I think it is time to interrupt all my "gear" talk with some drink pictures.

One my personal favorite drinks is still the Cafe Americano... Here's some kinda fun pictures of one, Cafe Ambrosia from Tony at Caffe Fresco. I usually pour into a much narrower cup (a mug); for this one the finished drink wasn't too pretty as it didn't all sit on top, but it was fun to watch early on. (Side note - I've noticed that I seem to have a harder time keeping the espresso on top of an Americano when I use boiler water as the base; I usually microwave my cup and water. Anybody else experienced this?)


Cool...


Still interesting...


Falling apart on me.... the finished drink wasn't too pretty so no pic

And here is a cappuccino (er, uhm, latte) from this evening.... Everything was pretty much on except I should have dumped some milk first to finish with more foam in the drink. I was nowhere near a "drink of thirds" in the cup. This was also the first use of the double spout portafilter that came with the machine.


Caffe Fresco Ambrosia, early on...


Pretty tight...


Need some milk skillz...


I love this Intelly cup!

Quick Mill Alexia - Heater-cutoff Relay Kit Installation

Late last week, I had a chance to install the heater-cutoff relay kit that Jim Gallt put together for the Alexia. Dan has had this installed in his review Alexia machine for quite some time. The relay kit prevents the heater element from being powered on when the vibratory pump is activated.

This relay kit was something that Jim put together at Dan's request. Initially, the intent was to eliminate the rise of the shot temperature over time that Dan was casually observing. In hindsight, this temperature increase may have been quite small and perhaps nothing to fret about (see my previous posts showing the "original" PID kit performance, link, link). But, that said, one artifact that is seen with the "original" PID kit is fluctuation of the brew pressure as the PID cuts the heater on and off every second of the shot, and the accompanying "aaaa-eeee-aaaa-eeee" sound of the pump as the load changes with current draw from the heater. Whether any of this current/pressure fluctuation is detrimental to the espresso shot is questionable, but for some, it may detract from the experience.

Installation of the relay kit was a breeze. Total installation time was about 15 minutes. My 5-year old son helped me and we had some fun playing with espresso machines and parts in the basement (he helped me doctor up Silvia afterwards). The case is removed, a few wires swapped from the "original" kit and the new heater-cutoff relay is affixed atop the low-water relay (see picture below).


Quick Mill Alexia - PID kit - heater cutoff relay (top)

After the relay kit is installed, anytime the pump is activated, power to the heating element drops out. The "aaaa-eeee-aaaa-eeee" sound of the pump during a shot pull is gone, as is the visible brew pressure gauge fluctuation of the "original" kit.

Coming up, I will duplicate the previous PID intershot performance tests and see what affect the relay may have.

[NOTE - It is my understanding that this additional relay will be included with all future Alexia PID kits. Knowing that Chris Nachtrieb and Chris' Coffee Service takes pride in their customer service reputation, current Alexia owners (with the MLG Industries PID kit already installed) may find it worth asking Chris very nicely if he'd be willing to part with the second relay plus installation instructions at negligible cost. ]

Quick Mill Alexia - PID Use, Part 3 - Intershot Performance with the Heater-cutoff Relay

Here are graphs showing intrashot and intershot performance with the new Alexia PID kit heater-cutoff relay installed.

This procedure was used:

• Warmed machine with portafilter and Scace thermofilter installed for 60 minutes minimum,
• Portafilter removed and pulled a warming flush of ~3 ounces,
• 2 minute recovery and then pulled a "garbage" simulated shot (data captured this time as Shot A)
• Pulled 5 shots with 2 minute recovery between shots, start dump of thermofilter for each shot (Shots B-F),
• 2 minute recovery and pulled a long shot (60 seconds, Shot G),
• Pulled two subsequent long shots with 3 minute recovery times between (Shots H and I)

The first graph below shows the 6 shots (Shots A-F) with two minute recovery times. The PID SV this go around is 221°F. Shot A, the "garbage shot" was a bit cooler, but not by much. I still see a slight dip in the middle, but my goodness that's pretty stable. Here are the maximum temperatures for shots A-F: 198.3, 198.6, 198.8, 198.5, 198.3, 198.0


Quick Mill Alexia, 6 shots, no heat intrashot; Click for full size

OK, this next graph is a bit busy, but it shows a few things. I have plotted 10 shots of the "original" PID configuration (PID is still controlling heat intrashot) at SV=223°F; five at 30 seconds long with only a start dump (SD), two at 60 seconds long, and three with a spritz before pulling the shot. Also plotted, are Shots A-I at PID SV=221°F from the procedure given above.

