The original full review is available on Rendeljkinait
We have already tested a significant number of Hibrew products, and the selection was a bit military, some of them are very good, the rest not so much. The Hibrew H10A stands out from the range in several ways, it uses a 58 mm catering industry standard, its temperature and pressure values can be adjusted, it is capable of pre-soaking and even PID control.
Hibrew H10A coffee maker test - Will a professional machine move into your kitchen?
Hibrew is a relatively controversial brand, they have some amazing machines - Hebrew H5 and H14 Barista Duo – and they are shockingly good – Hebrew H10B and Hebrew G3 grinder - so I didn't know what to expect with the Hibrew H10A. Well, that's not true, because I've been hunting for "Tíza" for a while now, for a simple reason: it is considered one of the best buy items in the forums. Especially because of its extra functions, the device is also quite remarkable in its other parameters.
As for the packaging, Hibrew is white on a red background, uses a very aesthetic design, and usually doesn't skimp on accessories. If you open the box, the Hibrew H10A and its accessories emerge, let's start with the latter. It has a decent, 58 mm catering industry portafilter with a lower part that distributes the coffee in two directions, which I like much more than solutions with double plastic spouts. He also walks next to her 3 coffee baskets, one of which is a booster filter and the other two are the single and double dose variants, more on that later. The package also includes a cleaning and dosing spoon, one 350 ml metal milk spout for making latte art, a quality, wood-handled, 58 mm tamper and the "storybook" that explains why the Hebreww H10A is so great.
They are not lying, the machine is really attractive, the use of materials is pleasant.
The makers mainly worked with stainless steel, like the large machines in the coffee house, there is a metal handle on the edges of the pre-heating tray, which is unnecessary, but looks good. Except for the huge 1,8 liter water tank, which is plastic, you don't often come across this kind of thing elsewhere, I can also mention the non-rubberized rotary knob, which Reminiscent of Hebreww H10B, it is the little brother of this one, and it is also a great machine. Because the cup tray of the Hibrew H10A is wide, that's why fits two full-sized cups, on the other hand, you may have problems with tall, elongated pieces. THE steam pipe can be turned to the side relatively well, so it doesn't interfere with the picture. However, it is worth knowing that for De'Longhi Dedica EC685 machines, this is a wider, more mature model, 230x260x320 mm, so for whom space is extremely important, a thinner machine might be better off.
However, don't let anyone lose your mind, this is (also) a thermo block coffee maker, i.e. the entry category, but at least the top of it, and this is certainly visible in many places.
One of them is its appearance, namely the Hibrew H10A quite hot especially the bone-colored one is attractive, but the inox variant is also not bad, and there is a black version, which is very rarely available. The overall effect is adult, if only because at the beginning there is the pressure gauge, and displays the water temperature, which you can set in relatively small steps. Although people clicked on the temperature for some reason, the pressure value is actually more important, because it depends on the tightness of the coffee cake acting as a natural valve, the coarseness of the coffee grind and a few other things. The temperature should be kept as even as possible, the holy mean value is usually 92 degrees Celsius, but you can play around with its settings to your liking. How does the coffee machine regulate this? One in the cheaper types relatively unreliable thermostat there is, however, one in the more serious machines PID controller.
Therefore, PID controllers can maintain a more stable temperature in traditional thermostatic machines, but they are much more expensive.
PID values are also used to be tuned, this means fine-tuning the settings of the PID controller in order for the machine to maintain the desired water temperature as precisely and stably as possible. This is quite the deep water category, so you won't often come across these terms elsewhere, but it's good to know why the Hibrew H10A is a more serious machine than usual.
Let's go back to the console of the H10A and take a look at the controls. Moving from left to right, you can activate the on/off button, the preparation of 1 and 2 portions, and the steam function.
You can access the menu by pressing two buttons simultaneously, and you can set several things:
- temperature values in the range of 25 and 90-95 degrees Celsius
- the time of the flow
- the amount of water used for coffee in 25-300 ml
- precook time between 5-10 seconds
- steaming temperature between 120-150 degrees Celsius
And a few other parameters, but the video below perfectly demonstrates the functions and the installation, so you should watch it:
The important thing is that the first couple of rounds must be done with plain water so that the machine is clean, and then everything must be properly adjusted.
Depending on the type of coffee you drink, the Hibrew H10A can use any amount of water between 25-300 ml for coffee preparation - because it is not boiled - and you can also make cold drinks, for example cold brew, although I prefer a French press for this. What is important is the multifaceted adjustability, the Hibrew H10A offers a lot of options, and this is the point for those who want to delve a little deeper into the mysteries of coffee making.
I know that this is a coffee drink for many...I mean naked people of the same sex Laocoon's group, but there are those who will find this just right. That way much more control can be exercised over the processes, and thus with a little practice, better quality can be achieved. In the spirit of this, I took out my coffee needle and the silicone tamper pad that can be placed under the portafilter, and the experiment could begin.
The important thing is that the first couple of rounds must be done with plain water so that the machine is clean, and then everything must be properly adjusted.
Depending on the type of coffee you drink, the Hibrew H10A can use any amount of water between 25-300 ml for coffee preparation - because it is not boiled - and you can also make cold drinks, for example cold brew, although I prefer a French press for this. What is important is the multifaceted adjustability, the Hibrew H10A offers a lot of options, and this is the point for those who want to delve a little deeper into the mysteries of coffee making.
I know that this is a coffee drink for many...I mean naked people of the same sex Laocoon's group, but there are those who will find this just right. That way much more control can be exercised over the processes, and thus with a little practice, better quality can be achieved. In the spirit of this, I took out my coffee needle and the silicone tamper pad that can be placed under the portafilter, and the experiment could begin.
