Richard wrote:What is the intended function of the float switch and why does the machine not need it?

Reservoir water level sensors are required for autofill HX espresso machines because the boiler is half full (or half empty depending on your point of view); the autofill probe is set at a level such that the heating element is always immersed in water. If the autofill requests water and the reservoir is empty, the power is cut off to protect the heating element from being exposed.

In the case of the Alexia, it's a single boiler and the boiler is full to the top. There is no autofill sensor to trigger the pump; raising the brew lever or flipping the pump on switch are the only ways to engage the pump. As Dave correctly points out, there is no safety issue. The reservoir level sensor in this case acts an "idiot warning" that cuts off the power and stops the pump from running dry. Personally I think it would be more useful if the reservoir level sensor left the power on and lit a low water indicator (or instead of adding a new indicator, illuminated all the lights to mean "low water"). That would allow you to finish the extraction and then refill the tank. As designed today, the reservoir level sensor can cut off power mid-shot, ruining the espresso. Removing the level sensor would not help this scenario, since instead of cutting off the power, the pump would run dry, also ruining the espresso.

HB wrote:The Vibiemme Domobar Super has a support bracket underneath the boiler. There's probably others with similar supports; I haven't made a point of noting it, but probably should given UPS/FedEx roughhousing.

That got me to thinking, I do not believe my Isomac Millennium has any boiler support. It is simply suspended in mid air by the thermosyphon lines. The Domobar Super has a large U bracket supporting the boiler which screws to the base of the machine. The Elektra A3 definitely has one to support that big 6 liter boiler and my two group Faema has a couple of boiler brackets that would hold up a car (OK that might be a bit over exaggerated but you get the idea). If memory serves, I believe I have seen photos of the Cimbali Jr with a boiler support as well. I wonder why all machines do not have boiler support brackets of one form or another? It is as simple as a piece of U shaped copper screwed to the base of the machine for the boiler to rest on.

Quick Mill Alexia - Best Fit Machine for You?

So just who is the Quick Mill Alexia espresso machine a good fit for? You can probably take a guess based on the previously posted pros and cons.

First off, just as Chris' Coffee Service markets it, I think the Alexia is best suited to the espresso only enthusiast, or at least only the "occasional" milk-based drink consumer. Second, the machine may also be a good fit for the beginner, someone that may be considering the Silvia or a similar single-boiler dual-use class machine, but would like to get a machine that they know they will be happy with for a long time, and a machine that is easy to use. Potential Alexia buyers may possibly start without the PID kit if they are on a budget, and add the PID later as their finances allow.

For me, the Alexia has been a good fit. I prefer straight shots and Cafe Americanos. The bulk of any cappuccinos that I make go to my wife, and at most I would typically make 4 or less in a weeks time. For that sort of volume, I'm willing to wait 2 minutes before I can steam milk. Just be sure to make your espresso only shots prior to flipping over to steam mode, otherwise you'll be waiting 15 minutes or more to be ready to pull shots again.

The machine is also a good fit for someone with somewhat limited counterspace as well as for someone that may have the need to use relatively expensive water (bottled water or otherwise conditioned). With the PID-controlled Alexia, you should expect to use less water than temperature surfing the stock Alexia machine and considerably less water than any HX-based machine. Less water usage also equates to less filling of the pourover reservoir and dumping the drip tray, both very mundane chores.

With the PID controller installed, the Alexia is also a very easy machine to use. No messing with temperature surfing the boiler or HX-based machine "water dancing". If you want to try a higher or lower brew temperature, bump the PID up or down a few degrees, wait a few minutes, do a quick "warm-up" flush of the group to stabilize the group (as well as warm your cup) and you are ready to go. No watching, no listening, no timing or measuring flush volumes. Just tweak the temperature and pull the shot... Niiice!

For entertaining, unless you happen to have a crowd of similar espresso purists, the Alexia is likely not a very good fit. While you can easily pull shot after shot at 2-minute intervals or so, pausing to steam or pulling a bunch of doubles that will sit for many minutes before you can get to milk steaming is not a good thing. If you have a crowd and own the Alexia, play it safe and offer a coffee (and serve them a Cafe Americano). If you don't want to be a slave to the espresso machine, serve your drinks stretched out over an extended period of time; let your guests know that good coffee takes time, after all, you're most likely about to serve them one of the best coffee drinks to pass their lips anyhow!