This graphs shows that 5 or 6 normal shots in either configuration are very similar, even with only a 2 minute recovery. For the longer 60 second shots, under PID control I see a small rise in the temperature profile, but there is a much flatter profile in that last 30 seconds with the new relay installed. I also see that the 3 minute recovery between those long shots wasn't adequate, as each one is 1 or 2 degrees cooler. None of this is a big deal, we shouldn't be pulling 150ml, 60 second shots, and anything from 2-5 minutes recovery time should satisfy most any home barista.


Quick Mill Alexia, PID performance, heater relay before and after; Click for full size

In summary, I believe that under normal operating conditions, the new PID kit heater-cutoff relay does not make a drastic difference to the temperature profile. It may lengthen the minimum recovery time needed, but probably not by much. For those folks that already have a PID-controlled Alexia, I wouldn't feel cheated. However, as mentioned in the last post, the pressure fluctuations and noises associated with the simultaneous vibe pump and heater load are a thing of the past.

(Data available on request)

I don't think we should let these quotes from Dan slip away without being referenced in this Bench Thread. Since Dan has MUCH more experience than myself (with many E61 and other prosumer HX machines), I don't like to over step my experience and make claims I can't personally support.

from Quickmill Alexia with PID vs. HX espresso machine

HB wrote:I evaluated the Amica / Zaffiro (link), and like the Alexia, it's an easy machine to use, which I believe accounts for a lot of the praise it garnered. I PID'd the Amica and must say, Jim Gallt's conversion is much better than mine. The Alexia has no troubles with overshoot and the intrashot temperature stability is excellent. HX machines are capable of similar performance, but require much more attention to brew temperature management.

from Fiorenzato Bricoletta Rotary VS. Vibe

HB wrote:When operated correctly, the E61 prosumer espresso machines, in general, produce very similar results. Or at least the difference is so small, it could be attributed to preference. That said, the PID'd Alexia beats any HX espresso machine that I've used on ease of brew temperature control. Getting the brew temperature right is a big contributor to the realized espresso shot quality, especially for those new to making espresso at home.

I want to withhold comments on my comparison of Silvia and Alexia until I have some other coffees in hand, especially with respect to taste. The other weekend when I had both the Silvia and the Alexia on the counter, the coffee I had on hand was Caffe Fresco Ambrosia. As Jim said in the TGP (link):

another_jim wrote:It pays to do equipment testing with a prima-donna-ish blend or SO that can be taken all over the map; rather than something that is always consistent. I'm using Ambrosia for the first round of extraction tests, and this blend is much too consistent for taste testing. The differences between the shots from assorted doses and grinders are small enough that I'm thinking they are probably due to auto-suggestion.

I will get the solubles yield data at least; but as far as the taste goes, here's my ad for Caffe Fresco's Ambrosia:

"Don't want to mess with a lot of temperatures. pressures, distributions and all the rest of the malarkey? Use Ambrosia, it pours thick and tastes fat no matter how, or on what, you pull the shot."

I did find that I wasn't going to get away with the same grind setting at doses other than 14g (I tried 14g, 15g and 16g). Oddly, at the higher doses the Silvia was pulling a bit slower, I might have expected it to go the other way. At 14g however, I was seeing nearly identical beading and pour times between the two machines. I had no trouble with the "harsh mistress" Silvia, but I was also being increasingly retentive about the whole shot building approach; grinding into an empty basket, weighing the dose, adjusting the weight, WDT, and tamping out of the portafilter.

I have some more coffees on order, so I will revisit the comparison when I have those in hand.

Eric Svendson and I exchanged e-mails recently regarding his thermometer adapter. Eric had this humorous response he has allowed me to share:

erics wrote:I sense that Alexia has you wrapped around her little finger - as well she should. The only time users are going to "get into trouble" with Alexia is when they encounter something like this:

"Sweetie, would you like a cappy? - I think I'm going to make one for myself right now."

"No, honey, not now. I think I'll wait until later on but thanks anyway."

Sweetie's SO makes the cappy and is licking his chops because its so good. In passing, he mentions this "goodness" to Sweetie.

Now Sweetie begins to sorta lick her chops and says, "Honey, I think I will have one now - that's a great idea."

And now, with an overheated grouphead(?), Sweetie's SO makes Sweetie a cappy that she would soon like to forget.

Perhaps I should see how much flushing and waiting is needed to get back to reasonable brew temps after a steaming session?