What is puck prep?
A puck prep term refers to the process during coffee preparation when the ground coffee loaded into the filter basket of the espresso machine - which for coffee puck also called - properly prepared for extraction. This includes an even distribution of the ground coffee - this requires a coffee pin -, compression - for this and the tamper – and removing any air bubbles so that the water flows evenly through the coffee.
Good puck prep is critical to making the right espresso, as uneven compaction and distribution can lead to water channels - discussed below channeling - which results in weak or bad tasting coffee.
Anyone who has never used a normal compactor doesn't know how good a heavier one feels - it's approx. half a kilo - to take a piece in hand. This is not the crappy plastic that comes with cheaper coffee machines. The head is replaceable - the handle can be unscrewed - and the overall effect is quite high quality, I'm used to much worse ones. Two types of solutions are usually used for compaction: it is pressed homogeneously and evenly, or it is compacted symmetrically into three parts, for which there are specular seals and they change the flow of water. The tamper fits the coffee filter quite well, I pressed the coffee easily on the silicone pad, the first round was ready.
The portafilter is also worth mentioning: a spring solution, very patient,
of this, you can knock out the coffee cake normally with a knock box or on the edge of the bin. It has one big flaw, that it is quite difficult to remove the filter - although this softens over time -, for example, my partner barely succeeded, but this is eternal life and one day, it will not wobble or fall out. It's a good design, even if it's a bit more of a struggle to use. The handle is also good, solid plastic, it has weight, I believe it will last a long time.
The Hibrew H10A pre-infuses the coffee cake, the time of which can be adjusted.
During pre-soaking, the coffee maker "soaks" the coffee cake in order to prevent the formation of channeling phenomenon, i.e. the coffee should not flow in small ways, so the liquid will not spread evenly and therefore the dissolution will not be adequate. The pre-soaking is accompanied by a clearly audible pumping sound, or you can also monitor what is happening on the pressure display. I switched it from the basic 5 seconds to 10, this is clearly too much, it soaked the coffee cake, and even before the extraction started, the water was suffocating it, when I turned it off, it was difficult to flow through. So it's a dead end, but at least you're entertaining this value. Leave it on for 5 seconds, it's not bad for a start.
The coffee came down, with a nice even crema, producing a relatively pleasing overall effect,
however, I wasn't satisfied with this yet, so I could experiment. The description of the machine also states 20 bar, this is the nominal power of the water pump, nothing more. during coffee preparation, the pressure typically fluctuates between 9-15 bar, depending on the quality of the patty. After the first round, I immediately noticed that no solenoid valve - it is also called a three-way valve in Hungarian - which would prevent dripping after extracting, but this is typical of more expensive machines and the drip tray actually catches this. It's in return OPV safety valve, i.e. over pressure valve, which releases excess pressure in the event of a problem, but other machines, such as the Hibrew H10B, also know this.
The doppio could have come, i.e. the double coffee, which the Hibrew H10A made in the same way as the espresso, only for this I poured the juice into a larger glass. It's rich here too, I got a light brown crema, without any particular errors, but only with the pressurized coffee basket, from then on I used this. Let's move on to milk drinks. Because I'm lactose intolerant, that's why I use plant-based milks that don't really foam, unless you buy the barista version directly. What you need to know about the H10A vapor tube is that since there is also a thermo block behind it, the water turns into steam in smaller portions, in this case, steam at 120-130 degrees Celsius is released, but you can also set this value. For this, the Hibrew H10A must first heat up, then when you want to drink coffee again, it must cool down, in which case it will say "hot" on its display. All you have to do is wait.
There are no copper boilers and the like, everything is handled here by the thermo block.
This results in on the one hand, the steam does not come immediately, but you have to release a little hot water, and on the other hand, the steam generator "spits" a little. since it turns the water into steam on the go and does not come from a tank. Nevertheless, the Hibrew H10A is quite homogeneous, operates with a powerful plume, thus, by holding the 350 ml milk spout and pressing the head not too deep, it is possible to create quite good foam. I'm not exactly a latte art expert, my dexterity is roughly enough to draw a snowman with crayons, no more, so I can't present you big milk miracles, palm trees and the like. However still great cappuccino-style coffees can also be made by "amateur barbarians" like me, with rock-hard foam that almost stops sugar cubes. I didn't want to ruin the coffee with something like that, but I just spiced up the very fair final product with a little cinnamon powder.
Summary
I have previously praised the Hibrew H10B for its good entry-level coffee machine. If you want to develop it, then the next step should be Hebreww H10A, amit I recommend it with a calm heart for any medium-sized kitchen, perhaps only its size speaks against it, not much else. This too thermo block technique, which is not an undivided success in coffee machine circles, but machines like the Hibrew H10A stand in the hall of the more serious models - such as the Gaggia Classic or the Ranchilio Silvia. THE PID controller amazingly rare in this category, but a pressure display and temperature setting, so if you already have a good coffee grinder, the H10A complements it well. It is also a strong argument in favor of it Use of 58 mm catering industry standard, which guarantees the availability of tons of accessories and thus the possibility of later developments.
What is a PID controller?
The PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) controller is used to precisely adjust the water temperature, which is crucial for preparing high-quality espresso. The controller keeps the temperature stable, minimizing fluctuations, thus avoiding overheating - burn – or too low – improper extraction – errors caused by temperature. In fact, not only coffee machines use PID control, but also, for example, drones for their flight. It is a mathematical model based on P, I and D values. Without going into more details, the point is that the model takes both past and planned future data as a basis and corrects fluctuations in order to maintain the temperature as stable as possible. In contrast, the thermostats they operate within preset temperature limits, that is, if it falls below the lower threshold, they are switched on, if it goes above, they are switched off.