Re: Which would you choose in the $1000 - $1800 range?


In article <15-dnYuTyrUYEy_YnZ2dnUVZ_qWvnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxx>,
£ Î Z @ R Ð <jattea@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


I have a two year old Capresso E8, which I bought for $1000 two years ago.
It makes great espresso, but I think I'd rather have a semi automatic than
this superautomatic.

Can I get some recommendations with the following considerations:

- It's very important it has a good foamer
- I'd like a warm up time of no more than 10 minutes. 15 max. (Why do some,
like the brewtus, require 30 minutes??).

I have a list of five I'm considering: The Pasquini Livia 90 Auto, ECM
Giotto Premium, La Valentina Automatic, and the Brewtus. Are there any more
I should add to this list of consideration? What are some pros and cons?
Thanks!

--

- Jonathan

Your goals are in conflict with one another, and one of them is going to
have to give ground.

The 10-15 minute warmup cannot be met by a thermally-stable unit without
changes that nobody (yet) has made. Specifically, an actively heated group
with its own separate temperature management.

Most HX machines get "to working temperature" in 10 minutes or so. That is,
however, a misnomer. While the boiler is up to working temperature the
group is not, and if you try to pull a shot at that point you will not like
how it tastes one bit.

30 minutes is in fact too short for most machines to properly stabilize.
While you CAN pull shots from a Brewtus (or any other E61 machine) in 30
minutes from a cold start, if you really want the best results it needs to
be on for an hour or so from the point of a cold start.

Why not put the machine on a timer if you do not want to leave it powered up
all the time?

--
--
Karl Denninger (karl@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) Internet Consultant & Kids Rights Activist
http://www.denninger.net My home on the net - links to everything I do!
http://scubaforum.org Your UNCENSORED place to talk about DIVING!
http://genesis3.blogspot.com Musings Of A Sentient Mind
.