# Coffee Machine Conundrum



## Peelie72 (Jan 10, 2011)

I notice Fracino have very recently released a new home-pro machine with very promising specs.

I would dearly like to hear from anyone with hands-on experience of the Piccino.

It could be the perfect new machine for me.

I'm presently using a Murphy-Dicks piece of junk that-

a.)	uses brand new group-head seals for relieving pressure should I select step #7 on my Rocky, thus restricting me to an inferior #8 grind.

b.)	when dumping relief steam/water, somehow manages to miss the drip tray.

c.)	Requires me to select steam mode & temp surf before pulling a shot as the espresso mode is way too cool.

d.)	Only has a single shot basket (thanks to an ebay idiot)!

I've been at it religiously for over 6 months now. I enjoy the coffee & the ritual (although making four single shots in the mornings is starting to drive me nuts) & thinks I deserve a new machine.

This is my criteria.

1.	I generally only use the machine for 2 x 2 double cappucinos a day with the odd affogato or dinner party here & there.

2.	I want something that doesn't require an hour to warm up & burn electricity. I want to turn it on, wait however long, use it & turn it off until next time.

3.	I want good after-sales support & spares.

4.	I want something that gives me decent temp/pressure stability with maybe some ability to tinker under the hood.

5.	Budget 500 quid.

6.	Something to give me the platform I need to improve my skills & produce an espresso that's looks the part and is plenty good enough to sip and saver.

I've been looking at -

a.)	Isomac Zaffiro - sounds a bit expensive, unreliable & heavy.

b.)	Silvia - ticks many a box

c.)	Fracino Piccino - could tick all the boxes AND is from the UK

My knowledge is somewhat limited. I'd be very grateful to hear the opinions of others.

Ta.


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## MonkeyHarris (Dec 3, 2010)

Wow a lot to comment on there. I've never heard of Murphy-Dicks but from what you've said it doesn't sound great. Sounds like a thermostat problem.

To my knowledge all machines require a warm up period before they are ready to pull shots. Although there are ways to speed things up I think most people like me use a plug timer to switch their machine on at a set time i.e. an hour before you want a shot.

The Fracino Piccino is very new and to my knowledge no one here has tried it out yet although there is a CoffeeForum away day scheduled to visit Fracino very soon and put it through it's paces so you might want to hang on and see what the reviews are like. I have a Silvia. It's a quality piece of engineering and looks like it will laste for ever but she's not without her issues. i.e. the thermostat is not very accurate and requires temp surfing or a PID to get the best results. She also punishes a bad grind. I'm not sure a Rocky is accurate enough being stepped to get the best out of her but I've never had one so see what other folks say on this issue. The other problem is Silvia is a single boiler so those dinner parties will be a bit stressful. Don't let me put you off though as once you've got used to Silvia you can produce some of the best coffee you'll ever taste.

Personally I do not like the look of the Piccino (looks too modern for my taste) but if I was you with your budget it would be difficult to ignore it.


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## Peelie72 (Jan 10, 2011)

My apologies MH, I have a Morphy Richards. Being

facetious.


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## lookseehear (Jul 16, 2010)

Hi Peelie, sounds like you're as addicted as most of us here, and in a similar position to me about 6 months ago when I was using my flatmates leaky DeLonghi £50 machine every day and looking to get something new. Your needs for the machine are also similar to mine (a few doubles in the morning, regular cappuccinos etc).

You can see my thread here where I eventually decided that I wanted to spend £900 or so on an Expobar Leva Dual Boiler, before realising I don't really have the money and buying a lever machine!

I would say that if the Piccino is as good as it could be then that might be the machine for you, as it might trump the Silvia for producing milk drinks, although the Silvia is very tempting due to the sheer amount of information available for it.


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## coffeebean (Jan 26, 2010)

Hi Peelie,

The Piccino looks a great machine. At just 250mm wide x 310mm deep x 355 mm high the Piccino has two copper boilers and can both steam milk and make coffee at the same time.

"We have designed the steamer to froth milk almost continuously so there is no pressure loss as with other home coffee machines which use aluminium flash boilers. Piccino features an external pressure gauge for the user to monitor steam pressure within the machine," (Adrian Maxwell, Fracino MD)

The Piccino will make 2 coffees at the same time and because it has dual boilers, can make coffee and froth milk simultaneously with no loss of pressure. Also, the construction of the Piccino is as solid as Fracino's commercial machines, making it one of the most hard wearing domestic machines available.

Andy


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## MonkeyHarris (Dec 3, 2010)

Peelie72 said:


> My apologies MH, I have a Morphy Richards. Being
> 
> facetious.


Hahaha... Sorry I'm a bit on the slow side today


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

I love my Silvia and it can produce stunning shots with practise, but if I was in the market for a new machine before I bought it, the Piccino would certainly be in the frame.


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## Peelie72 (Jan 10, 2011)

Thanks for you thoughts.

Andy, have you actually used the Piccino yet?


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## Peelie72 (Jan 10, 2011)

WRT the new paccino, what are you thoughts on the boiler capacities?

At the size of a cola can, would they lack thermal stability or would there be some kind of mechanism in place to ensure new water is introduced to the boiler only after a shot cycle is cancelled.

Otherwise, I guess the temp would quickly drop.


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