Rocket Espresso machines are made by hand in Italy under the strictest quality control standards available. These products are more than just a piece of equipment that grinds coffee or brews espresso, they are works of art that you will be proud to have in your kitchen for many years to come.
They have a small team of artisan craftsman that produce machine after machine with meticulous care and attention to detail. Watch the videos below for the Rocket Espresso Story and to see a Rocket R58 being built by hand in a time lapse video.
Rocket Espresso was founded by a New Zealander, Andrew Meo, and an Italian, Daniele Berenbruch. They work with their team members to produce these outstanding products in their Milan, Italy production facility.
Double Boiler Rocket Espresso Machines
There are several double boiler Rocket Espresso models available. These are the Rocket R58, Rocket R60, and the Rocket R Nine One. All of these machines have a dedicated boiler for brewing and a dedicated boiler for steaming. They all have PID temperature control for each boiler. If you are looking for a machine that will give you the best temperature control possible, a double boiler may be the machine type for you. The Rocket R60 and the R Nine One have programmable pressure profiling. The R Nine One also has manual pressure profiling and a saturated brew group.
Heat Exchanger Rocket Espresso Machines
Rocket Espresso has the following heat exchange espresso machines: Rocket Appartamento, Rocket Cronometro Type V (vibratory pump, water tank only), and the Rocket Cronometro R (rotary pump, direct connect and water tank switchable). The Type V and R have two different body styles – Mozzafiato and Giotto.
Single Boiler or Lever Rocket Espresso Machines
At the time of this writing (April 2020), Rocket Espresso did not manufacturer any non-heat exchange single boiler machine and did not manufacturer any lever espresso machines. We are hoping they will! Wouldn’t that be great?
Rocket Grinders
Rocket currently has two espresso grinders in their product line up - the Rocket Fausto and the smaller Rocket Faustino. Both are great grinders pair very well with Rocket espresso machines as well as other brands of espresso machines. For a great in depth review of the Fausto grinder and additional photos and videos, go here.
Rocket Fausto Grinder
Rocket Faustino Grinder
Rocket Espresso Owners Group
If you own a Rocket Espresso machine or are you thinking about purchasing one, you are welcome to join our Rocket Espresso Owners Group on Facebook. It’s a collaborative community of Rocket Espresso machine lovers from all around the world. If you have a question, there is usually someone who can quickly help. If you want to show your coffee bar off, you will be sure to get a lot of oohs and ahhs. You can join the group here.
Rocket Espresso FAQs
Are Rocket Espresso Machines good?
Rocket Espresso machines are the most popular prosumer brand that we sell. They are great looking machines and Rocket as a company is a great company. Their products tend to be very reliable and make great quality drinks.
Where Are Rocket Espresso Machines Made?
Rocket Espresso machines are made in a small manufacturing facility in Milan Italy.
Can You Make Americanos With A Rocket?
Yes, all Rocket Espresso machines, except for the Porta Via have hot water taps. So you are able to brew a couple shots of espresso and add enough water from the hot water tap to make an Americano.
Does Rocket Make Commercial Espresso Machines?
Yes, they do. We don’t sell the commercial machine models, but they make several commercial machine models, including the R 9V, R 9, RE Doppia, RE A Timer, and Boxer. They aren’t as commonly purchased for commercial applications as some of the other commercial espresso machine brands, but they are good machines.
Are Any Rocket Machine Models Portable?
Most Rockets are not very portable. They are well made machines and have a lot of metal as part of the designs. For this reason Rocket espresso machine weigh quite a bit! Even the compact Appartamento weighs over 50lbs without water in it. The Porta Via is a cool looking machine that Rocket designed that has it’s own carrying case and is designed to be portable.
Can I See How Rocket Machines Look In My Home?
Yes, you can load this website on your mobile device and with augmented reality (AR) you’ll be able to see how the machine looks on your counters and in your kitchen.
Three Year Warranty
We are now offering three-year parts and labor warranty for all Rocket Espresso machines (starting April 01, 2020). This warranty, exclusively through Espresso Outlet, includes the coverage of labor costs with a local repair company so you don’t have to worry about shipping a huge, heavy machine in. Prior to any local repairs being made, we will first attempt to troubleshoot the issue over the phone or email. We list espresso machine repair companies on this page. This page has commercial espresso machine service companies, but they will sometimes repair home machines. We do not in any way guarantee that the companies listed on these pages will repair Rocket Espresso machines as these are all independent companies and cannot keep track of what each company repairs or doesn’t repair. If there is a repair that requires a service tech and you want it repaired locally, you will need to contact a company in your area to get an estimate and send us the estimate for preapproval. You can also ship the product in if you prefer or if there aren’t any repair companies in your area. WARRANTY WILL NOT COVER HARD WATER USAGE. Water harder than 50ppm will destroy your espresso machine. If there is any sign of limescale build up during a repair, the warranty will be void, so please takes the steps necessary to protect your machine. DO NOT USE HARD WATER.
Rocket Espresso Machine Comparison
The following is a comparison of the main differences. There are other small differences between them, but this is an good overview comparison of the most important feature differences.
