Nivona Cube 4102 in the test: The fully automatic machine where you distribute yourself

The Nivona Cube is a fully automatic espresso machine that has picked up a few things from the portafilter. The most important of these: you see the ground coffee before brewing and can distribute it yourself. This takes away exactly the weakness that classic automatic machines regularly struggle with. Nivona charges 479 euros MSRP, but retail prices are closer to around 430 euros, and about 500 francs in Switzerland. We tested it according to our KM protocol, including particle distribution, which we measured together with ZHAW in Zurich. The central question: Is a cleanly distributed puck enough to get really good coffee from an automatic machine?

The principle: basket out, distribute coffee, basket in

Instead of a permanently integrated brew group with a piston, the Cube has a removable brewing basket, which Nivona calls Click Cup. Michel Indelicato, vice barista champion on our team, quickly agreed on "basket," and that's what we'll stick with. You tension this basket at the front of the grinder; the machine recognizes it immediately and shows you only what you need at that moment in the display: the grind amount. A press on the bean symbol, and the hardened steel conical burr gets going.

For 12 grams, the Cube grinds for eight seconds, which is pleasant in everyday use. The distribution in the basket is already solidly good right out of the box, and this is where you come in. A quick tap, a gentle shake, and the uneven surface is gone. This move would be a quality jump in any other automatic machine, because there the piston presses onto an uneven coffee bed, through which water then finds its own path. This is exactly how channeling happens, and that's exactly what leads to those hollow drinks that taste both bitter and sour at the same time. Here the Nivona Cube is more similar to a classic portafilter than any other automatic espresso machine.

Tamping happens automatically as soon as you press the basket into the brew position. The stamp moves deeper in with less coffee than with more, the result is a cleanly compressed puck without holes. After brewing, you turn the basket once, the coffee cake comes out the top and can be knocked into a knock box. Then wipe out with a cloth, preferably a black one, because you can't see the coffee particles on it. The basket should not go in the dishwasher.

The grinder brakes: main peak at 367 micrometers

When we test a grinder for espresso, our target range is between 200 and 300 micrometers; really good grinders also come below that. From 300 upwards, the result becomes so scattered that uniform extraction is barely possible. The Cube sits at an X50 of 347.9 micrometers, the main peak is at 367 micrometers, the fine peak at 31.1. This is more of a moka pot distribution than an espresso distribution.

We additionally tested the grinder on our reference espresso machine, using the same sieves and the same test procedure as with all other grinders. Even on the finest setting, we couldn't get into a range where we could pull a classic espresso with 25 seconds extraction time. This is not just due to the quality of the burr set, but simply because the grinder can't grind fine enough. Conversely: if you manually add finer ground coffee, you won't get anything out of the Cube. We tried that with various coffees.

The remaining grinder values are decent. At 76.5 decibels, the Cube stays below our threshold of 80 and thus in the quiet range. The ground coffee comes out of the grinder at just under 28 degrees, which is also a good value. For dosing consistency, we measure a standard deviation of 0.47 grams over five portions, with outliers between 11.2 and 12.5 grams. That's middling, but matters little with this concept because you see the amount in the basket anyway.

Retention: 13.6 grams is more than a whole portion

The retention is the coffee that remains in the grinder after grinding. On the Cube, we measure 13.6 grams absolute, of which about 3 grams are in the front area and the rest in the grind tunnel. For context: one portion is 12 grams. So the residue is larger than what you actually brew, and that's a clear no-go.

In everyday use, this means: the first coffee in the morning is brewed with yesterday's ground coffee. Consequently, you must throw this away if you want good coffee.

Crema valve: pressure comes from the valve, not from the grind

Like almost all household automatic machines, the Cube uses a crema valve. The brew chamber stays closed until a pressure of two to four bar is reached depending on the machine, then the valve opens and the coffee shoots into the cup. The idea behind it: because the grind sizes in automatic machine grinders are usually too coarse, no pressure would build up otherwise. The valve creates it artificially and supplies the thick crema that gives it its marketing name.

Technically, this is nothing more than the principle of a dual-walled basket, and it has consequences. You get crema even from old coffee, you can't see the flow and therefore can't calibrate the grind. The machine doesn't even ask you to. Without the crema valve, the espresso would simply rush into the cup at this grind size.

Temperature: why we're not providing absolute values here

For espresso machines, we use a Scace portafilter to measure temperature, which simulates real brewing pressure. Such a measurement portafilter doesn't fit in the Cube. Michel instead attached a temperature probe directly under the shower head, narrow enough that brewing could continue. The only resistance in the system was the crema valve, and that's just not the same back pressure we're used to.

Under these conditions, we measure about 85 degrees at the highest of the three temperature settings. With real resistance, we probably would have ended up around 88 degrees. Because that remains an estimate, we deliberately forgo absolute values for this machine and a rating according to our temperature protocol. As a guideline, it's enough anyway, because 85 to 88 degrees are rather on the lower end for an automatic machine.

This leads to a clear practical recommendation: use the hottest of the three brew temperatures for most coffees; only with very dark roasts can you step down one level. Sensorily, we consistently got the best results this way. The thermoblock needs a brief moment to heat up before the first shot starts.

