Buyer's Guide to the Quick Mill Alexia

[jesawdy]

Chris' Coffee introduces the Quick Mill Alexia, a single boiler E61 grouphead-based machine targeting the expectations of the espresso purist. The Quick Mill Alexia is based on the prior Quick Mill Eliane with some important upgrades.

Taking a cue from the success of the Quick Mill Anita, Andreja and Vetrano heat exchanger-based espresso machines, Alexia has the same magnetic float sensor for pourover reservoir low water detection, resettable high-temperature limit switch, ball-valve steam wand, and easily removable drip tray and cover. All this in the decidedly small package of 9"W x 15.75"D x 15.25"H, but still packing a 0.75 liter boiler and weighing in at 38 lbs.

Your first thought may be, "So what? It's just another single boiler espresso machine." But the Quick Mill Alexia has a reliable and adjustable stock thermostat AND the option to purchase a preinstalled PID temperature controller (installed by Chris' technicians) or adding the PID controller at a later time (Alexia's front panel is precut to receive a 1/32DIN PID controller module). Jim Gallt of PIDkits.com developed the PID controller upgrade kit exclusively for Chris' Coffee.

Over the course of the review we will evaluate this as an espresso machine for the walk-up, three to four times a day, 95%+ espresso drinker. I will first evaluate the stock Alexia with an adjustable thermostat configuration and then install the optional PID kit; Dan will chime in with his findings on the Alexia with preinstalled PID temperature controller.


Quick Mill Alexia, stock and PID controller installed - images courtesy of Chris' Coffee Service

[Mark08859]

Really looking forward to this review. What is the time line on a project such as this?

[jesawdy]

My review machine just came out of the box late last night, so we are just getting started. I want to log some time with the machine before I say too much, but my first impressions are encouraging (only three shots pulled). Also, in an effort to assist all potential buyers, we want to give the standard configuration with the stock thermostat sufficient time to be reviewed. I figure three weeks or so without the PID controller, then the PID controller installation and further review.

[cannonfodder]

Most people would be surprised at the hours we put into these reviews. Between photos, photo editing, video, video editing, pulling the machine apart (usually several times), data logging, observation, testing, background research and drinking more espresso than should be allowed. Writing the bench reports, answering all the bench questions, lots of emails, writing the final buyers guide and more editing than can be imagined, we easily put in 200+ hours on each machine.

[Espressyned]

Most people would be surprised at the hours we put into these reviews. Between photos, photo editing, video, video editing, pulling the machine apart (usually several times), data logging, observation, testing, background research and drinking more espresso than should be allowed. Writing the bench reports, answering all the bench questions, lots of emails, writing the final buyers guide and more editing than can be imagined, we easily put in 200+ hours on each machine. Happiness is a warm puck.

Thank You VERY MUCH for all your efforts and time.

Yes, it is amazing the lengths we will go to for a good reliable warm puck!

[cannonfodder]

Thank You VERY MUCH for all your efforts and time.

And that is why we do it. You are welcome.

Also, playing with new equipment is fun. Kind of like being asked to do a review on a new sports car.

[lilotaku]

Very nice to see someone doing a review on the Alexia with and without PiD. This is the machine that i've been looking to upgrade to for a while and i haven't found any great detailed reviews on it. Now if someone did a thorough review on the Anita as well, that would be nice too.

[jgriff]

Very nice to see someone doing a review on the Alexia with and without PiD. This is the machine that i've been looking to upgrade to for a while and i haven't found any great detailed reviews on it. Now if someone did a thorough review on the Anita as well, that would be nice too.

There are already reviews on this site of two other Quickmill machines - the Andreja Premium and Vetrano - that are nearly the same as Anita, at least from the perspective of what's in the cup. There are also quite a few HB'ers that own one of these machines, so whaddya wanna know?

[jesawdy]

There are already reviews on this site of two other Quickmill machines - the Andreja Premium and Vetrano - that are nearly the same as Anita, at least from the perspective of what's in the cup.

The Alexia is a single-boiler, dual-purpose (steam and brew from same boiler) machine... so it not quite the same as the Quick Mill HX-based machines that you mention. That said, one can expect similar fit and finish and vendor support as the aforementioned machines.

[jesawdy]

OK, time to kick off this Bench thread on the Quick Mill Alexia.


Quick Mill Alexia - front badge

Chris' Coffee must be hooked up to some sort of UPS mainline. The machine was shipped late on a Monday (while Roger and I hammered out a plumbing order), and arrived at my doorstep by noon on Wednesday. The machine was well packed, double boxed with foam corners separating the boxes, and topped off with Instapak hard foam; ready for all but the roughest "What can Brown do for you?" treatment. In the inner Quick Mill box, the machine was in a plastic bag, the portafilters and accessories in a smaller cardboard box that was nestled between the grouphead and the drip tray, hard Styrofoam on the bottom and another Instapak foam on the top. Listed at 38 lbs, it was easy to unbox the machine.

