edmonton66 Senior Member Joined: 25 Apr 2012 Posts: 10 Location: Edmonton, AB Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Sun May 13, 2012, 7:40pm Subject: Single Boiler machines
Hey all. I drink espresso. That's all. I seldom need to steam milk. If I do, I'm willing to wait for a couple of minutes (or I suppose one could always just steam first and then purge some water to bring down the temp). All the research I've been doing seems to indicate that HX and DB machines are the popular choices. Are there any good single boiler machines that might be more suited to my requirements? I'm just trying to figure out if I can pull really good quality shots without breaking the bank and maybe save a little electricity (thinkin green) in the process.
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 Mon May 14, 2012, 6:33am Subject: Re: Single Boiler machines
Alexia is a great choice. What you get when you spend more is better consistency, better ease of use, higher quality components. SBDU machines are great if you mainly stay with straight shots AND it is a high quality machine and/or has PID, preferably both such as a PID Alexia ...... YMMV!
To go with a good machine you NEED a good grinder, unless your grinding is up to par, you are just throwing money away with a good machine.
HX and DB machines are great, their shot to shot consistency is great and they excel when you want back to back shots or milk drinks. I really don't want to ever go back from my HX machine but it may be more than you need. Only you can make that decision.
The Alexia is a great combo of SBDU, PID, E61, size and looks for a low milk drink user. That is not to say that it is bad for milk, not at all but SBDU machines for the most part, favor straight shots VS milk. YMMV!
In real life, my name is Wayne P.
Feed the newbs, starve the trolls and above all enjoy what you drink!
Posted Mon May 14, 2012, 9:14am Subject: Re: Single Boiler machines
I'm an espresso only drinker and have owned 3 single boiler machines. They definitely can produce great spro. What Wayne is saying about back to back shots being more consistent on DBs is true if the DB preheats the brew water first through the steam boiler or through a HX. On a single boiler (and some DBs) you have cold water entering the brew boiler directly which can result in a less stable environment if you pull lots of shots in quick succession. That in no way means you won't be able to pull great spro on a single boiler. It just means you might be confused why sometimes one shot will turn out $$$ and the next two made quickly thereafter may be a little off - well you can either wait a little longer between shots or adjust the PID. Some of these grouphead designs also result in less temperature consistency than others.
What's your budget, btw?
+1 on the PID Alexia. I owned that machine for two years and enjoyed my time with it. It's a great feature that you can get it with a PID temperature control already installed from Chris Coffee. I also owned a Silvia which I installed a PID on. Jim Gallt sells great kits that make the PID installation easy anyway and that would come in under the price of the Alexia. They are definitely not the same machine. Different machines give you different pressure profiles, temperature profiles, and thus different results in the cup. I found the E61 resulted in denser textures, clearer flavors. Silvia resulted in far fluffier, airy textures and sometimes less clear flavors. Alexia also might be a bit less prone to overheating than Silvia as it sits idle for a long time. But I got great results from both. I am in the minority, I think, in that I prefer Silvia over E61 based on my desire for the airier mouthfeel. Regardless, as Wayne said, having a great grinder is going to make all the difference for the results in the cup. Shoot as high as you can on the grinder. Spend less money in the longterm because if you skimp on the grinder you will have to upgrade soon anyway.
Other single boiler options I have not used but am interested in because they come equipped with PID are the Quickmill Silvano and the Crossland CC1. I would also take a look at the new Quickmill double boiler Chris is introducing at a great price.
Of course, I'd love for you to get the single boiler behemoth La Marzocco Shot Brewer just because this has been my upgrade path and I'd love someone else to talk to. =-) can't say it was cheap but my initial Scace tests are showing the 1.5 liter boiler is quite consistent.
ampguy Senior Member Joined: 23 Apr 2010 Posts: 119 Location: Pac NW Expertise: I like coffee
Posted Mon May 14, 2012, 10:08am Subject: Re: Single Boiler machines
Some DB's have switches to turn off the brew boiler, like the Expobar Brewtus. Not only does it save energy if you don't need steam, but it may bring the brew boiler to temp faster.
A well implemented PID single boiler (double use), should let you tune your pulsing to optimize energy consumption vs need for back to back recovery.
On my CC1, for regular home use, I set one preset at normal defaults, and a 2 preset (1 tick CW) at a reduced temp, which further saves energy, while keeping the boiler somewhat warm so a random espresso doesn't take more than a couple of minutes to bring to full temp. I also have the ability to minimize the back to back recovery time if I have guests over and need to make several drinks back to back.
edmonton66 Said:
Hey all. I drink espresso. That's all. I seldom need to steam milk. If I do, I'm willing to wait for a couple of minutes (or I suppose one could always just steam first and then purge some water to bring down the temp). All the research I've been doing seems to indicate that HX and DB machines are the popular choices. Are there any good single boiler machines that might be more suited to my requirements? I'm just trying to figure out if I can pull really good quality shots without breaking the bank and maybe save a little electricity (thinkin green) in the process.
Coffeenoobie Senior Member Joined: 11 Dec 2011 Posts: 2,323 Location: PNW Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: N S Oscar Grinder: Vario W
Posted Tue May 15, 2012, 11:28am Subject: Re: Single Boiler machines
I think it makes sense to get a DB with a switch. You might have guests that would like the steamed milk and you can turn it on only when you need too. If you are a hermit then don't bother.
Coffeenoobie
Buying advice: GRINDER GRINDER GRINDER. Don't cheap out on the grinder. My coffee treasure map... Click Here (maps.google.com)
Coffeenoobie Senior Member Joined: 11 Dec 2011 Posts: 2,323 Location: PNW Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: N S Oscar Grinder: Vario W
Posted Tue May 15, 2012, 1:21pm Subject: Re: Single Boiler machines
Yes, I could make nice micro foam with a steam toy. It take a long time compared to Oscar but I could control it better. If you have the room to store it, it is a cheap option.
Coffeenoobie
Buying advice: GRINDER GRINDER GRINDER. Don't cheap out on the grinder. My coffee treasure map... Click Here (maps.google.com)
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