Thread: Calling all BFC/Diadema owners - Past, Present and Future

Thanks
At this point anything is a help


Just looking at the best way to prime, the best purge, and so on....

Cheers

Ok, I have the owner booklet (electronic).

Don't know if this will work, but trying.

File has been moved to the documention area: BFC Perfetta Instruction Manual - Multi-language

Failing that you may need to send me your email address.

Hope that helps

That's absolutely perfect .
Thanks so much.

Now I have some reading to do

Jumped on as my Junior Semi Auto is once again having pressure release problems. (quite alarming when the release valve does its job). I have had the pressurestat replaced twice so far, though the last time was just over a year ago, and the time before that was 3 months prior. I dont keep the machine on 24/7, but do tend to turn it on before I go to bed, so I can make my morning coffee without preheating it. I guess that is a contributory factor.

I guess its time to find somewhere to get it repaired.

Hey guys,
I'd been recently hankering to upgrade from my Sunbeam 6910, but couldn't decide on which machine to get or what type. I was browsing some online classifieds when I saw a second-hand (only used 3 times) BFC/Diadema Junior Plus for $1250. After some haggling, I snapped it up for $1000, which I think is quite the bargain, right? The owner was desperate for quick cash leading up to Christmas

And wow what an upgrade! The only thing is that this is my first time using a lever, rather than volumetric shots. What's the go on when to stop the shot? I've been going by feel and stopping it when the shot starts to blonde, as well as approximate volume. I realise my breville smart grinder probably isn't the best one out there, but my wallet probably can't take another upgrade for a while, so I'll have to make do with it for a while.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Welcome Propanolol (?),

Sounds like you're on the right track Propanolol....stop it when it starts to blonde, adjust your grind/dose if that is happening too early (e.g. <25 secs) or too late (> about 40 secs minutes in my opinion ). See how it tastes...if you like it and it is blonding somewhere within the reasonable range drink a few at that setting before fiddle-a@@$ing around too much.

Cheers

Welcome to the forum Propanolol. Have play with the timing and see what you like. You have a great unit at an excellent price - well done A better grinder would help but baby steps at first

Hello,

I just purchased recently a Diadema Unico Splendor and upto now I am still adjusting with her and for sure sooner or later we will build a special connection between us.. hehehe!

Back in the Philippines my first machine was Sunbeam Piccolo and used it for 3 moths or so. And then my partner gave me a new machine which was Sunbeam Café Latte EM5600. Both machines collaborated with entry level grinder (see pics..hehehe) . When I moved here to Australia and my vampire coffee blood is started to arise, I decided to get a Breville 800ES and Breville Dose Control Pro. These two are amazing combination and let me do a decent latte art with a good taste . I had a good learning experience with her (the machines) but sometimes I feel like I want to do more and she cant keep up... For now I am looking for a new home for her...

After playing with my Breville machines for about 3 months, I felt like I am ready to go and step up a bit to satisfy my coffee addiction, hehehe! I scouted for over a month of what machines is best for Home set up that is not too big, not too pricey but still can perform as a PRO. I came across with Giotto Rocket, ecm, vbm, expobar and finally the DIADEMA UNICO SPLENDOR.

When I unboxed her and set it up on my counter and performed my first latte, it feels like this is the taste I been looking and searching for... she brings out the best aroma and taste of the coffee ofcourse with the help of Mazzer Mini... just PERFECT... And now I am waiting for a decent tamper "great leveller" and tamping stand. As I said I still need to know her better and day by day I am very much willing to adjust to the best of ability to use her (not abuse her) with a heart.. hehehe!


EM2800_primary_1.jpgEM5600_primary_1.jpg$_57.2.jpg20151230_182004.jpg20151231_163751.jpg

Congratulations lixegel the Unico Splendor is a great machine and a real step up from the Sunbeam and Breville appliances.

Originally Posted by Recaffinated

Congratulations lixegel the Unico Splendor is a great machine and a real step up from the Sunbeam and Breville appliances.

thanks Recaffinated i know "Dema" and I will gonna have a very long term relationship, hehehe,

You have chosen a great machine. Play with it for a while and your relationship will blossom - just don't tell your wife

Originally Posted by steventhechef

You have chosen a great machine. Play with it for a while and your relationship will blossom - just don't tell your wife

Hahaha!!! Thanks!

I am a proud owner of BFC now that i past the learning curve

https://youtu.be/FwmEat0XF80

Anyone here happen to know what sort of pressurestat I need for a 2007 unico splendour machine? Mine has stopped switching the boiler off. I've asked coffeeparts.com and they don't know which one my model will take. They suggest taking it out and looking at it. Which I might have to do...

