Reesq Senior Member Joined: 3 May 2012 Posts: 11 Location: Los Angeles Expertise: Just starting
Posted Thu May 3, 2012, 10:14am Subject: Francis Francis X1 Ground
Does anyone know if the Francis Francis X1 ground version is still available in the US? My son is leaving for college and he really wanted a red one for his dorm room, but I can only seem to find the pod versions for sale in the US. It appears that they are still available in the UK, but I assume that those do not have duel voltage and will not work here. Thanks
calblacksmith Moderator Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 5,685 Location: Riverside, Ca, U.S.A. Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: ECM Veneziano A1 Grinder: Many different commercial Vac Pot: 40s era Silex Drip: Milita, Bunn&Curtis... Roaster: Cast iron pan, gas burner
Posted Thu May 3, 2012, 11:01am Subject: Re: Francis Francis X1 Ground
Hi, and welcome. Unless you plan on buying a grinder that is able to grind for espresso, he will be better off with the pods. NO they will likely not be fresh but there are good pod vendors out there and for a lot of people, pods are better than nothing.
Other than style is there a reason he wants a FF ? They do not have a great rep. The boiler is small and though it does have all the right parts the finished object is not the sum of the parts.
FF is a fairly expensive machine and better performing machines can be had for less or the same money but all will require a grinder. If you are going with a hand grinder, it will be somewhere around $75 to $100 and for a powered grinder think 3.5 to 4 times that. The grinder is the heart of the espresso setup not the machine.
To that, he will need fresh beans, under two weeks from the day they were roasted! Coffee spoils just like any other food and because they are starting brown, you can't see the oxidation on the surface. Think of an apple, cut it open and the fruit is nice and white, let it sit for about 15 minutes though and it will react to the air and oxidize. The same thing happens with coffee but because the particles are so much smaller, the effect on the coffee is much stronger, thus the second part of the "rule of 15s" that ground coffee should be no more than 15 minutes from the time you grind it.
Please take 20 to 30 minutes to read our FAQ on how to buy an espresso machine. It has 7 parts to the whole FAQ. It will answer questions you don't even know you need to ask at the moment. http://coffeegeek.com/guides/howtobuyanespressomachine
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
Feed the newbs, starve the trolls and above all enjoy what you drink!
Reesq Senior Member Joined: 3 May 2012 Posts: 11 Location: Los Angeles Expertise: Just starting
Posted Thu May 3, 2012, 12:54pm Subject: Re: Francis Francis X1 Ground
Thanks for the response. I was planning on getting a good grinder, I was leaning towards the Baratza Virtuoso Preciso. I have read the entire FAQ (and others as well) and have probably read more on the topic than just about anyone alive who hasn’t actually pulled a shot, which I have not. Once we get a machine, we were planning on putting it though the paces before school starts in the fall to get everything dialed in just right.
As to your question, you are correct in that he chose the FF almost exclusively for style. He is into all things Italian, enough so that he actually taught himself to speak the language fluently. Our thought was that, in the scheme of things, other than with respect to longevity (the FF does seem to have some reliability issues), with a good grinder and some practice, he should be able to get some good shots from the FF. At around $500, I was willing to roll the dice on longevity.
As far as the pods go, we have tried a few cups and none of it was very good. Unfortunately, we have an Italian friend who makes some of the best espresso we have ever tried (often in a caffee corretto style that is to die for). I only say unfortunately, because it makes it very hard not to be disappointed when we get it out elsewhere. My son will be going to UCSB, and there are supposed to be several good roasters in Santa Barbara so fresh beans should not be an issue.
calblacksmith Moderator Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 5,685 Location: Riverside, Ca, U.S.A. Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: ECM Veneziano A1 Grinder: Many different commercial Vac Pot: 40s era Silex Drip: Milita, Bunn&Curtis... Roaster: Cast iron pan, gas burner
Posted Thu May 3, 2012, 1:27pm Subject: Re: Francis Francis X1 Ground
Well, congrats! Yes with a good grinder, you will get some good quality espresso from it with fresh beans.
You have done a lot of home work here and was several steps ahead of a lot of first time posters asking about a specific machine.
I had a FF X5 once upon a time and it worked and I was able to get good espresso. The boiler was small and thermal stability was a bit weak but you could work with it. When I got a better machine, I gave the FF X5 away to someone wanting a machine.
The grinder you have chosen is a very good one and should last through at least a few machine "upgrades". You are again correct with pods but there are some fresher than others, such as from one of the advertisers on this site. My personal preference though is not for them as I think most here will tell you the same.
Congrats for UCSB!
I have not kept my finger on the pulse of the FF machine offerings so I can be of limited value on finding a grounds machine, have you checked with any of the vendors on this board such as 1st line, SCG, WLL etc? They would be in the right place to set you up with the machine you are looking for, they have great reps and will treat you fairly. I do not intend to limit good vendors to those 3, they are just the ones that popped into my mind while typing. See our vendor list. http://coffeegeek.com/resources/advertisers any of them should be able to help you.
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
Feed the newbs, starve the trolls and above all enjoy what you drink!
Reesq Senior Member Joined: 3 May 2012 Posts: 11 Location: Los Angeles Expertise: Just starting
Posted Thu May 3, 2012, 2:52pm Subject: Re: Francis Francis X1 Ground
I did call two of the vendors you suggested and unfortunately, the ground version is no longer imported into the US. They were both very helpful, however, and offered some alternatives. It looks like it is back to the drawing board for now.
Reesq Senior Member Joined: 3 May 2012 Posts: 11 Location: Los Angeles Expertise: Just starting
Posted Wed May 9, 2012, 8:53am Subject: Re: Francis Francis X1 Ground
After striking out on the FF, I have narrowed the choices down to the Gaggia Classic ($379) and either the LeLit PL041 QE ($429) or PID ($549). There were several other machines that I liked more, but they were all substantially larger and heaver and I’m afraid that they would be just too much for a dorm room. The Gaggia is sold pretty much everywhere. The only LeLit dealer I have found in the US seems to be 1st-line equipment. They are not an advertiser on this site. Are they reputable? If I go with the LeLit, is the PID worth the extra money? Also, since none of the “starter” machines have particularly large boilers, how many back-to-back espressos can you pull without a significant lag time?
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