La Pavoni Mini Cellini Review: Can This Prosumer Compete?

Prosumer machines are having a real moment right now, as more folks start taking home espresso more seriously. In this initial La Pavoni Mini Cellini review I’ll be taking a first look at the Italian manufacturer’s most affordable “semi-professional” coffee machine.

I’m interested to see whether this compact machine can compete with the prosumer models that currently dominate the market. After all, La Pavoni isn’t as well-known in North America as brands like Rocket and Lelit, so the Mini Cellini will have to be special to stand out.

With that in mind, let’s jump right into this La Pavoni Mini Cellini review and take a look at what the machine can do!

La Pavoni Mini Cellini Review Overview

La Pavoni has been in the espresso machine business since 1905, initially focusing on producing commercial models. Until recently, I only really associated the manufacturer with the La Pavioni Professional, which is one of the best manual espresso makers I’ve tested. However, La Pavoni also produces an extensive line of domestic machines and burr coffee grinders, all of which kind of fly under the radar.

So, is the La Pavoni Mini Cellini worth considering as you search for the best prosumer espresso machine? Well, the Mini Cellini certainly looks the part, with its shiny stainless steel housing and beautiful exposed group head. What’s more, the machine is nice and compact while retaining everything you’d expect from a prosumer costing $1,719.48. In saying that, I’m referring to the commercial steam wand, 58mm portafilter and intuitive manual controls.

All in all, the La Pavoni Mini Cellini makes a very good first impression and the price seems about right. Then again, as with many of the best home espresso machines, you’ll need to invest in a high-quality espresso grinder to get the best out of the Mini Cellini.

La Pavoni Mini Cellini Features

To be honest, I’m really looking forward to putting this machine through its paces once I have time to test it out. In the meantime, let’s continue this initial La Pavoni Mini Cellini review by checking out all the most important features.

Size and Design

As I’ve mentioned a couple of times, the La Pavoni Mini Cellini is a very compact machine. With a width of just 9.5 inches (24 centimeters) and rising to 14.5 inches (37 centimeters), this elegant beauty definitely won’t take up much space in your kitchen.

Marketed as the manufacturer’s entry-level semi-professional, the Mini Cellini packs a lot into a streamlined package. For starters, there’s a chrome-plated E61 group head, which is the industry standard for heat exchanger machines. What’s more, the Mini Cellini is equipped with a powerful commercial steam wand, a burly vibration pump and a generous 98-ounce (2.9-liter) water tank.

In other words, the La Pavoni Mini Cellini should be more than capable of producing exceptional espresso and milk foam. And thanks to its durable metal construction and high-quality components, it’ll do so for many years.

Cup Warmer and Drip Tray

The La Pavoni Mini Cellini’s cup warming tray is passively heated. Still, it’s going to get nice and toasty thanks to the machine’s efficient design. And as I’m sure you already know, drinking from pre-warmed espresso cups is the only way to roll.

Although the cup warmer is small, there’s enough room for at least two of your best espresso cups. Oh, and there’s a cool-looking rail to keep them from slipping off.

As for the Mini Cellini’s drip tray, it’s as sturdy and well-made as all the other parts of this machine. What’s more, it’s easily removable for when you need to empty it.

User Interface

Forget about touchscreens and overly crowded user interfaces. The La Pavoni Mini Cellini rocks it old school. Sure, it’s nice to have an LCD display that’ll double as a shot timer. However, it isn’t really necessary.

The Mini Cellini’s straightforward control panel consists of a main power switch as well as switches for activating coffee and steam functions.

Elsewhere, there’s a chunky dial for controlling steam pressure and a manual lever to activate the pump. Oh, and you’ll also see a manometer for monitoring pressure at the group head. Trust me, that’ll come in really handy when you’re dialing in your espresso shots.

Brew Group

As with many of the best prosumer espresso machines, the Mini Cellini is equipped with the famous E61 group head. Thanks to its super heavy brass construction, the legendary E61 offers superb thermal stability. Plus, the E61’s thermosyphon keeps boiler water circulating through the group, so you can be assured of consistent espresso.

Another awesome feature of the E61 is its pre-infusion chamber. By lifting the manual lever halfway, you’re able to dampen the ground coffee in the portafilter before any pressure is exerted. And as we all know, that really helps aromas develop in the coffee before extraction.

The main downside to the E61 group head is its prolonged heat up time. Still, once it’s at the correct temperature it’ll stay that way.

Boiler

The Mini Cellini’s 27-ounce (0.8-liter) stainless steel boiler is on the small side, but it’s perfectly sufficient for home brewing and steaming. With that said, this espresso machine doesn’t have heat exchanger technology, so you can’t make espresso and steam milk simultaneously. That won’t be a big deal for straight espresso drinkers, but it could cause problems if you’re part of a latte-loving household.

Seeing as there’s a substantial difference between steaming and brewing temperatures, you’ll have to wait for around a minute after making coffee before the machine is ready to steam. Conversely, if you steam milk first, you’ll have to bring the machine back to brewing temperature by performing cooling flushes.

Portafilter

As I mentioned earlier, the La Pavoni Mini Cellini comes with a commercial grade 58mm portafilter. You’ll also get two single-wall filter baskets – one for single shots and a 16-gram double shot basket.

