There’s no surprise at all that we love the Superkop espresso machine at CoffeeGeek. Our twice-updated First Look heaps praise on the device, and the uniqueness offers, both in operation and in the fact it is the only wall mounted espresso machine you can buy today.
We still use the Superkop to this day, and are way overdue for the publication of our Full Review. Spoiler alert, it’s going to score over 90 points once the review is published. Just about everything regarding this device is first rate and well built. One thing we’ve discovered since the First Look was published is just how temperature stable the thick polycarbonate water reservoir is for pulling espresso shots.
When we published the review, the Superkop was actually cheaper to buy in Canada than it was in the USA.
This has now changed. As of June, 2024, the Superkop is available through Amazon in the USA, at a price of $799.
And there’s even better news. If you opt for the black model, currently there is a $50 off coupon, making the machine (and its hefty wood base) just $750. This is $250 less than what the price was just a few months ago, and puts it a lot closer to the Flair 58, which is around $600. Here’s the choices:
- Superkop in Black, $800 ($750 with coupon).
- Superkop in Red, $800
- Superkop in White, $800
Why the Superkop is So Special
Superkop themselves love to push the fact that this is a generational product: it is so well built, and so ultimately simple in operation that it should last decades and decades with minimal maintenance.
For me, it’s the combination of the industrial design beauty, the quality of beverage it is capable of producing, and the day to day function of the device. Especially if you wall mount it.
It’s funny; when I posted our First Look of the device, I did talk up Superkop’s claim that the machine is maintenance free. Several people on social media questioned that, some not believing it.
For the most part, this machine is maintenance free. You will have to replace the gaskets down the road (on the water reservoir) and possibly the reservoir itself will wear out (I’d recommend buying a spare now, just in case the company isn’t around in 10-15 years). But other than that, the engineering design plus robust build quality make it virtually maintenance free. Hidden inside the machine is a pneumatic piston; its purpose is to lift the plunger piston once you cock the lever back to the full upright position. That should last for decades.
The ratchet system is also very robust and should stand up to tens of thousands of uses, if not hundreds of thousands. This is not a plastic toy. The Superkop is all metal, all completely over-built.
Back to why I love the machine so much: in a way, it kind of “automates” the manual lever experience slightly with the ratchet design, unique to this machine in the whole world of modern lever espresso machine makers.
The ratchet design means you don’t have to exert a lot of force to get a full 9bar extraction. Six pulls means you control and pause the introduction of water to the bed of coffee. Having the six pulls gives you a series of controlled steps that you can increase pressure on, decrease pressure on, do planned pauses, or extended preinfusions. There’s a lot of room for experimentation and play here.
Then there’s the all mount ability.
I mean, that’s just fantastic. This can become a functional work of art in your home. If you have a breakfast nook or a dedicated “coffee bar” portion of your home or kitchen, this could be the centrepiece. Even in our home, it still stands out wedged into a corner, beside a buffet table and the door to our basement. Every visitor to our home, when they notice the machine, is immediately intrigued. I usually let them pull a shot from it, with a bit of guidance, and the results are marvelled at.
The Flair 58 might be a better lever machine in terms of output in the cup, but it doesn’t enthuse people like the Superkop does. And if we’re all excited and talking about espresso, we’re going to get better and better espresso. This machine contributes to that.
At $800, or even better yet, $750, the Superkop espresso machine is a solid choice for the home.
- Superkop in Black, $800 ($750 with coupon).
- Superkop in Red, $800
- Superkop in White, $800
Mark has certified as a Canadian, USA, and World Barista Championship Judge in both sensory and technical fields, as well as working as an instructor in coffee and espresso training. He started CoffeeGeek in 2001.
2 Responses
Not sure what you’re on about. I engaged Superkop via their Facebook page around a month ago, imploring them to lower the price, as it’s absurdly inflated relative to the competition. It was already $800, which is around $200 more than it should be.
It’s an impressive work of design and engineering, but they’re going to fail if they don’t lower the price or otherwise increase the value; for what they’re currently charging, the naked portafilter and wall mount should be included, and it would still be a tough sell.
Manual espresso makers are a niche within a niche. There’s a reason that no one in the notable Facebook espresso enthusiast groups is talking about this one despite having been available for a couple years now.
First, I do appreciate you commenting here and fostering some discussion.
To answer your first question, I’m going on about it being about $250 less in the USA than it was a month before I posted this article. I thought that was significant enough that it warranted a post.
What’s more correct here, is that the Superkop, at $800, is perhaps too expensive for you, which is a fair argument. It’s definitely expensive for me! You feel it should be lower priced, perhaps not knowing the costs of doing small scale runs like this. Again, that’s fair from your side.
I know more about manufacturing costs because I take the time to ask small scale manufacturers like this what is involved, all the time. I try to avoid making assumptions, so I actually ask the questions directly to those involved. Some, including Superkop, have told me the raw costs. The scale at which this company makes this product, the absolute top level of quality they’ve achieved for very small production runs, and just the raw material costs, are all substantial. Plus they need to make a profit. It is a much more complex machine with a lot more material components than the Cafelat Robot, which is mainly manufactured in China with much lower labour costs, by companies that are able to much better scale the material costs to their favour as well.
I’d speculate the reason why the “notable Facebook espresso enthusiasts group” isn’t talking much about this machine: Superkop isn’t giving them away to folks for padded reviews, like some other companies do. They can’t afford to. Ditto with most of the Youtube influencer channels. I arranged for Coffee Kev to get one on loan for review, and I believe Lance Hedrick bought one, so they both have reviewed it, and very favourably, I would add.
I also stand by it being an excellent machine, very unique, and a complete show stopper when wall mounted, as evidenced by literally every new member in my small focus groups noting the machine, admiring it, and wanting to pull shots with it (and then being very impressed with the results). Considering people will pay $500 for a press pot (the Weber Bird), $500 for a WDT device (the Moonraker), $1,000 for the Olympia Mina, etc etc, I think $800 for this machine, given it’s build quality and the quality in the cup, is a fair price.