Illy Francis Francis X7.1 Iperespresso Machine Review 2024

Do you love the idea of a manual espresso machine but don’t want to have to learn how to pull a great shot? 

Do you love anything with retro, sixties styling? If you answered yes to both of those questions, then prepare to fall in love with the machine you read about here in our X7.1 iperEspresso machine review. 

This machine is your ticket to the easiest espresso you’ve ever seen!

Illy isn’t one of the giants in the coffee industry, but they are an incredibly well-respected family-owned business based in Italy and founded in 1933.

With decades of experience under their belts, the company’s products are thoughtfully designed, great looking, and created with quality and ease of use in mind. Even better, the company is committed to sustainable practices—from manufacturing to the beans they use in their custom coffee pods, which makes all of Illy’s products a great choice for anyone who is environmentally conscious.

This machine, in particular, is one of their most popular and is noteworthy for a number of reasons, not just its retro 1960s styling.

In the sections that follow, we’ll tell you all about what the X7 1 iperEspresso machine can do, and we won’t pull any punches when it comes to describing this model’s limitations. 

If your interest is piqued and you want to know more, read on, and let’s take a closer look!

An Overview of the Illy Francis Francis Model X7.1 IperEspresso Machine

Form Factor, Footprint, & Aesthetic

We regard this as a very strong component of our X7.1 iperEspresso machine review. First impressions are important, and most people will either fall in love with the X7 at first sight or they’ll be put off by it. 

The design comes to us from award-winning Italian architect Luca Trazzi, and we think it’s just beautiful.  

The mix of plastic and stainless steel on the body gives it a look that will fit right into most kitchens, but if your home is decorated with a sixties flare, this model is an even better fit with its smooth curves and retro styling. Even cooler is the fact that it’s offered in three different accent colors: black, white, or red, which gives you even more options.

In addition to being a great-looking machine, it has a surprisingly small footprint, measuring just 10.2″ W x 11.4″ D x 12.6″ H. That last number is particularly important because it means that this unit is short enough to fit comfortably under most cabinets mounted above countertops.

On top of that, the Illy iperEspresso X7 boasts a 39″ power cord, which we love because we’ve seen too many kitchen appliances marred by having ridiculously short power cords. 

You won’t run into that issue here!

Ultimately then, you’re either going to be a fan of the overall aesthetic or you’re not. If you are, this will almost certainly be a great addition to your kitchen. If not, then details like the length of its power cord and its delightfully compact design won’t matter much and almost certainly won’t be enough to convince you to pick this machine over some other model.

Reservoir Size of the X7 Illy iperEspresso Capsule Machine

This is another quite strong component of our X7.1 iperEspresso machine review. Given that the entire concept of this machine revolves around brewing one cup at a time, bounded by the convenient pods, the 40-ounce water tank will be just fine for the vast majority of people who buy one of these.

The only time you’ll run into a problem would be if you live in a large, bustling household with lots of people who drink lots of coffee. In that specific instance, you may find yourself having to refill the water reservoir slightly more often than you’d like. For everybody else, though, it’s generously sized.

The Boiler System of Illy X71 iperEspresso

The Francis Francis X7.1 iperEspresso machine features a fast-heating stainless steel boiler with a fifteen-bar pump. While the industry doesn’t have formalized standards around either, both of these are incredibly common in machines that are considered peers of this model, so it’s perfectly in line with the machines it is in direct competition with.

While there is some delay between the time you power the unit on and the time when the boiler brings the water up to temp, it’s not an extravagant wait, so you won’t be sitting around twiddling your thumbs wishing it was faster, and that’s a good thing.

It’s also worth mentioning that the company has developed a two-stage system for creating its espresso, which creates a more full-flavored, intensely aromatic drink with rich tasting, long-lasting crema, which is a fancy way of saying that it offers one-touch convenience with espresso that tastes as good or better than what you’ll get from the coffee shop down the road.

The Control System of the Illy X7.1 iperEspresso Machine

Yet another strong component of our X7.1 iperEspresso machine review, the control system consists of a small collection of buttons, well laid out and intuitively labeled. 

You probably won’t even need to refer to the user manual to work out the basic operation of the unit, but of course, the user manual is well written and easy to understand. Kudos to the folks at Illy for keeping it simple!

The Milk Frothing System

The X7.1 iperEspresso machine is more than just a pod-based espresso maker. It comes with a handy steam wand you can use to make a wide range of coffee drinks with espresso as a base.

Where milk frothing is concerned, there are two basic options: the steam wand or an auto-frothing system.

The auto-frothing system is a hands-free, automated process that creates the froth for you, while the steam wand does take some practice and finesse to use well. In our view, it is the superior approach and is well worth spending some time learning to do well.

Using the steam wand provided, your Illy 7.1 iperEspresso will allow you to make a wide range of high-quality, delicious coffee drinks and give you the freedom and flexibility to enjoy them any time you like—day or night.

The Illy X71 iperEspresso is Delightfully Easy to Use And Easy to Clean

While it’s true that this machine offers superior espresso with one-touch convenience, it’s also true that every coffee machine will eventually need cleaning and descaling, and this one is no exception. The good news is that the descaling process is just as simple as everything else on the unit, and it won’t be a huge time sink for you. 

You’ll find full instructions in the user manual.

Extras

If you decide to buy an Illy iperEspresso X7 1, all you’re getting is the machine itself. It’s not a package deal. This, however, is a perfect time to bring up the Illy iperesso coffee and capsules. You’ll absolutely need the capsules to use this machine. You can find them here:

Note that there’s not a huge selection of options. You can get:

Using these as a base, and combined with your handy frothing wand, you can create a full range of delicious coffee drinks. So literally, everything you need is here!

Pros & Cons of X7.1 iperEspresso Machine

The X7 iperEspresso machine doesn’t really have any serious weaknesses, but it is a fairly self-selecting machine. Purists aren’t going to like it because it is pod based. People who don’t like sixties styling aren’t going to like it because it has that. For just about everybody else, it’s going to be fantastic and is a tremendous value for the money.

X7.1 Iperespresso Machine Review Conclusion

We love the X7, and we think a solid majority of our readers will too. It doesn’t just make a great espresso, it does it in style, and that’s pretty cool. We highly recommend this model.

Other Options to Consider

If, having reached the end of our X7.1 Iperespresso machine review, you reach the conclusion that cool or not, it’s just not for you, here are a couple of comparable options to consider:

Consider this to be the super deluxe big brother of the machine we just talked about.  While the machine we just reviewed uses mostly plastic with some stainless steel accents, this beast of a machine is almost entirely stainless steel with a few plastic accents.

It’s both beautiful and capable, but you’ll pay a hefty premium for the materials used in its construction.

This is an off-brand but a very good one and will appeal to purists who don’t like the pod-based system. This is an actual manual espresso machine where you pull shots like they do at your local coffee shop. It’s a surprisingly good machine given its modest cost and a great entry-level purchase if you want to become your own barista!

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Official Manufacturer Support

Reference & Resources

• illy, Official Brand Website.
• illy Francis Francis X7 User Manual
• 9 Reasons Why (the Right Amount of) Coffee is Good For You, Johns Hopkins Medicine.
• Science Behind Pulling the Perfect Espresso Shot, Science of Cooking.
• How to Froth Milk With a Steam Wand, The Spruce Eats.