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Should I buy an Ikon?

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  • #16
    Re: Should I buy an Ikon?

    Again, I dont think Im qualified to give advice on the machine itself, but I noticed someone is selling theirs on the Hardware for Sale page.

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    • #17
      Re: Should I buy an Ikon?

      Hi There, Its me again!

      In the end I bought a Rancillio Rocky grinder and have been using my sons Cafe Roma. Coffees arent as good as from a good cafe, but are much better with freshly ground coffee than pre-ground.

      Son is soon moving out and taking his Cafe Roma with him, so now I really have to make a decision. After lots of research, Id love to buy a $2000 - $3000 machine but fear my husband would never talk to me again if I did. Besides, Id have to sell some shares to buy one, and with the share market down at the moment I dont want to do that.

      A Breville seconds outlet has just opened in Brisbane - I can get another Roma for $99 or an Ikon for $179. I didnt ask the prices of any other models, but I guess I could get any Breville at a discount price.

      So, should I buy an Ikon, or just stick with the Roma again? Some people seem to think the Ikon is ok and a step up from the Roma. Is it worth the extra $80?

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      • #18
        Re: Should I buy an Ikon?

        Id definitely opt for the Ikon if its within your budget. It is a much more capable machine and much more thermally stable that the Roma. If you then decide to grab a couple of standard baskets for the Ikon, it will repay you many fold (so long as you stick with high quality, freshly roasted coffee and only ground immediately before brewing). One of my sons used to have the Roma and now has an Ikon (using standard baskets) and the quality of coffee being produced is like chalk and cheese. Having a decent grinder is absolutely essential of course and the Rocky certainly fits that bill.

        All the best Judy,
        Mal.

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        • #19
          Re: Should I buy an Ikon?

          Does anyone know if an Ikon from the Breville factory oulet should be ok? The cheapest I can get it from a normal shop is $300. I have also been looking at the Sunbeam EM6910 for $522 (best price Ive found). I dont know if Sunbeam have a factory oulet in Brisbane where I could get it cheaper.

          Im still umming and ahhing. Id like to try the Ikon, but it does seem to have a downside with no solenoid valve, and what about temperature surfing - do you have trouble getting it to the right temperature like the Silvia?

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          • #20
            Re: Should I buy an Ikon?

            OK, Im replying to myself. I took the risk and got an Ikon from the new Breville factory outlet in Tingalpa and Ive ordered a Krups unpressurized double basket. Ive made one cup of coffee with the pressurized double basket and it tastes good. The coffee also poured out a lot more slowly than with the Cafe Roma, which is good as it always came out too fast no matter what I did.

            Because its a boiler machine it is going to take me a while to get used to though - the priming isnt something I had to do with the Roma. Does this have to be done every time its switched on in the morning? The instruction book doesnt really make that clear.

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            • #21
              Re: Should I buy an Ikon?

              Good one Judy.... [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

              Priming the Boiler is essentially a safety measure that is well worth your while to build into your normal routine. After "steaming" water in the Boiler has been depleted and if you continued on without Priming the Boiler, there would be a risk of running the water level too low, expose the heating element and risk burning it out.

              Its an easy thing to do and when made part of your normal coffee making routine, will ensure that your Boiler is not only kept full and ready to go but clean as well. After "stretching" your milk, and after cleaning the outside of the wand of milk remnants, open the Steam Valve again while the wand is directed towards the Drip Tray or into a spare jug and then Hit the Hot Water Button and wait until you observe a steady stream of water replace the sputtering steam. Close the Steam Valve, Turn Off the Hot Water Switch and then youre done. If you do this after every steam session the Boiler will always be full prior to your next coffee break.

              This is more or less the same routine followed by all Dual Purpose/Single Boiler espresso machine owners such as the Ikon, Silvia and Gaggia Classic style of machines. All the best and Happy Brewing....

              Mal.

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              • #22
                Re: Should I buy an Ikon?

                Thanks Mal

                The instruction book also says to prime the machine "before first use" to heat up everything inside. So I assume this means that it should be done whenever its turned on from cold. Is this normal practice? The instructions arent very clear.

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                • #23
                  Re: Should I buy an Ikon?

                  Originally posted by Judy52 link=1222932957/20#21 date=1228384250
                  Thanks Mal

                  The instruction book also says to prime the machine "before first use" to heat up everything inside. So I assume this means that it should be done whenever its turned on from cold. Is this normal practice? The instructions arent very clear.
                  This instruction is included because espresso machines are usually shipped with empty Boilers. If you follow the routine suggested above Judy, the Boiler should always be full before you start the machine for the first coffee of the day.... 8-)

                  Cheers,
                  Mal.

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                  • #24
                    Re: Should I buy an Ikon?

                    I am getting the Ikon as an engagement present, where is the outlet?

                    How do you like it now you have used it a bit?

                    Thanks.

                    James

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                    • #25
                      Re: Should I buy an Ikon?

                      Hi James

                      Im pretty happy with the Ikon. The Breville Factory Outlet is in Tingalpa, quite a drive from where I live, but I thought it was worth the effort to save $120.

                      The boiler makes a big difference with steaming milk. With previous thermoblock machines, I gave up on steaming milk as it was never hot enough, but the Ikon does the job well.

                      But even with freshly roasted and ground coffee, I dont get a great deal of crema.  Can someone tell me if I need to adjust my grinder - make it finer, maybe? Otherwise, what would be the reason for the small amount of crema?

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                      • #26
                        Re: Should I buy an Ikon?

                        I realize a lot of people are probably away on holidays, but does anyone know if its possible to get good crema from an Ikon?

                        Also, I bought the Krups double basket, but have since read that I should have got the Krups group head seal as well. Is it really necessary? If I fitted the Krups seal would I get better crema perhaps?

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                        • #27
                          Re: Should I buy an Ikon?

                          If you have a look at this thread http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1229668955 you will see a pic of a shot that is abot 90% crema (something to do with the beans I think). As for the Krups seal, you will only need it if you get leakage during your shot, if not, then no you wont need it.

                          When using the double shot filter, are you getting approx 60ml of espresso in 30 seconds from the time that you hit the brew switch?

                          If you arent somewhere in that vicinity, then you will need to adjust your grind until you get close to it. try not to alter anything else though (dose and tamp).

                          Good luck

                          Sen

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                          • #28
                            Re: Should I buy an Ikon?

                            Thanks Senator

                            I read somewhere that its the Robusta beans that give the most crema. I dont know if the beans I use have that in them(Merlo Espresso Blend). Ill try grinding finer to see if that helps as I think it only takes about 20 secs to get a double shot, so thats probably the main problem.

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                            • #29
                              Re: Should I buy an Ikon?


                              Judy, I think the photo of the coffee in the pic referred to in the cs thread above is actually an arabica bean. Certainly, robusta has the ability to produce large amounts of crema, though your issue is either to do with your technique, or the coffee youre using. I know I tend to get better crema from coffee thats not roasted too dark.

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                              • #30
                                Re: Should I buy an Ikon?

                                Hi Dennis

                                The Merlo espresso blend is pretty dark. Its my favourite as it has quite a chocolately taste. Ive tried grinding it a bit finer but it still takes less than 20 seconds to get 60ml, and theres still not much crema. The beans were roasted only 6 days ago.

                                I think Ill buy some different beans and see if theres more crema from them.

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