Introducing the Sanremo D8, Initial Review

Today we’re taking a brief look at the newly released entry-level espresso machine from Italian manufacturer Sanremo, with help from their UK Sales Director, Stewart Johnson.

The D8 was unveiled in the UK at London Coffee Festival on Thursday April 11th 2024, entering their strong line-up of espresso machines as their newest entry-level model. With it’s extremely competitive pricing, the D8 offers Sanremo fans a new choice alongside the Zoe and F18 SB models. Before we delve deeper, make sure to watch the video above.

Initial Overview

I’ll summarise the points made in the video below, but for a better understanding of the background of this machine and its reasons for existing, watch the video above to hear Stewart’s sales pitch.

The brand new D8 is a reimagined idea of what is achievable on an entry level machine: great quality coffee, an intuitive user interface, designed for anyone who wants to serve high quality coffee today and into the future. The idea was to first and foremost design a machine that is a statement piece on the bar, and one which baristas want to use and learn to create great quality coffees.

The D8 features a new stainless steel boiler system for high pressure, ‘powder-dry’ steam for fast and consistent milk texturing. This comes with a new hybrid heating system which allows the machine to control and stabilise the group heads between 90 and 98 degrees celsius for consistent levels of extraction. Precise volumetrics also allow for complete customisation and control of your espresso shots to dial in any coffee as needed.

In terms of pricing and where the D8 sits in the line-up, it’s perfectly positioned for businesses that want to invest in good coffee today, and great coffee going into the future.

The machine comes with single turn steam wands for responsive milk steaming, shot timers on each group head for a live view of the extraction, and six total programmable buttons for each group. Any recipes created on the left group head will save and copy across onto the entire machine.

Design wise, the machine comes in two or three group versions and in black, black and white, or full white colour versions. The side panels can be removed and customised, and the drip tray can be raised or lowered to better suit your preferred drink sizes.

Who is the Sanremo D8 For?

The D8 is quite clearly built for the coffee shop – whether on the high street, in a hotel lobby, inside a garden centre or visitor attraction. This is obviously not the first coffee machine geared towards these scenarios, but the D8 has a competitive advantage in one area specifically: value for money.

With it’s new hybrid heating system, sleek design aesthetics and material choices, the D8 offers a high-end look and feature-set at an entry-level price, starting from just above £4,000 from official distributors in the UK. The D8 is therefore specifically targeting coffee shop owners and operators who are looking for a high-ed espresso machine on a budget. Learn more – the Sanremo D8

How is the Sanremo D8 Pro Version Different?

The D8 starts at £4,200 for the most basic 2 group model, with a 3 group model also available at a higher price. For those looking for a slightly more premium machine but who already love the looks, price and features of the D8, the D8 PRO offers a more comprehensive package. Additional features of the D8 PRO combat some of the cuts that were made to the standard model in order to reduce price, such as the cool touch steam wands, independent temperature control across the group heads, and a larger display.

The extra features of the D8 Pro include…

• Display Pack: 52mm round display for easy programming
• Evolution Pack: Independent grouphead temperature control
• Comfort Pack: Machined portafilter holder and cool touch steam wands
• Lighting Pack: LED bar with programmable options
• Eco Pro Pack: Enhanced energy saving programme mode

Sanremo D8 vs Zoe

Unofficially, we reckon the D8 is going to completely replace the ZOE for any new machine sales. Both entry-level machines, both with single boilers, and both with competitive price tags, but one looks significantly more sleek and professional than the other. Now, we’re massive fans of the Zoe for businesses that need a simple package at a great price, but we’ll be the first to admit that it’s design style is not spectacular. Being a superior model from the inside and out, with an essentially identical price tag at £4,200, the D8 is likely going to be the preferred choice going forward.

Sanremo D8 vs F18 and F18SB

This comparison is a little closer in terms of features and design language, especially with the F18 SB also being a sleek, basic, single boiler model. Due to it’s far more competitive price tag and (in my opinion) slightly nicer design aesthetic, we also think the D8 is going to come on top in this comparison. With the unveiling of the D8, it seems now that the default recommendation for machines from the Sanremo lineup are going to be D8->F18->Racer->Opera, with price being one the main influencing factors in the decision.