The machine includes: two portafilters, one singe spout and one double spout; both single and double baskets; a blind basket for backflushing; a plastic coffee scoop with plastic tamper end; and a few water hardness test strips. There is no translated Italian Quick Mill manual, but instead a much more useful six page insert. Only a small portion of the guide is machine specific, and that's just the first-time setup page and steaming operation portion. The rest of the insert covers espresso brewing tips, frothing tips, and cleaning. This information is geared towards the first-time user, much less so an HB regular, but it is still worth reading.


Quick Mill Alexia - included accessories

So, here she is, a simple and understated design. The curved side panel helps avoid the "square box" look.


Quick Mill Alexia - fern pattern extra

All of the switches and panel lights are mounted across the angled top front edge. On my test machine, the toggle switches are mounted such that left is on, right is off. This is different than the stock photo on Chris' Coffee website, those switches are oriented up/down. The labels are screened or etched, I can't quite tell. On/Off for the power toggle, P for the pump toggle and a steam icon for the steam mode toggle.


Quick Mill Alexia - controls
From left to right, green power indicator, power toggle switch, red heat indicator, pump toggle, steam toggle, red steam mode indicator

[jgriff]

The Alexia is a single-boiler, dual-purpose (steam and brew from same boiler) machine... so it not quite the same as the Quick Mill HX-based machines that you mention. That said, one can expect similar fit and finish and vendor support as the aforementioned machines.

Right. I understand that. I was just responding to lilotaku's wish that someone would do a thorough review of the Anita. So I pointed out that the AP and Vetrano are very similar to Anita (not Alexia) and that they've both been reviewed here before. In no way was I suggesting that there is not a reason to review the Alexia. I'm looking forward to reading all about it.

Justin

[jesawdy]

Right. I understand that. I was just responding to lilotaku's wish that someone would do a thorough review of the Anita. So I pointed out that the AP and Vetrano are very similar to Anita (not Alexia) and that they've both been reviewed here before. In no way was I suggesting that there is not a reason to review the Alexia. I'm looking forward to reading all about it.

DOH! ... I missed that, apologies.

[jesawdy]

Alexia's Exterior - continued

The Alexia is a pourover-style machine. To access the water reservoir, you must remove the cup warming tray. This is a bit of an inconvenience, but manageable as the cup tray only accommodates 6 cups (hint: if you don't have an already warmed cup, draw water into one through the group before you start the grinder; it will help stabilize the group temperature and the cup will be warm by the time you're ready to lock in the portafilter). Note the finger holes to easily remove the tray, the edges of the finger holes are rolled over, not sharp edges.


Quick Mill Alexia - cup warming tray and pourover reservoir access

The swivel joint steam wand is to the left of the E61 grouphead and, like most single boiler machines, serves as the hot water dispenser when the machine is in brew mode. The steam wand tip is a two hole design. The boiler pressure gauge can be used to monitor brew pressure and to guesstimate the readiness of the boiler for steaming while in steam mode.


Quick Mill Alexia - articulated steam wand on the left, boiler/brew pressure gauge

The drip tray on Alexia is quite large and easily pulls out like a drawer while the drip tray's mesh cover remains. There is no handle on the drip tray like some machines, but the front edges are slightly beveled and offer a decent grip. The drip tray cover also removes easily for cleaning. All edges of the drip tray and cover are either rolled or polished and not sharp. It is hard to see it in the photos, but the bottom edge of the drip tray cover is scalloped for added visual interest.


Quick Mill Alexia - drip tray and drip tray cover design

One nice detail of the drip tray cover is the raised and rolled lip edge at the back. This helps keep errant drips and water from getting under or behind the lower drip tray.


Quick Mill Alexia - drip tray cover detail

The Alexia is a lever-actuated E61 grouphead machine. Raising the lever activates the pump via a microswitch and operates the E61's valves via a cam in the brew chamber; the cam is shown in orange below:


From Is there a purpose for the E61 middle brew lever position?

The picture below shows the lever in three positions; up is the brew position, in the middle position the pump microswitch is just deactivated but the water pressure is still on the grouphead, and in the down position the pressure is relieved from the group and exhausted from the bottom of the group to the drip tray.


Quick Mill Alexia - brew lever; from left to right - brew position, middle position, off position

And the last thing I want to touch on regarding the exterior of the Alexia is this little feature: the precut front panel designed to accommodate a 1/32 DIN PID controller! In my mind, this is the stand out feature of the Alexia, separating it from other high-end E61 grouphead dual purpose single boiler machines. I'll use the Alexia "stock" for the next couple weeks, and then take advantage of this solution when I install the PID kit.


