Ascaso Baby T - Dark Horse for Home/Commercial??

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How good is the Ascaso Baby-T Plus.... really? Can it actually stand up against a La Marzoco Linea Mini, or did it just rip off its looks? In this video, I give you all the dirty details and pit them against each other. Who will take the home/commercial hybrid crown?

Enter the pros, and cons, of the Ascaso Baby T.

[marktorres]

This is THE machine I’ve been waiting for. I’ve been doing a lot of research because it’s not a small amount of money but I think this is it!😳

[mtpastor]

I noticed that you replaced the Baby T with a Linea Mini. So how does it compare to Linea Mini? What made you to replace the machine? I am thinking about to own either a Baby T or a Linea Mini for coffee catering

[insaningintahu]

yeayy finally brother review baby t plus
hi, i’m from malaysia i have both machine line a mini and baby t plus. both machine i do for event wedding and popup, line a mini maximum back to back 1kg 50cup non and automatic off (overheat) need to wait 40minit and can turn on back..
baby t plus i do 5kg back to back (NON STOP) from 10:30 am- 4pm still okay and steady.

so for me about the quality or coffee or anything is the same. but if you’re want to style ofcoz line a mini. because lamarzocco branding and people know. from where people saw see Waaa Lamarzocco ha like that 😂

btw i’m so sorry because i don’t speak english, because my english very bad. yeah enjoy 🤟

[NazidKimmie]

I was very impressed with the Duo review, but this machine is next level - though very much in the pro-sumer/ commercial grade quality and price range... I just could not justify 5K+ coffee machine. Would be interested on how the Duo compares... Great review thanks!

[jettav]

Man you do great reviews, you should focus on this more, Thanks!

[Kylepjensen]

I have had a Linea Mini in my home for about a year. Your points in comparison are very valid. 1) I wish the Micra were out last year. I would have purchased that over the mini due to the fact that I only pull two shots a day on average. 2) it's a HUGE pain in the ass to adjust the OPV as you noted. It was also really annoying to take apart to plumb in. 3) Having the volumetrics as an option is huge. For a home user, this would definitely speed up my workflow in the morning. Any experience with Ascaso service? I know LM is known for having a broad network of service technicians if and when needed. I was on the fence last year between the Linea Mini and the newer VA Eagle One Prima and opted for the Linea Mini in part because it was a known quantity when it comes to service, parts, etc.

[lucr]

Hi ... Greetings from Luxemburg/Europe .. ;-)
Superbe video ... I am just seaking to buy a new Espresso machine .. and was looking between the La Mazocco Linea Mini / Micra, and the Ascaso Duo Steel PID. I was a liottle bit close rto the La Marzocco, I have to admit. Especially due to the clapping noise for the steam circuit, and the anoying noise cups do while being on top of the machine.
Thanks to tell about the La Marzocco problem, of stopping in the middle of an coffe extraction, if there is no water anymore in the watertank 😞... Thought this was "solved" on le Micra .. I will have to check ..
One problem I had with Lascaso, was buying a machine which has/had a design problem for the volumetric measurement. On the Duo Steel PID, this volumetric measurement is done upfront to the pressure valve opening on too high pressure, and returning the water to the watertank, thus not being any volumetric measurement anymore .. So pyaing for features not really working ..
How is it about this volumetric measurement on the Baby T? Did Lascao adapt this ?
Thanks nevertheless for your good video ..

[prodigy]

Best video I’ve seen so far also with honest opinion on various brands, esp the La Marzocco comparison at hand 👌🏻

[frankcassata]

I really want to want a Linea Mini or even Micro, but my wife would never get into the workflow of having to stop the flow manually. So this machine is kinda the only one that's plumbable, with a rotary pump, with all those features AND volumetric dosing. I'm trying my hardest to find something else but I keep coming back to it. Am I missing something? Currently have a Steel Duo v2 that we both really like, just want a lil more power, lil less tank filling, lil more steam power, etc...

[Hrodulf]

This is probably the cheapest option end game you could get without needing to spending close to 5 digits. Super Smart, app with so many detailed configurations and almost instantaneous sync up. Everything you need from volumetric to all the other modern day features! It's built like a work horse too! Got to see one up close and demonstrated in details by 2 salesperson with professional barista background. Although I bought the duo pid, but this will be my end-game when the time comes!

[maraachful]

Would be great to see a follow up to this video focussed on how to mess with it to make coffee. I.e. showing how the different pre-infusion works, showing volumetrics in action. Id also love to hear it. By all accounts i think rotary pumps should be quieter but ive heqrd this one is rather loud and vibrates a lot.