Well if you're planning on replacing the pstat yourself, you're gonna have to take it out sooner or later

A quick phone call to CosmoreX Coffee in Canberra will sort you out...

Mal.

Older Diadema gear and some Bezzera gear use a quirky element relay on pressurestat design and they do go pop sometimes. The weird thing is that the relay in the control board then sits there doing nothing.

We (and CosmoreX) remove the relay and replace the pressurestat with a conventional one and allow the control board to take over element duties.

Unless you have appropriate electrical qualification/s, it's a job for a tech.

Originally Posted by Talk_Coffee

Older Diadema gear and some Bezzera gear use a quirky element relay on pressurestat design and they do go pop sometimes. The weird thing is that the relay in the control board then sits there doing nothing.

We (and CosmoreX) remove the relay and replace the pressurestat with a conventional one and allow the control board to take over element duties.

Unless you have appropriate electrical qualification/s, it's a job for a tech.

Thanks, I have read about these relays before. I can still use the machine as long as I am the pressure stat, turning on and off for heat up, then...... I have to keep the steam arm open when extracting, and the pressure sits at about 1.4bar!. I had wanted to replace myself to avoid the days without it, but I will probably get you to fix it to avoid embarrassment at bringing it in worse after I've had a go at it.

Hi,
I see there hasn't been a reply on this thread for few years.

I recently upgraded from a Sylvia.
I had had trouble with the Sylvia dividing the extract unevenly into the two cups - raising one side didn't seem to help much. Eventually I upgraded my grinder from a Sunbeam to a Eureka and was surprised that that also solved the problem of unequal division. You definitely need to spend a bit on a good grinder, that seems to be as important as the machine.
The new grinder also allowed the coffee to extract cleanly and to leave the puck nice and dry. Could see a clear impression of the shower screw.

The differences I see with the Diadema are:

1. Bigger, all metal - no plastic pieces, more attractive looks.

2. Can swap between extracting and texturing without having to de-pressure, so it is much quicker if you want to do more than 2 cups.

3. The texturing wand is on the left, which I find awkward as I like to hold the jug in my right hand. I will eventually reposition the machine to the RHS of the workspace and that may help. I am now into the habit of removing the drip tray when texturing to give myself more space to position the jug and texture the milk. It would have been better to have the hot water on the left and steam wand on the right.

4. The steam wand jets the steam out at an angle on opposite sides compared to the Sylvia with one hole at the bottom. I am not sure which is better, but certainly the Diadema does not need to be prepared as much and does not have wet steam like you can get with the Sylvia. It is very quick and easy to use.

5. The water bottle is harder to fill, and where I have the machine located I can't get the bottle out easily, so I need to fill with a small jug after removing the fiddley plastic cap. The metal cover is tricky to remove and install and can fall in on top of the bottle unless very careful. (Could have been designed much better without too much trouble - its just silly)

6. The drip tray is a nice size and holds plenty of water. It is also solid so the cups do not roam around when extracting coffee like they do with the Sylvia. The portafilter outlet ports are towards the handle rather than centred at the bottom of the filter, and this means that the ports are way off centre of the drip/cup tray. This is just crazy. The cups have to be at the very front edge of the drip tray unless you slide the tray out a little (easy enough to do, but you may miss catching water from the relief line.)

7. There is probably a good reason for having the extractor spouts at the forward (handle) edge of the filter, perhaps so you can see the extract easier, but it creates a problem #6 above, and I find it awkward to tap on the bench. I like to wack the filter on a block to settle the grinds into the filter and it just does not work so well with this arrangement.

8. The portafilter is larger than the Sylvia's and I find my usual dose of about 14 gms is a little too small. Not a problem so much as just different. I find that the puck is now moist and not so tidy and the division of coffee between left and right is not even with more in the RHS. These issues may have something to do with the size of the portafilter because the tamped grinds are way off the top shower, so it puddles and bit and perhaps this impacts the division of extract between the spouts. I need to experiment with extra grinds to see if this is the case or not

9. I find I use less water and not sure why. I suspect with the Sylvia I use a lot to try to get clean dry steam from the wand and the Diadema is just dry steam almost from first opening the valve.

10. The sylvia steam valve is hard to shut off and tends to drip and leak a little when closed. The Diadema valves are excellent - easy to shut and open and no leaks - a pleasure to use.

