Had to watch this again, looks so tasty:) fantastic swirl when pouring the water :) . I have reciently learned som new stuff which leads me to think -" why do manufacturers even put the wand for water despensing? Tea for the late hours: Yes both Mara X and Elizabeth have this water outlet , but note that water on DB would be “fresher” and better tasting. On both machines hot water comes from steam boiler but on the HX this water comes from a larger quantity that's always boiling and has a “flat” taste, tea would express more floral/complexe notes with freshly heated water and on smaller boilers from DB steam boiler gets replenished with fresh water more often. So if this true, how hot is too hot for example an americano? If we say that tea would need cooler water and more refreshed is it the same for an americano?
Great point! To answer your question, I'm not sure if there's a specific number which is "too hot" but I tend to use pretty cool water for americanos because I don't want it to be so hot that I can't drink it; usually around 90°C or less. For tea you obviously need boiling water to extract the tea properly, but I'm not very knowledgeable on tea extraction so I can't speak for the specifics.
It's been quite good so far. Temperature is quite stable but I need to work a bit harder on dialing in beans. I keep changing beans when my hopper empties, so consistency is more an issue in my part. Next time I will buy a single espresso focussed bag and just work with that until I'm getting consistent results. Pressure is great, and most of the drinks come out really well! I haven't ended up doing any monster 40g shots yet because frankly my mugs are a little small for that, but I think it is all very nice so far.
Have had a MaraX for a week now. My wife drinks Americano's. I always run the shot into the hot water or pour the shot it into the hot water. I really don't know if that matters vs diluting the shot with hot water, but that's what the coffee aficionados say.
So long as you measure out the water, either adding water to coffee or coffee to water shouldn't make much difference in terms of materials in vs out. I didn't really measure my water here as I just got used to how much to add/adjust by taste. I suppose if you wanted the crema to sit on top of the water, your method would be the way to go about it. Considering you either want to stir in or remove crema, I guess it really doesn't matter how we go about crafting this drink lol
Someone else had asked that too. The reason being if we use the tap, it pulls the hot water directly from the boiler, which would then be refilled automatically with cold water from the tank. That's problematic if you're making drinks back to back because you then need to wait for the boiler to heat up again! If it was the last drink of the cycle, then it's totally fine to use the hot water tap! Hope that helps :)
@@alexwalshaw how does this machine handle back to back drinks like for example four cappuccinos? Does it struggle and you have to wait a while? Is the steam enough? Haven’t seen anybody showing that with this machine.
@@AzizIzgin yeah I think so long as the tank is full (basically not empty) it is a great back to back drink maker! If the water tank is empty, the pump basically refuses to run until you fill it back up, even if the boiler is still full. But yeah, I've made coffee for my household several times no issue; lattes, espresso and americanos are a breeze for me. It's a good HX too, I've brewed and steamed on drink priority no issues!
@@alexwalshaw that was the only thing that makes me hesitate in buying it actually... I never make more than 3-4 cappuccino/ flat whites back to back. If that can be done without any problem then it is awesome. One thing I like though from the Elisabeth that is also appealing is the water outlet/spout ... it seems better and more stable for making tea for example. It seams to heat up faster also. I guess I’ll have to learn when the tank gets empty... how it behaves like you explained
@@AzizIzgin yeah it should be fine for that! You can see the water tank on the back by lifting up the lid! I have mine under the counter so it's a bit hard to see sometimes, but if you have space above it, it's really easy to see!
Good question. The reason being if you pull a bunch of water out of the boiler, in this case it would be around 5 oz. of water to fill this cup, the boiler would then have to pull all of that water in from the reservoir, leading to it drastically losing heat. If it's the last drink of the day or last drink for a while, for sure you can use the hot water tap, but if I want to make another drink I would have to wait for the boiler to reach temperature and pressure again. Comes down to time and personal preference I suppose.
@@alexwalshaw so are you using about 2 oz of espresso to 5 oz water? I've tried 2:6 on a mild bean and it wasnt strong enough. I may try a darker roast with a that ratio or less water with my current bean.
@@VinceM797 honestly, the espresso is the only thing I really measure as of right now. I have been doing about 18g in to about 36-40g out with most of my shots (using a medium washed El Salvador right now) which yields a really tasty shot. For Americanos, I usually just eyeball the water and adjust by taste.. my dad usually adds 200g of water to his, so take that for what it's worth. I am a weight person, so I can't say exactly what volume the shots are, but I'm quite sure my yield weight is around 2oz.
The pouring of water was gorgeous 🤩
Yeah it looks nice despite not being totally dialed in!
shots are improving! Looking gorgeous with silky crema. Enjoy!
Had to watch this again, looks so tasty:) fantastic swirl when pouring the water :) .
I have reciently learned som new stuff which leads me to think -" why do manufacturers even put the wand for water despensing?
