The Tecnosystem Magic Coffee

As I write this post, I am feeling somewhat of a vandal. I bought an almost unused and unknown Italian machine via Trademe. As it was described as a pod machine and being sold a few days before Christmas, it went very cheaply - NZ$100. I happen to know this is actually a very expensive machine to buy new, I had seen it in the flesh previously so to speak. This is the model intended for small office use so it does not steam, only makes hot water (yep a bit odd imo).

So, why did I buy yet another machine? Well, on close inspection of the auction photo (included below) it clearly had the same portafilter as a Le'lit and La Pavoni Espresso machine. Therefore by deduction it also had a Quaha boiler and as the portafilter is a standard basket type, it would be useable on the X1/X3. I would have paid NZ$100 for a brand new portafilter - so this was a good deal for parts. Now I wasn't 100% certain and did not have the chance to check it out before bidding, so it was a bit of a punt. It was doubly a punt, as the X1 was originally a 52mm group, and I had no idea if the 57mm group would fit. If the punt didn't pay off, in the worst case I could modify the Tecnosystem machine to steam and sell it on...

Now, the reason I feel like a vandal should be obvious. It is almost brand new and really is top quality. My punt on the boiler, portafilter etc. paid off, as its a 57mm Quaha unit - and the portafilter (PF) has a 3/8 thread, just like the proper grown up ones. That means I can fit standard spouts and a pressure guage to the PF which I couldn't with the Asasco PF - I still haven't been able to work out the thread on that one...

The Tecnosystem machine is better made with better components than the FF! X1 or X3. Problem is,... the strange pods it takes and the lack of steaming ability. I would have to modify it to produce steam for home use - and it still would be an unknown and under-appreciated brand were I to resell it. Next photo is of the insides, and as you can see, it really is top notch - including a brass ULKA pump in place of the usual plastic ones. So as far as parts are concerned: NZ$100 for the portafilter, spout and basket; NZ$ 150-200+ for a complete brass Boiler; NZ$ 75+ for a steam wand, $NZ 75+ for a normal ULKA pump, who knows how much more for a brass one. So as you can see, it is worth much more as parts than the NZ$100 I paid for it. Sad. Really - but its not worth being silly about these things. So the insides. It was a real and rather pleasant surprise to open it and see this level of build and component quality.

The very strange pod system. It uses a standard single basket and then this peculiar Gasket/Seal. I spent a little time wondering what the holes in the outer brass rim were, poked them a bit and found they were blind. How odd. I had already removed the dispersion screen before taking this photo.

The boiler assembly - mmm lovely. Only 1 thermostat fitted, as it did not steam in its original home, additional holes are present that will take a std threaded thermostat however, so that's not a problem. Now as to fit....

Sometimes one gets more lucky than one deserves... this time it was me. That funny pod assembly, well, it turned out it unscrews. That is of course what the 2 blind holes were for, underneath is a standard boiler ready to take a jet assembly. Not that it is the same as the ones I already have, but I am definitely winning here. I assumed I would have to machine the distribution disk into the boiler base, but its already done - yay!

And I keep getting lucky. The original perforated X1 aluminum boiler assembly, including 52mm retaining ring (underneath to hold the PF), and....

... the 57mm Quaha assembly fits right in with the same holes. Exactly. 100% perfectly. Everything lines up - and I don't have to bodge the X1 case at all. Seriously I did not expect that, or the removable pod screen/jet thing - so its been a very fortuitous day. So, this is what I am going to do - I will have an updated and almost new X1 with a quality brass boiler and PF, for ground coffee only. Mmm shinny!

And.... I don't even need to buy a new group head seal - the teflon one from the smaller 52mm X1 fits perfectly! I will have a look at a La Pavoni soon and see if the gasket fills the entire space. I imagine it does, but this one seals the PF easily. I have put the Gaggia screen on to check for fit.