[justinbouchard]

This might be the only machine so far that I've seen that is close, and I mean that sincerely, close, to being worth the money. I feel like it's probably ~$1k of just parts before assembly.
It's not just a copy/paste of other parts a company has in it's warehouse and tries to put inside of a fancy case.
This is actually a functionally well designed piece of equipment. It also seems to have very cute touches that I appreciate personally. The tucked away water spout is one of them. For me, machines that have a separate water spout the same as the steam wand is quite excessive and frankly a little to obtrusive in an, "I feel icky looking at it", kind of way.
The placement of the power switches is also fantastic imo. I don't need a big ass power switch taking up space on the front of a machine. I get overwhelmed with "too much stuff" on machines. Even the micra with the massive paddle that is literally just an electrical on off switch feels like it's compensating for design is what I think it's hiding. The huge steam and water knobs are also just way too much. I feel the exact same about the steam valve handle on this machine too. I don't see any reason for it to be so absolutely massive and obtrusive pointing out over the top of the machine. I get the idea of matching it to the portafilter handle, kind of. But honestly, it is just throwing off the clean tight aspect of the design for my brain. I think it would be better served to have it straight down or down and aligned with the angle of the chassis. Finishing with having a valve that is not a 90 degree swing to open. it's completely unnecessary and could be done with a valve that just needs a smaller movement to open it. I feel like the steam valve is pointing in a fairly phallic position while staring me down from across the kitchen.
So, the water preheat tubes running through the steam boiler is proof actual, functional, thoughtful engineers that I'm hoping are paid well, were allowed to come up with and integrate. There wasn't some a**hat corporate money monkey saying, "but but but...that's 25 cents of extra material and we have to design a whole new machine around that and who cares about energy efficiency, i'm not paying the customers electricity bill."
These companies also need to stop having manufacturers make the dumb spouted portafilter. Nobody cleans them and nobody seriously pours double cup shots do they? I guess this is commercial but I still don't understand any benefit to a spouted portafilter. Especially for the just cleaning factor. Unless they're soaked in enzyme or scrubbed properly daily with brushes you're just pouring new espresso over top of old caked/cooked on coffee and coffee oils. It's yucky. Like, do all these manufacturers/companies just have millions and millions of spouted portafilters in storage? The amount of manufacturing needed to make those is substantially more than a bottomless portafilter. People need to stop romanticizing things because of "history". Historically humans used to sacrifice humans to gods for rain. Think forward, not backwards.
Also I totally agree about that sustainable badge on the front. Literal waste of money and I cannot understand why it is there. It had to be designed and manufactured then placed there. Does ascaso get some sort of payment from some kind of energy company for using this badge and placing it and making it so it's kind of not removable without quite conceivably leaving damage?
I think these machines can be great for a small business. Home use, way too much machine even just because of the power it needs.
Sorry for a book. I like this machine so much in so many ways so I got passionate about it lol.

[manm]

THANK YOU for breaking down the different types of espresso machine setups. I feel like you have a really good technical understanding of things and that diagram REALLY got me hit and bothered ha.

[zuuzuka]

Ascaso should find more people to video the machine. It is definitely a good machine at 5600 price point. But 5600 for many people like me is still a big deal.

[kevjmu]

Most people are looking for home machines. If u are in this group get the Micra. I ❤ my La Marzocco Mirca it has saturated group head and rotary pump for $3900. It’s small not much bigger than Gaggia Classic Pro it replaced. Mirca is stable for 6 quick espresso ☕️ drinks in a row. Most home users will never reach temperature instability if they tried. The Mirca looks better too but this is subjective 😉

[michaelivory]

Hi, thanks for taking the time to put together a thorough review. I have short listed this machine for a popup/coffee catering setup....do you think the 2.5L boiler is up to making ongoing back to back milk based coffees? Have you noticed any drop off in performance when making multiple milk based coffees at home? Would it be on par with the 3.5L GS3 (except price) which appears to be the go to machines for mobile applications? Cheers

[MrJusmobile]

They are both about 6, 000 U.S. Dollars, so I am going with the Italian manufacturing as opposed to the one made in Spain!!

[JulianAndresKlode]

Regarding T technology and comparison: dual boilers often also use a heat exchanger. So this isn't that revolutionary, it's just swapping out the coffee boiler in the dual boiler for a thermoblock.

[haknys]

I`m one of those weirdoes that do not like La Marzocco Mini design. Looks like something from the 70`s with plastic details and a fake "padel". Also, regarding tech, it seems to be stuck in the past.

Just made an order for an white Baby T. Its the only machine that ticks all the boxes (for me) in this price range. Profiling would be nice, but I can see that its a stretch for the price.

Nice video. :)

[nunohannover]

had a baby T….let alone the breakdowns were a nightmare. I’ve exchanged it against a LM mini and don’t regret a bit.