Would I buy an Anita again? In a heart beat!.. 1 year followup, undecided
Positive Product Points
performs just as it should. very heavy Easy to maintain lots of steam power
Negative Product Points
need to top off the water each day kinda noisey when the pump is on, but I'm not complaining I think this applies to all prosumer machines... but must have fresh beans for a proper pull, no more beans from WalMart
Detailed Commentary
First off, I'm no expert, this is my first 'real' pro-sumer machine, so take my words with this in mind. My previous cappuccino maker was a Mr. Coffee steam machine. We went thru 3 Mr. Coffees in about 6 years & 'thought' my morning drink tasted great. Never been a coffee drinker so I always added hot coco mix along with steamed milk... Then I found this Coffee Geek site (expensive mistake) & got the urge to see what owning a real cappuccino machine would be like.
I've had this Anita a little over 5 months now & I make at least 2 cappa’s each morning. 1 for my wife & myself. & after a quick learning experience, have actually learned to enjoy real strait up cappa's with no coco mix. With proper coffee extraction, my cappuccino actually has a nice sweet taste with no coco mix added.
The Anita is a big expense but I'm glad I splurged. Time will tell about longevity. I have called Chris Coffee 1 time when I thought I was losing steaming power. They were great (I was stupid) they quickly pointed out that the steam wand tip needed cleaning... problem solved.
Machine pulls great shots even with variation on the grind & tamp. (I'm still using my less than perfect Kitchen-Aid Pro grinder) With the amount of steam pressure the Anita has, you gotta be on your game to properly froth milk. It seems easier to froth a larger amount of milk for 2 cappuccinos at once, rather than frothing smaller amount for 1 cappuccino.
PS, I rated the Usability as an 8, only because of my frothing challenge at first due to the excellent steaming power of the Anita
Buying Experience
very good, I recomend Chris Coffee, This machine was a buyers remorse & saved me some money, & they threw in a nice tamper free of charge. Have since bought other minor items from them too.
Three Month Followup
skipped
One Year Followup
it's been a year & a half, I've been psotponing writing this 1 year followup hoping to get to the bottom of my 1st & only issue with my Anita, but no such luck yet. I still think the pulls are great, & have been enjoying what I think are very consistant & tasty cappas, My problem started after owing for about 14 months. My problem is the pump cycles on & off adding water to the boiler sporadicly during my frothing. This kills the steam pressure. allowing it to fall to well below 1 bar. I gotta give credit to Chris Coffee, they have been trying to correct this issue at their expense, even after the warranty has expired. ..I have replaced the water probe twice, sent for free from Chris Coffee. ..Chris Coffee replaced the control box (cost me $100.00 for shipping the machine to them to work on) ..Then replaced the pressure stat (at Chris Coffee tech suggestion) again at Chris Coffee expense. Unfortunitly this machine is still acting weird. Some mornings the pump wont cycle at all during my morning rutine of 2 pulls, & frothing 10 ounces of milk, then other mornings, the pump will cycle on & off 4 or 5 times during the frothing. I hate to say it, but I am a little disapointed. The amount of money this machine costs, I should not be seeing these issues in less than a year & half of ownership. If I can't get this Anita issue resolved & end up having to replace this machine, I will have to think hard before purchasing another Quickmill, but if I have to purchase again, it will be with Chris Coffee, thanks to their customer support. (havn't given up on this machine yet.) I hope to post a follow up with a more positive update.. Will be calling Chris Coffee again to try to figure out whats going on with this machine.
PS.. on a side note, during my times of tearing into this machine, I have learned to quiet down the pump alot by placing a piece of foam between the water line comming out the back of the pump & the case. Most the noise was the line vibrating against the metal case.
