I am looking for a capable coffe maker that my wife allows in the kitchen. It must produce no grounds, noise or mess and take up zero space.

I have negotiated up from zero to the Rancilio Silvia (it replaced a de Longhi with auto frother... it had to go). But now she likes good coffee - and I am not a super taster - I like good good coffee but I am far from a "pro"sumer - more an ardent fan.

The problem is upgrade without swelling. Small foot print steam monsters seem to be thin on the ground. The only contender I have been able to identify is the Olympia Maximatic (cool techno solution in that design to my problem at least.) up to £2k budget.

What can you suggest? I am amazed at the plethora of tech detail that abounds in the membership - so I am hopeful that one or two of you will appreciate the constraints of a wife and have ways to get some wiggle room! And I don't want to change my wife...so...

Lever espresso machines are silent. Perhaps an Izzo single-group commercial lever would suit you? Or something smaller, such as a Ponte Vecchio Lusso? Not as finely made as the Olympia, but much less expensive; very easy to use.

Grinders with motors are noisy, noisier, noisiest. Cannot do much there, apart from a hand-grinder. You must get a quality grinder or it's not worth spending any money on a good machine.

Bloo wrote:The problem is upgrade without swelling. Small foot print steam monsters seem to be thin on the ground. The only contender I have been able to identify is the Olympia Maximatic (cool techno solution in that design to my problem at least.) up to £2k budget.

The Dalla Corte Mini fits your criteria based on the pricing in the US. Size is optimum, steam and temperature stability are both good.

My Goodness - mere minutes and already I have my web browser scouring for information on the suggestions!

Thank you for your offered information.

The noise criteria is less important than the size. And since she likes lattes - needs steam. And has to be able to make around 4 lattes in a run without falling over or running out of steam [sic]

off to research....

and thanks again!

Just found some information on the Dalla Corte Mini - pushing the limits of acceptable size - never even heard of it before - but wow! Looks beautiful!

Thanks for the tip - going to see one in the flesh. Just in case.

For the super mini - divorce is a possibility... (oh God I am a sad geek....)

Relative to most other machines the mini is diminutive. I used it for a couple of months before I got the super mini. Both are among the best steamers I've used. Like any machine it takes some experimentation to find the sweet spot. Once there, results seem easy to repeat.

4 lattes in a row without running out of steam is not going to be a problem at all in the price range you've specified.

I'm a fan of double-boiler designs too, since they offer greater ease of use as well as a wider (and user-settable) range of espresso brewing temperatures. If you like the Dalla Corte, and the size is right, go for it. But be aware, the DCs used to have (and may still have) some words etched into one of the panels, something ...errr.... tasteful, like "Good Taste, We Gots It, We Does".

timo888 wrote:But be aware, the DCs used to have (and may still have) some words etched into one of the panels, something ...errr.... tasteful, like "Good Taste, We Gots It, We Does".

They used to say "Proof of Taste." That's long gone. My year old DC Mini did not have it. Actually, I was disappointed. I was hoping it would have it.

To the OP: this forum is mostly U.S. members. You will have wider choices in the U.K. with different distributors and the benefit of 220v power. Your prices will also vary quite a bit from ours (sometimes less, sometimes more)

The Elektra Semiautomatica has a small footprint, 30 centimeters, and low weight, 11 Kg. It is tall, about 60 cm. Excellent steaming and espresso, and gorgeous. But burning hot all over, so a no-no if there's kids.

Olympia Maximatic