I tested the YouTube-famous ‘jet engine' espresso machine — here's why it's worth the $700 price tag
If you're anything like me — that is to say, pretty interested in coffee — you're probably recommended plenty of those pretentious espresso workflow Shorts on YouTube. If so, that means you've probably seen the 9Barista Espresso Machine Mk.2 (or its predecessor, the Mk.1) stovetop coffee maker pop up in your feed.
It's the one that looks like a jet engine — tall, thin, metal and covered in cooling fins. And it's essentially a super-high-pressure mokka pot, that can actually brew legit espresso.
Now, despite classing myself as an espresso enthusiast, I'm permanently skeptical of coffee YouTubers — not all of them, just the ones that make those insufferable process videos which are essentially just a way to show off all the overpriced, sleek-looking gadgets they use to make marginal, if any, difference to the final espresso. Y'know: spinny WDT tools, automatic tamps, spraying their beans and pucks with divine concoctions — the result being an espresso shot that takes four times longer than it needs to.
As such, I was pretty darn dubious about the Mk.2. Firstly, it just exudes coffee snob. And at $699 it's priced accordingly. That's right, for all intents and purposes — Seven. Hundred. Dollars. For a glorified mokka pot.
Due to all the YouTube hype, the 9Barista Espresso Machine Mk.2 has experienced high demand and is currently on backorder. It'll be worth the wait, though, as it's a wonderful little espresso machine.
I've gotta say though, after a month of testing, I'm eating my proverbial hat, because this thing is genuinely awesome. In fact, I'd say it's one of the best espresso machines you can buy.
I'll have a full review of the 9Barista Espresso Machine Mk.2 out very soon. Until then, though, here's a quick rundown of why this hunk of exorbitantly-priced coffee snobbery is actually worth the money.
The most important thing is, of course, the espresso. I was expecting the 9Barista to make something akin to mokka pot coffee — i.e. concentrated French press — or AeroPress.
Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.
The first shot I pulled (if that's even the right term) on the 9Barista had me more than a little surprised. This thing makes actual espresso, and I'm not taking liberties when I say that.
According to 9Barista, the pressure chamber at the base of the Mk.2, when heated, pressurizes water to 9-bar, the ideal pressure at which to push water through grounds to extract all the right coffee goodness.
The first giveaway to this being properly pressurized espresso was the crema, which emerges through the Mk.2's upside-down 53mm single-walled basket. Thick, light brown, replete with tiger stripes when you get the grind right — it's exactly as it should be. And I could bathe in it (if it weren't like +90°C).
According to 9Barista, when heated, water in the bottom pressure chamber climbs to 179C and 9-bar pressure. When it hits 9-bar, a valve opens and the pressurized, superheated water transfers upwards into a brew chamber. On its way to the second chamber, the water is cooled to 100°C by a metal heat exchanger, and then cooled again by metal fins to reach 93°C. Still at 9-bar in the brew chamber, the water is forced through the puck of coffee grounds.
And that brings me on to temperature. It isn't feasibly possible for me to check the internal temps of the Mk.2 (or indeed the internal pressures) to verify the brand's claims, so I need to take 9Barista at its word.
However, according to the manufacturer, after passing through the upper chamber en-route to the coffee puck, those jet-style cooling fins bring the water temperature down from 100°C to 93°C — bang on the right temperature for brewing espresso without burning the grounds.
And the results speak for themselves. The espresso is glorious. Full-bodied and rich, complex yet balanced.
If you'd blindfolded me and fed me that first shot I pulled on this thing, I'd have believed it was made using a commercial machine.
I've been testing with the Varia VS3 grinder, which uses conical burrs that are better for bringing out the delicate flavors of lighter roasts. It's been a great test for the 9Barista, testing whether it can do justice to those complex profiles.
It can.
Perhaps my favorite characteristic of the 9Barista Espresso Machine Mk.2 is its versatility. You don't need electricity, only water and a stove (electric, gas or induction).
That means it doubles up as a fantastic espresso machine for travel. I've tested several travel espresso makers, including the fantastic Wacaco Picopresso and its slightly-less-fantastic (but still decent) little sibling, the Wacaco Nanopresso.