So this is the Tecnosystem/La Pavoni/Le'lit portafilter. It is very nice, heavier than the Ascaso one, and as mentioned before fits a standard 3/8 spout. Which means I can do...

...this! Put together from odds and ends in my garage, this cost the grand total of NZ$0. Would be cheap even if I needed to buy this stuff. Now I can't actually use it yet, I have to solve the problem with the notch in the rim of the PF (a very common issue with non 3-way valve PFs). I accept the argument about needing to bleed 60ml/30s to correct the pressure - I will worry about such accuracy later - a .5 bar constant correction will be OK for now.

If I can't solve the problem with the notch, I will find a way to connect a gauge to the steam wand, and then it will show pressure during brewing. That would be perfect, but this is more convenient - and the threads on the steam wand are weird and the PF solution will work for all my machines.

Carimali HX Single Group

I mentioned earlier that I bought something I shouldn't have. Here it is. An early 1980s Carimali single group autofill HX machine. It was sold as a complete machine, but needing servicing - sadly once I got it home, I discovered it had no pump. This was pretty much a deal breaker, as the rotary pump and motor are very expensive to replace - it makes what was a good price a very poor one indeed. I paid $NZ250 which is basically too much considering. I have contacted the vendor and as they have not been able to locate the pump have agreed to take it back. I am still in two minds about this as it really is very cool. But, I am 95% certain I will take them up on the offer to return it. Small montage follows showing the initial assessment of the machine - the element is blown, but apparently easy to source. The machine trips the RCD when plugged in and would need extensive fettling to make operational again. I could hook it up using a vibe pump, and I would do so if it had been $100 cheaper. The funny handle on the front is some kind of electrical volumetric doser. I have no idea how it works, other than that it controls the hight of the foot where you place the cup.

Sigh, I still want to keep it, but that is silly.

Trial and Error

At some point I ought to post about how I just bought a coffee machine I shouldn't have. What's worse is that is incomplete - the pump is missing, something that was not mentioned in the auction. I am still trying to work out what do do with/about it. More later.

Have not had any time to make progress on the X1, but its not going to be hard to fix.

The Carezza is up for sale on Trademe. I love that machine for the coffee it makes and I hate it for its lack of ergonomics. Despite that, it must be the best starter machine ever.

Francis Francis! X1 Dissection

FF! X1 unpacked, looks great. Shame it doesn't go... (yet)

The front unscrews with 2 screws, the steam knob comes off by unscrewing a (slotted) screw underneath the steam valve (there is an access hole next to the steam arm nut) and then simply unwinding the valve assembly until it comes out. 4 more screws from underneath and the whole top comes off. Talk about easy access!

In the next photo you can see the burn marks where the electronic temperature controller gave up. The board had been removed, and a number of wires removed, so obviously a repair/investigation has been attempted. The red thing is the ULKA vibe pump.

Thermal fuse. Bang. Anyway, this is what a blown thermal fuse looks like. They are usually mounted on top of the boiler, so that if the thermostat fails, they act as a last line of defense and blow before the element is burnt out/house catches fire. When the temperature controller board expired, it must have done so in a way that kept the element on - and the thermal fuse did its job. The thermal fuse is placed first in the phase line, so nothing will work when it blows. If you have a completely dead machine, it is possible that this simple and replaceable fuse is the cause. Of course work out why it blew before you replace it, or buy 2 incase you don't know why - they do blow sometimes with no clear long-term fault.

The 'sensor' for the front panel capillary temperature gauge. It is recessed into a well at the edge of the boiler - it probably does quite a good job of measuring the actual boiler temperature.

This is the output of the ULKA vibe pump. The metal union directs water into the boiler. The plastic pipe exiting at the top returns water to the tank. I have seen it described as a air bleed/release valve to help the vibe pump prime. A lot of CoffeeGeeks adjust the OPV to get a brew pressure of about 8bar. Some machines like the V3 Rancilio Silva have adjustable ones from the factory. The Nemox one was also adjustable, I don't believe this one (or the one in the X3 - which is the same) acts as an OPV or is adjustable. I'll be using the one from the Nemox.

