Discussion split from buying advice in Quickmill Anita vs. Alexia vs. Vetrano by moderator....


Anita Day 2

The more I use this machine the more I fall in love with it (her). It's really a pleasure to use the Anita. I find myself really liking the whole package. The Anita just fits.

I am also finding the cooling flushes very easy. I didn't doubt that they would be, but I'm amazed at how easy it is to reliably flush to the same temps. I don't have any problems pulling consistently great shots. Yeah the Anita is really easy on me.

I also like the gages (ok call me vain) but the feedback is priceless and eliminates the need for a portafilter gage set-up. Granted now that things are set I don't really look at the gages, but it's great having them there. I suspect that if Anita starts to act up the gages will show it. Very nice.

I'm also amazed at how hefty she is. Yesterday I shut her off after being on for a few hours, and a few hours later the brew group was still hot! Man she really holds her heat.

She's also a steam machine. I guess I never had micro foam with the Gaggia, with the Anita it's so easy. She never quits either, man what a powerhouse.

All in all I find making espresso on the Anita is very natural feeling and a joy. Excellent machine. Definitely glad I went HX.

I love my Anita too. Great machine. I like how it has many of the features usually seen only in more expensive machines, like two gauges, insulated boiler, high quality OPV, ball mounted steam and hot water wands, etc. The cooling flush is no big deal, though I will probably get Eric's thermocouple adaptor and built in digital thermometer to keep more accurate track of temps. Too bad it's going to ruin the clean look of the E-61 brewhead, though.

Steaming is very nice, but not quite as strong as I had imagined it would be. I was expecting it to blow milk out of the pitcher, but it's actually fairly slow and steady with the boiler set at 1 bar. I may bump it up to 1.1 bar just to see if it speeds up a bit, though having it slower seems to make microfoaming pretty easy. I'm also getting the espressoparts two hole tip to see if that changes the microfoaming at all. The stock tip is pretty good, but the holes are at wide angles to each other. The EPNW tip has the holes closer together and at a narrow angle, which seems like it might be better for whirlpooling the milk.

All in all, it's a great machine for the price. And did I mention how pretty she looks on the counter?

- Anita Day 3 -

Wow. Today was an epiphany moment. I didn't know espresso could be like this. My dear Anita, oh how I love thee. (Ok sorry, let me explain)

Out of curiosity I wanted to see what slightly lower brew pressures would produce. So I adjusted the OPV back to 8.5 bars (the reading is the same with both the blind basket or ground coffee). Is that normal?

I also had the pstat set to 1.2 bar, I decided to scale this back to 1 bar as my shots were getting a little hard to control temp wise (I'm still new at HX) and steaming isn't a priority for me (although at 1 bar she steams far better than my Gaggia ever did).

I just pulled 3 of the most beautiful doubles I've ever had in my life. The beans are Sweet Maria's Puro Scuro Blend, roasted about a day and half ago (see notes above) and they blew me away. Yesterday at 9 bar they were intense, even a little harsh regardless of flush volume. So that's what gave me the hankering to dial Anita back. Today at 8.5 bar the shots are sweet, syrupy and a very pleasant complex shot. I am getting dark fruit tones and hints of dark chocolate that I didn't even sense yesterday. It's a whole new shot today, unbelievable. They even felt better in my mouth, like sweet syrup. The way they felt as the shots rolled over my tongue and coated my throat was truly life changing. Then the flavors swept my palate with a mixture of dark fruit and bittersweet chocolate that teased my tongue and tickled my membranes. I didn't know espresso could be like this. I've heard of fruit in espresso, but have never tasted it until today.

Yes my bar for quality has definitely gone up today. Anita has stolen my heart. I couldn't be happier.

Nice description Tim, thanks for sharing (although secretly I'm hugely jealous as I haven't had that moment with my new Andreja yet). You sure give a fellow something to look forward to!

Hello Les,

Yeah the Premium should be very nice too! I am really surprised and delighted with the Anita so far, exceptional espresso!

Funny thing though, I walked into the kitchen and Anita had bled all over the counter (water under her and all over the floor). I gasped in horror and rushed to her side. The drip tray wasn't full at least to the point overflowing, but evidently one of the bolts that hold the front plate (with the logo) was leaking. A little plumber's tape sealed her right up. She lives again.

I also had my first day with family over (everyone loved dear Anita) and she did well. I didn't think I'd love HX so much but today making lattes for 4 people dear Anita won me over again. Man I'm so glad I got her (over the PID Alexia I was also looking at). Entertaining now is no chore at all. She does beautifully and I've even getting decent microfoam. She got rave reviews. That's my girl.

sorry I'm a dork She's a fine machine!

Something else I have noticed, that after being on all day I can shut her off and several hours (5+) the brew group is still hot to the touch! She's a lovely lady...

So far I feel like the high school kid learning partner dances. It's all missteps and unsure movements at the moment. Everything, and I mean everything, is is a different location than previous machines and I'm constantly reaching for something that isn't there. Of course, this was only my second morning of making espresso so there's no routine yet other than the muscle memory movements from my last machine (which are wrong). The one that throws me the most is the steam wand on the "wrong" side. Truly Andreja is teaching an old dog new tricks.

I sure love to read your reports; they're quite inspiring. Please do (time permitting) update us on your latest discoveries and experiences.

All the best...

- Anita Day 13 -

It's been a while since I've posted my progress and thought I'd update. First, the Anita makes beautiful espresso. I really love her! (Not to sound too corny about it) but I find myself enjoying the process of making espresso as much as drinking the magical liquid. Yeah it's like that.

I've also taken a simpler approach to my espresso making. I've gone to volume dosing. Before I was using a finer grind and lesser volume (but same weight, think smaller pile of finer grounds) to achieve my results. I dialed my grinder coarser and am trying to fill, level (with a modified Stockfleth's using a hard edge, no chopping) then tamping. I'm hitting 16g each and every time, it's very reliable. I'm going to stick with it. It took a few shots to dial everything back in to the new process, but I think I have it now. The Espresso Monkey Blend has taken on a new dimension: dark fruit. A very pleasant shot! The chocolate has subsided (probably due to longer rest, or other things) now it's a dark fruit with hints of caramel. A delicious shot and very balanced.

With volume dosing I've been able to establish a consistent shot that I'm quite happy with (plus I won't have to weigh the basket for each shot to double check my dose) so that's a big plus. I'm loving the journey that is home espresso and hope that some day I will become barista.

Life is good.

TimEggers wrote:I just pulled 3 of the most beautiful doubles I've ever had in my life. The beans are Sweet Maria's Puro Scuro Blend, roasted about a day and half ago (see notes above) and they blew me away. Yesterday at 9 bar they were intense, even a little harsh regardless of flush volume. So that's what gave me the hankering to dial Anita back. Today at 8.5 bar the shots are sweet, syrupy and a very pleasant complex shot. I am getting dark fruit tones and hints of dark chocolate that I didn't even sense yesterday. It's a whole new shot today, unbelievable. They even felt better in my mouth, like sweet syrup. The way they felt as the shots rolled over my tongue and coated my throat was truly life changing. Then the flavors swept my palate with a mixture of dark fruit and bittersweet chocolate that teased my tongue and tickled my membranes. I didn't know espresso could be like this. I've heard of fruit in espresso, but have never tasted it until today.

Yes my bar for quality has definitely gone up today. Anita has stolen my heart. I couldn't be happier.

Before you attribute the shot quality difference strictly to shot pressure change, I'd suggest comparing shots with varying pressures same day. Half day rest is very short for shots IMO which may well have been a factor in the harhness. Generally I like at least 4 to 5 days rest for shots.