Manual espresso is fun to make however, the devices tend to be very expensive and bulky when compared to regular home espresso machines. There are a number of full manual espresso makers with the ability to make genuine espresso but the pressure is often uncontrollable and unstable, making it difficult to achieve a proper shot of espresso. 

Introducing Xbar, a full-manual, professional-grade, 9 bar espresso maker, which enables you to make genuine crema-covered shots of espresso easily and affordably so you can enjoy the taste and quality of the barista experience at home.

We created the Xbar for true coffee lovers. We made it affordable and simple to use so that even beginners can achieve professional results and perfect flavor through pressure profiling. Get Xbar and become a barista at home.

• Hands On Review

Check this unbiased Xbar Hands-on Review from Brian Quan. Thanks so much for his awesome work!

Check this unbiased Xbar Hands-on Review from Lifestyle Lab. Thanks so much for Matt S awesome work!

 Check this unbiased Xbar Hands-on Review from Rob Pirie. Thanks so much for his awesome work!

Let’s have a look at Hoon’s first shot on Xbar.

•  How to Make Espresso 

To be sure, there is a bit of a learning curve with Xbar. If you’ve never made espresso before—or even if you have—you’ll need to take some time to read the user manual, practice a bit and get used to how the Xbar works. The reward for your efforts will be incredible shots of crema-covered espresso.

1. Grind and dose ground coffee into the portafilter.

2. Fill up the brew head with boiling water to preheat, then empty the preheat water. Next, fill up the brew head again with boiling water, and screw the pressure booster to the brew head.

3. Open the ramp-up valve by pushing the paddle to keep the pressure at 2–3 bars for pre-infusion. After that, boost the pressure to 9 bars to begin the final extraction process and make genuine espresso at home. 

•  Make Barista Quality Espresso at Home 

What’s Genuine Espresso?

According to the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), “espresso is a 25–35 ml beverage prepared from 7–9 grams of coffee through which clean water of 90.5-96.1ºC has been forced at 9–10 atmospheres of pressure, and where the grind of the coffee is such that the brew time is 20–30 seconds.” So 9–10 atmospheres of pressure is a good parameter during espresso brewing.

Xbar does make genuine espresso with crema and all. It performs well around 9-10 bars of pressure. Although there are many manual “espresso” makers on the market, very few perform as well as this one.  Xbar utilizes a compressed air system that provides stable and adjustable extraction pressure between 0-12 bars, which gives Xbar’s coffee the same complex flavor and texture as the coffee made by large machines at local cafés.

• How it Works

Xbar is equipped with a Schrader valve and gas charger holder. You can use an air pump or gas charger as the pressure source, which can generate pressure to 9 bars to brew espresso.

Gas charger：

Air pump: 

•  Professional Barista Brewing Experience 

Xbar is equipped with professional coffee machine parts, including standard commercial 58mm portafilters (group handles), filter baskets, and shower screens for E61 models, which are essential to brewing genuine crema-covered shots like a professional barista. 

• Budget-Saving

Xbar is competitive with other similar manual espresso makers on the market and much less expensive than any of the automated machines. If you want to invest in an automated espresso machine at home, you’ll easily pay a minimum of $700, so compared to other premium at-home espresso options, the Xbar is quite an affordable home espresso maker for your daily use.

•  Stylish Design 

With a supremely stylish design, Xbar looks like a work of art and is the best espresso maker for coffee lovers. It gives you the power to brew the best espresso you have ever tasted, each time and every time.

•  Easy to Clean 

All the brew head and spin portafilter are stainless steel. So it’s very easy to clean your Xbar in just a few minutes. Remove the pressure booster and unlock the portafilter. Then rinse the brew head and the portafilter in water. Leave all the parts to dry.

Xbar is a startup project run by four coffee lovers. We had a desire to brew espresso like a barista at home, but commercial espresso machines usually cost a lot, so we decided to build one. The ‘Xbar’ stands for finding the pressure profile which makes your favorite espresso taste perfect for you. The two gauges with different readings in the logo represent the capability of manipulating the pressure during the extraction process.

• Xbar Espresso Tutorial