Crew Review: Rancilio Egro ONE Commercial Superauto

Got a spare $13k lying around that you’re just not sure what to do with? Of course you do! And the obvious expenditure is on a commercial-class superautomatic like the Rancilio Egro ONE.

OK, maybe it’s not up your alley for a home machine, but this fully programmable superautomatic would be right at home in a convenience store — you can program specific drinks and set it up to take payment — or a high capacity restaurant, cafe or drive-through espresso stand that requires extreme efficiency.

Watch Gail go through all the features and make us a few different drinks on this super fancy little number.

Crew Review: Breville One-Touch Tea Maker

We recently got our little paws on the very popular programmable One-Touch Tea Maker by Breville. Featuring presets for type of tea (black, green, oolong, herbal, etc.) and then a correlated variable steeping time that determines brew strength, the One-Touch Tea Maker also lets you customize for your preferences and program it for auto-on functionality. Yes, that means you can finally realize your dream of waking up to that fresh pot o’ tea in the morning.

Watch Gail run through features, functionality and then brew up a pot of Dammann loose leaf tea.

New @ SCG: Cafelat Tools of the Trade

After years of schleppin’ java to the rumpled masses, the founders of Cafelat decided it was time to throw their tamper in the proverbial ring. Their line of professional-grade tools feature well-honed functionality set off by a sleek, classic design that seasoned baristas and home enthusiasts alike will dig.

We now carry them at Seattle Coffee Gear, offering a few different styles of tampers, knock boxes and frothing pitchers — but what we really love is the corner tamping mat (so stable!) and the tamping stand (an even tamp, finally!). Plus, their high quality construction and elegant lines also give your espresso setup the look of a seasoned pro, even if you’re just starting to get the hang of it.

Crew Review: Saeco Syntia Superautomatic

Saeco’s newest release in the US is the Syntia, a petite, scaled down version of their also recently released Xelsis. Like the Xelsis, it has a stainless steel casing (love!) a sleek, futuristic design (double love!) and some programmable options (ok, this love-fest is getting ridiculous!). It also has a bi-pass doser for pre-ground coffee, the standard removable brew group and it even utilizes the magic of magnets.

Sadly, it doesn’t have the patented Saeco Brewing System (SBS) that varies the pressure to give more or less crema on your shot, but there’s always a catch, right? If you have limited counterspace or cupboard clearance, this is definitely the superautomatic for you. Watch Gail take us through its features and demonstrate its functionality.

Ascaso Dream UP + Brew Head Upgrade

The Ascaso Dream UP is considered a ‘versatile’ espresso machine, meaning that — like its predecessor — the brew head has been designed for use with both ESE pods and ground coffee. However, the stock brew head definitely favors pods and you don’t get as rich of a shot using grounds as you can off of other machines in this class.

When we did our review recently, we noticed that even though the new UP has a three-way solenoid valve, it didn’t seem to perform that well, leaving really soupy grounds behind. So we decided to experiment with the machine by installing the Brew Head Upgrade kit to see if that improved the performance. It did!

Watch Gail show us the different screens, talk about how they perform and demonstrate a shot. We even spliced in footage from the original review (accompanied by super sessy muzak!) for easy side-by-side comparison.

Video Crew Review: Izzo Alex II

The newly re-engineered Izzo Alex II is a semi-automatic espresso machine out to make a name for itself: It’s currently the only heat exchanger for home use that has a PID! Combine that with the convertible water source (which Izzo pioneered) and the no burn steam wands, and you can almost make up for the not-so-superb fit and finish elements that we don’t love about it.

Watch Gail take us through its features, functionality and demonstrate making a latte — all on her birthday!

Video Crew Review: Ascaso Dream UP

Recently re-engineered to include a three-way solenoid/brew pressure release valve, Ascaso’s Dream UP is just as aesthetically fetching as its ancestors and functions pretty much the same. It comes with a nice aluminum tamper (unlike the plastic style included with many other machines) and two different steam wand tips that you can choose from — a panarello (which incorporates air and steam for you) or a three-hole traditional steam tip (which requires a little more skill and allows you to stretch the milk).

Gail talks to us about the features, demonstrates the different wand tips and makes us a latte — with absolutely no latte art to speak of.

Video Crew Review: La Marzocco GS/3

As we wrote last week, Seattle Coffee Gear now carries the La Marzocco GS/3 — and now here’s the Gail review that shows you how this excellent piece of equipment performs. Watch as she walks us through its features, function, pros and cons, then whips up a latte.

New at SCG: La Marzocco GS/3

If you have a pretty penny to spend on your home espresso setup, or you’re looking for a light-duty commercial machine for your business, La Marzocco’s GS/3 is a single group wonder that’s definitely worth your consideration.

Featuring dual stainless steel boilers (3.5 liter steam and 1.5 liter brew), convertible water source options, mechanical paddle brew functionality and a PID interface, the GS/3 is known to offer some of the best temperature consistency on the market.

We love its powerful steam boiler — you can easily produce silky microfoam in what seems like seconds — and the pre-infusion control that the paddle gives you. It’s also got a monstrous drip tray (into which you can install a drain kit) and a unique bottom-access 3.5 liter internal water reservoir which makes refilling easy, regardless of your overhead cabinets. We do wish the casing design was a little less industrious looking and shinier — but that’s just us. And we realize that, at nearly $7k, this piece of equipment is really priced well outside many folks’ budgets.

Other than those two minor cons, there’s not much bad to say about this machine; if you’re serious about your espresso and can justify the investment, the GS/3 is one of the best options available and worth checking out.

Video Crew Review: New Capresso CoffeeTEAM TS

Capresso re-worked their grind-n-brew drip coffee maker, the CoffeeTEAM, in 2010 with a few improvements: An easier to navigate programming interface, increased bean hopper capacity/grinding time and the ability to use the grind and brew functionality OR simply brew directly with your favorite pre-ground coffee.

Watch as Gail takes us through the paces — including the machine’s specs, functionality, coffee temperature — and brews up a pot of coffee. We demonstrate the TS version with the thermal carafe, but there is also a GS version with a glass carafe/hot plate function.