Rocket Appartamento - good heat exchange machine. It doesn't have a PID and the boiler isn't insulated (insulation provides temperature consistency that is highly important to making the best flavored espresso). Has a vibratory pump and cannot be direct connected. A heat exchanger is good for someone that does primarily milk based drinks. Heat exchangers have less control over the brew temp and you have to learn how to do the heat exchange flush and do it consistently every time.
Rocket Cronometro Type V - Heat exchange machine similar to the Rocket Appartamento, but has a PID for better temperature adjustment and has an insulated boiler. Also has a metal cup rail vs plastic. Like the Appartamento it has a vibratory pump and cannot be direct connected. There are two body styles for this machine – Giotto and Mozzafiato.
Rocket Cronometro R - Heat exchange machine similar to the Type V. Has an insulated boiler and PID temperature controller and timer. Has a rotary vane pump (quieter, longer lasting and needed for direct water line connection). Has a water tank or can be directly connected to a water line. As with the Type V, there are two body styles available with the machine – Giotto and Mozzafiato.
Rocket R58 - Double boiler machine. Can't really go wrong with any type of drink you tend to make, but a double boiler is a good machine to get if you make about half espresso only and about half milk-based drinks. If you roast your own beans or change your beans often, the increased temperature adjustment control due to each boiler having a dedicated use will improve drink quality and be easier and quicker to dial in shots. One drawback of a double boiler like the R58 is when they run on 15 amp, the power is pulsed back and forth rapidly between the two boilers to heat each one. Most of the time this won't be noticeable, but if you are making several drinks in a row, you will sometimes run into recovery time... Meaning you won't be able to use the machine until the steam and brew boiler temperature get back up to temperature. With a heat exchange machine, you will run into this less often because it's just one boiler that has to be heated.
Rocket R60 - Another double boiler machine like the Rocket R58. The biggest difference between this machine and the R58 is that the R60 has pressure profiling. If you are someone that has a very delicate pallet, you would appreciate the tweaking you can do with adjusting the pressure profiles. A good machine to compare this one to is the Vesuvius pressure profile machine.
Rocket R Nine One – Another double boiler machine. It has all the pressure profiling features of the Rocket R60, but also includes manual pressure profiling. It has a saturated brew group that provides outstanding temperature stability for extraction. It’s hard to beat this machine in terms of flavor quality and steaming abilities.
Alternative Related Brands
Quick Mill, ECM Germany, Bezzera, Izzo, VBM, Profitec, and Expobar are brands that have machines that are pretty similar to Rocket Espresso machines and they are frequently compared to Rockets when people are researching their home espresso machine choice. As an example, when people are considering the Rocket R58, it is frequently compared to the Quick Mill Vetrano Evo, Izzo Alex Duetto IV Plus, VBM Double Domobar, Profitec Pro 700, ECM Synchronika, Bezzera Duo and Expobar Brewtus IV-R.
Discontinued Models
Rocket Cellini Premium Plus, Rocket Giotto Premium Plus, Rocket R58 v1, Rocket Cellini Classic are all models that have been discontinued and upgraded to the current versions.
Rocket Espresso Parts
We sell the following replacement parts in case your espresso machine has an issued that needs to be repaired. You can purchase the parts here.
- Rocket Sirai Pressure Stat
- Rocket Giotto/Cellini Fill Probe
- Rocket Bottomless Portafilter
- Steam Sensor Rocket R58 (Hi Limit)
- Coffee Sensor Rocket (Hi Limit)
- Valve Stem
- R58 Control Board
- R58 Fill Probe
- R58 Pump Pressure Gauge
- Coffee Boiler Heating Element
- Appartamento Stainless Cup Rail
- Rocket Steam Tip 4-Pack
- Power Relay 25 Amp 240 Volt
- Rocket Heating Element Gasket
- E61 Stainless Steel Mushroom
- MATER Pressure Stats (1/8")
- MATER Pressure Stats (1/4")
- Steam Heating Element (1400 W)
- Heating Element (115V 1400W)
- E61 Gigleaur Screen
- E61 Group Fiber Insulator
- E61 Group Thermometer
- E61 Teflon Gasket Kit
- E61 Group Spring Kit
- E61 Group Pre Infusion Valve
- E61 Group Drain Valve
- E61 Group Diffuser Screw
- E61 Cam Lever Gasket Kit
- E61 Cam Lever Gasket
- E61 Cam Lever
- E61 Group Brew Lever Valve
- E61 Silicone Group Gaskets (8.50 mm)
- E61 Silicone Group Gaskets (8.00 mm)
Where to Buy Rocket Espresso Machines
We are a retailer of Rocket Espresso machines in the United States, but we frequently get requests from website visitors all around the world. We prefer not to ship products outside of the USA due to international shipping complications, including additional paperwork required and the risk of damage during transit. For this reason, if you aren’t located in the USA, we recommend that you purchase your Rocket from one of the Rocket Espresso authorized retailers listed here. If you are located in the USA, we are happy to help you!