So I bought a Strega yesterday (yay!), and once Bella Barista had fully tested it (as they do, with you present, on all machines) the guy drained down the water boiler and it yielded 1.25 litres or thereabouts.

It would be good to know if it's not advisable to do this during normal operation since my other half does like to use an espresso machine as a source of boiling water for a variety of purposes (tea, water for pasta etc). We always used the Expobar in that way with (seemingly) no ill effects.

Congratulations to you on your Strega purchase!
It's probably not my place to make suggestions about tea to an Englishman....but
Have you checked out the Breville automatic tea maker?

It's a marvel of technology and despite this advantage, it makes great tea:

http://www.brevilleusa.com/the-tea-maker-onetouch.html

I own one and the temperature control on the maker is very precise and accurate.

Nice! Welcome to the lever crowd!

Are you getting a "free HG1" to match too?

Your question about drawing water from the boiler, 1.2l worth, should probably be asked of the dealer too. Generally the machine has a water level sensor and will not turn on the boiler heat without water, so it's supposed to be safe. The one drawback is the sound of the vibe pump for the next minute while it refills.

Enjoy that Strega! Keep a good hold on that lever - no wet hands and keep the face out of the lever's swing!

The tea maker looks amazing, if you're that into it, which it may surprise you to hear that none of us are - or rather we'd pride ourselves on being able to make a decent cuppa without a fancy machine

Thanks Dan - I nearly KO'ed myself the first time I played with an unloaded lever, the kick really is something. Have rapidly learnt to stand to the side....

HG One hasn't been ordered yet but since I may have accidentally already sold my SJ I'd better get on with it....

Actually, this is what I would expect from folks who do know tea and was interested to know some views on this product from connoisseurs. What drew me to this tea maker was its precise temperature control. Heck, and I do like cool gadgets.

doublehelix wrote:What drew me to this tea maker was its precise temperature control. Heck, and I do like cool gadgets.

I have one of these for my office at work. The hot water dispenser at work would either make weak tea, or bitter tea. The machine is definitely cool, but I can't keep the basket looking all shiny and new. It's pretty useful for an aeropress at work as well.

Yes....here's a way to clean the tea maker:
Add some baking soda your tea maker water (~10-20 g in ~1 liter of distilled, or RO) and run a high-temp brew cycle. The brown deposits nicely loosen and dissolve. Your tea maker will sparkle after simple rinsing. Any remaining deposits wipe clean with a paper towel without scrubbing.