All;

Been wonderful doing all the reading and research about the Quick Mill QM67. Mine will be arriving in the next few days and I am excited about our future together. Have read a lot about it on this site as well as others and most of those threads are inactive now and I wanted to start a new one to generate new discussions and learning. Here are a few questions to get the ball rolling:

1. If you had to do it all over again, how would you start with your QM67? What adjustments and things would you do immediately? I have a Naked Portafilter coming with her and intend on starting (and staying with it).

2. What preventive maintenance do you suggest to keep the QM67 running at peak performance? One area I am very concerned about centers around no procedures to descale the Dual Boilers. Does anyone do it?

3. What spare parts would you keep on-hand to ensure you are ready for problems that come about from routine use?

4. Please provide reviews that include how long you have owned your QM67 and experiences you have had as you grew with your machine?

Hope everyone is ready to attack the New Year with all the energy of Too Much Coffee. I am and I look forward to our discussion.

Giddy Up!
Drew

I've had a QM67 for some months and I like it a lot. I can't comment on any long term considerations, but I think a lot of general double boiler advice probably applies. While E61 DB's vary on things like rotary vs vibe pump and steaming power, I think they otherwise have more similarities than differences. So I suggest looking at the threads related to your questions on other, similar machines as well.

That said, a few answers to your questions:

Descaling: I suggest reading Jim Schulman's Insanely Long Water FAQ . In short, use water of a certain hardness to avoid scale. Otherwise, there are threads here that outline how to descale a double boiler.

For preventative maintenance, I follow the guidelines in Espresso Machine Cleaning. I've seen some posts about E61 Lubrication and not overdoing the detergent backflush -- I suggest searching/reading those and consider the varying comments when devising your cleaning and maintenance routine.

I also suggest ordering some group gaskets from Espresso Parts, Chris's Coffee or similar. You might want a shower screen as well, as eventually you'll need to replace the screen and the gasket (though not necessarily at the same time).

Overall, as noted, I really like the QM67 and think it is a really good value. It has adequate steaming power for my needs (not many coffee-milk drinks) and makes really good espresso. I really like the stability of the PID. The absolute temperature doesn't matter so much (I haven't tested the accuracy of the offset), but it does seem to be very consistent. (I have a cheap thermocouple and the temperature readings are very consistent). So, I find it helps getting a consistent shot as I don't worry about temperature. I also like occasionally experimenting with temperature changes and its affect on flavor.

Good luck and congratulations on the new machine.

A big +1 to the previous Post. Keep the water numbers within the range of no scale/deposits and you should be good to go, just don't use this coffee



This is about a 40 year old coffee can from the Presidio of San Francisco's Commissary, it fit right into cowboy coffee procedures.

As I stated first, the best thing you can do for your espresso machine is put a great water filtration/conditioning system in to keep that new machine pristine.

Are you admitting that you bought that back then? I will be the first t admit that my early days in the Army were defined by bad coffee...any coffee was better than No Coffee. I began carrying a Moka Pot around with me in 1993 and tried as hard as I could to make the most out of "Coffee Time" ever since then. Decent coffee would best describe many of my combat experiences since then...never great! Brigade Command brought me to a completely different level as I began roasting my own during that period. Wish I took it all up sooner!

NO FEAR!
Drew

Yes, sadly, I admit that stuff passed my lips and tried to make an uneventful path through me In 1969, a couple years after Vietnam, was when I discovered that stuff in the Commissary and I too used a Moka Pot with it. Man, that was foul but better than boiling water and grounds w/C-4 in a C-rat can! Ever since it has been a pleasant uplifting experience, but that can resides in my workshop just to remind me.

That was a far cry from a DB machine and I suspect the build quality of the QM to be pretty darn good. They do things that make more sense than the Rocket R-58, which I had for a brief time, until I upgraded for a LaMarzocco GS/3. The Rocket was built like a tractor and sounded like one too!

The tip about not over doing the backflush is a good one. Washing out the oils in the Group means you will have to lube the e61's lever assembly more often.

Keeping your water flawless will mean less dismantling to descale a boiler.

I got her yesterday and all I can say right now is that she is a tank! Built unbelievably well. Set her up and started her her flawlessly. Vario Grinder dialed in 3 day old roasted espresso blend quickly, and bottomless portafilter was a sight to see. Great draw on second shot. This morning was great espresso and Cafe Americano. Evening Cappuccino was okay for son. 4 hole steam had way more power than I am used to. VERY HAPPY!

Congratulations!

Army Coffee wrote: 4 hole steam had way more power than I am used to. VERY HAPPY!

I forgot to mention this earlier, but I changed the steam tip. There was a post here that talked about using different tips with the QM67; I forget which, but you can probably search for it. Anyway, I switched to a 2-hole Isomac Steam Tip. You need a 8 mm Female to 10 mm Male adapter to use it. I bought both from Chris' Coffee, though others probably sell it as well.

FWIW, its been better for me than the default 4-hole, but everyone's mileage varies for this type of thing. Just figured I'd mention it.

Congratulations on the machine.

Chris;

I have the 2-hole tip as well and installed it today...will let you know how it goes when my son asks for his Cappuccino.

I am concerned about the Hot Water. When I draw some for my Cafe Americano, I notice the temp drop in the Espresso Boiler and not the Steam Boiler. I thought the water came out of the Steam Boiler?

Drew

Army Coffee wrote:I am concerned about the Hot Water. When I draw some for my Cafe Americano, I notice the temp drop in the Espresso Boiler and not the Steam Boiler. I thought the water came out of the Steam Boiler?

I think it comes from the steam boiler. I don't get any hot water when I have the steam boiler off (my default). So, this sounds a bit odd. Perhaps others might be able to offer an explanation.

FWIW, I don't see any temperature change when getting hot water, though I rarely use the hot water spigot.