Overall, I am happy with the new purchase and can now make 4 or more cups of good coffee in a reasonable time. It also looks great and easy to use with some minor grumps.

If the Group Handle Dbl Spout is causing you grief, you can get other types, including of course, a Naked GH which opens up many more pluses, not just the orientation of the pour.

Have a squiz through the Coffee Parts website, they have lots of spout types that might be more suitable...

Mal.

My bad really.
When I was cleaning the group head I noticed they have an adjustment to even the output. How good is that? I like it.
They offered a course with the machine (which I didn't take up) but no handbook.
I have looked on the web and haven't found anything even Manuals On-line doesn't list anything - nothing on the web site that I can see.
Any idea if there is a operating manual. Probably not necessary as all rather obvious but still.
I guess the model is the Junior Plus Semi Automatic.

Try contacting the good people at CosmoreX Coffee in Canberra.
They should be able to assist you...

Mal.

Hi guys I just joined the Diadema club by purchasing a unico splendor maxi. Really enjoying it so far. It's my first E61 HX but haven't found the learning curve to steep for those umming and ahhing. I'm certainly not an expert but found the naked portafilter really help the process come along a lot quicker

has anyone noticed a discernible upgrade in the cup by swapping out the stock diadema baskets and shower screens for the IMS/VST's ? Or are the stock baskets more than sufficient ?

Congrats on the new Unico Splendor, beautiful machines...

Given how inexpensive quality filter baskets are to buy, I'd recommend trying a couple of different sizes out for yourself.

Personally, I prefer the EP Precision Baskets. They are quality components and will last you a long, long time...

Mal.

PrecisionFilterBaskets.JPG

Thanks Mal yes they are beautiful machines. Shots have been a big improvement so far but I feel I can still get better at it. I'll certainly consider the baskets as an upgrade option.

What dose size do you feel works best with the stock diadema double baskets? I'm loading about 20g into the double basket at the moment (extracting about 36g) and I'm wondering if I'm overdosing and it's burning on the screen as there is some bitterness. Shot times are about right I.e 25-30 secs. I also do a cooling flush which takes about 10-12 secs after a 45 min warm up before pulling the shot
.
Could I need a longer flush? It's setup with boiler pressure about 1.1

Have you tried the $0.05 piece trick as yet, to ensure you're not overdosing?
From memory, I think I maxed out at between 16-17g with the standard Dbl basket that came with my original Diadema. The Groups fitted to the machines vary over time though, depending on which supplier is being used for each batch order. This creates some differences which makes direct comparisons between machines, even the identical model, difficult to say the least.

20g does sound ambitious for the standard filter basket though...

Why are you flushing the Group before pulling a shot?
Does the first few seconds of water exiting the Group spit and bubble steam at you? If so, perhaps it's worth contacting the vendor from whom you purchased it to ensure they have fitted the correctly sized restrictors in the Thermosyphon circuit. There should be no need to flush water through the group if properly set up; never needed to do that with my previous HX Diadema...

Mal.

Thanks for the tips mal! I'll try downsizing my dose!

Yeah ah after a 45 min warmup there seems to be a fair bit of heat. When I flush, which I do presumed is standard procedure for a e61 machine before pulling a shot? I get a fair bit of heat for the first 8-10secs I.e. Water bubbling and steam type noises. But after about 10 secs it settles down to a normal kinda trickle at what looks to be a more desirable temp.

I I haven't tried the 5cent trick yet but I'll be doing that for sure this week!

Hi Gorokabeanz
Congrats! Great purchase. My Reale (same innards as the Unico) is still going strong after 8 years now (I think!) so many more years of fun ahead.
Second all Mal's advice. I'm using an EP triple basket on a naked P/F, but still using the stock doubles on the spouted, though I should try some EP one day - as stated, it's a small investment! I find 19.5g is about right for dose size in the standard doubles with my home roasted beans. I also use a finer grind but lighter tamp than many to give the best results.
You shouldn't need much of a flush - I give about 2-3 seconds directly before pouring, that's mainly to dump any steam present. Other than that it'll happily sit for hours without overheating.

Happy brewing!
Matt

Thanks Matt, I might have someone take a look at my machine this weekend, I think the o ring from from the vac release valve has some gunk around it and isn't causing a proper seal (hiss sound, little bit of leaking as a result) . This might be why my machine is a bit over the place with cooling flushes? I'll see if that helps in the first instance.

Matt - out of interest what's the difference between the reale and the splendor? Any other tips you have found useful ?