I'm a long black and espresso coffee drinker with no real interest in steaming milk. I'm ready to upgrade to an easier workflow and more temperature stable setup from my flair pro in the near future, but obviously don't see a need to get a double boiler or HX setup. I'm not in a huge rush because my current results are good, but the last couple of weeks at work made it clear to me that before my next big project kicks off I'll need a morning workflow that can be preheated before I get up. Spending 30 minutes getting setup and making two coffees in the morning isn't a problem for me 40 weeks out of the year, but when it is a problem it is.

I'm not looking to take a step back in ability to pre-infuse and pressure profile; the light roast coffee I prefer is fairly demanding and challenging with the basic semi-auto at my office. My budget would stretch to most any machine in the home market up to and including a GS3, but I value small footprints and definitely won't get spousal approval to cut through the counter. I'd like the setup in the kitchen, so I'll need to have a reservoir of some sort. As I said above, HX, DB, open and closed single boilers are all on the table, but I can't think of any options other than those in the title. I'm leaning Strietman, but I'd go for one of the others if convinced it isn't worth waiting for. Really looking forward to this upgrade and your suggestions.

You can also take a look at Londinium R, now with digital preinfussion set.

shotwell wrote:I'm a long black and espresso coffee drinker with no real interest in steaming milk. I'm ready to upgrade to an easier workflow and more temperature stable setup from my flair pro in the near future, but obviously don't see a need to get a double boiler or HX setup. I'm not in a huge rush because my current results are good, but the last couple of weeks at work made it clear to me that before my next big project kicks off I'll need a morning workflow that can be preheated before I get up. Spending 30 minutes getting setup and making two coffees in the morning isn't a problem for me 40 weeks out of the year, but when it is a problem it is.

I'm not looking to take a step back in ability to pre-infuse and pressure profile; the light roast coffee I prefer is fairly demanding and challenging with the basic semi-auto at my office. My budget would stretch to most any machine in the home market up to and including a GS3, but I value small footprints and definitely won't get spousal approval to cut through the counter. I'd like the setup in the kitchen, so I'll need to have a reservoir of some sort. As I said above, HX, DB, open and closed single boilers are all on the table, but I can't think of any options other than those in the title. I'm leaning Strietman, but I'd go for one of the others if convinced it isn't worth waiting for. Really looking forward to this upgrade and your suggestions.

No offense but the de1+ sounds like its pooping or like a motor engine about to give up when its extracting. I dont know about you but for me that is really a turn off. Get a gs3 or something like a slayer(save up more but i think its definitely worth it as I just tried it a month ago and I was sold!) if your really into preinfusion thats something you will not regret and resale is very good for these machines(idk about the de1+) but incase its too much for you, you can always sell it to another person

The DE1sounds a lot better in person than on video. I'd say it is quieter than a rotary pump other than when you are doing max flow shot. If doing a 3-4 ml/s preinfusion until pressure builds then it is actually very quiet. When doing lever style shots it even goes silent for seconds at a time.

GS3 MP is a very crude design, simply chucking water into the drip tray, which makes it a deal killer for me.

I'd go Bianca or DE1 (which will get full manual profiling around August '19 when the grouphead controller comes out). Everything else is significantly more money with arguably zero upgrade in performance (unless you are trying to run a coffee shop).

jpsm wrote:No offense but the de1+ sounds like its pooping or like a motor engine about to give up when its extracting. I dont know about you but for me that is really a turn off. Get a gs3 or something like a slayer(save up more but i think its definitely worth it as I just tried it a month ago and I was sold!) if your really into preinfusion thats something you will not regret and resale is very good for these machines(idk about the de1+) but incase its too much for you, you can always sell it to another person

It's not a question of budget for either the GS3, a slayer, or any other prosumer/light commercial machine. The selection is entirely dictated by my kitchen, living situation, and functional and aesthetic preferences. I want something small, relatively easy to maintain, and not plumbed in. I'm not putting a light commercial machine in a modern minimalist home. Based on Jim's response above I'm confident a Strietman is the right machine for me.

The Bianca loses out for size, maintenance, and aesthetics; all the metal in the house is matte black, the kitchen is stark black and white with white oak. I'd do it and wrap it with vinyl if the Strietman didn't exist.

The DE1+ sounds like the tech is too invasive for my preferred morning experience. I like mechanical tinkering, not necessarily electronic. I'm trying to avoid using my phone/computer between midnight and 10am, so the tech isn't totally welcome. Otherwise it's a cool machine that fits reasonably well.

The Strietman isn't my preferred aesthetic style, but it's much like a super flair. Fortunately it is small enough to go under the counter without any fuss. I do enjoy the process for the flair, so I assume I'll adore the Strietman. The super low maintenance requirements and ease of repair are really the icing on the cake.

Have you checked out Olympia Cremina?

That could be an easy alternate if I can't find a Strietman. I didn't realize the Cremina was still in production.

Here's the review of the current version.

Olympia Cremina Review

I owned a new Cremina and now the Strietman for over 2 years but the Strietman is superior in every aspect (except that it can't steam milk). The small grouphead volume of the Cremina was a big dealbreaker for me.

I also wanted to buy a Bianca but after testing one I wasn't very impressed as the Strietman could easily pull much better shots with the light roasts I was using.