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Tom's Guide
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
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.
Global News
07-06-2025
- General
- Global News
Southern Alberta museum staff find live grenade in archives
Last month, the newly-rebranded Tank 77 Museum in Taber hired a new manager, Taia DeBona. She immediately got to work sorting through old boxes in the archives — a daunting task for such a small organization. 'We have a lot in collections and because I'm new, I'm not really familiar with everything that we have and I'm trying to work on reorganizing everything,' said DeBona. About a month after she was hired, her first real test arrived. She had her first group tour of the southern Alberta museum. 'I was kind of nervous because it was a bunch of teenagers and I was like, how am I going to occupy a bunch of teenagers?' However, the group was from a single demographic — air cadets. This gave her an idea to make the tour more interesting. Story continues below advertisement 'I thought, well, I should get all of our war stuff because I thought they might be interested in it,' said DeBona. It was at this point, one week ago, when things got interesting at the museum. Buried in a plastic box was a baseball-sized object. 'There, sitting in one of the boxes was the grenade. At the time, I just thought, oh it's just a prop because in the same box there were tons of props and kids toys.' Without really paying too much attention, DeBona closed the box and put it back on the shelf. She hosted the tour and everything carried on as usual for another seven days. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy But then, on Thursday, she and her partner were digging through all the boxes again when they opened the very same one as before. 'We opened up the box and kind of got a better look at it and went, that's metal — that's not plastic. Then, I picked it up and you hear the pin kind of rattle and it's heavy in your hand. I'm looking at it and I go, this looks really real,' said DeBona. Her partner, having learned the appearance of various Second World War weapons from video games, believed it looked like a Mk. 2 grenade, also called a pineapple grenade. Story continues below advertisement 'So, this is when we kind of start panicking. Our brains were not working and it's funny because there was, like, an hour where we just had it set on the ground.' Related News Live grenade discovered at Kingston waste facility DeBona says they told another co-worker who was amazed they hadn't already called the police. 'The first thing, she was like, 'Call the police, obviously!' But for some reason, I didn't want them to show up and (it turn out to be fake).' When they did contact Taber police, she says officers took it seriously and evacuated the area. On the Taber Police Service's Facebook page, they directed the public to stay away. 'In an abundance of caution, the museum and the Aquafun Centre were closed. Taber Police will remain on scene until bomb disposal experts can deal with the grenade.' This was enough for 'the Peter Parker of Taber' to make his way to the site. 'I saw the police had put out a post on their Facebook page saying there is an intact grenade found at the Taber museum, so I basically rushed down here on my bike,' said Jordan White, the creator and publisher of the popular Fire_man_2017 social media account. White regularly listens on a scanner for the activities of the fire departments in the area and he says it's important to keep those in his community informed whenever something happens. Story continues below advertisement 'I have a hobbyist interest in the fire department. So, I'll go around with my handheld scanner, which I purchased for over $1,000 and I'll film and take pictures of the fire department and publish anything that's going on on the scanner.' He was on scene for a few hours as the police shut down the area and the military arrived from Suffield to collect the device. 'It's awesome to know that people in this community support and appreciate my page because not a lot of small towns, or even cities, get this kind of support or recognition of things that are going on in certain areas of town,' said White. The whole ordeal was rather surreal for DeBona. 'Nobody goes to work and thinks, 'I'm going to find a real grenade today!'' She says the Tank 77 Museum may just need to dedicate a space to display this story, preferably with an actual prop grenade included. 'Every day is a surprise, the things that I find or the things that people bring in. So, it's really cool because every day is different, it doesn't stagnate. I just hope I don't get as big of a surprise as a grenade again.' She also thanked the Taber Police Service for their professionalism and drive to keep everyone safe during what could have been a much more explosive situation. Story continues below advertisement The museum was open again by Friday.
