# Ariete first impressions



## ChilledMatt

I've had a used Classic for a few months now with which I have been very happy with the coffee I have painstakingly learnt to make on it. But the recovery time when trying to cater for more than two drinks and a windfall from the Inland Revenue burning a hole in my pocket means upgradeitus has got the better of me. After much deliberation and months of obsessing I have bitten the bullet and ordered a Fracino Ariete from forum member coffeebean (Andy) who offers a very competitive deal to forum members.

I came home from work on Thursday to find a neat little pallet containing a large box from Fracino. My wife was clearly getting concerned about the size of the box! It was well packaged and everything had survived the journey in tip top condition. I moved it to the kitchen and eagerly unpacked and put the machine on the counter.

The machine was totally wrapped in white plastic film which took me about half an hour to remove. I had to open the top of the machine (using an allen key not provided) to get small pieces of film around the bolts.

It's so shiny☺










Coffeebean offers a choice of two drip trays with the Ariete. There is a plastic drip tray or the stainless steel one that I think comes from a Heavenly. I had read before buying that the SS tray was not very practical to use, so although it doesn't look nearly as nice I actually ordered the plastic one. I don't know if it was Fracino, Andy, or myself not making it clear, (quite likely) but I have the wrong drip tray. Now I'd read that it wasn't very well designed but I was actually flabbergasted at just how poor it is. The tray is only about an inch deep and has to be tilted at an angle to remove it from the machine. If not emptied every other pour or so I think it would be near impossible to remove without spilling. I can see no reason for it to be so shallow as there is plenty of room underneath it. So I have placed a plastic food container underneath and drilled a hole in the ridiculous drip tray effectively making it about six times the size. I will drill a hole in the counter soon and attach a drain hose. So with these modifications in mind it has worked out for the best not getting the one I intended, as it does look so much nicer than the plastic one.

The instructions manual covers all Fracino machines with only a very small part being Ariete or Cherub specific. Enough to get me started though.

Once filled with water and switched on I waited for about 20 minutes or so, occasionally flushing the group and portafilter to warm it quicker.

My next upgrade will be my grinder, but for now I have a Rancilio Rocky doser. With the grind set for my now replaced Classic, I filled the largest provided basket with my favourite Java High Roast, levelled it off, tamped it and pulled a double shot in 22 seconds, one notch finer and got 27 seconds. That was easy!










How did the coffee taste? I don't drink espresso on its own. But I tried a sip and it tasted like espresso, and whilst I still don't particularly like it I have definitely tried far worse ones in the past.

So time to steam milk. Now I have watched dozens of videos on YouTube on how to steam milk with prosumer HX machines so I knew to expect a lot more steam power than my Classic but it's like a steam engine! A quick purge and with my milk thermometer in the jug I pushed the joystick on. Within about ten seconds the jug was too hot to hold and I quickly realised my thermometer is woefully inadequate. By sheer luck the temperature was just right by the time the thermometer caught up.

I got a chance to have a good play at the weekend and had seven friends round on Saturday evening who had a couple of drinks each. Muscle memory is kicking in nicely now and I can steam milk and pull shots at the same time getting really consistent results.

Having never used any other prosumer/commercial machines and being a comparative newbie in the world of proper espresso based drinks in the home, I am unable to recommend the Ariete over any similar machines, but it is very solid and seems very well put together. Even more so when you factor in the reasonable price.

Oh, and it is made in England. How often can you say that these days? ?

I am very happy with my purchase and the service I received from Andy @coffeebean who I have no hesitation in recommending.

Now to try learning some latte art! ?


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## ChilledMatt

My first few attempts










Pathetic I know, but some milk came to the surface which is progress.










Got a bit over excited!

I like this one:


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## wilse

Cheers for the review, looks tidy!

I'd be interested to see photo(s) of your tray mod, if you get chance please.

Steaming looks good, texture looks nice... I'm struggling with the Classic! I get one like this every once in a while!

Crema's look a bit pale to me, but I'm no expert!

PS, I got a thermapen [thermometer] as a pressie, it's not cheap, but it's excellent.


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## 4515

Looks a lot prettier than the Cherub and Heavenly. They could have been a bit bolder with the drip tray, as you suggest


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## ChilledMatt

working dog said:


> They could have been a bit bolder with the drip tray, as you suggest


This is the drip tray with less than 100ml of water in at the angle required to remove.










You can see the hole I have drilled. Temporarily I have put a plastic tub underneath.


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## bronc

That's a very poor design.. I wonder who in their right mind thought that would be okay.


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## ChilledMatt

It's really quite unbelievable!


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## wilse

Blimey, makes the Gaggia one look good!

Looks like it would be fairly straightforward to add full-time drainage.

