Review: Victoria Arduino Eagle One Prima Espresso Machine
By Coffee Expert
Alex Jacob
Victoria Arduino Eagle One Prima Espresso Machine
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8 photos
The Curated Take
4.6/5
The Victoria Arduino Eagle One Prima Espresso Machine is an excellent choice for small cafés, roasteries, and espresso enthusiasts. Its energy-efficient design and consistent performance make it suitable for daily use, catering events, and product testing. Despite some minor drawbacks like the water tank access and app issues, its strengths lie in its steam wand pressure, quick heat time, and elegant aesthetics. The machine's simplicity and customization options allow it to fit various settings, from professional environments to home setups. Overall, it's a reliable and versatile option for producing high-quality espresso.
Ideal for
- Great for small cafés/roasteries
- Ideal for espresso carts
- Excellent machine for prosumers/espresso enthusiasts
Not ideal for
- Water tank fill is accessed under the cup warming tray
- Drip tray drainage hole is not predrilled
- Associated Victoria Arduino app has issues
Steam Power
The steam wand and pressure are quick to reach temp and allow for wonderful microfoam. The Eagle One Prima easily provides an experience on par with other larger commercial machines....Read more
Heat Time
While getting up in the morning and waiting for my machine to heat up isn't always the best, the Eagle One Prima's 30-minute heat time is on par for most...Read more
Aesthetics
When Victoria Arduino was designing the Eagle One Prima, they set out to design a machine that could be at home in a café, roastery, or on a kitchen counter. Its...Read more
Consistency
The Eagle One Prima's internal technology ensures a minimal thermodynamic drop and changes in my shots. Even in moderate-use settings such as small to moderate cafés, the Eagle One Prima seems...Read more
Steam Wand
The steam wand and pressure allow for excellent microfoam. The Eagle One Prima easily provides an experience on par with other larger commercial machines. Even in moderately busy environments, the...Read more
Ease of Use
While not the most tech-heavy machine, the simple readout on the Eagle One Prima makes it easy to be consistent and understand the menu options when making adjustments or walking...Read more
Espresso Extraction
While the "perfect" shot is only something of rumor, told behind the bar, the Eagle One Prima does well creating and extracting excellent flavors, like fruity, savory, chocolatey, and syrupy...Read more
Quality
While launched in 2020, the Eagle One Prima suffered from some quality issues early on. Stories of rattling drip trays and unaligned steam gauges were not uncommon. However, over time,...Read more
Curated Experts are not sponsored by brands. Their reviews are based on their honest experiences testing products.
Alex Jacob
About the espresso equipment
- Model: Victoria Arduino Eagle One Prima Espresso Machine
Test conditions
- When I bought this: 2021
- Where I’ve used it: Home, roastery, and catering events
- How many times I've used it: 200
Expert Reviews of the Victoria Arduino Eagle One Prima Espresso Machine
Alex Jacob I have used the Victoria Arduino (VA) Eagle One Prima for over two years in my specialty coffee roasting company. Usage ranges from daily espresso-based drink making and product testing to catering events. Overall, the machine has held up beautifully and continues to pull consistent and tasty shots. Victoria Arduino's focus on energy savings also makes this an efficient machine. However, one major con would be the VA mobile app. While it is important to dive into some settings for one's steam wand and hot water spout, it is unnecessary for the machine's functionality, as many shot settings can be adjusted manually. The machine also offers an auto-backflush setting, the ability to plumb water in/out directly, and customizability.
Product Specs
| Housing material | Stainless steel, Plastic |
| Features | Auto shut off, Auto start, NSF certified, Cup tray, Cup warmer |
| Volts | 120 V |
| Watts | 1600 |
| Product Depth (in.) | 20.08" |
| Weight (lb.) | 90 lbs. |
Review Ratings
Steam Power
5/5
Alex Jacob gave 5 of 5 stars. The steam wand and pressure are quick to reach temp and allow for wonderful microfoam. The Eagle One Prima easily provides an experience on par with other larger commercial machines. Even in moderately busy environments, the steam pressure showed no signs of dying down or watering down the milk.
Heat Time
4/5
Alex Jacob gave 4 of 5 stars. While getting up in the morning and waiting for my machine to heat up isn't always the best, the Eagle One Prima's 30-minute heat time is on par for most machines of this size. The boiler size and T3 heating system ensure I do not lose temperature while only heating the water I need.
Aesthetics
5/5
Alex Jacob gave 5 of 5 stars. When Victoria Arduino was designing the Eagle One Prima, they set out to design a machine that could be at home in a café, roastery, or on a kitchen counter. Its simple and elegant design houses a single LED light strip that illuminates the back. The panels are easily customizable through Victoria Arduino or other third-party companies. With so many options in colors and materials, the Eagle One Prima looks great anywhere.
Consistency
5/5
Alex Jacob gave 5 of 5 stars. The Eagle One Prima's internal technology ensures a minimal thermodynamic drop and changes in my shots. Even in moderate-use settings such as small to moderate cafés, the Eagle One Prima seems to hold its own and matches the consistency of even larger machines. There has been no noticeable drop in temperature or quality.
Steam Wand
5/5
Alex Jacob gave 5 of 5 stars. The steam wand and pressure allow for excellent microfoam. The Eagle One Prima easily provides an experience on par with other larger commercial machines. Even in moderately busy environments, the steam pressure showed no signs of dying down or watering down the milk.
Ease of Use
5/5
Alex Jacob gave 5 of 5 stars. While not the most tech-heavy machine, the simple readout on the Eagle One Prima makes it easy to be consistent and understand the menu options when making adjustments or walking through the cleaning procedures. While it's unnecessary, and not all machines have a shot timer, it is nice to have, especially when learning or teaching new baristas.
Espresso Extraction
4/5
Alex Jacob gave 4 of 5 stars. While the "perfect" shot is only something of rumor, told behind the bar, the Eagle One Prima does well creating and extracting excellent flavors, like fruity, savory, chocolatey, and syrupy bodies. Most important is its consistency in those extractions. While I might not pull "God Shots" every time, I certainly have the tool to pull some angelic shots.
Quality
4/5
Alex Jacob gave 4 of 5 stars. While launched in 2020, the Eagle One Prima suffered from some quality issues early on. Stories of rattling drip trays and unaligned steam gauges were not uncommon. However, over time, it seems that these issues have lessened. Overall, the quality and name of Victoria Arduino hold up and keep the maker's reputation.
FAQs
What do you love about this product?
Alex Jacob The VA Eagle One Prima is an easy machine to fall in love with in both a high-end home setup and a small café/roastery. With its energy and water-saving technology, easy-to-use and understandable display, and great steam pressure, the Eagle One Prima is a consistent machine that can handle events or any moderately busy workflow.
What was your favorite moment with this gear?
Alex Jacob Their first catering event with the VA Eagle One Prima was easily one of my favorite moments with the machine. Pulling consistently tasty shots back to back and not worrying about a dip in quality was great for showcasing my roasts. Many people were blown away, and being an online-focused specialty coffee roastery, any chance I have to share my coffee in person is crucial.
Why did you choose this product?
Alex Jacob One of the key reasons for going with the Eagle One Prima was its integrated energy and water-saving technologies. Auto backflushing the group head between shots combined with the reuse of the wastewater heat (plus the T3 system) ensures minimal waste is created. The easy-to-read, understandable display and shot timer were also reasons for going with the Eagle One Prima.
