shadowfax wrote:I'll be curious to see what its temperature stability is...

I'll leave the formal conclusion to the bench-testers, but I have a Scace and from the little I've used it on my DC Mini, the results have been excellent (as one would expect). While my Fluke doesn't have a data-logger (and I'll never be a logger even if it did!), my machine shows a very flat temperature from start to finish with no real need for recovery. The group does idle slightly cold, so a short spritz before locking in is a good idea to bring things up to temperature.

Some have been concerned about the potentiometer knob. From what I've observed, the temperature setting remains stable and repeatable day-to-day if the knob stays in the same position (this tends to be my use, as I set and keep the same temp with each pound of coffee, which lasts me about a week). Since I haven't been doing alot of tweaking to find out, I'm currently testing how repeatable temperatures are when the knob is moved regularly and if one can consistently return to a calibrated point.

Well, as Jim is finally getting his Dalla Corte Mini, my testing is winding down to make room for another machine. More to come

I have to say I really enjoyed using the Mini. It is a great espresso machine for the home enthusiast and I was able to push through a ton (literally) of coffee and enjoyed some super espresso.

On the plus side, you can't find a machine with much better temperature control than this one for the money. A quick warm up shot and you are ready to go with a nice flat profile that keeps up with even the most enthusiastic home barista. Steaming is a piece of cake and you will never run out. The machine is compact, well made and straight forward to work on with solid components throughout. Changing temperature is simple and a real treat when playing around with a variety of coffees. Programming for preinfusion and volumetric dosing is easy. Espresso from this machine is as good as I have had from a variety of home/semi commercial machines. Perhaps, if pushed, I would say it has a little less clarity than some of the high end commercial machines I have used, but they are in a different league. Again I say "if pushed" since I have not done a blind tasting between these machines. Perhaps Jim can dig deeper into this.

On the negative side-- and I'm being picky here --I would still like to see a hot water tap. I realize some people won't miss it but I personally use this for water for my press pots and hot drinks and would miss it on my home machine. I would like to see better articulation in the steam wand. I angle the wand into the milk and the Dalla Corte Mini only allows me a 90 degree attack at best. I also use larger pitchers sometimes for bigger groups. It would be nice if the back plate was a bit further back from the group because the portafilter does scratch the back plate being so close to the group. I would love to see a better way of preinfusion that gets deeper puck diffusion before the pump kicks in. My testing on preinfusion with the La Spaziale definitely showed improvement with deeper saturation.

All in all this is another great double boiler espresso machine to hit the home/semi commercial market. If you are looking for a small compact pour over that can make great espresso with plenty of steam for cappuccinos, then the Dalla Corte Mini should be on your list of considerations.

Cheers

Ian

woodchuck wrote:I was able to push through a ton (literally) of coffee...

Wow! And I thought I was overcaffeinated.

woodchuck wrote:On the negative side-- and I'm being picky here --I would still like to see a hot water tap. I realize some people won't miss it but I personally use this for water for my press pots and hot drinks and would miss it on my home machine. I would like to see better articulation in the steam wand. I angle the wand into the milk and the Dalla Corte Mini only allows me a 90 degree attack at best. I also use larger pitchers sometimes for bigger groups. It would be nice if the back plate was a bit further back from the group because the portafilter does scratch the back plate being so close to the group. I would love to see a better way of preinfusion that gets deeper puck diffusion before the pump kicks in. My testing on preinfusion with the La Spaziale definitely showed improvement with deeper saturation.
Ian

Also there is the lack of a brew pressure gauge, the inability to turn off the steam boiler when it's not needed & its current U.S. pricing which seems hard to justify considering how basic this machine is.

John, the brew gauge would have helped, but I generally only use it once or twice - I tend to set it and forget it. An inexpensive solution is a trip to home depot:



I do like the idea of being able to shut off the steam boiler, especially for someone like myself who pulls more espresso than milk drinks. I do this on my VII. Good suggestion.

Cheers

Ian

Very funny with the photo shop guys, I will make sure Paolo Dalla Corte sees those, he will laugh.
I would be happy to ship you a bottomless portafilter, triple basket, and thin shower head support for evaluation. Just let me know.

Yes! I'm certain there's much to be learned from including the thinner shower head support (so that's what you call it!) in your trials. I've been using the thin one and like it--if for no other reason that it makes the clean-out easier. The La Spaziale, if I recall, started shipping with a thinner instead of thicker support. Is that correct?

I've never stayed with triples long enough to get over the feeling that they are just, generally, more difficult to get right. But a few days ago I was inspired again by a sign at 9th Street (Chelsea Mkt) that said, "All our shots are triples."

A final (not really ) thought: There's a level of detail that the Buyer's Guide writers are going to be noticing and recording that does not necessarily make its way into the Guide itself--or it may not be reported routinely in this HB thread. This detail can be really interesting to those of us already using the machine. In particular, I'd like to know the coffees you are using, days of rest, and length of shots. I'd love to order coffees you are using and see if I replicate your findings. As a bonus, it also seems like a good opportunity to refine my cupping.

Wanted to check whether this Buyers Guide is complete, or perhaps just suspended for awhile. I got the impression that Jim was going to provide some "follow-on" but I may have misunderstood.

My test machine arrived at a very inopportune time, while I was buying a new coop, renovating, moving, and going broke. My taste buds have recovered from the shock (can the economy be far behind?), and I'll gather my initial impressions, along with some metrics and taste comparisons, over the next two weeks.