
Nivona Cube Review: Can a Fully Automatic Machine Taste Like a Portafilter Machine?
The Nivona Cube is a fully automatic coffee machine that borrows key techniques from manual espresso machines (portafilters) to overcome common flaws: uneven extraction and channeling.
Key Advantage: Manual Coffee Distribution- Biggest plus: You see the ground coffee before brewing and can distribute it evenly (tamping).
- Traditional super-automatics create uneven coffee cakes → channeling → bitter and sour drinks.
- Manual leveling ensures uniform extraction → much better flavor.
- Removable brew basket (hand-wash only).
- Conical burr grinder (grinds 12 g in ~8 seconds).
- Grind settings: Fine (espresso) to coarse (lungo), but overall too coarse for true portafilter espresso.
- Auto-tamping adjusts to coffee amount → clean puck.
- Dead space (~12.5 g): Old grounds affect first brew; tip: preheat the basket for better results.
- 12 g coffee → 28–32 g brew → TDS ~6% ✅ qualifies as espresso.
- Taste: Solid, but limited by crema valve and grinder.
- Crema valve (fancy term for dual-wall basket) creates artificial pressure → fake crema (not flavor-relevant).
- Grinder limit: Particle size in coffee-crema range (400 μm peak) vs. espresso (200-300 μm).
- Temperature: Highest setting recommended (measured ~85°C without resistance).
- 12 g coffee → 70 g brew (1:5.8) → best coffee-crema from a super-automatic in a long time.
- Clean, full-bodied, sweet, cocoa-like – no stale machine taste.
- Brew profiles:
- Dynamic (1 bar): reduced flow → bitter-metallic; better for lighter roasts.
- Constant (3 bars): recommended → slow pressure build → balanced, similar to vibe-pump espresso machines.
- Intense (5 bars): extends extraction time → pointless for lungo; only for experimenting with light roasts.
- Pre-infusion: Wets only ⅓ of the coffee bed → minimal effect.
- Best for:
- Households wanting high-quality longer drinks (80–100 ml) rather than pure espresso.
- Beginners who want more control than a standard super-automatic.
- Those valuing easy cleaning (no internal mess).
- Not ideal for:
- Espresso purists → grinder too coarse, crema valve → dedicated espresso machine + grinder (e.g., Dedica + DF54 for ~€ 450) is superior.
- Price: ~€ 430 (DE) / CHF 500 (CH).
- Preheat brew basket → massive flavor improvement.
- Use regularly (avoid long pauses) to prevent stale dead-space coffee.
- Quality coffee: Freshly roasted (check roast date), e.g., Compadre (darker roast) – balanced, chocolaty.
- Grind settings:
- Espresso: finest grind + minimum water (~12 g / 30 ml).
- Lungo: medium grind (level 3) + 70 ml.
Conclusion: The Nivona Cube is not a portafilter replacement, but the best compromise in the super-automatic market for long, clean coffee drinks. Manual distribution is the game-changer – simple, effective, and fun.





