This is an "old school" espresso machine; stylistically, it is modeled on the classic Art Deco Faema and Gaggia machines of the late '40s and early '50s. The enormous exposed E61 group dominates its front profile. The Briccoletta may well be the lowest priced E61 group, rotary vane pump, plumbed-in espresso machine available in the US. I take it through the paces in my second Pro's Perspective review.

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Hi Chris,

Great review! I haven't had a chance to sit back and digest it, but I'm now really itching for you to review an Expobar Brewtus. And I think that I'm not alone!

One quick question; I noticed that you mentioned that the steam valve didn't actually stop steam from escaping as soon as it was closed. How irritating was this? I've also noticed that being able to stop the steam really quickly seems to stop milk from sticking to the wand ... was this a problem?

Sounds pathetic, but I've got to say that the steam valve is probably my favourite feature on the LM-based machines!

Cheers,

Luca

Thanks so much for the kind words.
It was an excellent machine to review.

The whole steam wand thing is just another issue you need to work around. It's not a big deal and, to be honest, it's something that seems to be common in all machines I've worked on other than the La Marzoccos, Mistrals and Synessos.

My guess is that Abe and Dan will be more than sufficient for a review of the Brewtus though, to be honest, I would love to get a shot at it as well.

Ahm, Chris...You know that the temp falls up to 6 degree Celsius if you remove the housing from the machine? I just flew over the text but couldn't find you mentioning it....

Your experience goes along with my personal theory that the E61 was never developed for working together with a vibe pump. A vibe pump needs a longer time to build up pressure than a rotary pump. This in combination with the E61 and its mechanic pressure delay valve...Walter called it "soft on soft". In fact, a Vibiemme Domobar Super I bought a couple of months ago needed a far long time (maybe 10sec) to get the pressure from 5.5 bar to 11 bar (which is not the perfect 9, but that's another problem).

I sold the Vibiemme to a friend, but I still have an Izzo (MyWay) Vivi and a rotary pump from a broken Carimali. Maybe I'll do some mixing together when I'm in a good mood....

Thanks for the test and the great photos!

Greetings \\// from Germany

Marcus

I liked the review and appreciate the insights into operation and use as a professional, and what it takes to make good espresso with the unit.

However, the statement "I do not understand why all home machines are not plumbed-in. It's so much easier, cleaner... just better.", is mind boggling in its arrogance.

What you did is hardly "plumbed in." You temporarily connected it to a 5 gallon water bottle, with the unit sitting on a coffee cart. Yep, that's stupid easy alright; and given this simplistic definition of "plumbed in" I can understand your comments.

If, however, you really wanted to plumb the unit in a standard kitchen sitting on a countertop - try that one and then get back to us. If I wanted to do that in my kitchen, it would involve modifying the countertops - and with granite or real stone countertops, you'll have to take MY word for it - that's NOT easy.

You might want to consider the total implications of your comments in the future before you make a statement that is simplistic at best, and truly ludicrous when evaluated within the context of what is required for a professional, code-compliant installation in an actual kitchen setting.

Questions of arrogance aside, I didn't find the permanent installation of two espresso machines all that difficult. The first one (Valentina) was a little tricky because it was located opposite the sink area, so I had to run a drain line connection under the house. The water connection was easy by tee'ing off the existing icemaker hookup. The second installation ('test machine') was similar to the one Steve did and took a few hours. I recommend drawing everything out beforehand and loose fitting parts. Plumbing is not forgiving of mistakes, especially PVC drains. A good home repair book will explain what's involved to assure your work meets plumbing codes.

For those who are short on time or not into do-it-yourself work, hiring a plumber is best. Hourly rates in my area are in the $90-$120 range; I estimate the jobs I did would take a pro 1-1/2 hour and 2-3 hours respectively. I agree wholeheartedly with Chris that plumbing in is an excellent investment. Once you've become accustom to the convenience, anything else is just plain irritating. How easy it is to accomplish? Well, that depends on the kitchen and who's doing it.

