Rocket Giotto Fast R

Rocket Giotto FAST R – The E61, Rebuilt to Heat Up in Minutes

The one fair criticism of an E61 machine has always been the wait. Four kilos of brass takes its time, and if you brew before the group is stable you get a sour shot. Rocket Espresso has spent two years solving that, and the Giotto FAST R is the result — ready to brew and steam in around 15 minutes instead of the 25 to 30 an E61 traditionally demands.

FAST refers to a genuinely redesigned brew group. Rocket enlarged the E61 with a new angular casting, which created the room to embed a heating element directly inside the group body — on the right side, just below the mushroom, with a temperature probe on the opposite side. The group now heats itself rather than waiting on the thermosyphon to drag it up from the boiler. Rocket's engineers cap the active heating at 91°C and let the thermosyphon handle the rest, so the group settles into its working temperature the way an E61 should, just far sooner.

Behind that group sits the same 1.8L insulated heat exchange boiler and commercial rotary pump Rocket built its reputation on. This is still a heat exchanger — brew and steam simultaneously, all day — and nothing about the coffee has been traded away for the speed.

Here is what you get:

• Actively heated FAST brew group: A heating element and temperature probe embedded inside the E61 casting itself. Brew-ready in around 15 minutes rather than half an hour.
• Commercial rotary pump: Quiet enough to hold a conversation next to, with steady pressure through the whole extraction and a higher maximum flow rate than a vibration pump. No vibe pump buzz.
• Tank or plumbed in: Run it from the internal reservoir or connect it directly to your water line. You switch between the two in the PID menu, not with a spanner.
• 1.8L insulated heat exchange boiler: Espresso and milk steaming at the same time, with no drop in steam pressure across back-to-back drinks.
• PID with OLED display: A compact screen above the power button doubles as the shot timer and gives you boiler temperature, group temperature, water level and menu access. Three buttons stay concealed behind the drip tray so the exterior stays clean.
• Adjustable boiler temperature: Set anywhere from 118°C to 123°C (244–253°F) to trade steam power against finer control.
• Eco mode: Shuts all heating elements down after 30 minutes idle. Useful on a machine that no longer needs a half-hour head start.
• Status LED: A multicolour indicator beneath the display flags alerts by colour and flash pattern.
• Twin pressure gauges: Boiler and pump pressure at a glance. White-faced gauges mark this out as the R model.
• Redesigned steam and hot water taps: New valve design with a no-burn lance. Rocket also sells a set of four interchangeable steam tips if you want to tune the dispersion to your pitcher size.
• New Giotto bodywork: The flared angular panels now extend above the machine to form the walls of the cup tray, with a black metal frame accenting the interior. Polished stainless steel or satin black.

At 340mm wide and 30kg it needs a considered bench position, but it is a home machine in every other respect — standard 10 amp plug, no special installation, and it runs from the tank on day one if you are not ready to plumb.

Giotto FAST R or Giotto Cronometro V?

Both are 1.8L heat exchange E61 machines with PID and a shot timer, and both make excellent coffee. What actually differs:

• Heat-up: Around 15 minutes on the FAST R against 25 to 30 on the Cronometro V. If the warm-up is what stops you making coffee on a weekday, this is the entire argument.
• Pump and water: Rotary and plumbable on the FAST R, vibration and tank-only on the Cronometro V.
• Interface: OLED display on the FAST R against a hidden PID touchpad on the Cronometro V.
• Footprint: 340 x 475mm and 30kg for the FAST R, against 335 x 420mm and 20kg for the Cronometro V. The Cronometro V is 55mm shallower and a third lighter.

If your budget tops out around $4,000 and you are happy to run a timer plug, the Cronometro V is still a superb machine and the difference is better spent on your grinder. If the wait is the thing you actually want to fix, buy the FAST R.

What's in the Box

• 1 x Rocket Giotto FAST R Espresso Machine
• 1 x 58mm Double Spout Portafilter
• 1 x 58mm Single Spout Portafilter
• 1 x Double Basket
• 1 x Single Basket
• 1 x Blind (Backflush) Basket
• 1 x Tamper
• 1 x Group Head Cleaning Brush
• 1 x User Manual and Warranty Card

Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

What does FAST actually mean?
It is a redesigned E61 brew group with a heating element and temperature probe built into the group casting. On a traditional E61 the group is heated indirectly by water circulating up from the boiler, which is why it lags so far behind. The FAST group heats itself to 91°C and lets the thermosyphon carry it the rest of the way, so the group and boiler arrive together.

Is it really ready in 15 minutes?
In independent testing the boiler reached its setpoint in about 8 minutes and the group hit 90°C at around the 13 minute mark, holding steady from there. Rocket's 15 minute figure is honest. We would still run a short flush through the portafilter on your first shot of the day, as you would on any heat exchanger. You will see 12 minutes quoted elsewhere — plan for 15 and you will not be disappointed.

The display stopped showing the snowflake icon but my shot was sour. Why?
The heating indicator tracks the boiler, not the group, so it clears before the brew group has finished coming up. Give it the full 15 minutes from cold. You can check the actual group temperature any time by holding the left button.

Is it still a heat exchanger?
Yes. FAST changes how the group is heated, not the boiler architecture. Brew water is drawn through a tube running inside the single 1.8L steam boiler, so you can pull espresso and steam milk simultaneously. It will comfortably handle back-to-back milk drinks.

Do I have to plumb it in?
No. It runs from the internal reservoir out of the box, and you can connect it to a water line later. The water source is a setting in the PID menu.

Can I set the brew temperature directly?
Not directly. You set the boiler between 118°C and 123°C, and brew temperature follows from that. If you want to dial in a precise brew temperature independent of steam pressure, you want a dual boiler rather than a heat exchanger — talk to us about the R58 or the Bicocca.

What grinder should I pair with it?
At this level the grinder does more for your shot than the machine does. Look at a 64mm flat burr or better with stepless adjustment. See our coffee grinder range, or call us and we will match one to your budget and your beans.

Every Rocket machine we sell is genuine Australian stock backed by a 2 year factory warranty and supported by our own Illawarra-based service technicians with genuine parts on the shelf. We are not a drop-shipper — if something needs attention in year three, you have a real workshop to call.