Quick Answer: The Bezzera BZ10 (about $1,449) is the best Bezzera espresso machine for most buyers — a heat-exchanger machine with Bezzera’s own 58mm electrically-heated group, a dual pressure gauge and roughly a 10-minute heat-up, so it brews and steams at the same time without prosumer-flagship pricing. Want the cheapest way into the brand instead? The Unica (about $1,389) is the only current Bezzera with PID control, though it trades away simultaneous brew-and-steam for a single shared boiler. Stepping up to genuine E61 hardware and higher shot volume, the Magica (about $3,200) is the pick, and hands-on enthusiasts who want to shape pressure manually should look at the Strega (about $2,699), Bezzera’s electrically-heated spring-lever machine.
Bezzera isn’t just another Italian espresso brand — Luigi Bezzera filed the first espresso machine patent in Milan in 1901, then sold it to Desiderio Pavoni, who commercialized it in 1905 as La Pavoni. That makes 2026 the company’s 125th anniversary, and it’s still independently family-run today under Luca Bezzera, Luigi’s great-grandson, rather than folded into one of the larger espresso conglomerates. The current US lineup skips flashy touchscreens in favor of straightforward heat-exchanger and single-boiler machines, all built around the commercial 58mm portafilter. Here’s how the four current models compare.
Bezzera espresso machines at a glance
| Machine | Best for | Boiler | Group head | PID | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bezzera BZ10 | Best overall | Heat exchanger, 2.9L | Bezzera BZ group (58mm) | No (thermostat) | ~$1,449 |
| Bezzera Unica | Best value | Single boiler | Own group (58mm) | Yes | ~$1,389 |
| Bezzera Magica | Best for espresso-first households | Heat exchanger, 2L copper | Genuine E61 (58mm) | No (thermostat) | ~$3,200 |
| Bezzera Strega | Best for lever enthusiasts | Heat exchanger, copper | Electrically-heated spring lever (58mm) | No (thermostat) | ~$2,699 |
1. Bezzera BZ10 — Best Overall
Bezzera BZ10 Heat Exchanger Espresso Machine
- Heat exchanger boiler with a 2.9L reservoir, lets you brew a shot and steam milk at the same time.
- Bezzera's own electrically-heated 58mm "BZ group" with dual heating elements for temperature stability, plus a dual pressure gauge to monitor brew and steam pressure.
- Roughly a 10-minute heat-up from cold — fast for a heat-exchanger design.
- Includes 8g single-shot and 14g double-shot filter baskets; thermostat-controlled rather than PID.
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The BZ10 earns the top spot because it’s the most balanced machine in the lineup: a real heat-exchanger boiler that lets you pull a shot and froth milk without waiting for the machine to swap modes, built around a 58mm portafilter so accessories and baskets are interchangeable with prosumer machines from other brands. It skips PID in favor of a thermostat, which sounds like a downgrade on paper but matters less than it would on a single-boiler machine — the HX design’s copper mass and constant water circulation already keep temperature swings narrow. The dual pressure gauge is the standout convenience, letting you watch brew pressure build in real time rather than guessing. If you want that same HX logic with a genuine E61 group instead of Bezzera’s own design, see our best e61 espresso machine roundup.
2. Bezzera Unica — Best Value
Bezzera Unica PID Espresso Machine
- Single boiler shared between brewing and steaming — the tradeoff that makes this the cheapest current Bezzera.
- The only Bezzera model with PID temperature control, for repeatable shot-to-shot temperature.
- 58mm commercial portafilter, same basket size as every other machine in the lineup.
- Compact single-boiler body, easier to fit on a smaller counter than the HX-based BZ10.
The Unica is the machine to buy if PID precision matters more to you than simultaneous brewing and steaming — it’s the only model here with true PID control, ironic given it’s also the cheapest, since most brands reserve PID for their pricier tiers. What you give up versus the BZ10 is the heat exchanger: with one boiler doing both jobs, pulling a shot and then steaming milk means a short wait while the Unica retargets temperature, the same tradeoff Ascaso’s cheapest model makes. For roughly $60 less than the BZ10, that’s a reasonable trade for a single-person household that isn’t steaming milk on every drink. Buyers who want PID plus simultaneous brew-and-steam should expect to spend closer to $2,000-3,000 with a dual-boiler machine — see our best dual boiler espresso machine guide for that tier.
3. Bezzera Magica — Best for Espresso-First Households
Bezzera Magica E61 Heat Exchanger Espresso Machine
- Genuine E61 group head — the same design used in Rocket and Profitec's entry prosumer lines — rather than Bezzera's own in-house group.