Hey Chris!

I just wanted to say thank you because I have sincerely enjoyed all your articles. It's great to read tough criticism tempered with real-world practicality. Whether it was your intent or not, your articles seemed to incorporate truly useful advice that is obviously derived from years of experience.

By the way, I am completely mystified how your comments about the superiority of direct-plumbed installations could be construed as arrogant. After all, it wasn't like you were demanding readers to perform vascular surgery with a power drill or any other patently hazardous action, for heaven's sake!

On a brighter subject, I definitely concur with Dan. There is very little involved in direct-plumbed installations through most solid surface materials that is all that difficult for most individuals who are willing to invest the time and energy. In the last five years I've done two of my own direct-plumbed installations plus a few more (okay, last count was six) for family members and friends. Based on my own experiences and the feedback from those I've "plumbed-in" it would be difficult to overemphasize how much such an installation adds to the daily enjoyment of the entire espresso making process. However, be advised that doing it perfectly yourself requires a significant investment in time to plan the installation as well as research on how to best perform the task to achieve professional results AND of course, not flood the house in the process. And you will need some specialized tools to do it right. But frankly, it's methodical work, not rocket science. Most water supplies can be hooked up using the excellent and absurdly easy to install John Guest fittings available through Chris Coffee Service. When it comes to drain connections, you may want to leave that up to a professional to make sure you avoid inadvertently flooding your house with highly flammable and/or noxious gasses found in sewer and drain systems. And don't forget to install a clear water filter housing between the drip tray and the drain to collect grounds. It's easier to empty that once a month than it is to have your domestic drain lines clog with settled coffee grounds. That's a little trick I learned from a plumber who installs commercial machines.

When working with stone slab counters, I found that cutting the opening is the easy part. What's taken time, patience and elbow grease is honing an even bevel on its edge before polishing the opening to flawlessly to match the rest of the counter surface. That arduous and rather anal process can be avoided by using any number of grommets available in metal and plastic that are commonly used to route cables through desktops and furniture shelving. I'm fussy and so I do it the hard way, but neither way is any more right or wrong than the other. My current installation was through 1.5 inch thick quartz composite surface material. After THAT experience, I'd leave hole cutting for quartz composites to a professionally trained, equipped and INSURED installer: Although the outcome is picture perfect, it's not something I'd want to do again. Yeeesh!

swines wrote:However, the statement "I do not understand why all home machines are not plumbed-in. It's so much easier, cleaner... just better.", is mind boggling in its arrogance.

I kind of felt that way for three years, and continued filling and re-filling and re-filling and re-filling and re-filling Silvia's tank. Then I direct plumbed Siliva for autofill. (float valve in tank) And kick myself and kick myself and kick myself for not doing it sooner. (that was 6 months ago)

If, however, you really wanted to plumb the unit in a standard kitchen sitting on a countertop - try that one and then get back to us. If I wanted to do that in my kitchen, it would involve modifying the countertops - and with granite or real stone countertops, you'll have to take MY word for it - that's NOT easy.

And not that hard either. And sure I didn't like having to pull the dishwasher to run the water line behind, but if we ever move I GUARANTEE I'll do it again! AND drilling a permanent hole... yeah, ouch. Which is why it took me 3 years to finally do it. And the best thing I ever did.

And now that a great deal presented itself for a a direct plumb required rotary machine I didn't have to say no. Just had to deal with drain, no biggy.

And the countertop hole being a problem selling if we move? Could plug it but nah, I'll put a dual PID boiler/grouphead temp stable water autofill Silvia back in place of the Briccoletta and include it as a kitchen selling feature! (Silvia matches very well with the Viking range which we'd leave 'cuz it's only a 30" four burner. Next house will have room for a bigger Viking)

Oh, and though I'm a do it yourselfer I HATE plumbing. So what, did it anyway.

Day 14 with my lever Bricoletta, zero remorse! Thanks for the excellent detailed review, it was instrumental in my decision making.

Thanks Chris - needed a review of this and this was perfect!
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