New Espresso Setup means Blog

I upgraded my espresso setup recently to the Nuova Simonelli Appia and Macap MXKR conical grinder. I had a Quickmill Anita and Mazzer Mini before the upgrade and they served me very well. I decided to upgrade for several reasons. First, I want a plumbed-in machine with the rotary pump because it makes life much easier. The Anita, although made excellent shots, has a vibe pump so it is a little bit noisy during HX cooling flush. Also, I had to refill the Anita's water reservoir everyday and that can be annoying because I have to remove the cup warming tray. Second, I want better temperature stability and stronger steam power from the espresso machine. I do believe that the Anita has good temperature stability but I hope it is a better steamer. Frothing for a latte takes almost one minute and that is slow to me. Finally, although the Mini is reliable I want to have a conical grinder. Conical grinders grind the beans more gently and distribute coffee grounds in the basket evenly so arguably the espresso seems to taste rounder and sweeter.

The answer: a big boiler and a conical. The Elektra A3 has been my dream machine until I saw an used Appia on sale in an almost new condition. The Appia incoporates new technology from the Nuova Simonelli and steams like a locomotive. Although I didn't find any user reviews of the Appia, I decided it would satisfy my needs after playing with it for several hours. For the grinder the decision was easier. The Macap MXKR is almost half the price of other competitors such as the Mazzer Kony and Compak K10. There hasn't been a extensive comparion of different conical grinders so far but I believe that MXKR will do the job at least as good as the Kony and K10.

I have been using this setup for two weeks. What can I say? I am very happy with both. The Appia keeps making better shots as I know her more. Thanks to her strong steam I seem to get more beautiful microfoams and that improves my latte art too. The MXKR makes distribution of the coffee grounds in the basket much easier. I am still on the honey moon with the new setup but I know they will be my good friends for a very long time.