As you can see from the pictures, the La Pavoni portafilter is spouted, which is good if you like to split double shots. However, if you’re serious about espresso preparation, I’d recommend buying a bottomless portafilter to use with this machine.

Milk Foam

The Mini Cellini’s cool touch steam wand looks as impressive as I’d expect. It’s mounted on a ball joint, so it’ll be really easy to manipulate, and from what I can gather the machine produces more than enough steam pressure.

With that in mind, I’m glad to see the steam dial, which allows you to regulate the steam power. Trust me, if you’re used to the underpowered steaming functions on appliance grade espresso machines this machine will put a smile on your face.

By the way, you won’t find a dedicated hot water dispenser on this machine. Rather, you’re supposed to get hot water from the steam wand. I never liked that idea, so if I were making an americano I’d fire up my best gooseneck kettle instead.

Accessories

Here we go again, folks. It’s that time when I rip into a manufacturer for including a completely useless plastic tamper with its expensive espresso machine.

Interestingly enough, La Pavoni is now owned by SMEG, another Italian manufacturer. What’s more, I recently congratulated those guys on the beautiful metal espresso tamper that’s included with the SMEG Semi-Professional Espresso Machine.

Suffice to say, I’m a little confused and a lot irritated. At the end of the day, there’s never an excuse to throw a plastic tamper into the box when you’re asking $1,719.48 for an espresso machine with professional grade components.

Anyway, if you do buy this espresso machine, make sure to check out my guide to the best espresso tampers. Trust me, you’ll need to buy one!

How to Use the La Pavoni Mini Cellini

I haven’t had my hands on the Mini Cellini yet, so I can’t pass judgement on its performance. Still, I am very familiar with this type of machine. So, for the purposes of this La Pavoni Mini Cellini review, I can give you a quick idea of what to expect.

Once you’ve unboxed the machine, you should wash the water tank and portafilter. Then, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for priming the boiler. Once that’s done, you can start pulling shots of espresso. Here’s how to pull a double shot:

La Pavoni Mini Cellini Cleaning

You’ll be happy to hear that cleaning the La Pavoni Mini Cellini won’t take up too much of your time. Still, regular cleaning maintenance will help your machine last for years. After each use, rinse the filter baskets and flush the group head. And at the end of the day, wipe off the dispersion screen to get rid of any stray coffee grounds.

As for the steam wand, make sure to wipe it off with a damp cloth after every use.

Once every couple of weeks, backflush the machine using espresso machine cleaner. And I’d also recommend a thorough clean of the water tank once a month or so.

Elsewhere, feel free to keep the Mini Cellini looking good by wiping off the housing with a soft, damp cloth. Oh, and don’t forget to empty and rinse the drip tray – it can get pretty nasty in there!

La Pavoni Mini Cellini Technical Specifications

La Pavoni Mini Cellini vs Other Espresso Machines

Let’s round out this La Pavoni Mini Cellini review by taking a look at how the machine measures up to the competition. After all, there are plenty of other prosumer manufacturers vying for your attention.

La Pavoni Mini Cellini vs Lelit Mara X

I recently tested the Lelit Mara X, which is one of the best prosumer espresso machines around. And I have to say I can see why so many home baristas go gaga over this thing.

A similarly compact model, the Lelit Mara X costs $1,700.00, which is just a little more than the La Pavoni Mini Cellini. And I have to say that spending the extra money will bring you a ton of extra benefits.

For starters, the Mara X is a heat exchange machine, so you can brew and steam at the same time. Plus, you can switch between two modes, one prioritizing the steam function and the other prioritizing coffee. Finally, the Lelit Mara X has three brew temperature options, which is a real bonus.

Honestly, I have to say that the Lelit Mara X is a far superior machine to the Mini Cellini. And given the fact that it costs only a few dollars more, I can’t see why you’d pick the La Pavoni over the Lelit.

See Also: Lelit Mara X Review

La Pavoni Mini Cellini vs Rocket Appartamento

The awesome Rocket Appartamento is a bigger and burlier machine than the Mini Cellini. And its $1,800.00 asking price is beefier too.

The Appartamento is one of the best-selling prosumer espresso machines on the market, thanks to its gorgeous retro-industrial design, high-quality components and outstanding performance. And in my experience testing the Appartamento, espresso doesn’t get much better.

Sure, some folks like to complain about temperature stability issues with this heat exchange machine, but I didn’t experience any problems. Rather, I found the Rocket Appartamento to be easy to use as well as very consistent. Plus, being able to access a ton of steam power while my shots were being extracted was a real treat.

See Also: Rocket Appartamento Review

La Pavoni Mini Cellini vs Others Comparison Chart

Verdict: La Pavoni Mini Cellini Review

As we’ve just seen, the La Pavoni Mini Cellini is up against some really tough competition. Oh, and you’ll get an actual espresso tamper with both of the machines mentioned above. Just sayin’.

At the end of the day, the Mini Cellini is a perfectly good semi-professional espresso machine that should be able to produce excellent espresso and milk foam. Plsu, it’s a very attractive model, and the design team has obviously worked hard to keep it nice and compact. Still, at this price point there are plenty of superior machines with enhanced functionality and more advanced features.

I’ll update this initial La Pavoni Mini Cellini review once I’ve spent time with the machine. Who knows, maybe it’ll blow my mind!

La Pavoni Mini Cellini FAQ