Bosch 800 Series VeroCafe Review

The Bosch 800 Series VeroCafe is a high-tech, fully automatic espresso machine that offers convenience, customization, and smart connectivity, but at a premium price.

The Bosch 800 Series VeroCafe is a high-end, fully automatic espresso machine designed to bring café-quality coffee into your home with minimal effort. This machine is packed with features that promise convenience, customization, and connectivity. In this review, we’ll delve into the specifics to determine if this new offering from Bosch justifies its premium price tag.

User-Friendly Interface: Intuitive 5-inch TFT touchscreen for easy drink selection and customization.
Advanced Brewing: AromaMax System ensures consistent, high-quality espresso.
Versatile Drink Options: 36 specialty drinks available through CoffeeWorld menu.
Smart Connectivity: Compatible with Home Connect App, Alexa, and Google Home for remote operation.
Easy Maintenance: Calc’n Clean feature and removable parts for simple cleaning.

High Price: $1,999.00 makes it a significant investment.
Plastic Construction: Primarily plastic body may feel less premium.
No Manual Milk Frothing: Limits ability to create latte art.
Redundant Drink Options: Some specialty drinks may be similar.
Non-Insulated Milk Container: Requires refrigeration between uses.

Sleek and Streamlined Design

The Bosch 800 Series VeroCafe immediately stands out with its modern, tech-inspired design. Unlike traditional lever espresso machines, this model features a boxy shape with a silver-colored plastic body and a prominent 5-inch TFT LCD touchscreen display. The TFT display provides better contrast and imaging than standard LCDs, making it easier to navigate through the machine’s various menu options.

Despite its plastic construction, the machine feels sturdy and durable. It has a compact footprint, measuring 13.9 inches wide, 18.4 inches deep, and 15 inches tall, which makes it suitable for most kitchen countertops. Weighing only 22 pounds, it is relatively lightweight for a super automatic espresso machine, enhancing its portability.

The VeroCafe also features an 81-ounce side-loading water tank and an adjustable coffee spout that can accommodate cups up to 5.5 inches tall. However, it won’t fit taller travel mugs, which could be a minor inconvenience for some users. Additionally, Bosch offers an optional active cup warmer for an extra $100, but this feature may not be worth the additional cost for everyone.

User-Friendly Interface

One of the most impressive aspects of the Bosch 800 Series VeroCafe is its intuitive user interface. The large touchscreen display is divided into three main menu options: Favorites, Classics, and CoffeeWorld.

Classics: This section includes basic drinks such as coffee, espresso, cappuccino, latte macchiato, hot milk, and tea. These options will satisfy the majority of coffee drinkers.
CoffeeWorld: This feature offers 36 different specialty drink recipes from around the world, including regional beverages like Café au Lait and Viennese coffee. While the extensive list is exciting, it might be overwhelming for some users.
Favorites: This customizable section allows you to save your preferred drink recipes, including specific settings like strength, aroma profile, milk ratio, and drink size.

The machine also includes illuminated sensor keys for power, double cup feature, cleaning function, and settings, making it easy to navigate and operate.

Advanced Brewing Technology

At the heart of the Bosch 800 Series VeroCafe is its AromaMax System, which controls the grinding dose, water volume, flow rate, and brew temperature. This system, combined with a 19-bar pump and a built-in ceramic grinder, ensures consistent and high-quality espresso. The grinder, called Ceram Drive, offers six grind settings, although it remains unclear whether these can be manually adjusted by the user.

The machine’s 12.5-ounce bean hopper is large enough to hold most specialty coffee bags, but long-term storage in a coffee canister is recommended to maintain freshness. The AromaMax System also features three different aroma profiles—mild, balanced, and distinctive—allowing users to tailor their coffee’s flavor to their preferences. Additionally, there are four strength options and customizable coffee-to-milk ratios.

Versatile Milk System

The VeroCafe’s integrated milk container and auto-frothing technology make preparing milk-based drinks simple and efficient. The 23.7-ounce milk container is dishwasher safe, making cleanup easy. However, it lacks insulation, so you’ll need to refrigerate it between uses to keep the milk fresh. Switching between different types of milk can be cumbersome since the container needs to be emptied and cleaned before refilling.

An included milk adapter might aid in switching between different milk containers or types, but its exact functionality is not clearly explained in the documentation. This integrated milk system also means there’s no option for manual milk steaming, which could be a downside for users interested in creating latte art.

Specialty Drinks Galore

One of the standout features of the Bosch 800 Series VeroCafe is its ability to prepare 36 different specialty drinks through the CoffeeWorld menu. This feature includes recipes for beverages from around the globe, such as Café au Lait, Viennese coffee, Americanos, and cortados. While this variety is impressive, some recipes might produce similar results, leading to questions about their uniqueness.

For example, the menu includes both a “Café Cortado” and a “Cortado,” which are essentially the same drink. This redundancy could make the feature seem more like a marketing gimmick than a practical benefit. Nonetheless, the sheer number of options allows users to explore a wide range of coffee styles and flavors.

Smart Connectivity

In today’s smart home era, the Bosch 800 Series VeroCafe keeps pace with WiFi connectivity and compatibility with the Home Connect App, Alexa, and Google Home. These smart controls allow you to customize and brew drinks remotely, even creating personalized coffee playlists. However, you’ll still need to prep the machine manually by filling the water tank, bean hopper, and milk container.

The Home Connect App is particularly useful for programming the machine to brew your favorite drinks at a specific time. This means you can wake up to a freshly brewed cup of coffee without leaving your bed. However, because the milk container is not insulated, it’s advisable to use this feature primarily for coffee-only beverages to avoid leaving milk out for too long.

Easy Maintenance

Maintaining the Bosch 800 Series VeroCafe is straightforward thanks to its built-in Calc’n Clean feature, which guides you through the cleaning and descaling process. The machine comes with a Mavea water filter, a water filter insertion aid, a microfiber cloth, cleaning tablets, and a descaling tablet. Additionally, the milk container, drip tray, and most of the brew unit are removable for easy rinsing.

The machine’s pre-rinse and post-rinse settings automatically activate when the machine turns on and off, helping to keep the internal components clean. Regular maintenance is essential to ensure the longevity and performance of the machine, and Bosch has made this process as simple as possible.

Verdict

The Bosch 800 Series VeroCafe is a sleek, high-tech super automatic espresso machine that offers convenience, versatility, and smart connectivity. Its modern design, user-friendly interface, and advanced brewing technology make it a compelling choice for coffee enthusiasts who value convenience and customization.

However, the machine’s steep price tag and some potentially gimmicky features, like the 36 specialty drink options, might make it less appealing to some users. If you’re looking for a high-quality espresso machine that offers a blend of automatic and manual features, you might want to consider alternatives like the Gaggia Accademia or Jura E8, which provide similar functionality at a lower cost.

Overall, the Bosch 800 Series VeroCafe is an impressive machine that promises to elevate your home coffee experience. Whether you’re intrigued by its specialty drink options or skeptical about its value, this machine is sure to spark a conversation among coffee lovers.