The Quick Mill Alexia machine puts the potential buyer in a bit of a quandary as far as the machine's price point goes. Current pricing (as of August 2007) has the stock Quick Mill Alexia at $895. The optional PID kit is $250 user-installed or $300 preinstalled. That puts the PID-equipped Alexia at $1145 to $1195.

In comparison to the ever popular Rancilio Silvia, current machine pricing is $595 and similar PID kits are ~$260 dollars, making the total cost about $855. This puts the PID-equipped Alexia at about a $300 premium over a PID Silvia, but offers the infamous E61 grouphead, an extra portafilter, a bigger boiler, a bigger drip tray, a bigger pourover reservoir, and a better steam wand. In my experience, the Alexia delivers great coffee more consistently and with less effort than the Rancilio Silvia. It may be hard to justify $300, especially for the budding enthusiast, but let's just say I have not shed a tear for Silvia during the course of this review and I don't relish the thought of going back to "her".

At the slightly higher end range of espresso machines, and not having personally used the Quick Mill Anita (currently $1150), I think that it would be a tough call between the PID-equipped Quick Mill Alexia and the Quick Mill Anita. Alexia's advantages are smaller size, precise control, minimal water usage, and much less temperature management attention required. But, as previously mentioned, the Alexia is best suited to the straight shot espresso drinker. For me, I don't want to fill a pourover reservoir more than I already do, so that would be a big strike against a non-plumbed HX-machine like the Anita (or any other pourover-style HX machine) for my personal preferences. If you or your spouse are a daily cappuccino or latte drinker or if you frequently entertain, I think the HX-based espresso machines are the better choice for you (if not a dual boiler at a considerable increase in cost).

At the high end of the consumer espresso machine market, the only machines in the US market that cater to the espresso purist and offer similarly simple temperature control at this time are the La Spaziale Vivaldi ($1995) and the Expobar Brewtus ($1699). These prices make the Alexia a nice price/performance leader for the espresso only drinker.

Quick Mill Alexia - Last Call for Questions

The final writeup for the Alexia is underway, this is a last call for specific questions, clarifications, pictures, impressions, et cetera for the Quick Mill Alexia's Bench thread.

I do intend to revisit the Silvia/Alexia shootout in a bit more depth, but if you have any other requests, please let me know.

HB wrote:As promised, below is the brew temperature profile of the PID'd Quickmill Alexia. This was the first 30 second pull after being idle for an hour. To warm the group, I drew 3 ounces, let the boiler recover two minutes, then recorded:

I would like to better understand the stock thermostat. Has a temperature profile as here for the PID version been done with the stock thermostat? If there has would you direct me there?

I have noticed that when the set temperature is reached and the heating element goes off when I rotate the thermostat the thermostat clicks at about 8'C above the set temperature. This seems like too much and I would have to wait 10 min for it to cool down to the set temperature. This is after the machine has been on for an hour. (Although the housing has been off for about two months, while I am trying to dial in temperature. The Z plate sits nicely on the edge of the counter. Sorry no picture.)

I see at the beginning of the thread in a picture of the thermostat that it is set at 100'C. Is this the setting from Quick Mill? I have replaced my thermostat with a new one and have been 'looking' for a tasty temperature.

Any opinions appreciated.

Arthur

Pino wrote:I would like to better understand the stock thermostat. Has a temperature profile as here for the PID version been done with the stock thermostat? If there has would you direct me there?

I have not posted any graphs of brew temp with the stock thermostat, but there are two videos in this post that you can check out, Quick Mill Alexia - Temperature Surfing and the Stock Thermostat.

I have noticed that when the set temperature is reached and the heating element goes off when I rotate the thermostat the thermostat clicks at about 8'C above the set temperature. This seems like too much and I would have to wait 10 min for it to cool down to the set temperature. This is after the machine has been on for an hour. (Although the housing has been off for about two months, while I am trying to dial in temperature. The Z plate sits nicely on the edge of the counter. Sorry no picture.)

That actually sounds about right on your deadband... still better than other button style thermostats. I recall long cycle times. I'll have to dig through my notes to confirm.

