# Potential new Chreub owner



## jurassicjim (Apr 30, 2019)

Hi everyone,

I've been lurking for a while, the community in general has been really useful in my coffee journey so far!

I recently bought a Sage Barista Express, while it's a really good machine and makes a nice espresso (after some tweaking!) it's only 4 months old and already broken. I don't really have confidence in the build quality, and also feeling the limitations in certain areas, particularly the steam wand power and being able to steam and pull a shot at the same time.

I think I'm pretty settled on the Chreub being the next upgrade for me. Nice small footprint and seems well made. I just had a few questions about the practicalities of using it at home.

We make about 3-4 coffees a day mon-fri, then a couple more a day on weekends. For my morning coffee would I need to turn the machine on about an hour before I want to use it? This isn't a huge problem as i can used a time wall plug.

For the rest of the day, when we want another coffee totally depends on the day, so would we have to leave it on all day in this case? If so, does anyone know how much power it uses being on like this for 8 hours a day?

If there are any other practical considerings we should take into account, be happy to hear them, or any suggestions for alternative machines.

I'm also looking at buying second hand, so if anyone has any advice here (or one for sale) let me know.

Sorry for all the questions and thanks for any help.


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## Drellis (Aug 31, 2018)

Hi Jurrasic Jim,

I have owned a Fracino Cherub for nearly a year now so can offer advice based on my experience so far. The upgrade will definitely be worth it. I upgraded from a much loved Delonghi Dedica after 3 years of use and the improvement in performance is fantastic. From the research I did before buying the Cherub it is one of the best value for money HX machines. It is also manufactured in Birmingham (my home town) so any services or spares a easily available if you are around the midlands area. I purchased mine second hand and it had a lot of limescale/calcification and needed a full service and descale at Fracino before the water temperature was hot enough to make decent espresso.

To answer your question, I usually leave it about 40 mins to warm up (it says 20 minutes in the manual but the espresso is usually sour and underextracted with 20 mins). I use a smart plug and have it come on in advance. It can be a little noisy when the pump initially kicks in to fill the boiler but it is something you get used to. If I am in the house all day I just leave it on. The boiler has a large capacity and is made of copper so keeps the heat quite well. The boiler isn't insulated but this could probably be done if energy consumption is a concern. If I am out during the day I will turn it off and then use an app for the smart plug (cheapest one on amazon works brilliantly) to turn it on when I am on my way home. The wife was initially sceptical about getting a semi-commercial machine for out small kitchen but she loves the instant access to boiling water which is an added plus of having a HX machine.

In terms of energy consumption, I am not certain of the exact figures but I have honestly not notices too much difference in my energy bill. With the above steps it is feasible to be as energy efficiency as possible.

Just a few notes I have from being a Cherub owner. The drip tray is ludicrously shallow and needs emptying probably two or three times a week depending on how often you back flush it and have spillages. This isn't a huge issue but some people find it annoying. The steam wand is also extremely powerful, especially if you are used to a steam wand from a Barrista Express. My advice is to purchase steam want nozzle from fracino with a smaller outlet to start with until you are comfortable steaming milk with so much readily available steam. The access to the water tank is on the top so make sure your kitchen cupboards have enough clearance for filling it. I use a 1L jug to fill it up without any issues. Finally, I purchased a naked portafilter from Amazon which fits perfectly (around £30) and is a nice upgrade to have.

Let me know if you have any other questions and happy buying.


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## Andyz (Oct 28, 2018)

Hi Drellis,

Good info there, just a question around cupboard height. I would have thought most kitchen cupboards are hung at a standard height, can you let me know the height of your cupboards? The Fracino site tells me the Cherub stands 380mm tall, but I'm sure I read somewhere it's 500mm.

Just wondered what you would consider a minimal height to be able to fill?

Many thanks


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## cold war kid (Mar 12, 2010)

I've just measured my Classico and it's 330mm. It's basically the same machine as the Cherub but with different clothes so I'd imagine 380mm or less will be right. 500mm would be huge.

If mine was placed under cupboards I think I'd be able to fill it no problem.and the cupboards are 430mm above the worktop.


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## Clifford (Dec 7, 2017)

I have a Cherub - I posted a pic of it in the "show off your setup" thread a while back - and it slots under my kitchen cupboards easily, even with cups on top.


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## Drellis (Aug 31, 2018)

Andyz said:


> Hi Drellis,
> 
> Good info there, just a question around cupboard height. I would have thought most kitchen cupboards are hung at a standard height, can you let me know the height of your cupboards? The Fracino site tells me the Cherub stands 380mm tall, but I'm sure I read somewhere it's 500mm.
> 
> ...


 Sorry about the delayed reply, didn't spot this. Just measured mine and it's 38cm including the tank lid (33cm from the top warming plate). My cupboards are 55cm from the work top. I'd say with a 500ml Pyrex jug you could fill it with 15cm clearance from the warming plate, given that you don't need to include the tank lid for filling the tank. (I've just tested it and measured with the height of a tilted Pyrex jug. So 33cm + 15 cm = 48cm needed.


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## Drellis (Aug 31, 2018)




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## Andyz (Oct 28, 2018)

Nice one, thanks for all the replies on height. Just measured and my cupboards are about 47cm, so all looks good


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## jegersmart (Dec 8, 2019)

Hi All

I am just upgrading to an ECM machine and therefore have a Fracino Cherub that is about 8 years old surplus to requirements. As I am new to the forum I don't know the rules (if any) relating to selling items - but if a secondhand machine would be of interest let me know.

I just saw this thread by chance, so will read through and post a for sale item as appropriate!

AndyZ, yes you should have clearance of about 10cms at least - but it would be difficult to refill water with that clearance imho. The machine is quite heavy and sits on non-slip feet so not so easy to move....just a thought!


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## coffeebean (Jan 26, 2010)

Can do you a really good deal on a new Cherub if you are interested..........Classico too......

Andy


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