Don't get me wrong, those machines are decent, especially the Picopresso. But they don't quite make the real thing. The 9Barista does.
Now, the tradeoff for that is size and weight. The 9Barista Mk.2 is not quite as portable as either Wacaco machine. It's larger and more awkward with its two handles. And it's substantially heavier. If you're hiking, I can see the additional weight of the 9Barista machine being a problem, although I guess that depends how seriously you take coffee — do you really need that bivvy?
For less intense hikes, camping or general vacationing, the 9Barista is simply unparalleled as a travel espresso machine. I have several camping trips and hikes planned this summer, partly to test and review some of the best hiking boots, and the 9Barista will be a regular feature in my day pack.
I know. It's a lot, isn't it. But... is it really?
I certainly wouldn't pay $699 for a travel-only espresso maker, but we coffee fanatics are used to paying a lot more than that for premium machines like the Diletta Mio or Smeg EMC02.
$699 is not miles away from the starting price of decent entry-level home espresso machines, like the Breville Bambino Plus.
The 9Barista is a home espresso machine. And a travel machine. It can't make milk drinks, sure, but if you're an exclusively espresso or black coffee drinker, that might not bother you. And besides, there's always the Subminimal Nanofoamer Pro Gen 2 for milk.
In those terms, the 9Barista Mk.2 doesn't actually seem like bad value, at least in the context of its market.
I should point out that $699 is the price of the Pro package, which includes an IMS precision basket, a metal basket cap (which functions like a shower head in a full espresso machine), anodized handles for improved heat resistance, and an open portafilter.
The Standard package costs $599.
As I said above, I'll be covering the 9Barista Espresso Machine Mk.2 in a full review very shortly. There I'll cover the performance in more detail, including things like brew times, ease of use, scalding liability, build quality, 9Barista customer service, and a detailed price comparison.
Due to all the YouTube hype, the 9Barista Espresso Machine Mk.2 has experienced high demand and is currently on backorder. It'll be worth the wait, though, as it's a wonderful little espresso machine.
I've been testing the Mk.2 for about a month now, though, and I already know my verdict. 9Barista knows its audience: people who care about making good espresso and are willing to spend money on an espresso machine to get it.
For those people, it's a brilliant product. Use it at home, take it on vacation — as long as you can access a stove (of any form), you can use this versatile little coffee maker to brew perfect espresso.
It's pricey, sure, but so worth it.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Is Philly water ice the same as Italian ice? No, and here's why
Philly-style water ice makes a great 7th inning treat – Photo courtesy of Catherine Smith This article, originally published in June 2019, was updated in June 2025. Fans of the podcast "Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce" recently discovered another 'uniquely Philly' passion of Kelce's: water ice. 'WTF is water ice? Are we talking about snow cones?' asked YouTube viewer @treysullivan9248. Kelce, like any true Philadelphian, aggressively but understandably, clarified: 'No, Trey! We are not talking about snow cones!' Advertisement Kelce — media personality, podcast host, and wife of retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce — went on to say that water ice is a Philadelphia summer staple that's basically frozen sugar water. "You can't go wrong with it,' she said. What is Philly-style water ice? Philly kids love their Philadelphia water ice – Photo courtesy of Catherine Smith Most similar to a fresh fruit slushie, water ice has been Philadelphia's favorite summer treat for generations. Each spring, as the weather starts to warm up and hint at summer, we celebrate with our favorite seasonal treat. Moms line up with their kids at their favorite water ice stands. Excited children study the freezer full of colorful tubs. One asks, "Can I have strawberry on the bottom and mango on top?' The teenager behind the counter happily