Pre-brewing: one-third wetted, that doesn't help

The Cube does a pre-brew before every shot, and you can't turn it off. We checked what it actually does by stopping the brew after pre-wetting and removing the basket. The result: not even a third of the coffee was wet.

The point of pre-wetting is to wet all the coffee so it doesn't repel water when the main flow comes, because then everything extracts evenly. If only a third is wetted, that doesn't work. Almost all manufacturers do it this way, but it's wrong anyway.

Espresso: 12 grams in, about 30 grams out, about 6% TDS

If you want to drink espresso with the Cube, you can, and here's the recipe: finest grind, highest grind amount, and smallest brew amount.

The TDS, which is the amount of dissolved solids relative to water, is around 6 percent. For comparison: filter coffee is at 1.2 to 1.4 percent, a properly brewed moka pot between 1.5 and 2.5, and an espresso starts at about 6 percent. By definition, that's an espresso.

Sensorially, it's solid and ranks among the better espressos we've had from an automatic machine. However, it reminds us strongly of an espresso from a DeLonghi Dedica with a dual-walled basket and a weak grinder. The drink has arrived where an espresso lives, but the limitations remain visible. They're called crema valve, temperature, and above all grinder.

The strength is the powerful lungo

The Cube becomes interesting with anything longer than an espresso. The brew amounts are graduated in four stages and are around 30, 50, 70, and 110 milliliters. We recommend the third setting.

For this, the machine needs at least 30 seconds brew time, which is considerable, but leads to a very good result. The fourth setting with 110 milliliters is way too much and tastes over-extracted.

With the grind on the third of five settings, the Constant profile, and the highest temperature, a drink comes into the cup that's more of a long espresso than a classic moka pot: cocoa, sweetness, a powerful body, and a nice bitterness that doesn't turn harsh. Most importantly, the coffee tastes clean, and that's because you have the brew chamber in your own hands and can keep it clean. For us, this is the best long coffee we've had from an automatic machine in a long time.

If you drink a large cup in the morning, do two brews back-to-back instead. So grind and brew twice, 24 grams of coffee total and about 140 milliliters in the cup. Then the pot tastes like something.

Brew profiles: Constant wins

Nivona calls the three brew profiles Aroma Balance System and provides pressure or flow curves on the website. We can't confirm that because we can't measure pressure without a measurement portafilter. We can assess brew time and sensorics.

Dynamics reduces flow after pre-brewing briefly and then goes back up quickly. At the espresso level, it became metallic and unpleasantly bitter, at least in combination with our Compadre.

Constant draws out the pressure build-up more slowly and longer. Sensorially, that reminds us of a portafilter machine with a vibration pump and has delivered the most balanced results across various coffees. That's our recommendation.

Intense extends the extraction time easily by five to eight seconds. With a lungo, that makes little sense because we prefer to get longer extraction through a finer grind rather than through a heavily throttled pump. As an experimental field for lighter roasts, you can still try it.

If you compare the profiles yourself, do two brews with the same grind back-to-back, make sure everything is preheated and the retention is empty. Otherwise, you're comparing different factors.

What bothers in daily use

There's no milk frothing function—you need to know that. The drip tray is the smallest we've ever seen, and the distance to the outlet height is a good ten centimeters, which is fine for classic cups but not for large mugs. Beans regularly get stuck in the plastic grid of the bean hopper.

On our test units, we also noticed that the brew group is open at the bottom and the first brew wasn't sealing cleanly, with strange residual drips after the shot. We occasionally had explosive brews. And after several shots in a row, the water in the tank was around 40 degrees. Finally, a small detail that helps in everyday use: wait a moment after the shot until the machine has released pressure before you lift the lever and pull out the basket.

Who should get the Cube?

If you exclusively drink espresso at home, we'd recommend something else in this price range. A DeLonghi Dedica for 150 to 200 euros, a single-walled basket, and a grinder like the DF54 for around 250 euros add up to about 450 euros and deliver better espresso. A Gaggia Classic, at least used, or a Lelit Anita move in this range too. Incidentally, such a separate setup takes barely more space than the Cube. Which design fits you is what we've described in our espresso machine buying guide.

Why we usually advise against portafilter machines with built-in grinders in this price range, we've written separately, and the Cube shows the reason pretty exactly: the built-in grinder is where it gets stuck. If you buy a separate grinder, you can later replace and upgrade it individually without swapping the whole machine.

The Cube becomes interesting instead in mixed households where sometimes a short and sometimes a longer drink is desired and nobody wants to get into the innards of a classic automatic machine. If you want to drink an 80-milliliter cup that's really strong and tastes almost like an espresso, you're in the right place. Plus there's a point we can't say loud enough: you have cleaning without any fuss in your hands, because the mess doesn't sit deep in the machine but in a basket that's clean with a cloth after brewing.

We see potential in this design and wish other manufacturers would pick it up. There are already alternatives away from the classic automatic machine, such as the Jura Ono. At the World of Coffee in Brussels, we saw Datum Coffee, an Austrian startup implementing a similar idea with a 58mm portafilter, different materials, and presumably a good grinder. We're excited to see how it develops.

Technical specifications at a glance

As always, we purchased this machine ourselves.