Quick Mill Alexia - My "Nits"

After having the Alexia for only a few days, I privately posted my "nits" with the Alexia, shown below. After two months use, I want to revisit them and see what, if anything, still bothers me.

jesawdy wrote:My nits on the machine (and these are truly nitpicking):

The steam wand tip nylon washer seems too large a diameter and the tip wants to come off all the time. The tip actually fell off this AM when I was backflushing, after a prior steam session. It also wants to unscrew while cleaning the steam wand.... I'm going to use some Teflon tape and lose the washer.

The cup tray has to be removed to fill the reservoir and it doesn't seem to warm the cups too much. I guess all that heat is sinking out the group! This is a moot point since you can warm the cup in the group warm-up shot.

If you have overhead cabinets, you are going to have to pull out the machine to fill it. There is not enough clearance to do it any other way short of a funnel and hose. I'm thinking some Teflon or felt pads would help here, but it is not hard to pull out as it is. I'm hoping if you put the pads on the rear feet only, the machine will stick to the counter enough to lock in with out sliding about.

Plan on a two minute wait before steaming, I always backflush right after I hit the steam switch, and this likely slows it down a bit. This is where I miss the PID readout the most, I would prefer to start steaming when I know the boiler is hot enough to start steaming but the element is still on. I'll have to try a 90 second wait and see if I hit it.

Steam Wand Tip - The issue of the tip falling off has pretty much gone away with use. I never did add the Teflon tape, and the tip stopped wanting to work its way off. The tip is still easy to remove for cleaning. The nylon washer is easily centered, and the washer doesn't want to fall off the wand when the steam tip is removed (which is a good thing).

Cool Cup Tray - The cup tray is indeed a bit cool in comparison to some other machines, I've measured about 120-125°F (I think Dave measured 140°F on the VBM). I always warm my espresso cups via the warm up flush, and for anything else (i.e. Americano, cappuccino), I warm a full cup in the microwave while I start the drink preparation. I always did the same with Silvia.

Filling the Pourover - Yes, you've got to remove the cups each time if you use the warming tray. For the a long time, I would drag the Alexia out from under the overhead cabinets, and fill the pour over reservoir that way. More recently, I've taken to using a tall 1 quart Rubbermaid container that is about 3.5 inches square. Something like a thermos, or a Nalgene water bottle should also work. With a little care, I can fill the Alexia without having to remove it from under the cabinets. I may have a bit more clearance under my cabinets than some others, almost 18.25 inches at the front edge, plus the added inch or more under the cabinet.


Quick Mill Alexia - Filling the pour over reservoir, cup tray removed and machine pulled out. Note that I have taken to NOT pulling the machine out and filling it in place.

Waiting on the Steam Mode - Well, yeah, it's a single boiler machine, so you have to wait to steam. The steam wait is about 2 minutes, and now that I have the PID display, I rely solely on that to know when to start steaming. I especially like this because I can go ahead and do my "wiggle" rinse and/or water backflush and not worry about repeatability or watching the time. For my review machine, the steam thermostat cuts out the heating element at about 288-290°F (via the PID readout) and coasts up to about 294°F (FYI, The boiler gauge reads about 3.5 bar when the thermostat cuts out when first going into steam mode). The heating element kicks back on in the 260-264°F range. I will start steaming around 280°F but sometimes bit sooner if I'm feeling a bit impatient. The steam is maybe a bit wetter than some HX machines.

Water Usage and Temp Surfing - The only "nit" I will add is that you will use a fair amount of water (for a single boiler machine) if you flush the group to force the heater on for temperature surfing. Fortunately the drip tray is very large (holds a liter or so!), but it's no fun filling and dumping water. This is not an issue if you do not temperature surf by flushing, or if you have the PID kit installed.

Well, nothing surprising or not easily overcome. Soon to be followed by all the things I like about Alexia.

jesawdy wrote: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.

yeah, yeah...3 weeks....and then, maybe a couple months more JUST to make certain....around these here parts, they call it A FREE ESPRESSO MACHINE FOR 3 MONTHS!!!...haha...just kidding...
In fact, I've posted numerous times on CG my disappointment with folks who post machine reviews after a couple of weeks of ownership...leaks can develop, etc....and as we all know, each machine has it's own quirks, and the user needs some time to
suss all this out...so y'all just take your sweet time...Chris won't mind

I'm sorry to stray off topic, but I'm surprised to see the setpoint so high on the Alexia. it's a single boiler machine, but the setpoint is well above boiling - can you offer any insight into that, Dan?