- Construction
- dual boiler
- Group head
- ring group head
- Temperature control
- yes
- Preinfusion
- mechanical
- Flow control
- yes
- Boiler volume
- 0.5+1.0 l
- Boiler material
- stainless steel
- Water connection
- water tank, plumbed water connection
- Steam power
- normal
- Extraction
- programmable, volumetric
- Pump type
- gear pump
- Cup warmer
- yes
- Standby
- yes
- Portafilter diameter
- 58 mm
- Heat-up time
- 10 min
- Control
- with app control
- Power
- 1600 W
A ring brew group has less mass than an E61. It warms up faster and uses less power in continuous operation, but it maintains temperature less consistently during rapid consecutive extractions.
A PID control continuously measures the temperature and regulates the heater accordingly, instead of simply switching it on and off at a threshold. The difference does not show in the first espresso of the day but in the third in a row: the machine hits the same point again.
Before full pressure the coffee grounds are pre-wetted with low pressure. This is done mechanically through the design of the brew group, without electronics and without adjustments. It prevents channeling in the puck, that is spots where the water breaks through too quickly.
With Flow Control you manually control how quickly the water runs through the coffee grounds: start slowly, then increase pressure. That takes the edge off acidic beans and gives you an extra adjustment. Without Flow Control the extraction runs at a fixed pressure, and that is enough for most recipes.
Stainless steel is resistant to water constituents and neutral in taste. It conducts heat more slowly than copper, but the temperature stays more stable when many shots are pulled in succession.
The machine can be permanently connected to the water line but does not have to be. When plumbed in you do not need to refill, but the location is fixed and an installer is required. A water filter in the line is then mandatory, not optional.
A gear pump delivers evenly and can be finely controlled. It is used in machines that should regulate the pressure profile during the extraction.
The top surface of the machine is warmed by residual heat. A prewarmed cup draws less heat from the espresso, and those last degrees decide whether it still tastes the same in the glass as in the cup.
The machine switches itself off after a set time or goes into a low-power state. That saves electricity when you turn it on in the morning and then forget about it during the day. Without standby it stays on until you switch it off.
58 millimeters is the most common size. Baskets, tampers, levelers and distributors are available for it from many manufacturers, so you are not tied to an unusual size or a single supplier.
