Abe Carmeli wrote: Ah, Jim, those heavenly singles, do they work across the board or just on particular type of coffees, say high growth acidic.

The comparison testing spurred me to improve my singles technique on the Tea as well, so I think I can offer some all round thoughts.

Singles as a whole are better for espresso tasting than doubles; they are mellower, allowing for more tasting and an easier discernment of flavors. This is partly due to taking smaller sips, but it's also due to basket edge effects. In a single, the conical or two step shape of the basket puts a lot of more coffee around the edge compared to a double basket with a simple cylinder shape. I'm guessing the edge of a single is relatively underextracted compared to a double, and that this produces the milder flavor.

The machine does amplify flavor differences like all espresso machines, but without distorting them as much as most machines; it's similar to the Peppina in this regard. I have a bunch of roasts in right now for cupping; among similar coffees, the small quality differences in the cup become very apparent when making shots; the machine rewards coffees with powerful aromas and tastes; and punishes those with weak ones. For coffees designed for espresso, it is also fairly merciless -- the godshot+ shots from my blend on Wednesday lost noticeably in oomph each subsequent day as the roast faded. I'd never noticed this as vividly on the Tea.

However, it's actually fairly kind on some coffees I thought would suffer. Jason's Verona blend has Monsooned Malabar and Kapi, two constituents I usually find overpowering when I'm pulling this style blend on the Tea. On the Elektra, the blend comes out understated and elegant, a real treat when one is steeling oneself for Dolce or Malabar Gold style assertiveness. However, a lot of this may have to do with the care Jason takes on his roasts.

As to "Fly-Bart," the OPVed Elektra is buzzing more loudly. Also, I need to check if most of the improvement on the doubles is from the needle valve alone. So, over the coming weeks, I'll tinker a bit with vibration damping, and using the needle valve on its own. If vibration damping works, I'll post that to a new thread, since there's quite a few vibe owners looking for fixes in this area. Otherwise the results will be in the long term follow up.

miKe mcKoffee wrote:No no NO, just keep telling myself
The Elektra Microcasa Semiautomatica is ugly and pulls terrible shots.
...
The Elektra Microcasa Semiautomatica is ugly and pulls terrible shots...

Less body than the Vetrano

bobdc wrote::P Thanks to the reviews from Jim, Niklas in Sweden and the others, I am in another quandry. I have been saving for the delightful couple, Anita and Mazzer Mini. Now, as I near my $$-goal, Elektra comes on the scene and I am torn between Anita and Elektra. I am still saving the pennies and hope some of you will share your thoughts on the quandry. What a nice one to have, huh? I will be talking to Chris and/or Mary too. A note; these will be my first Reallly Nice grinder and espresso machine and I am not mechanical so won't be doing any tinkering on my own which isn't necessary.
The reviews and comments are appreciated.

There are no bad machines in this price range, so you're likely to be happy with anything you get.

As a now verteran owner of ridiculously overpriced espresso gear, I can offer a few thoughts.

1. The other machine is always greener. Ignore that, since it never goes away, and pay very close attention to your priorities and how they match up with what's out there
2. The few hundred dollars in price differences will be meaningless after a few months of ownership. Again, ignore that and focus on your priorities.
3. Alas, priorities change with experience, so "the last machine I'll ever buy" is mostly a myth. However, the good news is that priorities change very slowly; if you pcik something that fits, it'll probably last as long as your furniture between redecorations or kitchen between remodellings.

another_jim wrote:Singles as a whole are better for espresso tasting than doubles; they are mellower, allowing for more tasting and an easier discernment of flavors. This is partly due to taking smaller sips, but it's also due to basket edge effects. In a single, the conical or two step shape of the basket puts a lot of more coffee around the edge compared to a double basket with a simple cylinder shape. I'm guessing the edge of a single is relatively underextracted compared to a double, and that this produces the milder flavor.

Interesting findings on single baskets, especially given their second class status among HB visitors:

True confession: To the best of my recollection, I have never (not once) pulled a single. I don't even know what tamper size would fit...