Quick Mill Alexia - 1/32 DIN PID opening cover plate

The next installment will cover first-time setup and operation.

[jesawdy]

With Alexia out of the box and on the counter, let's briefly review the setup steps and then start pulling some shots. If you've had a Gaggia or Rancilio Silvia single boiler, these instructions will be old hat.

First-Time Setup

This is a summary only; see the owner's manual for complete instructions.

Rinse, clean and fill the water reservoir. The reservoir has a 3-liter capacity listed, but it seems to be closer to 2.5+ liter usable. Reminder: Test the water hardness with the included test strips. Water hardness of 3 grains or less is acceptable. My water test was between 0-3 grains. If your water tests high, Chris' Coffee can discuss water treatment options.

Fill the boiler. With all toggle switches in the off position, plug the machine in. Turn the power on (left toggle) and lift the brew lever. The left green lamp should be lit to indicate power and the middle red lamp will be illuminated since the heating element is on. As the boiler fills, confirm that the reservoir water level is dropping. If you don't hear water gurgling, don't wait too long; kill the power switch to avoid burning out the element. Once a steady stream of water is coming out the group, lower the lever. The boiler is now full and there should be little to no air left in the boiler. Top off the water in the reservoir.

Warm up. Lock in a portafilter and let the machine heatup (as indicated by the center red lamp). Once the lamp is out, the boiler has reached temperature.

The owner's manual suggests a minimum of 30 minutes warm up time. I allow an hour if possible.

Pulling Shots by the Numbers

Those who are upgrading from Silvia or similar class machine are going to love this part. My "daily driver" machine for the last 14 months or so has been the Rancilio Silvia. Now, don't get me wrong, I think the Silvia is a well built machine. It has often been said that Silvia is a "harsh mistress", and I think she is. My personal experience in the first few days on Alexia is that you can hardly go wrong, comparatively speaking. I've joked before that preinfusion is for wussies, but it sure makes things simpler! I've also used a few other commercial class machines without E61 preinfusion, and they aren't as forgiving as the Alexia.

For my initial use of the machine, I have been using a Rancilio Rocky doserless grinder, the WDT, a "La Marzocco" 14g ridgeless basket, and several quality 58mm tampers with both flat and convex pistons. I also used a bottomless portafilter for the first few days to verify the extractions were even. I recommend using a double basket in the single spout portafilter and dosing 16 to 17 grams of ground coffee.

1. Flush to warm the group. Before you grind for your shot, lift the brew lever and flush about 3 ounces of water.
   
2. Dose, distribute, tamp. Remove the portafilter and wipe the basket dry. Some like to remove the portafilter retainer clip and dose into the removed basket, but I prefer to dose the coffee directly into the portafilter and basket. I also choose to weigh my coffee as I learn a new machine, so I'll remove the basket and check the coffee weight (hence the use of a ridgeless basket). I do my own variation of the WDT and then level and tamp the coffee.
   
3. Brew. You may wish to do another brief spritz (1 ounce or so) of water from the group by lifting the lever, and then immediately lock in and lift the brew lever. Place your cup under the spout. The first drops should appear within 7-10 seconds from the spout. The pressure gauge will pause at 5-6 bars for a short while during preinfusion, and if the grind is correct, the pressure will then build up to the brew pressure setting. My test machine shipped set at about 10 bar.
   
4. Enjoy. Hopefully, if your grind is right, you'll have 1.5 - 2 ounces of some espresso nirvana in your cup at about 25 - 30 seconds!

Remember, rather than watching the clock or the cup, concentrate on watching that stream of espresso from the spout. As the stream changes from a thicker reddish brown to a thinner lighter blond color, lower the brew lever to end the extraction. When the lever is completely lowered, pressure on the coffee puck will be released to the bottom of the group, and a WHOOSH of water will spit into the drip tray. After pulling a shot, the brew pressure gauge may read 8-10 bar when the machine is idle, this is normal; lifting the lever half way but before the pump engages will release all the pressure (or crack open the steam valve for a second to release the pressure).


Quick Mill Alexia - typical double, about 1.75 ounces

[jesawdy]

The two brew parameters that can be adjusted on the stock Alexia are the brew temperature and the brew pressure.

To make either of these adjustments, I had to remove the rear outer case. There are a total of six flat-head screws to remove; two on either side, and two at the rear bottom (note - no need to remove the rear top screws, also the rear bottom screws are longer than the side screws).

Unlike the Silvia-class machines, the Alexia has an adjustable thermostat. Here are some pictures of the right side of the machine where the thermostat is located.


Quick Mill Alexia - right side with cover off

This is a close-up of the adjustable thermostat as accessed with only the outer shell removed. The scale is in degrees Centigrade, and unfortunately the temperature indicator pointer is on the far side of the dial (at 3 o'clock).


