Takeaway

The Bezzera Hobby is a no-nonsense, single-boiler machine with a 0.25 liter nickel-plated brass boiler, a commercial 58 mm group, a 3-liter tank, and a proper three-way solenoid. There is no PID or shot timer. You get strong steam for a small boiler, fast warm-up compared to E61 boxes, and a workflow that rewards consistency. If you want plug-and-play temperature control or a screen full of features, look elsewhere. If you want a compact Italian tank that does the fundamentals right, the Hobby delivers. The core specs come from Bezzera and major retailers that carry the current “New Hobby” model.

At-a-Glance Specs

  • Type: Single-boiler, dual-use
  • Boiler: 0.25 L nickel-plated brass
  • Group: Bezzera BZ-type, 58 mm chrome-plated brass
  • Pump: Vibration, three-way solenoid valve
  • Controls: Rocker switches and indicator lights, dedicated boiler refill button
  • Water tank: 3.0 L, top-load, visible level indicator
  • Steam wand: Stainless, two-hole tip, fully articulated
  • Power: 1100 W
  • Dimensions and weight: 220 W x 250 D x 350 H mm, 10 kg
  • Included accessories: Double-spout portafilter, single and double baskets, blind disk, plastic tamper, scoop
  • Finishes: Stainless, matte black, white, red
    Bezzera’s product page and brochure list the boiler size, tank capacity, dimensions, refill button, and finishes. Whole Latte Love’s spec sheet confirms the material choices, group type, wand details, and accessory pack.

Price and Availability

  • United States: typically 799 USD for the New Hobby at major retailers. Watch for bundle promos.
  • European Union and UK: sale prices commonly land between 599 and 699 EUR at Coffee Friend and similar shops. Pricing moves with seasonal events.

If you are buying in a smaller market, verify voltage and included accessories. Dimensions and the 3-liter tank make it easier to live with than many small singles. Official specs list both 110–120 V and 220–240 V versions.

Build

The Hobby is built like a tool. The chassis is steel, the housing is stainless or painted steel, and the group and portafilter are chromed brass. The boiler is a compact 0.25 liter unit in nickel-plated brass with an 1100 W element. This small boiler is the heart of the machine’s personality. It comes up to temperature quickly and it hits hard on steam for its size. The front panel is simple: power, brew, and steam switches, status lights, and a manual pump button for refilling the boiler after heavy steaming. There is no brew pressure gauge and no PID. That is by design.

Fit and finish are tidy. The cup tray lifts off, the reservoir fills from the top with a visible level window, and the drip tray is straightforward to remove and clean. Clearances are generous enough that you can work standard cups without gymnastics. The parts list and spec tables from the manufacturer and retailer pages back up the materials and layout.

The group

Bezzera uses its BZ-type group on the Hobby. It is a commercial-standard 58 mm group heated by the boiler, not a thermosyphon E61. It warms faster than an E61 and gives you the stiffness and thermal mass you want at the puck without the long, slow soak E61s need. That matters if you drink at home on a schedule and you want to get to a stable shot quickly. The retailer materials call out the BZ group explicitly and note that it is heated by the boiler.

Workflow

This is a classic single-boiler routine. You brew at brew temperature. When you want to steam, you raise the boiler to steam temperature. Then you cool back to brew range before the next shot. Do not overcomplicate that. Keep a consistent cadence and the machine will meet you halfway.

Warm-up

Thanks to the small boiler and compact group, the Hobby reaches operating temperature quickly. You still want the portafilter locked in during warm-up and you still want a brief blank flush before the first shot to settle the group. Those habits matter more than any trick. The faster warm-up compared to E61 boxes is an inherent result of the design. The official literature and retailer overviews support the boiler size and group type that make this possible.

Controls and feedback

You have rocker switches and lights. Brew temperature control is thermostatic. Steam pressure is governed by a pressostat. There is no screen or timer. Whole Latte Love’s specs call out “indicator lights” rather than a display, which tells you exactly what to expect. That means you are using rhythm and taste, not numeric setpoints. If you are the type who wants numbers, you will not be happy here. If you want repetition, this layout is simple and reliable.

