It's not a true dual boiler nor even an HX: it has a single brew boiler and a thermoblock coil for steaming. Sort of a hybrid between single boiler (like, e.g., Silvia or Gaggia) and an HX machine. Also, made in China, not Europe. Glad it works for you. Time will tell how well it holds up. I'm keeping my Italian-made LaCora (dealer's proprietary Andreja Premium) when it comes back from the shop after its quadrennial maintenance visit. Sweet 16 (bought in 2010) and counting...
I also have a ~20yr old Quick Mill Andreja Premium.
I’m going to say it’s like an old Land Rover. It’s a legacy brand that has survived decades of trends. It can be annoying on occasion but you can’t kill it.
My grinder, the Mazzer Philos, is like a Mercedes-Benz or BMW electric model. A quality respected brand that made a push into a more recent market.
Moving to a dual boiler is my next move. It may take a year or three but I’d love to have the temp stability they offer. Whatever it is, I’ll buy it from Chris Coffee. Their phone and email tech support is top notch. Currently working with them on an issue and they’ve had great guidance every step of the way.
I was lucky enough to get a Philos at the introductory $1k price. It’s a dream grinder and I struggle to conceive how any grinder could improve much for me and my use cases. Mostly Americanos and the occasional cortado.
That’s a sweet machine. I don’t have that machine, I have a quickmill Andreja premium, but I think the considerations are the same. I got mine used, and I’ve replaced a bunch of stuff over the years. Replacement parts are relatively cheap, Chris’ Coffee has great customer support and trouble shooting, and I’m fine with opening up the machine and fixing it.
If you’re handy, I wouldn’t have any issues with picking up a used machine. Stuff will break and need replaced regardless of the history.
And sure, you can make good coffee with some less expensive, but it’s easy to justify something that is a pleasure to use when you use it every day, and could also be a buy it once and keep it forever purchase.
Don’t get a machine with a built in grinder. One, Breville is known for issues with anything they make with a built in grinder. We had a coffee machine that broke 3 times in just over 6 months and broke meant a whole pot of water getting all over the counter tops. Built in grinders are never at the same quality as a good grinder so why regret that. I had a gaggia classic with the base gaggia mdf grinder and that setup worked really well. I only upgraded because I came into some money and bought a quickmill Andrea premium paired with a Baratza virtuoso which is a fantastic combo. Get a good espresso machine with a good grinder, not a built in one.
Quickmill Andrea premium is one of the best values for making quality espresso and having really fast steaming capabilities. Significantly less than the LM’s and better build quality IMO. I live near Chris coffee so have seen a lot of machines and been able to look at them up close and use them. If you’re not making milk based drinks, there’s more, cheaper options. But if you’re doing milk drinks and doing at least two at a time, the QM can’t be beat.
If you have the finances for it, why not. I use my QM to make double lattes all the time. I appreciate the steaming power to get 6oz of milk up to snuff in a timely fashion.
If we imagine my espresso setup as an analogue to a garage.
The machine is a ~20-year-old Quick Mill Andreja Premium. Feels like an older Mercedes wagon — a little particular, takes a minute to get where it wants to be, but solid once it’s there.
Grinder is a Mazzer Super Jolly that I’ve slowly tweaked over time (doserless, SSP burrs, timer switch). Kind of a stripped-down Civic situation. Not especially pretty, just does the job really well.
The rest is a mix — a couple WDT tools, a mister for RDT, bottomless portafilter. Some of it was intentional, some of it just sort of showed up over time.
Overall it feels like an old wagon next to a mildly overbuilt project car.
Not the most modern setup, but I like using it.
nice! yeah i have been shopping new machines the past couple of years and there are some really cool offerings but I genuinely don't think there's much I could do to improve the quality of espresso i get in the cup. I could make my life a lot easier. I would love a rotary pump so the process is quieter. I don't really need faster heatup times. More stable temps would be cool, but i'm so locked in to the heat surfing routine I just don't think it would really feel like a quality of life improvement. funny you mention the philos - that is the single grinder I've been most interested in. almost entirely for the purposes of the pure vertical straight line path that the beans take on their grinding journey. it makes so much sense after running the SJ all these years. Holding out for the day that the marketplace gods smile down on me and I find one in the \~$500 range used. until then I'll keep rocking the SJ.
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Fast heat-up, easy for beginners; inconsistent shots, annoying cleaning.
Boomerette
