caffelungo2000 Senior Member Joined: 29 Aug 2002 Posts: 5 Expertise: Beginner
Posted Thu Aug 29, 2002, 2:50pm Subject: First Espresso machine, Isomac or Elektra?
Hi,
I am about to buy my first Espresso machine and the choice is between an Isomac Cappuccina (cheaper) and an Elektra Cappuccina (more expensive).
Can anyone give me some advice upon the quality of these two machines? Would it be worth to spend more money for the Elektra? The Isomac gives the impression of good quality. Please let me have your comments.
jim_schulman Senior Member Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 3,772 Location: Chicago Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Thu Aug 29, 2002, 5:19pm Subject: Re: First Espresso machine, Isomac or Elektra?
I'm curious how you narrowed your list to these two. On this side of the pond, they are somewhat rare machines. Are you perhaps from some other continent?
caffelungo2000 Senior Member Joined: 29 Aug 2002 Posts: 5 Expertise: Beginner
Posted Fri Aug 30, 2002, 2:01am Subject: Re: First Espresso machine, Isomac or Elektra?
Hi!
Yes, I am from Europe. I have been looking at the range of machines offered in various stores here and I have found steam-powered junk like Krups (costing the equivalent of USD 100)and more serious stuff like Gaggia, Saeco, Elektra, Isomac, Francis Francis and of course La Pavoni. I think that these brands are the dominating here (I am excluding steam junk-brands like Krups and Philips).
Since I believe that a pump-powered machine is the best choice for me i have not considered to buy La Pavoni. One advantage that I did not mention about Elektra vs. Isomac is that Elektra has the ESE-system (at least this is an advantage for me since I will not use the machine on a daily basis and with ESE I will always have fresh coffee since the coffee is in small individual packages ). What brands are common in the US? What do you think of ESE? The prices in Sweden are USD 270 for the Isomac and USD 420 for the Elektra.
At 270,you may want to look at the Solis SL70, which does pods and regular coffee. There's a detailed review up. Another machine, not so available in the US, but certainly in Europe, is the Quaha Napolitana, which gets rave reviews.
At 420, the standouts are the Sylvia (you'll have to search in Europe for that price) or the Gaggia Coffee.
How's your Norwegian? There's a test of several classes of machines, including a pod/regular class which was held by their specialty coffee association. The methodology they used (objective measures of temperature, pressure, steaming, as well as taste) really impressed me. You'll find it here. It's a frame site, so go to "Traktere" (page left) and "test av espressomaskiner" (page right).
caffelungo2000 Senior Member Joined: 29 Aug 2002 Posts: 5 Expertise: Beginner
Posted Fri Aug 30, 2002, 7:16am Subject: Re: First Espresso machine, Isomac or Elektra?
Hi again!
first of all, thank you very much for the information you gave me. And well, my norwegian is probably not too bad since I speak swedish and the two langueges are very similar (I live in Sweden by the way).
I will check out the information on the Norwegian site during the weekend.
I have one more question: I was in another store today and ad had a look at a Gaggia Espresso de Luxe for USD 300 (no ESE). How would you consider that machine as a first buy? I have been reading some positive reviews about Gaggia.
If you have the time to give me an answer I would appreciate it.
gauperaa Senior Member Joined: 22 Dec 2001 Posts: 326 Location: Oslo, Norway Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Euro2000 Junior, Rancilio... Grinder: Mazzer Mini, Rancilio Rocky,... Vac Pot: Mini eSantos Drip: OBH Nordica King of Coffee Roaster: Imex-CR100, Princess popper,...
Posted Fri Aug 30, 2002, 8:24am Subject: Re: First Espresso machine, Isomac or Elektra?
I think gaggia Espresso is a nice first machine. It makes very good espresso and the steam is sufficient for even latte art. Only bad point is the lack of a 3-way valve which sometimes makes coffee spill all over the drip tray when you remove the pf. A 3-way valve would also make it possible to backflush. A second bad thing is the inevitable corrosion of the alumunium boiler. Search groups.google.com for more info about that specific problem.
Btw, I've owned a gaggia coffee and now Rancilio Silvia. Silvia is excellent - well worth the money if you can afford one, but if you have a tight budget and have to choose between a gaggia espresso and a good burr grinder, or silvia with a crappy grinder, go for the gaggia!.
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