Fracino Piccino Review: The Smallest Commercial Espresso Machine for Tight Counters
Last updated: August 2026
In 30 seconds:
- The Piccino is the smallest machine Fracino builds — one group, 250mm wide, 15kg, from £1,150.
- Best where counter space is the problem: a kiosk, a small bar, an office, or a second station.
- It has two separate 300ml boilers, so you can pull a shot and steam milk at the same time.
- Runs off a normal 13A socket at 2.2kW, and it’s tank-fed. No plumber, no waste pipe.
- Biggest mistake: expecting it to carry a morning rush. The boilers are tiny by design.
Not sure the smallest machine is the right call? Start with our electric coffee machines buying guide, or size it properly first with what size coffee machine your shop needs.
Quick specs
- Groups: 1 — sold as the Piccino-E, or the Piccino P.I.D with temperature control
- Size: 370mm high, 250mm wide, 315mm deep
- Weight: 15kg
- Boilers: 300ml brew plus 300ml steam — two separate boilers
- Power: 2.2kW on a standard 13A plug
- Water: 3-litre fill-up tank, no plumbing
- Warm-up: about 15 minutes from cold
- Price: from £1,150
Best for
Sites where the counter runs out before the coffee does. At 250mm wide and 15kg, the Piccino fits where nothing else commercial will — a kiosk hatch, a bar back, a deli end, an office point, or a quiet second station beside a bigger machine.
It suits low, steady volumes. Think a handful of drinks at a time rather than a queue out the door.
What it does well
It takes almost no room. Most one-group commercial machines are 360mm to 380mm wide. The Piccino is 250mm. That 110mm back is often the difference between fitting a proper machine in and giving up on one.
Two boilers, not one. Cheap machines share a single boiler between brewing and steaming, so you wait while it switches temperature. The Piccino has a 300ml brew boiler and a separate 300ml steam boiler. Pull the shot and steam the milk together, and neither job waits for the other.
It sips power. 2.2kW is the lowest draw in the Fracino range. A normal 13A socket gives roughly 3kW, so the Piccino leaves headroom on the same circuit — useful in an old building or a shared unit where the board is already busy.
The P.I.D version holds temperature. PID is just a controller that keeps the brew water at one steady temperature instead of drifting a few degrees either way. Steadier water means the shot tastes the same at 7am and 3pm.
It’s built in Birmingham. Fracino make their machines in the UK, so spares and workshop repairs stay in the country rather than crossing Europe.
What you need to run it
- A 13A socket. No dedicated spur, no electrician, no 20A supply.
- Somewhere to fill the tank. Three litres, topped up through the day.
- Filtered or softened water. A tank machine still furs up on hard water. Here’s why filtering matters.
- A grinder. The machine doesn’t grind beans. The F2 on-demand grinder is matched to the Piccino from £449, or compare options in our coffee grinder buying guide.
- About 15 minutes to come up to temperature before the first drink.
What it won’t do
- Carry a rush. One group pours one drink at a time, and two people can’t work it at once.
- Steam jug after jug. A 300ml steam boiler recovers quickly but holds very little, so back-to-back milk drinks will make you wait.
- Run unattended. A 3-litre tank empties fast on a good day. Someone has to keep filling it.
When to size up instead
If your busiest hour is a queue rather than a trickle, the Piccino will hold you back. Size to the peak, not the average.
Want the same tank-fed simplicity with a bigger boiler? Read the Fracino Cherub review or the Fracino Little Gem review. Serving steady queues? Two groups let two drinks pour at once — see the Fracino Contempo 2 Group review.
Keeping it running
Change the filter or softener cartridge every two months. Scale is what kills small boilers, and 300ml of water has no room to hide it.
The boiler works at up to 1.3 bar, with the safety valve set between 1.6 and 1.8 bar. Backflush the group and wipe the steam wand daily, and follow the same routine as any commercial machine — our guide on cleaning and descaling a commercial coffee machine covers it.
One thing to plan for: the warranty is back-to-base. If the machine needs workshop attention it goes to Fracino rather than an engineer coming to you, and the carriage is at your cost — roughly £95 out and £115 back, or nothing if you drop it in yourself. Worth knowing before you order, not after.
The biggest mistake to avoid
Buying the Piccino because it’s the cheapest way into a Fracino. It isn’t a smaller version of a busy café machine — it’s a proper commercial machine built for a small space and a small volume.
Buy it because the counter is 300mm and you need real espresso on it. If you’re buying it to save a few hundred pounds on a site that’s genuinely busy, you’ll be shopping again inside a year.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Fracino Piccino a commercial coffee machine?
Yes. It’s a commercial one-group machine built by Fracino in Birmingham, not a domestic appliance. It uses the same commercial group and steam fittings as the bigger models, just scaled to a 250mm-wide body with smaller boilers.
How big is the Fracino Piccino?
It’s 370mm high, 250mm wide and 315mm deep, and it weighs 15kg. That’s around 110mm narrower than a typical one-group commercial machine, which is why it fits counters that can’t take anything else.
Does the Fracino Piccino need plumbing in?
No. It’s tank-fed, with a 3-litre fill-up tank, so there’s no mains feed and no waste pipe to install. You top it up by hand through the day, which is the trade-off for being able to put it anywhere.
What power supply does the Fracino Piccino need?
A standard 13A socket. The Piccino draws 2.2kW, the lowest in the Fracino range, so it doesn’t need a dedicated spur or an electrician. A normal socket gives about 3kW, leaving headroom on the same circuit.
How much does the Fracino Piccino cost?
From £1,150 for the machine. Budget for a grinder on top — the matched F2 on-demand grinder starts from £449 — plus a water filter and a jug and tamper set to get pouring.
Can the Piccino brew and steam at the same time?
Yes. It has two separate 300ml boilers, one for brewing and one for steam, so neither job waits for the other. Single-boiler machines have to switch temperature between the two, which costs you time on every milk drink.
What’s the difference between the Piccino and the Cherub?
Size and boiler capacity. The Piccino is 250mm wide with two 300ml boilers and draws 2.2kW. The Cherub is 360mm wide with a single 2.3-litre boiler and draws 2.85kW, so it holds more steam but takes more counter.
Is the Fracino warranty back-to-base?
Yes. A warranty repair means the machine goes to the Fracino workshop rather than an engineer visiting you, and collection is at your cost — around £95 out and £115 back, or free if you deliver it yourself.