timo888 wrote:I will re-ask a question I posed long ago.

Is the 1.3 pstat setting (reported above as the "out of the box" setting) the vendor's doing or the factory setting? Does the manual give a recommended pstat setting? If so, what is it?

The pstat setting of 1.28-1.3 bar is as far as I know the factory setting. I do not believe the American vendor adjusts the pstat.

I find no recommended pstat setting in the manual.

KS

timo888 wrote:a) the Oly website claims delivery of 198F water but makes no mention of a flushing regimen.
b) other members have raised the question/challenge, What justifies a higher price?

If this HX machine is so well tuned that it can deliver brew water at the desired temp without a flushing regimen, then IMO that would be a major selling point in addition to its build quality.

While I cannot measure the temperature of the water as it reaches the brew group, I can report that in my use of the machine it produces espresso of the correct temperature and that espresso tastes the way espresso tastes when correctly brewed. This occurs without cooling flushes.

KS

KarlSchneider wrote:The machine I have is not the one tested by Dan and Dave.

Hi Charles,

I somehow missed that (even though you clearly state so).

KarlSchneider wrote:For three consecutive shots I taste a very slightly warmer temperature in the first and no difference between # 2 and #3. I have not done more than three in a row. I have done 3 in a row every evening. I doubt that shots 4, 5, or 6 would be any different in initial temperature in the cup.

Thank you for the clarification.

Br,
Teme

Teme wrote: Anyway, I am impressed by the fit and finish of the Olympia.
Br,
Teme

Teme,

I am certain you would be very pleased by the actual presence (Vorhandenheit) and the using (Zuhandenheit) of this machine. It is as fine a tool as any I have used.

KS

KarlSchneider wrote:I am certain you would be very pleased by the actual presence (Vorhandenheit) and the using (Zuhandenheit) of this machine.

Hi Charles,

I suspect that you are right

Br,
Teme

The no-flush aspect is certainly interesting - especially if the machine is to be used in an office or boardroom without a nearby sink.

I find that a fill/empty of my Cremina lasts me a day for water tank and drip tray. No way I could that with the Elektra!

This evening's espresso's were very educational for me and instructive about the Maximatic.

I have recently been enjoying the day when I switch from last week's roast to this week's. The reason is because on a whim one day I made an espresso with a blend of beans 7 days old and one day old. I have started calling these shots solera espresso. In the Jerez region of Spain where Sherry is made the best sherries are made in a process called solera. The basics of the solera process are that each year when new wine is made it is blended into barrels of wine from previous years. There are actually multiple sets of barrels of wine; each set has some wine removed and added to barrels holding older wine. These wines are aged over many years and blended annually into barrels holding blends of wine from previous years. The end result is extraordinary wines of great complexity.

Espresso can, I propose, benefit from a similar process. Most espresso is made from blends of beans from various regions. The beans are roasted at the same time. I am a lover of SO espresso. But this experiment in solera espresso is changing that preference. Tonight I did two different solera espresso's. The first was a blend of 2/3 Brazil SO beans roasted actually this morning. 1/3 of the blend (blended in the grinder) was week old Yemen. The result was a spectacular espresso that had a deep rich background defined by the young Brazil. At the center of the taste was a hard core of Yemen earthiness.. The second solera blend was a reverse - 2/3 week old Yemen and 1/3 12 hour old Brazil. It too was special but the Yemen background to an as yet undefined Brazil core was less exciting.

I realize Dan may want to split this to a different topic but it is relevant to the Maximatic in that it was obvious to me that the Maximatic did a great job of getting the two components of each solera to stand out. This was a very different test of the Maximatic. My Cremina has so far made all the solera espresso's and done so with great distinctiveness. The Maximatic did just as well.

I make these solera blends only on the day when I have the last beans of a roast and a full jar of the next batch. I usually get one or two shots. Between these two today I had a shot of a high quality commercial espresso blend well past a week old. It was fine. But what really stood out was how much the Maximatic made the two much fresher solera espresso's stand out. For me the essential test of all espresso machines is how well they can make espresso from fresh beans. Fresh beans help all machines but the really good machines make the best use of the freshness. The Maximatic was up to this test.

KS

This week's roasts are now at their absolute peak at 4 days after roasting. The morning roast for Americanos is a Brazil Daterra Farms-Sweet Yellow and the evening espresso roast is a Brazil Fazenda Vista Alegre Natural Dry. I am now beginning to taste the subtle differences the two Olympia machines make. It is my natural inclination to look for these kinds of differences and I am always excited when they do arise.

Last evening it was the Cremina that was in its element. For me an SO Brazil is a hard path to find perfection. But it can be done. The first shot was extremely good in having the kind of fullness unique to a Brazil and without the over-heaviness or dull flavors of the usual. A great tenor in the middle of the tenor range. But I thought it was ever so slightly over-extracted. The Cremina allows one to make the finest of adjustments on extraction and shot two was as good a Brazil as I have had. The third was also perfect but different. This is what I most like about the Cremina. A Bjussi Bjoerling aria followed by an Alfredo Kraus. (Neither a Pavarotti High-C).

This morning it was the turn of the Maximatic. I admit that as I work with the two I no longer find head-to-head comparisons that fascinating. Now the task is exploring the full range of each. The two Brazil's are different. The higher acidity of the Daterra Farms lends itself to Americanos for my palate. Another difference is that the Vista Alegre has a flavor profile that is best when the separate elements are brought out as distinct from each other. The analogy that comes to my mind is ensemble singing where one needs to hear each of the four voices yet they have to be sung together as in Beethoven's Fidelio. The Daterra Farms taste profile is best in symphonic form where all components sing the same tune. The Maximatic is better at symphonic expression than the Cremina. This morning's Americano's were truly special. I am among those who wake up quickly so I notice the taste in the cup very distinctly. These jumped out from the regular.

I want to emphasize that the distinctions I am making here are of the most subtle kind. I could happily use either machine to get wonderful results with these two different Brzil's. Having the opportunity to use both I am immersed in exploring the differences and rewarded for looking.

KS

Making espresso is (no surprise to HB readers) so fascinating precisely because one never knows for sure what results will present themselves. In my previous post I mentioned two spectacular espresso's from my Cremina. That was three days ago. The following evening I fully expected to have more variations on that theme of superb Brazil SO espresso. It did not happen. And it did not happen last night either. Three shots each evening. Nothing approaching the level of three days ago.

I decided to switch this evening to the Maximatic. As I said, one just never quite knows. The first shot was 100% the same Brazil Fazenda Vista Alegre Dry Processed that had made both superb espresso and than far less than superb espresso. The shot this evening was closer to the two pinnacle shots of three days ago. An essential element in all of this is that coffees change very dramatically in the first 7 days. I choose to follow them in precisely this window. One tastes the fullest range of flavors with this approach. The Cremina shots of the precious two days were bringing out the bitter side of the taste. The shot tonight on the Maximatic was rich and full and did not have that bitterness.

At this point my supply of "mature" coffee was close to the end. I made a solera espresso as described above with 2/3 Brazil Nossa Senhora Fatima (roasted 12 hours ago) and 1/3 6-day old Fazenda Vista Alegre. The hard edges of the predominant young coffee did not allow the older one to show. My last try today was a reverse of this ratio -- 2/3 6-day Vista Alegre and 1/3 12--hour Nossa Senhora. It was wonderful. All three shots this evening were with the Maximatic which continues to be a true treat to use.

KS

I just wanted to post how much I am enjoying reading this, Charles.

Many thanks!