1. Start the machine:
The machine is supplied with a Quick Start Guide that will help you, they can put it into operation relatively easy.
Small ambiguities fall not very interfere. A detailed user manual can be downloaded as a PDF document from the manufacturer's site.
As with a new machine was to be expected, the first cups of coffee produced have an unpleasant aftertaste, although the prescribed rinsing procedure is passed. It takes some time until the totally loses.
2. For operation and construction:
The device has been designed narrow. That is to save space, but this advantage is not fully utilized, as I shall later.
+ Pleasing is the variety of hiring and programming options.
- Unfortunately, the display with its display and pictograms is clumsy and rough in the resolution, but it does its services.
- The keys are stiff and have no pressure point.
- The height adjustment of the coffee spout can be desired, for espresso cups the spout sits way too high. This crema is foamed with air bubbles (compare my photos above in the gallery).
- To remove and clean the brewing unit the right side wall must be opened in its full length. That one does not approach from the front, is the disadvantage of the slim design, it has unexpectedly a lot of space to be released on the side, otherwise you can not carry out the regularly recurring cleaning.
+ Cleaning of drip tray and coffee grounds container is a simple and trouble-free operation.
- The machine can even during heating and then each time brewing a lot of water in the drip tray and often even in the coffee grounds container flow, so that the best drained him immediately after the heating and also often times between the brewing operations.
- For the weekly cleaning of the brewing unit provided a considerable effort is required. This large, interior and exterior adhesive grease part you have to leave after washing thoroughly air dry before it is used again. This can take and has extra space, which can be a disturbing factor in a small kitchen.
- In general, the machine is in regard to frequent maintenance, among other things, even grease, very demanding, I do not even know of the aforementioned DeLonghi.
3. The result in the cup
Of course you have to experiment first with strength and degree of grinding and the amount of water used depends on the beans and also on personal taste, until the result is right.
An example: For my currently used type of coffee Lavazza Caffè Crema Dolce, I have chosen the grind a level finer than the default factory setting. In the coffee strength, I decided to try some of the highest possible level 5. At the default settings (water temperature, etc.) I have not changed anything. The extraction time (time in which the water is forced through the ground coffee) I have set for coffee crema on about 28 seconds for espresso in approximately 20 seconds.
When you have found the right attitude and stored with the memo function, obtained reliably consistent coffee quality.
It is watching a pleasure to the coffee dispensing: It trickles nothing and it bubbles nothing on coffee dispenser, evenly and almost as calm as flowing honey running the espresso into the cup, a picture-perfect result, which unfortunately affected by too high seated coffee spout again (cf.. My Photos Nos. 1 and 2 above in the gallery).
(The fact that the coffee grounds puck in the waste-collecting tank occasionally look wet and melted, is that the machine sometimes gives off water in the tank, even during heating.)
I can see the Espresso and Coffee Crema from this machine compared with the predecessor of the DeLonghi and the portafilter from the more expensive machine. With the same input (the same type of coffee), I find the result almost even better than its predecessor and to distinguish the taste hardly the outcome of Siebträgermaschine, even more uniform than in this. Even the milk foam produced is good.
4. Summary:
Design and operation will not be carried away to a friend of the Italian espresso culture for enthusiasm, but the result in the cup, despite bubbles in Crema, very good taste.
Anyone looking for a fully automatic in the lower price range and can not be put off by the demanding maintenance and care, will find an offer considering value.