- 2-liter copper heat-exchanger boiler, brews and steams simultaneously with fast heat recovery.
- 58mm commercial portafilter; available in tank-fed or plumbed-in configurations.
- Positioned closer to semi-commercial equipment than a scaled-up home machine.
The Magica is the machine to reach for once you’re pulling shots for more than one or two people a day. Its genuine E61 group — rather than the BZ10’s or Unica’s own in-house group designs — brings the classic thermosiphon pre-infusion behavior that E61 fans specifically shop for, and the 2-liter copper HX boiler recovers heat fast enough to handle back-to-back drinks without the brew temperature drifting. At roughly $3,200, more than double the BZ10, it’s priced and built for genuine high-volume households or small home-café setups rather than the occasional solo cappuccino. If you’re comparing it against other genuine-E61 machines before committing, our best e61 espresso machine roundup lines up the field, and our best prosumer espresso machine guide covers the wider category.
4. Bezzera Strega — Best for Lever Enthusiasts
Bezzera Strega Spring Lever Espresso Machine
- Electrically-heated 58mm spring lever group with dual heating elements, unlike a passive manual lever that relies only on ambient boiler heat.
- Copper heat-exchanger boiler with a vibration-pump assist that pre-infuses the puck before the spring takes over.
- Stands 29 inches tall with the lever fully extended (13"W x 17.7"D) — confirm counter and cabinet clearance before buying.
- Includes 8g single and 14g double baskets; tank-fed standard, with a plumbing adapter available.
The Strega is for buyers who want to physically shape a shot’s pressure curve rather than let a pump do it — pulling the lever manually controls pre-infusion and pressure the way a fully manual machine does, but the electrically-heated group and vibration-pump assist keep temperature stable and pre-infuse the puck automatically, so it’s more forgiving than a purely mechanical lever. At $2,699 it costs more than the E61-equipped Magica despite lacking PID, which reflects the cost of the lever hardware itself rather than any shortfall in shot quality. The 29-inch height with the lever raised is the one real gotcha — measure your cabinet clearance first. If you want the lever experience at a fraction of the price and footprint, our best manual espresso machine guide covers hand-pumped machines like the Flair 58 that skip the boiler and electric heating entirely.
Bezzera espresso machines, by the numbers
- 1901 — the year Luigi Bezzera filed the first espresso machine patent in Milan, later sold to Desiderio Pavoni and commercialized in 1905 as La Pavoni. 2026 marks Bezzera’s 125th anniversary.
- $1,389 to $3,200 — the current US price span across the four-model lineup, from the entry single-boiler Unica to the E61-equipped Magica.
- 10 minutes — the BZ10’s approximate heat-up time from cold, fast for a heat-exchanger machine.
- 29 inches — the Strega’s height with its spring lever fully extended, the tallest machine in the lineup by a wide margin.
- 1 of 4 — how many current Bezzera models (the Unica) ship with PID temperature control; the other three rely on thermostat control paired with heat-exchanger thermal mass instead.
Which Bezzera espresso machine should you buy?
- Buy the BZ10 if you want the best all-around balance of price and capability — heat exchanger, dual pressure gauge and a fast heat-up for about $1,449.
- Buy the Unica if PID precision matters most to you or your counter is tight, and you’re fine trading away simultaneous brew-and-steam for it.
- Buy the Magica if you’re an espresso-first, multi-person household that wants genuine E61 hardware and higher shot volume.
- Buy the Strega if hands-on pressure profiling is the point — just measure your cabinet clearance for its 29-inch height first.
- If you want PID plus simultaneous brewing and steaming in one machine, none of Bezzera’s current lineup offers both; see our best dual boiler espresso machine guide for brands that do.
The bottom line
The Bezzera BZ10 (about $1,449) is the best Bezzera espresso machine for most buyers — a real heat-exchanger design, dual pressure gauge and roughly 10-minute heat-up without prosumer-flagship pricing. The Unica (about $1,389) is the cheapest way into the brand and the only model with PID, if you can live with a single shared boiler. Step up to the Magica (about $3,200) for genuine E61 hardware and higher shot volume, or the Strega (about $2,699) if manual pressure profiling through an electrically-heated spring lever is what you’re after. Whichever you pick, remember Bezzera’s real claim to fame isn’t a spec sheet — it’s that the company’s 1901 patent is the reason espresso machines exist at all. For the full field beyond one brand, see our best espresso machine pillar guide.