Profitec Pro 800 vs Bezzera Strega vs Quick Mill Achille - Page 2

Recommendations for buyers and upgraders from the site's members.
El_hondero (original poster)
Posts: 32
Joined: 3 years ago

#11: Post by El_hondero (original poster) »

Thanks marmot !
I'm sold on the strega , might just buy it when my birthday comes!

Marmot
Posts: 375
Joined: 3 years ago

#12: Post by Marmot »

Hey, that's great to hear! I'm sure you will be very happy with the Strega. It's also very nice to just look at ;)
A bottomless portafilter is also a great addition so you can see the puck getting wet during preinfusion and adjust pressure.

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Strong Lead
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Joined: 5 years ago

#13: Post by Strong Lead »

Marmot wrote:The pump fills the group before the spring takes over extraction which allows you to get more water into the group and therefore more volume for your espresso shot. The pump will go up to its opv setting (~11 bars) but you can shut it off anytime before by lifting the lever a little bit.
Water is an incompressible fluid. Pumping it at 100 bar will still have the same volume as 1 bar. One can increase volume by allowing more coffee to outflow during preinfusion, but that's typically a negligible volume.

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I don't know if you purchased a machine yet.

From your description of wants/needs, the Elektra MCaL might be a great fit. It is a work of art and costs substantially less (~half) than the machines on your list. It's a dead-simple machine, which means that support will not be an issue in S'pore. It has some quirks, though, that you should read about before making a decision. Here a couple of review links from the site that also include a few pics of the iconic machine:
Elektra Microcasa a Leva Review A few more details and pictures. Includes forum comments.
If memory serves, there's a more extensive review on coffeegeek.

El_hondero (original poster)
Posts: 32
Joined: 3 years ago

#14: Post by El_hondero (original poster) »

Cheers guys , I've gotten a strega a month ago , loving it

Marmot
Posts: 375
Joined: 3 years ago

#15: Post by Marmot »

Apparently normal spring lever machine do not fully fill up the cylinder inside when the spring is compressed. The Strega solves this problem with a pump which fills up the cylinder to the top. When the cylinder is full the pump continues until it reaches the pressure set by the OPV. When you don't let the pump run all the way to that point you can feel the spring taking over at a later point (because the chamber is not filled to the top) and the output will be lower.

I also have an Elektra Micro Casa and it really shines with darker roasts. A great machine with a small footprint and striking design. But the price for a new one is pretty high compared to other machines like the Strega ;)

jpaulm
Posts: 72
Joined: 2 years ago

#16: Post by jpaulm »

Congratulations El_hondero. Glad to hear you are loving the Strega. I had mine delivered yesterday and pulled my first shot today. It was a good shot and I am hoping, with time, it will get even better. Any tips to share after your first month of ownership?

El_hondero (original poster)
Posts: 32
Joined: 3 years ago

#17: Post by El_hondero (original poster) »

Cool ! I really am just a white belt at this coffee thing so maybe you can teach me more ?

But this helped me out a lot
Bezzera Strega - Second Look .
The abbreviated shot making instructions

So far I really like the standard way of pulling a shot (pull lever and wait till the first drop and then release lever to let the spring take over )

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baldheadracing
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#18: Post by baldheadracing »

Marmot wrote:... I think the guys haveing problems with the vacuum breaker valve leave their machines on during a long time. It can happen that some dirt or scale gets caught in there and it can not close completely anymore. ...
Actually, it is the reverse. The vacuum breaker does its thing every time the machine is turned on and the boiler builds pressure. Thus, if you turn your machine on once a day, it works once a day. If you turn your machine on five times a day, it works five times a day.

Each time it works the breaker sputters out a little bit of water/steam when the water in the boiler starts to boil, and eventually closes when the when the water in the boiler reaches a full boil. Thus, two things can happen:
1. If your water will produce limescale, then limescale can build up inside the breaker, eventually making it not work properly - it won't close fully, so your boiler will never come up to pressure, or come up to pressure very slowly. This is easily fixed by taking the breaker apart and cleaning it.
2. The little bit of water/steam spit out by the vacuum breaker just drops down onto the boiler. As the boiler gets hot, this water/steam is eventually driven off. However, if you turn your machine on, warm-up, pull a shot, and then turn the machine off, then the little bit of water ends up dripping onto the frame, potentially leading to other issues like rust. There are two common methods to fix this: one is to put a cup around the vacuum breaker to catch the water (what I did in my Strega). The other is to change the vacuum breaker to one that has a hose attachment on the end, and then route that hose to the drip tray, e.g., The Super Strega: Modifying preinfusion pressures and other functional improvements
-"Good quality brings happiness as you use it" - Nobuho Miya, Kamasada

El_hondero (original poster)
Posts: 32
Joined: 3 years ago

#19: Post by El_hondero (original poster) »

Hmm I leave my machine on for a bout 10-15 minutes after the morning routine while I clean up , and the latent heat lasts for like 30 minutes to an hour after switching off , I'm sure that amount of time will help the water evaporate off right ?

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baldheadracing
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#20: Post by baldheadracing replying to El_hondero »

Sorry, I don't know. On mine, I had cut up a silicone baking cup to catch the water/steam and installed it after eighteen months of operation:

Pic from this post in Owner experience with Bezzera Strega

However, I couldn't open up the machine and look at the frame under the boiler until after the two year warranty period was over. (Mine had a warranty seal on the bottom of the frame so I couldn't take the case off without voiding the warranty.) When I did, there was a little bit of surface rust on the frame underneath the boiler.

On one of my other machines, I went with the vacuum breaker with a hose to the drip tray/drain:


(I like my machines to be clean inside :D)
-"Good quality brings happiness as you use it" - Nobuho Miya, Kamasada