A very simple and easily removed steam valve assembly. Nothing much to say here.

The boiler is held in by 4 screws that go through the chassis and into the group head assembly. If you look closely you will see something very wrong in this photo....

Another bad thing in this photo... Essentially, you can see the brown spot and particularly in the previous photo you can see white oxide from where water has seeped out. Yep - the boiler is perforated... Damn. I haven't included the photo yet, but the pitting from the inside is too extensive to be repaired.

And inside. Pretty nasty in there. Descale, descale... This machine will be rebuilt, but not with FF! parts. Not sure what I will do for a boiler, I am still thinking through options. The Nemox one will fit - but we'll see - I don't like the dispersion screen setup and would prefer brass over stainless steel. As for the temperature controller - I might either just go for a twin thermal button setup as in the Nemox (no electronics) or a cheap PID from Hong Kong Ebay.

A bare chassis. This machine is actually very nice to work on. The access is great, the parts well put together with quality connectors. Shame they used aluminium instead of brass - thankfully they recognised their mistake by the time they made my X3.

I guess the question is what I will end up doing to redeem this lovely machine.

One last comment. Contrary to all the other designs I have seen, the cold water enters at the top of the FF! X1 boiler. I wonder if this was a major reason the original X1 didn't make great coffee. In every machine I have seen, water for brewing exits the boiler via a long copper pipe that draws water from the top of the boiler where it is hottest. When water enters at the side near the bottom, as in the Gaggias, the Nemox and X3 amongst many others, the mixing of cold and hot is delayed, and the new cold water has to pass via the element to the exit pipe. For the older X1 this is not the case, and cold water seems to be able to freely mix with the hot water at the top of the boiler before it is pushed through the copper exit pipe. This would explain the many comments/complaints I have seen about the thermal brew stability of the older X1 machines. Something I will avoid, after all, the whole point of a saturated group head is to achieve thermal stability - why mess it up like that?

Just moseying on...

Not too many updates these last 2 weeks.

I have been making wonderful coffee with the Coffee Supreme Free Trade Organic Espresso blend. The grinder has been working great, the X3 is functioning perfectly at turning ground coffee into honey. The shots have definite plum overtones and completely lack the bitterness I used to associate with black coffee.

As I am only drinking 1-2 (2-4) shots of coffee a day, and only in the morning I have to be quite careful to get a coffee that I enjoy:

1. I heat the X3 up for 20mins+, with the portafilter loosely fitted (I don't leave it in overnight to preserve the group seal).
2. Flush a cup worth of hot water through the group and empty portafilter (heats the portafilter and cup).
3. I fill the hopper on the grinder
4. I do my normal, grind into the basket, WDS, level and light tamp - with no pressure when I polish.
5. I then time the shot into 2x 30ml shot glasses.
6. It is usually a little faster than the day before, and I have found that I have to tighten (make finer) the grind about 1/4 or 1/2 a turn each day to accommodate the beans aging.
7. I then pour the shots straight down the sink. Why? It is horrible. The first shot cleans out the old grinds from the grinder, and dissolves the stale coffee residue from inside the espresso machine.
8. I then do as in step 4, time my pour to 27-30 seconds into a hot cup(s) and enjoy wonderful wonderful coffee.
9. I can taste the difference between the first sink shot of the day and the rest of them - it is night and day.

Yum.

I will be trying the Espresso blend from 'The People's Coffee' next week - be interesting for me, as I have only been working with one roast up until now (limiting variables is a sensible thing to do when you don't know what you are doing).

Back to the ground coffee adaptor - I have decided that unlike I originally thought, I don't have enough headroom. Alternatives are less coffee, or more machining and a different (non convex) dispersion screen. I prefer the second option...

Also, the X1 arrived. It is now in little pieces, more to follow - this'll be great!