The Rocket Appartamento TCA is a further development of the successful Appartamento on the market. The small dual-boiler was appreciated by many and is a pioneer of the success of machine manufacturer Rocket. The new Appartamento TCA was equipped with temperature control in four levels. A valuable expansion for a dual-boiler if it functions completely. During our testing, we had some difficulties in this area, which is why we measured and tested two additional machines in addition to the test machine. What our test results are, you'll find out in this video.
Buy Rocket Appartamento TCA
The following specialist retailers distribute the Rocket Appartamento TCA and we can recommend purchasing from these businesses. All offer the possibility to adjust the machine's offset.
Germany:
Switzerland:
We search for specialist partners for you, knowing they provide good work and excellent service, and we maintain close contact with the mentioned retailers. The links are so-called affiliate links. If you order through one of these links, you won't pay a cent more – however, we receive a small commission that we invest directly in new test equipment.
We continue to search for competent partners in the DACH region for you.
Strengths of the Rocket Appartamento TCA
The strengths of the Rocket Appartamento TCA undoubtedly include excellent frothing performance. The machine does solid and reliable work here. It has good power to get the milk circulation going in the frothing pitcher. It doesn't matter whether you're frothing with a small 0.3L or large 0.6L pitcher. The Rocket Appartamento TCA froths very well.
Another strength lies in the eye of the beholder. The Appartamento TCA is an espresso machine with a Faema E61-style brew group. While this format is widespread and we know it from many machines, the Appartamento stands out positively even in the TCA version. Not only the side panel, but also the tapered brew group distinguish it from the mass of E61 machines. Otherwise, the workmanship appears solid.
The machine shines with a beautiful pressure gauge, sleek matte turn handles, and controls reduced to the essentials.
Weaknesses of the Machine
The biggest weakness of the Rocket Appartamento TCA is its temperature stability and slow heat-up time. The machine ranks last among all espresso machines we've tested in terms of heat-up time; it doesn't reach temperature during realistic usage time. With considerable goodwill, we granted the machine a heat-up time of 42 minutes. But even then, we were actually still below the target temperature. We discuss the temperature issue in more detail further down in the article.
In the area of temperature settings for the Rocket Appartamento TCA, we also note the poorly preset temperature ranges of the TCA. Absurd, because the Temperature Control Adjustment is what should positively set the machine apart from its predecessor. In our view, however, the preset temperature levels of the machine are all below the target temperature. We're not clear why Rocket set them so low. Put differently: we have an idea. We believe that Rocket only checked where the machine reaches temperature after running for over an hour. Then it is indeed warm enough at the highest level. But is an hour of running time really the standard for determining the target temperature of an espresso machine in today's time? In an era where other espresso machines are warm in 5 minutes and other Faema E61 brew groups manage it in 17 to 18 minutes?
Combined with the long heat-up time, the Rocket has very high power consumption to prepare one or more espressos. At 0.34 kWh, the Rocket Appartamento TCA is in the field of large dual-boiler machines and thus shows very poor performance.
Temperature Curves: WBC Protocol and KM Protocol
We discussed the temperature issue in more detail in another YouTube Live.
Energy Consumption and Performance Measurement
Further information about the machine will be added. For a comprehensive test, please watch the video.
