Rocket R58 Tune Espresso Machine

TUNE lets you program how long two phases of the shot last: pre-infusion at the start and the final stage at the end, both at a fixed pressure of 3 bar. The main extraction runs in between. Pre-infusion wets the coffee in the basket evenly and reduces channeling; the low-pressure finish holds back the bitterness that usually comes through at the end.

It is not flow control or free pressure profiling: you set the times, not the pressure, on a profile preset by Rocket. You set them on the touch display, the Communication Pod.

It is the fast warm-up. As on the Mozzafiato Fast and the Giotto Fast, the E61 group has its own cartridge heater, with its own temperature probe, that heats it directly when you switch the machine on.

The group is the part that takes longest to come up to temperature: heating it this way gets the machine ready for coffee sooner.

The platform is the same: dual boiler, 0.58 litres for coffee and 1.8 for steam, PID control, water tank or mains water connection. The main difference is TUNE, with pre-infusion and a final stage at 3 bar on programmable times: the Cinquantotto has no pressure profiles.

The controls and the warm-up change too. The Tune has the Communication Pod, a 3.5" touch display held on by magnets, while the Cinquantotto has an external display connected by a cable to the socket on its side. The knobs are push-turn: push to purge, turn to adjust. And the Tune has the group heater for a fast warm-up, where the Cinquantotto needed 15-18 minutes.

It depends on how much you use it, but as a rule:

• after every espresso run a little water through the group (flush): it clears coffee residue from the shower screen;
• every day backflush with the blind filter and water only;
• every 1-2 weeks, more often if you use it a lot, backflush with espresso machine detergent.

Do not overdo the detergent: even in small amounts, over time it strips the grease from the gaskets and O-rings and dries them out.

With this routine and good quality water, the machine does not need descaling.

No. If you use the right water and keep up the routine (a flush after every coffee, a daily backflush with water and one with detergent every 1-2 weeks), descaling is not needed.

In fact it is best avoided: descaling chemicals can corrode the inside of the machine and are hard to rinse out completely. If it is ever needed, an authorised Rocket service centre does it.

The one that matches the mains in your home. The 220 V version runs on 220-240 V at 50-60 Hz, the voltage in most of the world, Europe included. The 110 V version is for low-voltage mains and runs on 115 V at 60 Hz.

Choose the version that matches your mains from those on sale on this page; if the one you need is not there, or you are not sure about your mains, write to us before ordering.