obliges, filling the bottom half of the plastic cup with an icy strawberry mixture and topping it off with another pale-yellow scoop. Advertisement While Philadelphians have been enjoying water ice for generations, the consumption of ice and fruit combinations goes back a couple of thousand years to ancient Sicily (and can be traced even further back to Asia, Persia, and Mesopotamia). To beat the summer heat, according to food historian Liz Williams, ancient Sicilians devised creative means to both refresh and delight. Long before the invention of coolers and refrigeration, the people of Sicily were ingeniously experimenting with ice. Runners were sent up the almost 11,000-foot Mount Etna, Europe's highest active volcano, to collect snow and ice that could be combined with lemons, limes, and other fresh fruits to create a cool and refreshing summer treat. Over the years, Sicilians mastered a method of storing the ice in caverns beneath the volcano before transporting it to other parts of Italy. As they did so, the practice of mixing ice and fruit, known as granita, spread throughout Italy. Different regions developed their own versions of the fruit and ice combination, as well as sorbets and gelato. Fast forward some 2,000 years to the early 1900s, at the peak of Italian immigration to the United States. Approximately 2 million Italians immigrated here at that time, the majority coming from Southern Italy with hopes of escaping the intense poverty back home. Advertisement Men and women looked for creative ways — like peddling granita — to make money while establishing themselves and seeking employment. Just as the different regions of Italy developed different versions of granita over the years, American cities with high concentrations of Italians, especially Sicilians, began developing their versions. How do you serve Philadelphia water ice? Traditional water ice (pronounced "wooder ice" with the local accent) is made with three simple ingredients: fresh fruit, sugar and water. While it was once made by hand, today the ingredients are combined in a metal, cylindrical machine. A mixer inside the metal barrel rotates and scrapes the edges as the mixture begins to freeze and stick to the walls. After reaching the correct consistency, the water ice is transferred into tubs and served up fresh. Where is Philadelphia water ice made? Enjoy a refreshing treat at John's Water Ice – Photo courtesy of Kae Lani Palmisano As water ice has grown in popularity, new stands and mass-produced water ice franchises have popped up. Kids especially love Rita's Water Ice, a chain now available in over 30 states. Two of Philadelphia's most beloved water ice stands are John's Water Ice and Pop's Homemade Water Ice. John Cardullo, founder of John's Water Ice, owned a diner in the heart of South Philly's Italian Market neighborhood and often served water ice as a dessert. In 1945, as the water ice grew in popularity, he decided to close the diner, turn it into office space for his heating repair company, and open a simple water ice stand next door. Advertisement The two seasonal businesses provided Cardullo with steady income in both winter and summer. John's Water Ice still operates out of this original location on Christian Street, with a second location in Huntingdon Valley. Filippo Italiano of Pop's Homemade Water Ice sold his homemade Italian water ice from a cart he pushed around the neighborhood. As word of his refreshing treat spread, children and families began lining up outside his garage waiting for him to open. Since he lived across the street from an urban park, Italiano realized he was well-known enough to quit lugging his heavy cart around in the heat and let people come to him instead. In 1932, he converted his garage into a storefront. Decades later, his grandchildren still serve water ice out of this same location. Advertisement If you're visiting Philadelphia, head over to one of the mom-and-pop stands where you know you'll be met with the tastiest and most authentic Philadelphia water ice experience. Just be prepared, as many are cash only. John's is easily walkable from the Liberty Bell and Center City, while Pop's is located right off the Broad Street Line subway, a perfect place to stop before or after a Phillies game.
