Video Overview | Nuova Simonelli Oscar II Espresso Machine

I'm Ryan from Prima, and this is the Nuova Simonelli Oscar II Espresso Machine.

At Prima, we know that launching a mobile coffee business is more than just finding the right gear—it's about building a foundation for success. That’s why we’ve created a whole host of resources for you, including a free five-part course, a community forum, comparative overviews, videos, and personalized support through one-on-one consultations. All of these are designed to help you hit the ground running and build a thriving coffee business.

Check out the links at the bottom of this page for more info!

A truly great, mobile-friendly espresso machine should have a few key features: 120-volt power, timed or volumetric dosing, direct-plumb capability, powerful steam, and a small footprint. The Oscar II checks all of those boxes. It’s a super compact, single-group heat exchanger with time-based dosing, a two-liter copper boiler, direct plumb or reservoir capability, and strong steam power—making it a very practical fit for light commercial use.

There are a few things I want to show you up close on the Oscar II. This particular model in front of me is direct-plumbable—you can tell by the water intake line on the back. Notably, though, the drip tray on the direct-plumbed model is not plumbable. There’s no drain outlet, which means this is self-contained, and you’ll need to dump it out every liter or so. That’s definitely something to consider if you’re using this in a light commercial environment.

This is a four-hole steam tip with an articulating wand that can fit anything from small to really big pitchers right on the drip tray. It’s operated by a lever—pushing it forward momentarily activates a purge, while holding it down lets you steam a whole pitcher of milk. That whole process takes about 15 seconds with the available power in this boiler.

The group head is not actively heated; it’s passively heated through thermo-siphoning of the heat exchanger. Still, it keeps the portafilter nice and hot for consistent extractions. The machine comes with a double-spouted portafilter. On the control panel, we have a single and a double program. Those don’t necessarily correspond to single and double shots—you can program them by time however you like. To do that, choose a program and hold it down until it starts flashing. Once it does, start your shot, stop it when you’re satisfied, and then hold down both buttons to lock in that program.

Up here, we have the water level indicator, which tells you if there’s a problem with water intake, and the power indicator, which lets you know when the heating element is warming up or has reached temperature.

A couple more notes about this machine: first, the weight. It’s incredibly light—you can just pick it up with no effort. It’s probably less than half, maybe a third, of the weight of something like a single-group Linea Mini. That’s nice if you’re tearing things down at the end of the day or setting up a mobile cart without fixed equipment.

Another thing to point out is that the direct-plumb model retains the space where a two-liter reservoir would normally sit in the reservoir version. That means it’s just an open cavity that sits at a higher temperature because of its proximity to the boiler. You can’t store consumables in there, but you could stash some non-consumables if you’re short on space in your cart.

Since the Oscar II is a heat exchanger, you can brew and steam at the same time—a big plus for speed. It’s able to recover enough pressure between drinks to produce around 30 milk drinks an hour, keeping up with any low-to-medium-volume coffee cart or large family gathering at home.

In our tests, the heat exchanger kept brew temperatures steady between 197°F and 204°F. It tends to run a little cooler when you’re just pulling shots and a bit hotter when brewing and steaming back-to-back. It’s not as precise as a dual boiler, but it can easily handle a new drink every couple of minutes.

So, who is the Oscar II for? If you’re someone who hosts a lot of dinner parties or has a big holiday gathering coming up, it’s perfect—you can make drink after drink without missing a beat. In a light commercial setting, I think of this machine as a steam-priority espresso machine, meaning it really shines for hot drinks. And if you can live with that 4–5 degree variance on the brewing side, this is probably one of the best values you’ll find for a coffee cart or light commercial setup under two grand.

Are you ready to start a conversation about opening your own coffee cart? Prima offers a wealth of resources for aspiring mobile coffee entrepreneurs, including a free 5-part Mobile Coffee Course, free consultations with an experienced commercial coffee expert, and all the equipment and accessories you need to launch the coffee cart of your dreams! Schedule a meeting today, and be sure to check out our curated selection of mobile coffee gear linked above. Happy brewing!