The Bezzera New Hobby is a compact, Italian-made espresso machine with impressive capabilities. It has incredible steaming power, a sleek and compact design and can produce exceptional shots of espresso. This semi-automatic has stepped onto the espresso scene with a lot to give; Let’s take a closer look at the New Hobby.
$949.00
The New Hobby is available in stainless steel, black or red housing and lines up among the most high-end durable machines. Design and durability are two of the main things we use to distinguish true espresso machines from espresso appliances. Just shy of 25 lbs, there's quite a bit of substance to this otherwise petite piece of equipment.
Across the face of the machine, you’ve got rocker switches to power the machine on, run the pump to dispense water, brew, and switch into steaming mode. The power, brew, and steam buttons each have indicator lights that illuminate when they're switched on, and the Bezzera New Hobby is also equipped with a dual purpose ready light that indicates when the machine is at proper brew or steam temperature.
How to Pull Consistent Espresso Shots
Making Cappuccinos and Lattes with the New Hobby
Despite being new to us, variations of the Bezzera Hobby have been produced for over 10 years. It was designed to compete directly with the popular Rancilio Silvia, and has received several upgrades over the course of its production run.
What sold us on this latest version of the Bezzera Hobby was the new commercial steam wand, which is the same wand used on the BZ10. Now, whether you’re going for a latte, cappuccino, flat white or macchiato, the steam power on the New Hobby is incredibly powerful for such a compact semi-automatic. When we first got the chance to test it, we all jumped; steam bursts from the wand-like nothing we've seen before in a machine so small. With a powerful 1100 watt heating element, the New Hobby is ready to steam in only 84 seconds and can steam 5oz of milk to 140° Fahrenheit in just 14 seconds.
Another great feature is the 3-liter reservoir with a visible level indicator. With the amount of specialty drinks you'll be making with the New Hobby, you're going to appreciate this.
Multiple color options
Another thing to appreciate is how fantastic the New Hobby looks. You can go with the stainless steel housing for a sleek design that will fit right in with your other stainless steel appliances, or you could go with the black design for a clean and simple look. If you want a true conversation piece, look no further than the vibrant red design. Whatever your preference, you can't go wrong.
Prosumer Components
The reservoir is just one of several features that the New Hobby shares with with Bezzera's more expensive prosumer espresso machines. The brew group is variant of the chrome plated brass BZ groups found on machines like the BZ10, and the New Hobby also uses a chrome plated brass, 58mm portafilter for brewing espresso. For easy cleanup, a 3-way solenoid valve directs water from the group to the drip tray via a tube hidden behind the machine's paneling.
Popular Accessories for the Bezzera Hobby
No premium entry level espresso machine would be complete without a host of accessories to accompany it. Here is our handpicked list of accessories to consider if you're considering the New Hobby:
$82.99
$41.99
$40.00
$34.99
Final Thoughts
The Bezzera New Hobby gets a big thumbs up from us. Not only is this semi-automatic an affordable price at $800.00, but it’s also a premium entry-level, user-friendly while giving the user a great balance of control and convenience. The features with the New Hobby make brewing espresso an exciting experience and the espresso and milk-based drinks that this machine can whip up are even better.