Quick Mill Alexia - adjustable thermostat (indicator on far side)

The Z-shaped cover below the reservoir is attached with two Phillips screws at the top. Removing it will give better access to the thermostat (Tip: the temperature can easily be adjusted without removing this panel, it is just difficult to see the current setpoint). The current setpoint can be seen below. Before making any adjustments, it would be a good idea to mark the factory set point with tape or a paint marker for future reference.


Quick Mill Alexia - with the reservoir Z-cover removed, we can see the temperature indicator

Adjusting the brew pressure via the OPV (over pressure valve) is done from the left side of the machine.


Quick Mill Alexia - left side with cover off

Turning the upper portion of the OPV counterclockwise reduces the brew pressure. The OPV valve on this test machine was very simple to adjust; easily manipulated by hand, no wrench needed. Adjusting the OPV with a blind basket in the portafilter and the brew lever engaged, I dialed the brew pressure down to 9.5 bar from 10 bar.


Quick Mill Alexia - adjustable OPV (overpressure valve)

[cannonfodder]

The OPV looks a lot like the one Isomac uses. While they are easy to adjust, I found that I needed to remove the silicone tube before I adjusted it. If I left the tubing on the OPV, it would twist when I made a change, then the machines vibration plus the torque from the twisted line would slowly turn the OPV back the other way.

[Pino]

The two brew parameters that can be adjusted on the stock Alexia are the brew temperature and the brew pressure.

Unlike the Silvia-class machines, the Alexia has an adjustable thermostat. Here are some pictures of the right side of the machine where the thermostat is located.

This is a close-up of the adjustable thermostat as accessed with only the outer shell removed. The scale is in degrees Centigrade, and unfortunately the temperature indicator pointer is on the far side of the dial (at 3 o'clock).

The Z-shaped cover below the reservoir is attached with two Phillips screws at the top. Removing it will give better access to the thermostat (Tip: the temperature can easily be adjusted without removing this panel, it is just difficult to see the current setpoint). The current setpoint can be seen below. Befpre making any adjustments, it would be a good idea to mark the factory set point with tape or a paint marker for future reference.

Quick Mill Alexia - with the reservoir Z-cover removed, we can see the temperature indicator

Hi Jeff,

I just wanted to share my experience with temperature adjustment. I unplugged the machine, took the shell off and adjusted the temperature down about 2'C. I put the shell back on turned on the machine, and then a bright white spark went off in the machine. I inspected in the machine and noticed the wire from the temperature probe probably touched the 3rd far right terminal on the thermostat. I noticed in your photo that the middle terminal is bare.
I would think that this terminal should be covered at the factory and the lead from the thermostat which is very long and dangling should be tied more neatly to avoid touching this bare terminal.
This is not covered under warranty.
I agree it is better to take the Z cover off to better access the dial. A suggestion would be to cover that bare terminal before starting to adjust anything.
After almost a month down time I should receive the new thermostat this week.
Also this is a 1st generation Alexia without the cutout for a PID. I have emailed Jim at pidkits and he is looking into the possibility of mounting a PID onto this machine.

Arthur
PS: Compliments on taking on the project of the Alexia review.

[jesawdy]

The OPV looks a lot like the one Isomac uses. While they are easy to adjust, I found that I needed to remove the silicone tube before I adjusted it. If I left the tubing on the OPV, it would twist when I made a change, then the machines vibration plus the torque from the twisted line would slowly turn the OPV back the other way.

Dave-

That's a good point that I had not considered. On the test machine, the OPV return line is very loosely zip-tied to the supply line, so you might could just make sure that any twist in the return line is relieved. Thanks for the warning.

[jesawdy]

I just wanted to share my experience with temperature adjustment. I unplugged the machine, took the shell off and adjusted the temperature down about 2'C. I put the shell back on turned on the machine, and then a bright white spark went off in the machine. I inspected in the machine and noticed the wire from the temperature probe probably touched the 3rd far right terminal on the thermostat. I noticed in your photo that the middle terminal is bare.
I would think that this terminal should be covered at the factory and the lead from the thermostat which is very long and dangling should be tied more neatly to avoid touching this bare terminal.

Arthur-

Yowch! I bet you were very unhappy. Good advice and something to be careful of.

FYI, on the thermostat, that big coil of copper is a capillary tube. The tube goes to a bulb installed in a thermowell in the boiler. Expansion of fluid in the bulb is transmitted as pressure on a bellows in the thermostat that in turn opens or closes the heating circuit [or that's my understanding at least, corrections welcomed]. The tube probably could be more neatly stowed but you need to be careful to not kink the tube.

[cafeIKE]

Adjusting the brew pressure via the OPV (over pressure valve) is done from the left side of the machine.

From the photo, the PID is going to be exceedingly close to the uninsulated boiler.

Care to stick a TC in that space on a closed machine and report the temperature after an hour of operation?