I bought this machine about a month ago to replace my dying Gaggia espresso - I knew I wanted an HX machine, or at least a single-boiler machine with a 3-way solenoid, the cheapest machine would be a Rancilio Silvia. I also knew I wanted this machine to last me through high school (one more year) and college (at least 4 years after that) and my mom loves lattes, so I knew it needed to steam milk well.
I decided, therefore, that I'd need an HX machine in the end, so I did some searching. My short list included Isomac Relax, Grimac Mia, Nuova Simonelli Oscar, and of course, the Expobar Pulser. The Grimac was out of the question because it was too tall for our 16 inch cabinets, the Oscar lost favor because it was plastic, so it was down to the Isomac and Expobar. I consulted with Terry Z from Espresso Parts as well as the Sales staff at WLL about which machine to buy, they both recommended the Expobar.
So I ordered the expobar and got a 2-hole gold pro tip from 1st-Line (Actually, I got it from www.home-barista.com , in return for my thoughts on it). I tried steaming with the stock single-hole tip twice or three times, and it just was too slow, too hard, and made foam too stiff for art - so I now have the two-hole tip on my machine. This is a totally recommended add-on.
The espresso I'm making is the best I've had in my life - more crema, more body, and more flavor than my old Gaggia, as well as better shots than any I've had in a commercial establishment.
My favorite part about this machine, though, is its simplicity. There are two switches on the machine, a steam knob, and a hot water tap knob. That's it. It's a beautiful machine, it may not look that great in pictures, but it is all metal and it just looks good.
Problems...
I've had a hard time refilling the reservoir a lot, because I just forget how small it is. The old Gaggia had the reservoir right in the back, so you would know just when to refill it. Not the case with the pulser, whose reservoir is under the cup tray, without any water level sight.
I think my pump pressure is too high, and I need to get around to fixing that. Most people say the boiler pressure is too high, but I had Whole Latte Love check that out before they shipped it to me.
Overall, despite the tiny flaws, the machine does what it needs to - produce great espresso, steam great milk, and look good on the counter. |
