Question:
My new Semiautomatica arrived last week. This morning I had two of the best espressos I've had in months!
I'm a bit perplexed on one issue. My boiler seems to auto-fill as long as there is water in the top reservoir. I was under the impression that I would need to keep an eye on the sight glass and maintain the desired water level quite frequently. It seems that as long as there is water in the reservoir the level I see in the sight glass does not change and the water in the reservoir is decreasing so therefore must be auto-filling the boiler. When the water level in the reservoir drops to the bottom (to the outlet) the pump sounds different. Maybe this is totally normal and I just envisioned a slightly different process. The only potential problem with the current behavior is that if I accidentally overfill the boiler (say 7/8 full according to the sight glass) then I have to live with that level until the reservoir is empty and then the level will proceed downward.
Jim or any others familiar with the semiautomatica... Please let me know if your machines have functioned in the same manner.
jay

It is correct that it autofills. This is how my machine works too. I believe that keeping it on for a long time makes the level go down a bit though and as you say when you almost empty the tank. The level also shows a bit lower when the machine is cold and it rises when it gets warm. I always check the level and fill if needed when the machine is warm. I have one or two times by accident filled the sightglass to the top and after maybe two days of use it was down to 1/5 or so again. Maybe frequent use of the steam also puts the level down a bit.

I have not tested this really so my answer is a bit vague but this is how i feel about how it works.

Congratulations to a great buy, i am still extremely satisfied with my SXC and it gives me ONLY good shots still. I now use Mauro De Luxe which is a great blend for both singles and milkdrinks. I have also bought a single portafilter so i now have two full PF sets. This have been a great buy, i make superb singles in the morning nowadays.

If anyone has a good tip for not spraying the machine when backflushing i would be glad. I am thinking of putting a plastic bag with rubberband around the tip of the backflush outlet pipe. The driptray is so shallow so the liquid sprays up on the machine sometimes when backflushing. I need to find a plastic bag that can stand the heat though. Maybe a tiny hose can be thread on to the pipe and the liquid let down i a bowl hmmm...

Mr Javajay,

I have had my semiautomatica for several months - which naturally qualifies me to give you an expert opinion - well, actually I am still cutting my teeth on the machine as you can see from the post above yours -

However, I do believe you are not experiencing 'autofill'. On my machine the water in the sight glass will only drop lower when you are using the steamer - for making foamed drinks. The sight glass water will not be affected at all when making espressos. Check it out - make a couple of cappachinos and watch the sight glass water level drop. Then you push and hold the 'fill the boiler button' untill the water in the sight glass goes up to about 3/4 full.

By the way - the semi has the best steamer I have ever used.

good luck,

Howard

Unless there's been a radical redesign, there's no autofill. The level in the sightglass varies if one doesn't steam, but I do not know why (it does do so when the heater kicks in, that's kind of obvious, but it also varies over the course of a day)

The group is kind of messy, as I mentioned in the review. I think now this is because the shots taste best if the puck doesn't hit the shower screen, or barely touches it -- this leads to the top layers coming loose in the shot and sticking to the screen. I do a flush/pf wriggle between shots, and use a group brush after each session. I backflush once a day with water, and also use a paper towel to clean the group and the group gasket ( the gasket appears to be very rounded, this makes for a good seal without having to jerk the handle, but traps grounds).

I'm still finding double harder than singles. 9 to 10 grams in the single basket keeps it well below the screen. Really underdosing the double and grinding fine tends to get a rather bitter shot, overdosing and grinding coarse gets kind of wimpy ones; so I think the dose has to be very strict, within 1/2 gram (this is more precise than I'm comfortable with). The LM triple basket is actually more forgiving on dose, but requires ultraprecise levelling.

In any case, although I think the machine has more of a learning curve than e61s for doubles, I also still think the top side potential is a scootch higher. For singles, I have no doubts at all: for my taste, these are what espresso should taste like; however, the shots may be too "coffee-like" for some people, lacking the (to me) over-amplified bitterness and acidity of traditional espresso.

Good to get this clear.

At least for me it seemed that it autofilled, i thought so because i almost never need to use the fill button. This is very rare for me. I only make one milk drink a day or about 5 a week maybe so the steam is rarely used on my machine of course, which explains my experience of this.

I cannot make singles with the filter completely filled to the rim, i cannot press the handle up against the shower screen then. If i fill the single filter totally i get a mark from the screw in the middle of the puck.