I see at the beginning of the thread in a picture of the thermostat that it is set at 100'C. Is this the setting from Quick Mill? I have replaced my thermostat with a new one and have been 'looking' for a tasty temperature.

That picture does show the thermostat at the delivered temp setting, IIRC.

Due to vacation, work, and allergies, I've had very little time or energy to write my final comments on the Alexia. This weekend I'm feeling a bit better, back to the Alexia this afternoon, and thus would like to pen some thoughts while they're fresh in my mind.

In many ways, the results of this evaluation are similar to those I wrote a few years back for the Isomac Amica / Zaffiro. Its conclusion is excerpted below:

HB wrote:I really enjoyed using this machine, so much so that it rekindles my interest in single-boiler machines. For my particular morning routine, it is a nearly compromise-free decision. However (and you knew it was coming), I remember all too vividly the tedium of preparing more than 2-3 cappuccinos with Silvia, and the Amica's large boiler only exacerbates the delay. Nonetheless its espresso performance is as remarkable as you've read, and if you're an espresso-only or a single cappuccino fan, the Amica is a great fit... I'll also go one step further and not brand this machine as exclusively an "espresso purist's" choice. The steaming capacity is just too sweet to ignore if you're willing to limit your service to one or two cappuccinos.

I added a PID temperature controller to the Amica, but it didn't perform nearly as consistently as http://www.pidkits.com's conversion of the Alexia. Based on my prior experience, I expected the PID'd Alexia to overshoot the brew temperature of closely spaced extractions. As posts earlier in this thread documented, overshoot is not an issue with the Alexia. Simply stated, Alexia's intershot temperature consistency measurements are among the best I have ever recorded (*).

If you're an espresso-only or occasional cappuccino drinker that enjoys experimenting with brew temperatures without the fuss of learning the nuances of HX flushing or the higher cost of a double boiler, the Alexia is an excellent fit. The PID controller allows one degree incremental adjustments and the restabilization didn't require much time (e.g., adjust down one degree, flush a few ounces, wait a few minutes, then continue as usual; if you want extra precision, a second flush / wait helps for the first extraction after an adjustment). Optimally the Alexia needs about two minutes between shots to nail the brew temperature in a long series, but you can get away with a pair of more tightly paired extractions if you're serving yourself and a friend. Sometimes I would prepare two baskets and served the first espresso to a visitor; by the time I brought the first drink to the table and returned to the Alexia, it was ready for the next shot.

Jeff's post above, Best Fit Machine for You?, echoes my thoughts on the Alexia versus the popular PID'd Rancilio Silvia:

jesawdy wrote:This puts the PID-equipped Alexia at about a $300 premium over a PID Silvia, but offers the infamous E61 grouphead, an extra portafilter, a bigger boiler, a bigger drip tray, a bigger pourover reservoir, and a better steam wand. In my experience, the Alexia delivers great coffee more consistently and with less effort than the Rancilio Silvia. It may be hard to justify $300, especially for the budding enthusiast, but let's just say I have not shed a tear for Silvia during the course of this review and I don't relish the thought of going back to "her".

If I were in the market for a single boiler with precise brew temperature control and the choices were either the PID'd Silvia or PID'd Alexia, I would have no difficulty justifying the extra $300 given the enhanced forgiveness factor the E61 group brings and added features noted above. Like Jeff, I don't look forward to Alexia's departure. Recently I added an espresso bar to my home office and the Alexia fits in quite nicely. Off the record, Mary at Chris' Coffee Service will be sending me many "When are you sending it back?" reminders.

(*) Based on my measurements and the limits of my equipment (Fluke 54-II, thermofilter with type T thermocouple), the La Marzocco GS/3 would easily beat the Alexia on "torture tests" but they'd be neck-and-neck on slower paced measures of shot-to-shot temperature profile reproducibility.

Thank you.

After a delay for personal family matters (sorry for the lack of activity here), the Alexia has been cranking out consistently good espresso with a minimum of fuss.


Coffee Klatch USBC Blend, cup from Dini Caffe, Florence

The official Buyer's Guide has now been published, Buyer's Guide to the Quickmill Alexia. The official review combines the best of the Bench thread for those looking for a summary, conclusions and scores compared to other reviewed machines. Future questions or followup should go in the Article Feedback thread located here.