jlunavtgrad wrote:Unfortunately, the stickers above the steamers were peeling and the Alex badge was put on crooked and was falling off. One of the three rubber protectors under the cup warming plate was not on, so it fell against the wiring harness. When we tried to get it, it fell under a boiler and we had to take off the bottom plate to retrieve it.

Minor issues but I hope this doesn't indicate greater quality problems down the road.

jlunavtgrad wrote:I was having a hard time getting a level tamp with the new equipment so I started holding the portafilter in the air at chest height and tamping with my other hand. The tamps have been level and I can repeat them well enough for now. Is this a bad habit?

Really? You are getting straight tamps without resting the portafilter on a level surface? You must be doing a very light tamp (nothing wrong with that, some people prefer it). But tamping a portafilter held in mid-air sounds really awkward to me.

jlunavtgrad wrote: Is this a bad habit? I know that some baristas are trained to use the edge of the bar and turn their palm out with the elbow right over the portafilter. Is it worth learning the "correct" way?

No matter what anyone tells you, the bottom line reason for this is consistency. If you are having problems being consistent in the "normal" way, do whatever you have to. In the long run, if you were at a cafe pulling many shots, it might help to learn how to do it on the edge of the bar etc. etc... but at home, it's all what you feel comfortable doing.

Keep in mind, Baristas also have to consider repetitive stress injuries. So their technique needs to take this into account as well. For MOST of us, this is not an issue.

I just wanted to tell everyone how amazing the Alex Duetto II has been thus far! We've had it for almost a week, and I must say it's been one of the best (and most caffeinated) weeks of my life. I am having a blast learning how to use it...generally, for the last few nights, half of our evening is spent reading these forums for ideas/techniques/advice, and the other half has been trying them. Yesterday, I finally made a competent pitcher of microfoam, and I couldn't stop giggling at how easy it was. My next feat: latte art. I have a feeling it will take a while, but I am eagerly welcoming the process.

I remember my first succesful pitcher of microfoam, or at least not Macro foam. I ran around the house showing it to my wife and kids.
The Cremina is a steaming beast, and a moron (yours truly) can do it.
Great that you can have so much fun with coffee. Tastes pretty darn good, too.
Question..how quiet is the Rotary pump? Any rattles?

Quiet is such a relative term. I hear many people say that they have gotten their vibe pump machines to be as quiet as a rotary pump, then I hear people say that their rotary pump machines are whisper quiet. I can tell you that the pump is not whisper quiet. My wife says that she can't quite talk on the phone (in the same room) while I am grinding but she can while I am running the pump. If I squeeze the machine on both sides while the pump is running I can get some of the noise to go away, so I guess I have a vibration issue. I took the drip tray and top cover off the machine and watched as I ran the pump. When the pump starts I can see that it lunges forward by as much as an inch at the top, but I think that the top cover would hold this back a little if it was in place. Eventually I will go in and see how it is attached and maybe improve the situation, but since I've only had the machine 6 days I am not up to talking the back cover off yet.

Thanks. BTW, I pass through Roanoke (well Interstate 81) every year on my journey to the in-laws...
If we stop near you, I'll give you a heads-up..I'll bring a little home roasted for you.

Offer accepted. We're off exit 143.