Pulling a good shot is as much an art form as it is a recipe. So prepare your at-pressure piece de resistance in style with the Ascaso Dream. A stunningly-simple control cluster and analog temperature dial puts you in the cockpit over your morning brew—without the ever-distracting set of options and buttons we’ve grown too accustomed to. Inside, an oversized thermoblock offers stable thermal mass and quick, on-demand heat. Better, Ascaso includes a host of optional accessories like alternative brew baskets (including an ESE basket) and steam tips that lets you set up your machine just like you always wanted. Your kitchen never looked so good.
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Features and Functionality
Sleek Design – A compact, solid aluminum case offers bold lines that call to mind vintage consumer goods.
Quick Thermoblock – An outsized thermoblock offers quality heat retention and quick steps up or down to steam temp.
Accessories Abound – Ascaso includes everything you need to brew including a fantastic tamper, an optional panarello steam tip and both pressurized and nonpressurized (and ESE Pod) baskets.
Important Improvements – New to the Dream line, ESE pods now fit in their own (included) portafilter basket! No adapters, kits or special parts required.
Resourceful Reservoir – The water reservoir pulls out sideways and can be refilled without removing from the machine.
Pros
Gorgeous – The curvy design and clean face looks great in any kitchen.
Analog Operation – A manual steam wand, toggle switches and an analog temperature gauge make the Dream a joy to use.
Tremendous Tamper – The included polished tamper is solid and has fantastic fit and finish. And, since the portafilter is a tad smaller than the average, this is a good thing.
Cons
Steam Technique – Manual temperature surfing is required on the Dream. This means that once you’ve finished steaming, you’ll need to manually purge the thermoblock down to brew temperature.
Simplistic – Minimalist—for better or worse—design means your grind, tamp and technique must be on-point for good nonpressurized shots.
How Does it Compare? There’s something to be said about simplicity, and the Dream’s retrofuturistic 1950s design—complete with analog toggles and temperature gauge—pairs well with its no-frills operation.
Tips and Tricks
Ascaso’s recent machine update adds a newly designed portafilter, which can now accept ESE pods without the need for a special adapter! Also, the thermoblock is now lined in stainless steel and the steam wand assembly sports a better sealing connection to help eliminate leaks and scale.
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