Boiler refill button

The dedicated pump button for refilling the boiler after steaming is a small but important control. It lets you bring the boiler back to a safe level quickly before you drop back to brew temperature. Both Bezzera’s brochure and Whole Latte Love note this feature.

OPV and brew pressure

Brew pressure is governed by an over-pressure valve. On the New Hobby, the OPV is adjustable. Whole Latte Love’s support pages describe verifying pressure with a blind disk and adjusting the OPV if needed. This matters if you want to set brew pressure around 9 to 10 bar at the pump.

Espresso Performance

Once warm and on a steady rhythm, the Hobby produces consistent extractions across medium to lighter roasts. The 58 mm format accepts any precision basket you like. The included baskets will get you started, but a high-flow or ridgeless basket is a smart early upgrade if you are chasing clarity on lighter coffees.

Because there is no PID, the brew temperature follows a heat cycle. The solution is not magic, it is timing. Use the blank flush to trigger heat, wait for the ready light pattern you trust, and pull with a fixed cadence. Keep your grind, dose, prep, and puck resistance consistent. This keeps shot-to-shot temperature drift in check without adding complexity. That advice lines up with the machine’s control scheme and the documentation that emphasizes indicator lights and thermostatic control.

Flow and pressure are predictable with good puck prep. If you want to verify pump pressure, lock in a blind disk and watch how the machine behaves. Whole Latte Love’s troubleshooting notes describe a simple check using a blind and a time-to-pressure target, which is a practical way to confirm you are in the right zone after transport or service.

Taste expectations

With 18 g in and 36 g out in roughly 25 to 30 seconds, you should see classic syrupy espresso on medium roasts and clean, structured shots on medium-light profiles once distribution and tamp are locked in. The group’s thermal behavior is stable enough for back-to-back shots if you keep the cadence steady and avoid long idle periods between pulls. The commercial group, portafilter mass, and 58 mm ecosystem support that stability in real use. The group material and size are documented on the retailer spec sheet.

Milk Steaming

Steam is the headline on this machine. For a 0.25 liter boiler, the Hobby punches above its weight. Whole Latte Love’s product overview makes a point of the machine’s steam power and the two-hole commercial wand. In practice, that means quick aeration and easy roll in a 12 to 20 ounce pitcher, then a reasonable recovery if you are doing a second drink. The small boiler will not carry a long milk service, but for one or two drinks per cycle you get tidy microfoam with minimal effort.

The workflow is simple. Brew first. Flip to steam and wait for the light. Purge, texture, and then hit the refill button to bring the boiler back up before dropping to brew. That step keeps the element covered and speeds your return to brew temperature. Both the steam behavior and the refill control are reinforced by Bezzera’s brochure and the retailer write-up.

Maintenance

Daily: purge and wipe the wand, flush the group, clean the tray. Weekly: detergent backflush with the blind disk. Periodic: replace the group gasket and screen, clean the dispersion path, and check the OPV setting if you changed the pump or did service. The machine has a three-way solenoid, which is why your pucks knock out dry and why detergent backflushing is part of normal care. Retailer documentation calls out the three-way valve explicitly.

Water and scale

Scale will ruin any small boiler if you ignore water. Keep hardness in spec for your area. If you are on very hard water, use a treated source or a cartridge system designed for espresso machines. The Hobby’s boiler is small and heats fast, which means scale accumulation shows up as erratic temperature behavior and slower recovery rather than obvious failure at first. The official spec confirms the boiler’s size and material, which is why water quality matters.

Service and parts

Bezzera’s platform is supported by a deep parts ecosystem and straightforward mechanical design. The machine’s rev history and parts support appear across European parts shops and the factory site. If you plan to keep a machine for years, that matters more than any single feature.

Workflow Tips I Recommend

  • Lock in a cadence. Use a short blank flush before each shot to stabilize the group and trigger heat. Pull when the ready light cues you. Keep your prep consistent. That solves 90 percent of non-PID temperature questions on any single-boiler machine.
  • Set your pump pressure. Verify with a blind. If you need to adjust the OPV, do it once, then leave it alone. The retailer’s support notes outline the process.
  • Treat steam like a sprint. This boiler hits hard, then it wants to catch its breath. Steam confidently, refill, and cool back to brew without dawdling. The refill button is there to make that easy.