Cheers


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## 4515

Makes sense now

The tray looks to be pressed so to get a much deeper drip tray the metal would be stretched too far and would have creases in the corners which is why the plastic tray will be deeper

My fix would be to make the drip tray area square and fabricate the drip tray from folded stainless sheet. Or to plumb in to the drainage as you plan to do


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## ChilledMatt

Anyone got any ideas on the best fitting to get to plug the hole. I guess I will need something with a spigot for a hose. Whatever I use must not protrude very far into the drip tray with it being so shallow. I was thinking maybe something from a water butt.


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## ChilledMatt

The machine is nowhere near drainage so I am going to put a hose in a 5l Ashbeck bottle under the counter.










Worried something like this will go into tray too far.


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## glevum

Looks great. As theres no man-o-meter do Fracino ship these at 9bar?


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## ChilledMatt

glevum said:


> Looks great. As theres no man-o-meter do Fracino ship these at 9bar?


Hmm just checked the manual and it says Expansion valve set pressure 12bar.


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## Dylan

Can you use a strong sealant to attach a pipe end (larger than the hole) to the back side of the drip tray, then be able to screw on a pipe?


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## wilse

ChilledMatt said:


> The machine is nowhere near drainage so I am going to put a hose in a 5l Ashbeck bottle under the counter.
> 
> Worried something like this will go into tray too far.


That fitting looks deep, is it for 15mm pipe or microbore?

Perhaps you might see something here...

http://www.airsupplies.co.uk/pneumatic-fittings-and-accessories

Also regarding the pressure, should it be set to 9bar like the gaggia OVP, or is it not necessary?


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## ChilledMatt

wilse said:


> That fitting looks deep, is it for 15mm pipe or microbore?
> 
> Perhaps you might see something here...
> 
> http://www.airsupplies.co.uk/pneumatic-fittings-and-accessories
> 
> Also regarding the pressure, should it be set to 9bar like the gaggia OVP, or is it not necessary?


Thanks for the link. I'm going to try and find a plumbers merchant tomorrow.

I have no idea about the pressure. The OPV mod was done on my Classic, I don't know if the Ariete would benefit from the same.


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## wilse

Did a double take, I realise the tray you drilled is under the perforated tray.

Perhaps a google for '10mm plastic elbow' will show you a few more possibilities.

You could then just use silicon hose into your water bottle.

Just a thought!


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## BerryNatalie

Hi,

I have just read your review with real interest. I manage a small community coffee shop. We hire a community room and due to availablilty we are only open one morning a week.

I am currently researching for a new coffee machine and this one is really coming up well. How are you getting on with yours now after several months?


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## h1udd

That is a good looking machine ... But that drip tray us completely useless !!! I would not want to be using a tray like that in a community coffee shop, you would need to stop and empty it every other drink ... How much deeper is the plastic tray ?


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## Jon

You can always drill the drip tray and drain elsewhere - assuming it's a similar setup to the heavenly.


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## cold war kid

One small hole in the drip tray with a connector and pipe coming off to allow it to drain into a big bottle would sort it but if it's not going to be used to bang out loads of coffee a plastic Tupperware box instead of the drip tray will be fine.

Weirdly I had the exact same experience as the op in that I ordered the plastic drip tray and received the metal one instead. Knowing what an arse it would be to use in a small domestic kitchen I rang the company I bought off to complain and they offered me £30 to keep it. I said no, pick it up and recredit my card at which point they simply passed me on to Fracino (this was the 23rd Dec), who simply rang and said we'll be in touch some time in the new year for you to sit at home all day and we'll collect.

That wasn't even close to acceptable as it could have easily been feb before Fracino received it back, checked it over, informed caterkwik who could then re emberse me.

Anyway, to cut a long story short another call to cater kwik the next day was much more successful and after being offered a couple of options as a solution I was given £100 off to keep it. It's a major downside but I'd be happy with other things at a higher price so I suppose everyone's a winner.

Is there a reason that you'd like the Ariete? It's the same as the Cherub apart from the clothes and differences in the e61 grouphead, the cherub's cheaper and should come with the more practical drip tray ( get that in writing before you buy if you decide it's important ).


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## cold war kid

Just to try and be more positive, I had to ring Fracino today to ask a technical question and they put me straight through to the guy who actually designed the Ariete who was helpful and enthusiastic about their product. You could really tell he was into what he did. Try doing that with Rancilio and see how far you get.


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## Bruce Boogie

I've been using a Fracino Piccino for a year now. The drip tray is very adequate for domestic use and easy to empty ~ plastic container with a stainless top.

Using Forum advice I use Waitrose water and the coffee is great.

Fracino were very helpful when I needed a new steam arm nozzle washer.

HNY


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