We tested the Stone espresso machine. The dual boiler is slim, one of the most affordable, and convinced us in our test. In the video you'll find out everything else. Temperature curves and further information about the Stone Espresso can be found below.
Design and First Impression
When unpacking the Stone Espresso, the aesthetics immediately catch your eye. Our Stone model features black metal plates that are removable and can be replaced with other design elements to personalize your machine. There are stone plates, but also wooden slats. Everyone can make the machine their own.
The machine is extremely compact and fits well on any countertop with just 22 cm width, a depth of 43.5 cm (without portafilter; with it, it's 55 cm) and a height of 41 cm. The machine weighs 20.5 kilograms.
The Stone Espresso makes an overall premium impression, even though some things that shine on the outside don't fully convince when you look inside.
One such example is the drip tray. It only holds 400 ml. That's really small and disappointing, because from the outside, the machine's front section actually looks relatively spacious. Unfortunately, the inside misleads the testers to say that it reminds them more of a pigeon drinking bowl.
The start and stop operation of the machine is unique. Stone Espresso shows a characteristic in-house development of the group head here. This has a portafilter activation above the group. The plastic square is rotated to start and stopped again. There is no volume programming, just manual operation like with Faema E61 group heads. But it feels good and works flawlessly. The only downside: the square on our machine is rotated slightly beyond the flush edge of the group head when ending the shot, which doesn't look good and could trigger the urge to turn it back for those who like things orderly.
Stone Espresso's Own Group Head
The Stone Espresso group head is equipped with a 200w heating element that guarantees fast heat-up time. We measured a heat-up time of 9.30 minutes, which is very fast compared to many dual boiler espresso machines. Subsequently, temperature stability in the coffee maker temperature protocol is good to satisfactory, with a tendency to rise towards the end of the shot. Measuring 5 shots, we get a standard deviation of 1.22 degrees. This puts the machine in the range of machines like the Lelit Elizabeth, Lelit Victoria, or Profitec Pro 300.
However, the Stone Espresso's performance completely breaks down with the WBC protocol, and we drop to a standard deviation of 2.89 degrees over 14 shots. Here we can clearly say:
- Few shots: it works after 9.5 minutes and then the Stone Espresso's temperature is solid.
- Many shots: then the temperature can't stabilize and fluctuates and keeps rising. Not good at all!
In this price range and for home espresso, the WBC protocol isn't really applicable. Nevertheless, some budget machines also perform well here, which is why we run the test. If you make a few espresso shots a day at home with the Stone Espresso, you won't have any problems at all!
Great Espresso with the Stone Espresso
Our espressos tasted very good. Especially more classic coffee blends and espresso with Italian character deliver very satisfactory results on the Stone Espresso.
We found no anomalies with temperature, flow rate, or pressure. With a good espresso grinder that's easy to adjust and an espresso that suits the home barista, the Stone Espresso is a good choice for espresso preparation!
Cappuccino and More with the Stone Espresso
Steaming milk with the Stone Espresso dual boiler espresso machine is a process that requires a bit of practice but delivers quite satisfactory results. Thanks to the dual boiler system, the machine can simultaneously extract espresso and steam milk, which is a major plus for cappuccino and latte macchiato fans.
The machine is no steaming wonder. It could use a bit more pressure. In our benchmark test, it takes 40 seconds to heat water in the milk pitcher. That's normal dual boiler behavior.
With the right practice and a learning period, both beginners and experienced home baristas will get the hang of it.
We steamed creamy milk foam that works great for cappuccinos and other milk coffee variations. The Stone Espresso proves that it also delivers solid performance for milk foam in its price range.
Stone Espresso Energy Consumption
Despite the fast heat-up time, the Stone Espresso's energy consumption is rather in the lower middle to classic range of dual boiler espresso machine energy consumption. This is mainly because we always heat up the 1.7 liter steam boiler. This is typical for dual boiler machines, as the brew water is heated by flowing through the steam boiler. And since the steam boiler has its size and heating the group head also requires electricity, we get 0.24 kWh for heat-up time and 5 double shots. For comparison: with many thermoblocks we land in the range of under 0.15 kWh.
Stone Espresso Conclusion
The Stone Espresso is, particularly for its price, a very good espresso machine in the dual boiler segment. It would have also performed very well in our large dual boiler test as one of the most affordable and best espresso machines in this segment.
More on performance measurement and energy consumption.