Competitive Set

Gaggia Classic Pro
Lower price, 58 mm, single boiler with a vibe pump and three-way solenoid. Lighter build. Steam is weaker than the Hobby in stock trim. The Classic community is huge and mod-friendly, but out of the box the Hobby feels more robust and steams better. Pricing often favors Gaggia.

Rancilio Silvia V6
Brass single boiler, ring group, no PID in stock form. It is a tank and it holds value. Warm-up is longer than the Hobby and steam is respectable. The Silvia usually costs more than a Gaggia and less than a PID single boiler. If you want a long-lived platform with endless third-party support, Silvia is still a strong baseline.

Profitec Go
Compact single boiler with full PID, shot timer, and adjustable OPV out of the box. Heat-up is fast. The Go is the better pick if you want digital temperature control and numeric feedback. You give up the Bezzera group feel, but you gain a clear, modern UI.

Ascaso Steel UNO PID
Thermoblock design with PID and fast recovery. It is different in feel and maintenance. The UNO offers speed and control in a narrow footprint. If you value quick on-off use over a small brass boiler, this is a sensible alternative.

The Hobby wins when you want commercial metal where it counts, strong steam for its size, and a simple mechanical interface. It loses when you require PID or want to serve multiple milk drinks back-to-back on the regular. The US price anchor at 799 USD and EU sales around 599 to 699 EUR set its value relative to the machines above.

Scores

  • Build and materials: 8/10
  • Workflow and usability: 7.5/10
  • Espresso consistency: 7.5/10
  • Milk steaming: 8/10
  • Maintenance and serviceability: 8/10
  • Value: 8/10

Why these numbers
You get a commercial 58 mm group, a nickel-plated brass boiler, a three-way solenoid, and a large 3-liter tank in a compact chassis. Steam output is excellent for a 0.25 liter boiler. You do not get PID, a timer, or a pressure gauge. At 799 USD in the US and frequent 599 to 699 EUR sales in the EU, the performance-per-dollar is strong if you accept a manual routine. Specs, materials, and price anchors are taken from the official page, brochure, and major retailers.

Final Verdict

The Bezzera Hobby is a compact, metal-forward machine that does the fundamentals right. The boiler is small, the group is real, and the steam is anything but timid. There is no PID and no gauge. That is not a dealbreaker if you are disciplined. Keep a steady warm-up and shot rhythm, use the refill button as intended, and treat steam like a short burst rather than a marathon. Do that and you will earn consistent espresso and tidy microfoam in a footprint that fits normal kitchens.

If you live for numeric control and you want to press a button and get a target temperature every time, buy a PID single boiler like Profitec Go. If you are milk-first and you want to run several drinks in a row, step to a heat-exchanger or dual boiler. If you want a simple, sturdy, small Italian machine that rewards a clean routine, the Hobby belongs on your counter. The specs that matter most here are verified directly by Bezzera and by the retailers that carry this current model.

TL;DR

Compact single boiler with a 0.25 L nickel-plated brass boiler, a commercial 58 mm group, and a three-way solenoid. Strong steam, fast warm-up, and simple controls. No PID and no gauge. Keep a steady routine and it will produce honest espresso and tidy milk.

Pros

  • Commercial 58 mm group and portafilter
  • 0.25 L nickel-plated brass boiler with quick heat and strong steam for size
  • Three-way solenoid for dry pucks and proper backflushing
  • 3.0 L reservoir with visible level indicator
  • Dedicated boiler refill button for safe, fast recovery after steaming
  • Compact footprint with real metal where it counts

Cons

  • No PID or shot timer
  • No brew pressure gauge
  • Small boiler limits multi-drink milk sessions
  • Requires a consistent surfing routine for best temperature control
    Evidence for the missing features and the single-boiler behavior is clear in the spec sheets that list indicator lights for control, thermostatic management, and the 0.25 L boiler design.

Who It’s For

Home baristas who want a compact, durable single-boiler machine with real commercial parts and are willing to run a simple, repeatable routine. If you drink one to two milk drinks at a time and you value steam power and a 58 mm ecosystem more than digital displays, the Hobby hits the brief. If you need numeric control or you regularly serve a crowd, you should look at a PID single boiler or step up in class.