Tea for the late hours:
Yes both Mara X and Elizabeth have this water outlet , but note that water on DB would be “fresher” and better tasting. On both machines hot water comes from steam boiler but on the HX this water comes from a larger quantity that's always boiling and has a “flat” taste, tea would express more floral/complexe notes with freshly heated water and on smaller boilers from DB steam boiler gets replenished with fresh water more often.
So if this true, how hot is too hot for example an americano? If we say that tea would need cooler water and more refreshed is it the same for an americano?
Great point! To answer your question, I'm not sure if there's a specific number which is "too hot" but I tend to use pretty cool water for americanos because I don't want it to be so hot that I can't drink it; usually around 90°C or less. For tea you obviously need boiling water to extract the tea properly, but I'm not very knowledgeable on tea extraction so I can't speak for the specifics.
Where did you buy those sweet white mugs?!?
They're from a company called NotNeutral, they make lots of different sizes.
Looks great!XD
Thank you babubabu, not as good as you though!
Alex hows this machine working out for you? Any issues so far? Too fast, too slow, pressure, heat etc? Nice Americano by the way.
It's been quite good so far. Temperature is quite stable but I need to work a bit harder on dialing in beans. I keep changing beans when my hopper empties, so consistency is more an issue in my part. Next time I will buy a single espresso focussed bag and just work with that until I'm getting consistent results.
Pressure is great, and most of the drinks come out really well! I haven't ended up doing any monster 40g shots yet because frankly my mugs are a little small for that, but I think it is all very nice so far.
Have had a MaraX for a week now. My wife drinks Americano's. I always run the shot into the hot water or pour the shot it into the hot water. I really don't know if that matters vs diluting the shot with hot water, but that's what the coffee aficionados say.
So long as you measure out the water, either adding water to coffee or coffee to water shouldn't make much difference in terms of materials in vs out. I didn't really measure my water here as I just got used to how much to add/adjust by taste. I suppose if you wanted the crema to sit on top of the water, your method would be the way to go about it. Considering you either want to stir in or remove crema, I guess it really doesn't matter how we go about crafting this drink lol
@@alexwalshaw You mess up the crema by adding water after. It's supposed to be mixed in anyways, but it looks better with the crema on it.
Looks delicious. Any reason not to use the hot water from the machine? Asking as a newbie
Someone else had asked that too. The reason being if we use the tap, it pulls the hot water directly from the boiler, which would then be refilled automatically with cold water from the tank. That's problematic if you're making drinks back to back because you then need to wait for the boiler to heat up again! If it was the last drink of the cycle, then it's totally fine to use the hot water tap! Hope that helps :)
@@alexwalshaw how does this machine handle back to back drinks like for example four cappuccinos? Does it struggle and you have to wait a while? Is the steam enough? Haven’t seen anybody showing that with this machine.
@@AzizIzgin yeah I think so long as the tank is full (basically not empty) it is a great back to back drink maker! If the water tank is empty, the pump basically refuses to run until you fill it back up, even if the boiler is still full. But yeah, I've made coffee for my household several times no issue; lattes, espresso and americanos are a breeze for me. It's a good HX too, I've brewed and steamed on drink priority no issues!
@@alexwalshaw that was the only thing that makes me hesitate in buying it actually...
I never make more than 3-4 cappuccino/ flat whites back to back. If that can be done without any problem then it is awesome.
One thing I like though from the Elisabeth that is also appealing is the water outlet/spout ... it seems better and more stable for making tea for example. It seams to heat up faster also.
I guess I’ll have to learn when the tank gets empty... how it behaves like you explained
@@AzizIzgin yeah it should be fine for that! You can see the water tank on the back by lifting up the lid! I have mine under the counter so it's a bit hard to see sometimes, but if you have space above it, it's really easy to see!
What's the reasoning behind not using the hot water spout for your Americano?
Good question. The reason being if you pull a bunch of water out of the boiler, in this case it would be around 5 oz. of water to fill this cup, the boiler would then have to pull all of that water in from the reservoir, leading to it drastically losing heat. If it's the last drink of the day or last drink for a while, for sure you can use the hot water tap, but if I want to make another drink I would have to wait for the boiler to reach temperature and pressure again. Comes down to time and personal preference I suppose.
@@alexwalshaw so are you using about 2 oz of espresso to 5 oz water? I've tried 2:6 on a mild bean and it wasnt strong enough. I may try a darker roast with a that ratio or less water with my current bean.
@@VinceM797 honestly, the espresso is the only thing I really measure as of right now. I have been doing about 18g in to about 36-40g out with most of my shots (using a medium washed El Salvador right now) which yields a really tasty shot. For Americanos, I usually just eyeball the water and adjust by taste.. my dad usually adds 200g of water to his, so take that for what it's worth. I am a weight person, so I can't say exactly what volume the shots are, but I'm quite sure my yield weight is around 2oz.