If you're like most Americans, you were introduced to espresso as part of a cappuccino or latte. When prepared correctly, the sweet, creamy milk and rich espresso transform an enjoyable morning pick-me-up coffee into an intoxicating blend of flavors and textures. Over time, some home baristas' taste preference will drift towards straight espresso as they come to appreciate the nuances of the coffee itself. If you are such an "espresso purist," or perhaps an occasional cappuccino drinker, the Quickmill Alexia, offered by Chris's Coffee Service, was designed with you in mind.

Based on the time-tested design of the E61 brew group, the Alexia is forgiving of minor errors in barista technique. As a single boiler espresso machine, it also offers simple brew temperature management. With the addition of an optional electronic brew temperature control, it can reliably and easily pinpoint the desired brew temperature over a range, an enticing option for those who wish to fully explore the effects of brew temperature changes on the coffee's flavors. Is it the choice for the espresso purist? A beginner? Or latte lover? Let's find out.

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Image courtesy of Chris' Coffee Service

Great job. Question and maybe I missed it in the original review thread and the Buyer's Guide. Was any temp testing done with less than 2 minute recovery time? WBC "torture test" run? In other words what is the minimum recovery shot time without inter-shot nose dive? With and without during shot heater cut-out.

HB wrote:As I recall, the brew temperature was acceptable for two back-to-back shots. After that, the temperatures would fall off without recovery time. The two minutes Jeff recommends has ample margin of error. The Alexia would fail miserably on the WBC "torture test" run.

Unfortunately I didn't have time to follow the thread while the original testing was being done or I would have asked to determine the minimum recovery time needed to maintain shot stability. IMO the assumption that 2 minute recovery time will satisfy home use is faulty. While for many or maybe even most it's fine, what about entertaining and knocking out a dozen or more double shot Americanos after dinner? Do it a number of times and PF build skills may well greatly out pace the 2 min safe requisite recovery time. I know my build speed was well under a minute long before stepping into a commercial setting. No biggy.

I replaced my weekday morning super-auto espresso with an Alexia espresso quite awhile ago. You will LOVE this machine. The difference will be night and day. Congratulations on your purchase.

Dan, if i am misquoting please correct me, stated it took a 15 min recovery time to go back to pulling shots after steaming milk on the Alexia. I was curious why you couldn't just flush some water out of the group head to bring the temp down much faster and resume pulling shots?

I am really considering this machine; for my light home use, which is predominantly espresso, the level of consistency and quality of shots seem perfect. Is there any other sbdu machine you would say is right on par with this machine?

Patton,

I can answer that for you. My first real machine was a PID'd Alexia, and you are correct; you can flush water through the grouphead to get it back down to brew temp. You can also open up the steam wand to vent a lot of pressure to do the same. The later was my preferred method.

Also, once you flip the brew lever you can flip the steam switch to give you a head start on getting the boiler up to steam temp. By the time it really kicks in you are done pulling your shot but have about a 20 - 25 second headstart. That will allow you to start steaming only 45 or so seconds after pulling the shot (you want to start before the heating element kicks off and can do so once above 260 boiler temp).

Hope this helps!

Hello,

first I'd like to extend my thanks to Jeff for his helpful side-by-side comparison of the Alexia non-PID and PID vs. the Silvia. It's an excellent benchmark for experienced owners looking to upgrade.

My take home message is that the Alexia excels at shot consistency. And otherwise, typical Alexia shot flavour is comparable to the best Silvia Godshot (rare).

Is the temperature stability of the E61 grouphead responsible for miracle shots delivered daily? Temperature plots of E61 groupheads flat line within 0.5*F across the 20 - 30 s pull.

By comparison to my Silvia + Auber PID kit, my boiler starts at 107*C and after 20 seconds or so finishes at 90 - 92*C. That's a massive 15*C to 17*C temperature drop. I walk a very fine line between bitterness and sourness. My experiments blame that on temperature stability - of course it's possible I may be failing some key details (e.g. grind quality, dosing, distribution, or tamping).

Since Jeff pulled equally tasty shots on both machines, E61 temperature stability isn't the only determining factor. Maybe only 3 day old coffee is capable of producing Silvia Godshots while Alexia can make great coffee from two week old coffee? Maybe a preinfusion chamber mod (plumbed water-hammer arrester) to the Silvia will improve consistency? Rambling aside - my point is that maybe Silvia can still regularly make great espresso?

Can owners of both machines indicate whether the E61 grouphead is truly the end-all for great typical espresso? I'm dedicated to pulling better shots but would like to be rewarded more frequently for my efforts.

Thanks.

Dave