Castelli Espresso Air Jacket review: winter warmth and comfort for cold weather training

The Espresso Air Jacket is the latest entry in Castelli's comprehensive winter jacket range. It offers a stretchy, comfortable fit and balances warmth, wind resistance and breathability.

Male rider wearing Castelli Espresso Air Jacket in black on a leafy country lane
Castelli Espresso Air Jacket in black
(Image credit: Andy Jones)
Cycling Weekly Verdict

The Espresso Air is a worthwhile addition to Castelli’s cold-weather range. The Ristretto Warm fabric is comfy, warm and stretchy whilst offering reasonable breathability and the fit is excellent, but I wish it had a zipped pocket and protection behind the zip.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Very stretchy

  • +

    Comfortable

  • +

    Nicely cut for riding position

  • +

    Good balance of warmth, wind resistance and breathability

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    No zip placket

  • -

    Not much reflective material

  • -

    No zip pocket

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

Castelli offers an extremely comprehensive and sometimes slightly confusing number of high-end cycling jackets, all of which offer windproofing, warmth and water resistance in varying ratios. The Espresso Air Jacket is one of the newest entrants into this line-up, and sits between the popular Raddioppia and Transition jackets (amongst others), with warmth and breathability high on its agenda. There is a whole range of 'Espresso' products available, with the stated aim being to be 'the first kit you reach for any time you go to ride and not pinning on a number' according to Castelli's Director of Brand Strategy, Steve Chapin.

The Espresso Air is intended for cold-weather rides, between 0-10°C according to Castelli, and uses their new Ristretto fabric to provide ‘unparalleled breathability, dryness, and warmth’. It could perhaps be described as tending slightly more towards a very warm winter jersey rather than a jacket, but either way, I’d say it is at the base miles and winter training end of the spectrum rather than being intended for bad-weather racing or intense efforts like the Gabba or Perfetto.

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1