Posted Fri Dec 15, 2006, 4:17pm Subject: Re: Izzo Alex is here!
Good looking pour, Jon. I'm getting them just like that myself now, thanks for the picture.
I'm not going to write up a full review until after Christmas, but here are a few things to consider if you are looking to moving up to this class machine.
The Izzo Alex is the only out-of-box espresso machine to have rotary pump, pourover or plumb-in capability. Changing from plumb-in to pourover is move a lever to change the water source from one to the other. Disconnect the water line, disconnect drain line and install drain plug in drip tray. That's it. About 5 minutes, maybe less.
The Pstat was set for 1.4 bar at the factory, I assume. If you are going to pull lots of shots and use lots of steam and hot water, like for company or something, you need it up there. But if you are like me and don't do that much, then setting the Pstat to 1.1 or so makes more sense. Still plenty of steam for 1 or 2. Lowering the Pstat makes the cooling flush shorter and I like that. Fortunately, changing the Pstat setting is trivial on this fine machine. Take off the drip tray, on the front left top is a slot, down in that slot is the Pstat adjustment. On mine, to go from 1.4 to 1.1 was 1 3/4 counterclockwise (anti-clockwise for our British friends <G>)
To use it pourover or plumbin is of course, your choice. But I think you will want to plumb it in if at all possible. With the cooling flush, cleaning and backflushing, lots of water is used and it is very convenient. In my house, connecting a drain was a problem as I don't have the room on my counter for this machine. So I use a 2-gal water bottle and run the drain to it. That bottle gives me about 2 days between emptying. Much more convenient.
Steaming is really good on this machine. It comes with a 2-hole steam tip that is very powerful. Too powerful for me, in fact. I've ordered an Expobar 1-hole tip that is supposed to fit and that should help.
With the boiler pressure at 1.4 bar, you could pull shots and steam at the same time with no problem. I had a friend over and we did just that. While I pulled 4 doubles, he steamed 2 pitchers of milk. While the pressure did drop towards the end, we never ran out of steam and the pours were all rock steady.
If you've not had the pleasure of an HX/E61 combo, you really should consider it. I'm able to pull consistently excellent shots with little effort on this machine compared to my Silvia. I've done shots and Cafe Cremas for a few days now, and all are nearly 'god shots', or at least they look that way to me compared to pictures I've seen.
Negatives - The drip tray is a bit narrow, so when doing the water dance during cleanup, some water will get on your counter.
Literally everything on the front panel is HOT. If you have children you need to think about that.
When using plumbed in water, you must either weight down the water reservoir or fill it with water or the pump and heater don't run, and an alarm will go off. This is a safety feature, but not a well thought out one, imo. With direct water connection, there shouldn't be this need.
The drip tray on this model is larger than the one on the first series of Alex's, it is higher. This presents a problem for some cups as they don't clear the spouts. I've taken the spouts off until I get some different shot glasses and cups.
Ensure you have enough room for this machine. It is pretty big and that might be a problem for you.
I hope this provides enough info in your upgrade search. If not, respond and I'll try to answer your questions.
If you are looking at an excellent upgrade to your current setup, the Izzo Alex deserves to be considered.
JMatt Senior Member Joined: 25 Oct 2006 Posts: 7 Location: Indianapolis Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: Izzo Alex (MKII) Grinder: Macap M4 Stepless Drip: Scandinavian
Posted Fri Dec 15, 2006, 8:12pm Subject: Re: Izzo Alex is here!
What are the three positions on the main lever? Obviously, all the way down is "off", all the way up is "on", but what about the middle position? Does that pre-infuse? does it vent? what is the purpose of the half-way point?
Posted Fri Dec 15, 2006, 8:22pm Subject: Re: Izzo Alex is here!
JMatt Said:
What are the three positions on the main lever? Obviously, all the way down is "off", all the way up is "on", but what about the middle position? Does that pre-infuse? does it vent? what is the purpose of the half-way point?
I've seen this question before but no one ever has an answer. Here goes...
I put the lever in the mid position and left it there a couple of times. Some lo-pressure water flows slowly, that leads me to believe that it is pre-infusion. I'll play around with it some more, but I think I am right. Which brings up the question. Isn't pre-infusion automatic on E61's? I thought it was.
If you have line pressure, you can "passively preinfuse" before the pump engages with the lever at the mid-position. I experimented using the Vetrano with line pressure of 3 bar. The results weren't conclusive, but a short pre-preinfusion of 10 seconds seemed to improve the quality of the extraction for ristrettos and the opposite occurred for regular doubles, where the flavors became muddy and flatter.
Posted Fri Dec 15, 2006, 9:01pm Subject: Re: Izzo Alex is here!
HB Said:
If you have line pressure, you can "passively preinfuse" before the pump engages with the lever at the mid-position. I experimented using the Vetrano with line pressure of 3 bar. The results weren't conclusive, but a short pre-preinfusion of 10 seconds seemed to improve the quality of the extraction for ristrettos and the opposite occurred for regular doubles, where the flavors became muddy and flatter.
Ah ha! Now that you mention 'line pressure', I did notice that the mid position didn't seem to do anything until after I completed the plumb-in. Now I know why.
Posted Fri Dec 15, 2006, 11:23pm Subject: Re: Izzo Alex is here!
My Alex arrived this afternoon, but I wasn't home! Somehow my wife managed to get the box inside, and when i walked in at 11:00pm I just HAD to open her up! First impression? This is one BIG machine! When i moved from Silvia to my Millennium, he Millennium made Silvia look small. Well, Alex makes the Millennium look small! I'm running out of room on my espresso cart!
I took off all of the protective film, put on the feet and filled up the reservoir and then filled up the boiler and she's heating right now!. Hopefully I can get the plumbing work done this weekend, but at least I can run off of the reservoir until then!
Here's a picture of my espresso cart with Alex in da house!
Oh yeah... My new Coffee Lab Designs tamper is on top of the grinder!
Posted Sat Dec 16, 2006, 7:54am Subject: Re: Izzo Alex is here!
I guess I'll cope! :)
I pulled my first shots this morning. Since my grinder was already dialed in for my Millennium and I am using the same bottomless PF and triple basket, I started with the same grinder setting, and the first shot came out beautiful! I am using Malabar Gold that was roasted last Sunday, so it's six days old. Very nice crema and great flavor. I didn't have the camera ready for the first shot, but here's a picture of my second shot.
My first attempt at steaming milk was as much of a success :). Alex has much more steam than the Millennium, so the first attempt went a little fast. It will take me a few tries to find the right wand angle and tip depth. It will also take me a while to get use to the steam wand on the right instead of the left! Before I used my left hand to hold the pitcher handle and my right hand to cup the pitcher and feel the temp. Now with the steam wand on the opposite side I have to switch hands. It will take a little while to get the mechanics right!
I did run into one very minor problem this morning. After I was done with the second shot and was cleaning up, I heard water dripping. I looked under the machine and there was a growing puddle of brownish water. I could see a small stream of water coming out of the bottom of the drip tray! Since i don't have the plumbing done yet, I didn't install the drain for the drip tray and the screw that plugs the drain hole was loose. No big deal. It took me a couple of tries to get the screw centered in the hole, but it's not leaking anymore!
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