SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions:
10 inches round at base; 14 inches deep with portafilter attached
21 to 23 inches high
25lbs empty, 32lbs filled
Capacities:
Boiler
Size: 2 liters with heat exchanger
Attachments:
steam wand with 90 degree turn valve and knob,
sight glass,
gauge,
no water tap
Controls:
Pressure Stat,
Manual Fill Push Button
Safety Valve,
Vacuum Breaker,
Safety Thermostat, bulb type.
Heat: 800 watts
Power Consumption: 105 watt-hours per hour idling
Group
Size: 58mm Commercial
3 way valve: Yes, solenoid driven
Group Heating: Directly bolted to boiler and HX
Baskets: 10 gram single, 18 gram double, E61 style
Brew Control: Combination Push and On/off Button
Group Jet: Yes, 9mm with sieve
Pump: 52 watt Ulka without overpressure valve, 15 bar max.
Tank: 2 liters, 1.85 usable
Cup Warmer: None
Drip Tray: 0.175 liters
Construction:
Brass/Copper or Chrome Plated Brass, both with clear-coat finish
Materials Quality:
Superior Commercial: none
Standard Commercial:
brass group, boiler, piping, fittings, & valves
braided metal hose
harnessed wiring
bulb safety stat
Semicommercial:
Mater pressurestat
Ulka brass head pump
Domestic: none
Is this laundry list worth $1400? Obviously, the looks alone will sell the machine; but does it stack up on the inside? I've now poked around lots of espresso machines; and this one strikes me as a decent deal. Although the construction quality will not compete with a Cimbali or La Marzocco; it is as good or better than standard commercial machines, and better than all the semicommercials I've personally seen. The only semi-commercial components, necessitated by its small size, are the Mater pressure stat and the Ulka pump. Both are heftier versions than those normally found in machines at this price point.
Elektra can make this price at high quality because the machine is ultra-minimal. One thing I'm glad they left out is the automatic boiler fill. A sight glass is actually more expensive, allows one to change the shot's temperature profile slightly by shifting the fill level, and most importantly, also means the boiler's fillup can't spoil shots while they are pulling.
A bigger issue is the missing water tap. This may be a deal breaker for some; one needs to spend about 18 seconds steam heating water for an Americano. Another potential problem is the tiny driptray. The three way valve discharge is minuscule, so the tray will hold a day's worth of it. However, one will need to do cooling and cleaning flushes into a bowl. Finally, there's the missing cupwarmer. Since this machine needs a short water flush before each use, heating the cups is no problem, just run the hot water into them. However, it means there's no handy spot for the cups. I have cabinet space over it, but if that's not available, one will need to arrange for cup storage.
At this price point, one can get a plumbed-in machine with a rotary pump; how much does one give up going with a pour-over vibe? The Elektra is so light that unlike many heavyweight semi-commercial machines with vibe pumps, it retains the advantage of easy mobility. While it used to be supposed that shot quality is much better on rotary machines; this turns out to be a myth. Shot quality is, at most, only minimally improved. But rotary pumps really are whisper quiet in operation, whereas the Elektra's is fairly noisy, about the same as other vibe machines with metal cases. One can have a conversation while it's operating, but one would hear it in the background. The pump installation and casing is very tight, so the usual increase in noisiness as machines get older may not be as much of an issue. Plumbing-in relieves one from emptying driptrays or filling tanks. My suspicion is that plumbing in is a very large benefit when the machine is far away from a sink, and not so much when a sink is close by. Be warned though, the Elektra requires more filling and emptying than most pour-overs, so sink-adjacent real estate is probably a near must.
The nearly unforgiveable missing item for a machine at this price is an overpressure valve on the pump. This means that 2 ounce doubles will pull at the correct 9 to 10 bar, singles and ristrettos at a too high 11 to 12 bar, and ristretto singles at a way too high 13 to 14 bar. It's only "nearly unforgivable" because the short shots turn out to be very tasty. In theory, they should taste overextracted and awful; I can only speculate why not. In any case, it's a straightforward, $50 and 2 hour job to retrofit the valve; I give the how-tos and my assessment whether it's worthwhile in the performance section.
Finally, there's the missing item that's the key to the Semi's design: the machine has no case. The proper analogy is if all other espresso machines were cars or vans, this one's the motorcycle. And like motorcycles, almost every spot you can touch on it will burn you. If you have kids that don't warn off, you should avoid this machine.
USER EXPERIENCE
Suppose you are not a godshot obsessed espresso lunatic, how is this machine for day in, day out use? I think there are four critical factors when answering this question: is it fast and convenient; is it a joy to use; does it make good to great espresso and cappuccino; and can one get skilled on it quickly. I'll cover these in this section. For the god-shot obsessed, there's really only one question: whether a machine can keep up as one's own skills improve and demands rise. More on that in the concluding section.
EASE OF USE Nothing is as fast or convenient as a fully automatic espresso machine that grinds, doses and brews; nothing is as slow or inconvenient as a small single boiler machine that needs to be fired up for every shot. We are looking in the in-between area where one grinds and doses oneself, then operates a machine that is already warmed up and waiting. In terms of shot by shot chores, a plumbed in pump and drip tray will make life easier. This difference becomes fairly minuscule if a sink is within reach, and more onerous the further one is removed. The Elektra has small tanks and driptrays, so it's particularly important to have a sink nearby. Shot making speed is faster than most semi-commercials since the flush is short (about 2.5 ounces or 9 seconds), there is very little dwell time (the wait from starting the brewing to seeing the first drops appear), and the streaming runs faster than most semi-commercials, about 12 seconds for a 4 ounce cappa. The basic cleanup ritual is roughly the same as most home use machines: portafilter wriggle after each shot, group brush, water backflush, and wipedown once a day. The group will not tolerate missing a day's cleanup, and the machine is a looker, so one will should tend to it more punctiliously than most machines.
