. The WDT helps disperse the grounds and break up clumps, and is essential as you add the water on top. 
    • I wish Cafelat could come up with some sort of distribution tool, as that would make my dreams come true! I did try to do some leveling with the tamper, giving the grounds a spin with the tamper before pressing down, but it wasn’t perfect.

  • The tamper is interesting; I’d recommend leveling up with this one to get the most consistent pressure!

  • Whatever you do, ensure you put the filter screen on top to help mitigate pressure! I’ve seen many tubes on the Barista Robot get busted because people do not use the screen
    

• Add in your water

  • I was brewing with a 1:2.5 ratio, 18g in, 45g out, but I’d recommend pouring in more water to ensure you have enough to brew with, and also to help you out with pre-infusion if you want it!

• Lock the portafilter into place

  • Worth mentioning that I removed the double spout because I want to check my extraction, but it’s totally up to you!

• Place your scale underneath (this one totally works!) and your cup on top

• Start pressing

  • Don’t get me wrong, this thing is a beast for some of us weaker baristas (i.e. myself)

    • I’d recommend using the barista on a lower surface, like a low countertop or coffee table, so that you can use your body weight to press down on the arms
    • If you find your grip is uncomfortable on the ends, get a helping hand (or set of hands)!

  • What’s cool about the Robot is that you can definitely get some manual pre-infusion in; just press until you feel some resistance, let off for around 3-7 seconds, and then start pressing again

  • You’re looking to get pressure around 6-7 bars, which is pretty traditional for lever machines

    • I found that I wasn’t necessarily looking at the pressure gauge too much, as I was mostly focused on the timing and the weight on the scale.
    • My two cents is if you are someone who has good sensory awareness, likes a more intuitive approach to your coffee, and likes to keep things simple, go for the Manual brewer. If you’re the opposite (loves all the information, tracks extraction via pressure, wants an all-encompassing brew method), I’d go for the Barista!
      

Overall, I am so excited to continue to brew with the Robot, especially as I’ve been leaning more towards drinking and appreciating espresso as-is. Let us know if you’ve tried out the Robot, what your favourite thing about it is, your brew routine, or if you have any questions!

Happy Coffee-ing!