La Spaziale
Dream Espresso Machine

I set off to find a bezzera DUO de to replace my failing BZ02. I was unable to find one near me or online that was available. After more research and wanting to buy local if possible, I narrowed my focus to Clive coffee. I needed a semi-auto machine for ease of use by my wife, and she didn’t want E-61 type anyway because of all the chrome to keep clean. I wanted a plumed machine this time also.
I looked at the Luca A53, but it was missing a lot of the features of the Dream. It arrived a week after ordering, had to be shipped because of coved-19 restrictions ( I live less the 7 miles from Clive coffee ). I had done some pre plumbing in preparation for the water filter/softener that I ordered with the Dream, so it took just a few minutes to complete the plumbing after unpacking. Flushed the water filter/softener, hooked up the water line, plugged Dream in, filled the boilers as described in the manual, allowed the Dream to heat for 45 minutes while I went thru the menu, setting features as described in the manual.
I will say that the menu features take a significant number of selections to get to features that you want to change, and then a significant number of selections to return to the home screen. Hopefully this will be corrected in a future software update thru the micro sd port. First settings were for the brew boiler and the steam boiler, both of these temps are displayed on the home screen during use. Then set pre infusion time. I also set up the internal clock timer on/off function. This is feature that I will never go with out on any espresso machine, the timer allows up to 3 on/off times each day, and ability to have a different time each day of the week. Previously I had used a smart switch for this feature, but they only support 15 amps, not the 20 amps needed for the Dream. This feature is a little clumsy to set up, but it works perfectly.
After configuring the settings, it took me a few pulls with the bottomless portafilter /w 22.5 grams to dial in the grind and set the volumetric dose, yielding 31 grams espresso in 28 seconds.
After using the Dream for 2 weeks now, I could not be happier, it has plenty of steam power, and being able to set the brew temp, I am able to pull the best shots I have ever pulled at home, being able to set the best brew temp for each coffee roast. The temp of the group is stable, dropping no more than 2 degrees during a pull, and quickly recovering.
Initially I had concerns about the 53mm portafilter, but those concerns were unfounded. Shots pull with out channeling, and a even distribution of water thru the puck. It may be that the pre-infusion makes up for this, I’m not sure but it works. The other concern was how much of the grounds would spill when grinding into the portafilter from my sette 270wi. Adjusting the height of the portafilter in the setti took care of that.
I still don’t like navigating the menu, way to many presses on the touch screen to get to the menu setting I want to change, and just as many screen taps to back out to the home menu. I do like the home screen, it shows temperature status of the steam and brew boilers, if either boiler is heating, and a shot timer.
The build quality is very good, the only thing I would ding on quality, when cleaning the steam wand, the steam valve/knob moves. This to me indicates that the steam valve is not securely mounting to any part of the machine internally.
The major features of this machine that sealed the deal for me were the pre-infusion, the internal clock on/off timer, and the volumetric dosing control. The design is not as ornate as the E61 machines, but it is easier to keep clean, and design fits well with a modern kitchen.