MACHINE ERGONOMICS AND FEEL An espresso setup is a joy to use if the shotmaking can flow easily and comfortably. A major part of this is how practiced one has become with a particular setup, and another big part is making sure grinder, machine, barista tools, and cups are layed out well on the counter. However, the machine itself plays a big part: are there misplaced controls, unpleasant sights and noises, or other annoyances that eventually get under ones skin?
I find my Isomac Tea a champion in this area -- all the gauges and lights are in ones eye, all the stuff one needs to handle at stomach to chest height, facing forward, well spaced, and large. It doesn't make for the most aesthetic package, but it sure flows when using it. The Elektra is not in this usability league. The brew button is neat: push it in halfway and it's momentary for short flushes, all the way in and it detents for brewing. But there are a few annoyances: the steam knob is too small, the cowling on the three-way discharge rings against the driptray when one inserts the PF, the "ergonomic" downward sloped PF handle is not in the least bit ergonomic for low home counter use, and the cutouts in the group for the PF ears are so tight in tolerance, it takes a few days to get smooth at inserting and removing the PF. None of this amounts to a major flaw, but it would be easy to correct all of them without spoiling the machine's looks.
Perhaps the single most important ergonomic factor on a traditional espresso machine is how finicky and long winded one needs to get with tamping and dosing in order to get a good pour. Whenever I see a ten minute things to do list for levelling and tamping, I know it's for a Silvia. The E61s with their long preinfusion are very good at this. The Elektra, where the espresso starts pouring in 2 seconds flat, is not just better, it's unbelievably, never a sink-pour, great. This group bell's water distribution over the puck is the best I've ever seen on any machine (see enthusiast section). Elektra uses the same group bell on all their commercial machines, and A3 reviewers have also noted this rare combination of short dwell time and easily achieved, ultra-precise pours.
Finally there is the subjective feel to using the machine. The Elektra is ultra-light, sliding on the counter if handled jerkily, over-hot, and over-powered. If one inserts and removes the PF smoothly, pushes the buttons lightly, steams delicately; the machine responds with a pleasing growl and roar; get clumsy and the machine balks. And I mean the growling literally. The HX is so closely coupled to the boiler pressure, that the heater kicks in and the boiler begins to rumble softly the moment one makes espresso. It's all almost subliminal, but the motorcycle metaphor applies as much to its feel as to its appearance.
DRINK QUALITY The practiced eye would predict that shots from this machine would take a lot of skill and still be frustratingly hit or miss; the practiced eye couldn't be more wrong. I'll save the speculating for the enthusiast section, and simply say here that this machine is excellent for a deft-fingered beginner. If one forgets to do any temperature management, the first two shots will still be fine; if one doesn't level and tamp like an expert, the excellent water dispersion will still produce an even pour.
As one gets more practiced, one starts to judge ones shot preparation by the color and speed of the espresso pouring into the cup. And this is where some differences in taste can arise. The time the water spends in the puck without emerging, the dwell time, is a short 2 seconds in the Semi, 5 seconds on most machines, 9 to 10 seconds on an E61. If the espresso pours at the same rate after this phase, the overall extraction will be slightly different. The Semi, on average, has lighter bodied shots with more refined and delineated flavors than the Tea. I've noticed the same effect on pre GS/5 LMs, another short dwell machine. This can be compensated for by timing the shots; but it actually gets harder to do this as one gets more experienced and relies more on the way the drink is pouring.
All in all, this machine's head to head comparisons fit the mold of other ones among competent commercial and semi-commercial machines. Once one is pulling properly from each machine, using identical baskets, there are some differences in taste, but only minuscule and shifting differences in overall quality.
For milk drinks this machine is the big time. It has the same steam wand, boiler setup, and heater as the highly praised Microcasa Leva (the Semi's boiler is a hair larger to accommodate the heat exchanger), but it runs at a slightly higher pressure. For a 6 ounce cappa, it takes about 10 to 12 seconds to steam the milk, and it is very easy indeed to produce microfoam. Lattes steam in about 20 seconds. By comparison, some commercial machines can steam up to twice as fast, most semi-commercial and large home machines about half as fast. No machine I've used, except maybe the Solis SLs, make microfoaming easier.
LEARNING CURVE I would not recommend this machine to a complete newbie unless they were very deft or already had a cook's heat desensitized hands. I don't think a machine where the entire surface except the base and stream knob is above 180F is right for someone fumbling with a portafilter for the first time. That aside, I heartily recommend this machine to anyone who has used a traditional espresso machine long enough to handle it deftly. It will reward newbies who know nothing about the fine points of shot making with good straight espresso and milk drinks; it will keep up with them for quite some time as they improve.
However, this machine is simply not designed for ultra-precise temperature and pressure control. As usual, one can compensate somewhat with expert tricks, but that is time consuming and certainly not the same as using a machine designed for fine adjustments. It makes very good espresso without being particularly precise; but it will never be featured in a WBC final or get bragging rights among the tech minded espresso people. It may also turn out that there are some blends or SOs for which it will not produce a good shot. Aside from that, its shots will satisfy even the pickiest espresso connoisseur; and it may even produce some of the best shots you've ever tasted.