Here is further clarification of how my semi is working:
I can pull 5 double espressos, including my cool down flush and pf wiggle, w/o hitting the boiler refill once. The level in the site glass stays fairly constant (not fluctuating more than a 1/4 inch). The water level in the reservoir just needs to stay filled above the outlet. It seems to me the reservoir drains at a rate equal to what I am using. I could test this. Did they do a redesign? Or are the espresso gods intervening? Not sure!
I'll put a more detailed impression/review out after more time at the wheel but to sum up my first week- 1) Holy Moly that drip tray is a joke! I just pretend I don't have a drip tray at all so have adjusted my routine accordingly. 2) I cut up an old flannel shirt so I can keep the semi sparkling 3) Now that I'm dialed in I'm getting beautiful, thick, smooth, chocolatey, doubles. I made chocolate chip cookies last night and for breakfast this morning I had two cookies and two doubles- Life is good! Thanks to http://www.rocketcoffeeroasters.com for the holiday delight. The darkstar is excellent.
Transitioning from an S1 is a little crazy but the results in the cup (what really matters) are making the adjustment quite easy.
Jay
Fellow users-Please comment more on the ? auto-fill.................
Jay

javajay wrote:I can pull 5 double espressos, including my cool down flush and pf wiggle, w/o hitting the boiler refill once. The level in the site glass stays fairly constant (not fluctuating more than a 1/4 inch). The water level in the reservoir just needs to stay filled above the outlet. It seems to me the reservoir drains at a rate equal to what I am using. I could test this. Did they do a redesign? Or are the espresso gods intervening? Not sure!

Jay-

No Elektra, but I think you are confused about the machine's operation.... You will use no water out of the boiler to make an espresso, all that water will come from the reservoir. The only time the boiler water level will change is when water leaves the system as steam when you steam your milk.

Hope that helps.

niad wrote: I cannot make singles with the filter completely filled to the rim, i cannot press the handle up against the shower screen then. If i fill the single filter totally i get a mark from the screw in the middle of the puck.

The E61 single supplied with the Elektra needs to be filled with about 9 to 10 grams of coffee, just above the point where the baskets starts to taper. All 58mm single baskets have a 58mm wide cylindrical section at the top, then a tapered section in the middle, then another cylindrical section, usually around 49mm, at the bottom. They should be filled so the inner cylinder and the tapered section are covered by the tamped puck, but the upper cylindrical section is empty.

If you have a 58mm tamper, you should overfill a bit into the upper section, so you can level and tamp. If you use the 55mm to 56mm tampers on the grinder or supplied with the machine, you can just fill to the top of the taper -- this is what the Italian tampers are designed to do.

The only exception is the LM single, which has no tapered section, just a flat step from the 48mm lower basket to the outer 58mm diameter at the top. For this basket, a 7 to 8 gram fill just in the lower basket works beautifully **provided** you have a tamper the right size. Otherwise one needs around 12 grams to get a tampable surfece in the upper section. This basket is unique, at least for me, since with the compromise 10 gram dose, I cannot produce a decent shot.

Well, I am happy to jump into this thread.

I've been reading for months about possible upgrades to my PID'd Silvia. I've been doing espresso for several years, roasting, grinding, brewing, tweaking - always reading the forums HB, CG & AC. It has been a LOT of fun, a great challenge, and plenty of great coffee along the way. Finally, my 6 kids and my wife all chipped in to make a new Elektra SXC possible for an early Christmas. A few calls and I found one at 1st-Line. Jim was a BIG help, making the decision easy. And it was on the way...

It arrived two days ago. I pulled it out of the box, put it on the coffee bar, looked at it and said, "I'm in love"! My wife, standing right next to me said, "Me too"! She wasn't looking at me, either. It's a remarkably beautiful machine.

I had a couple of lbs of Black Cat from a local Intelligentsia coffee bar here in Pittsburgh, some freshly roasted Monkey from Sweet Maria's, and was ready for some hours of learning how to use this thing. First shots (singles, as per Jim's comments) were very good (on my scale), once I realized I had to leave lots of head room. I had never pulled a single before on my Silvia - all doubles for years. Two days later, I am feeling a bit more comfortable, but the jump from the Silvia to the SXC has not been anywhere as difficult as the jump to the Silvia from my Starbucks pressurized portafilter machine. That was a stretch, requiring LOTS of learning.

The steaming, after just a try or two, is better than any I've ever done. No latte art yet, though. I will look forward to that.


The reviews and threads here and at CG have been a huge help. I am very grateful for the work many of you have put in.

I was surprised at the way an HX works. I didn't know that the boiler was sealed, except for steaming. And it was great fun to be able to produce a cap for my wife in 30 seconds, espresso and steamed milk! And to steam anytime (I leave it on about 15 hours/day). Or to have a steamer late at night. Last night I went to the Steelers/Browns game, about 17 degrees, and WINDY. I haven't been that cold in 25 years! I got home at midnight and made two TALL hot chocks within minutes. Great drinks, and easy. So long, single boiler for brew/steam!

The flush routine (2-4 secs past boil) is simple enough. And the recommended use of a 1 cup plastic tub for flush/cup warming has reduced the small drip tray to only a minor hassle.

I am glad for the clarity on loading singles, Jim. Those were exactly the comments I was looking for - weight, height, tamp, clearance, etc. Very helpful.

Thanks for all your work, guys. If it hadn't been for you I would have upgraded to an E61 box.

Did I tell you I think this SXC is beautiful? And pulls great shots - and I'm not yet even good at it!

Glad you like the machine.

gchapman wrote:I pulled it out of the box, put it on the coffee bar, looked at it and said, "I'm in love"! My wife, standing right next to me said, "Me too"! She wasn't looking at me, either. It's a remarkably beautiful machine.

I didn't think of this in the review: how a good looking machine might make it past the spousal ban on taking up too much kitchen counter real estate.