San Francisco Chronicle
4 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
The finale after the finale: S.F. Symphony Chorus shines in Verdi's Requiem
Like a baseball game rescheduled after a rainout, there was one more concert on the San Francisco Symphony's season calendar after last week's grand finale with outgoing Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen. The orchestra staged its makeup performance of Verdi's Requiem on Friday, June 20, a concert that was canceled during the Symphony Chorus' strike in September last year. James Gaffigan generously stepped in to conduct the work, which Salonen would have led in the fall. The program is slated to be repeated on Sunday, June 22, at Davies Symphony Hall. After its extraordinary contributions to Salonen's farewell performance of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2, the Chorus showed it was worth every penny of the anonymous $4 million gift made in the months following the strike. The singers came to the fore not just in the 90-minute Requiem, normally programmed by itself, but in a first part that included three choral pieces by Gordon Getty, himself a generous donor to the Symphony (and a co-founder of San Francisco Classical Voice). Getty's works are genial, melodic and accessible, and Gaffigan, a friend of the composer, led them deftly and with evident care. The Intermezzo from Getty's 2017 opera 'Goodbye, Mr. Chips' begins delicately, with spare lines in the marimba giving way to the harp, then acquiring a more definitive melodic profile in the strings. It's a meditative piece that finds an unexpected climax when the choristers interject a school hymn, almost as if overhead from afar. The Chorus also gave fine performances of 'Saint Christopher' (2024), which features effective writing for voices, and 'The Old Man in the Snow' (2020), a more substantial work in several sections that Getty skillfully sets apart with different instrumentation, including a trombone choir, keyboards and mallet percussion. If the performance of the piece as a whole lacked finesse, their contributions were nonetheless stellar. The singing was artful, from the opening 'Requiem aeternam,' with the sound humming in the air through the nasal consonants, to the explosive 'Dies irae' and the stentorian 'Rex tremendae.' The women made a luminous entrance in the 'Lacrimosa' at the line 'Huic ergo parce, Deus' (Therefore spare him, O Lord), and the whole chorus concluded with the fearful declamation and hortatory final fugue of the 'Libera me.' The singers encompassed the range of Verdi's writing in finely balanced sound that pulled emotion from every chord change. Gaffigan's conducting, however, emphasized drive and the titanic climaxes while shorting the Requiem's poetic side. Certainly, this is a public religious work, conceived as a memorial to Italian art — first to the composer Gioachino Rossini and then, when that initial plan fell through, to author Alessandro Manzoni. But it's not only theatrical. This interpretation was driven by inflexible tempos and a sameness to all of the climaxes and fortissimo outbursts that ultimately became wearing. Though the orchestra played well, earning deserved applause, the performance was missing a sense of transcendence and the overarching struggle of mourning and fear giving way to tranquility and acceptance. The soloists — soprano Rachel Willis-Sørenson, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, tenor Mario Chang and bass Morris Robinson — were generally excellent. The notable exception was Chang's effortful 'Ingemisco' prayer, sung without any bloom in the tone and generally unresonant and unconvincing. The violins joined Willis-Sørenson in a moving 'Sed signifer sanctus Michael' (Let the standard-bearer holy Michael), the soprano singing sweetly in one of the score's many standout lyrical moments. If there had been more of those, this Requiem would have been even better.
Cosmopolitan
5 hours ago
- Cosmopolitan
Sofia Richie Grainge dramatically cuts off her hair for a short French bob
Move over, long locks — Sofia Richie Grainge has officially entered the chic world of jaw-grazing bobs, and we're absolutely here for it. The daughter of Lionel Richie stunned fans with a fresh "French bob" debut on Instagram, documenting the dramatic chop right from her luxe South of France getaway at Hotel du Cap‑Eden‑Roc. Quelle surprise! Gone is the era of sleek buns and whisper‑soft waves. Instead, Sofia's new chin‑length 'do is razor‑sharp, subtly textured, and effortlessly Parisian. "She was nervous, but super excited," London hairstylist and the genius behind the look, George Curran shared with Vogue. Like us, friends, fans and followers of Sofia were just as shocked at the debut, taking to the comments section of her post to share their thoughts (which, included praise from none other than Vanessa Hudgens, may I add...). And not only that, but her husband Elliot gave it two enthusiastic thumbs‑up in her TikTok video documenting the chop. "I think it's really really pretty — it's like...'90s New York,'" he said. Get you a hubby who hypes you up like Elliot hypes up Sofia. #CoupleGoals. Far from a subtle trim, Sofia has lost around six inches of hair, making this French bob a dramatic transformation, to say the least. The style itself is a textbook example of a 'clean‑girl' transformation: minimal effort, maximal impact. Think bold, blunt ends with just enough texture to catch the light — and wind — in all the right ways. And with that, you best believe I'll be taking Sofia's IG post as a reference pic to my hairstylist ASAP. Bobs, here we all come! Follow Lia on Instagram. Lia Mappoura (she/her) is the Beauty Writer at Cosmopolitan UK. Covering everything from viral celebrity hair and makeup news to the latest trend predictions, she's an expert in recognising the season's next big beauty look (before it ends up all over your social media feeds). You'll usually find her putting TikTok's recent beauty hacks to the Hype Test, challenging the gender-makeup binary and social stereotypes, or fangirling over the time Kourtney Kardashian viewed her Instagram Story (yes, it's true). Find her also on LinkedIn.
