Owning the Rocket Espresso Mozzafiato Cronometro R

This walnut accent variation of the Rocket Espresso Mozzafiato Cronometro R is an exclusive customization offered by Whole Latte Love.

The Mozzafiato Cronometro R with Walnut wood accents is an elegant heat exchange PID machine featuring warm wood elements, a near-silent rotary pump, and the ability to be plumbed directly into a water line. The Cronometro version of the Mozzafiato features a hidden shot timer just above the power switch with a digital readout that appears when the pump is activated and disappears when it's off, blending in with the stainless steel housing. The wood elements are a custom addition by Whole Latte Love to augment the already intense Rocket style.

We love the direct plumb feature, especially since you can easily incorporate a filtration system, such as BWT, which removes all harmful minerals and the need to descale your machine while it’s in use. Rocket, ever the innovators, was one of the first manufacturers to incorporate a PID into their heat exchangers, though it has now become an industry standard on high-end HXs.

The PID is hidden behind the drip tray so as not to distract from the machine’s intricate design, and it can be adjusted across four settings to accommodate different roast styles. They’re also one of only a handful of manufacturers to make adjustments to the E61 group, which circulates water from the boiler through the group to aid in temperature stability and is a staple on most prosumer machines.

Just like on the rest of their machines, Rocket integrated a dual pre-infusion system on the Mozzafiato Cronometro R, consisting of a mechanical working piston which works progressively within a static pre-infusion chamber for fully saturated, crema-rich extractions. The PID controller keeps brew water temperature stable to the degree, and, once combined with this thoughtfully redesigned group, the Mozzafiato Cronometro R is equipped to deliver super consistent shots. The Mozzafiato Cronometro R really dominates the space, and its espresso game is on point.

Internally, the Mozzafiato Cronometro R is identical to its Giotto counterpart. It houses a large 1.8 L copper boiler and 1200 watt heating element, and, integrated sensors monitor the boiler and reservoir levels for low volumes, alerting you and, if necessary, shutting off automatically so as not to let the boiler run dry. Of course, plumbing the machine in eliminates this problem altogether. The Cronometro R also features the same feet and no-burn steam wands.

One of our favorite things about the Rocket machines are the accessories. They include a full color training guide complete with a USB thumb drive with extra content and 3 portafilters, a single, double and bottomless portafilters which comes with a 22-gram Baristapro basket for all of your espresso brewing needs. Plus, rather than include a chintzy plastic tamper, Rocket throws in a branded metal tamper so you’re always ready to brew like a pro.

The Mozzafiato is reliable and sleek, rounding out any home barista’s set up and fully capable of cranking out shots for days (and months, and years). If you love Rocket’s style but need your machine to slide into a small space, at just 9” wide, the Appartamento is the way to go; though, if you need even more power and capacity, the dual boiler R58 is an excellent step up.