Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

EM6900 SUNBEAM - A RIPPER!

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • EM6900 SUNBEAM - A RIPPER!

    Well, I had been waivering over a Silvia, or even extending to a entry HX, such as the Expobar Office. But, having checked out the twin TB machine in the flesh, it looked like a good bit of kit. Add $527 for the machine, which includes a half decent tamp and a half litre stainless jug, AND a Bang Bang knock box well...too tempting to pass up.

    Ok. I have moved from a crema enhancing little boiler machine to a real espresso machine...so bit of experimenting. I used my Delonghi (Solis 166) grinder to get the grind right. I have tweaked the grinder inside by 2 notches. On the third notch using the hopper it used to well and truly stall my other machine. This time that setting is about right.

    What I am finding however is that with the SINGLE basket fully loaded - about 14 grams of coffee! (without tamping down and filling futher!) and only a very light finishing/smoothing tamp (couple of pounds) is that it takes a few seconds to start up and then a few drops and then later (15-20 secs later) real flow but develops colour nicely - BUT even at 55 seconds she is still flowing quite good colour out!!! So I stop it at 55 seconds and tast the short black. It tasts good - quite sweet and plenty of flavour - much better than other grinds; much better than the previous machine (in fact no comparrison - it used to force out crema and was fine with milk - soy in particular because its sweet - but had a bitter short black); and for that matter better than a number of good caffs in the area.

    My question is - should I do an Alan Frew and replace these huge baskets with smaller ones to achieve a 25-30 second shot? Does the time really matter that much - ie if im willing to put up with extra coffee use and the exta caffeine (!) then provided the colour is high colour, the crema is good and the shot tastes sweet and complex does the extraction time really matter? Surely the high extraction time with good colour to the end is as a result of the amount of the coffee in the huge basket.

    The machine is solid. It steams nicely - I am still playin gwith that but it stretches the milk quickly enough for me - much better than the last machine.

    Alan Frews review was excellent, but that was a year ago - I understand that the machines have been changed since that time. Mines red and stainless which is attractive. The water res is large and easily readable (with light when low). The catch tray is large with a pop up indicator. It has a built in calcium filter replacable after a year. It has a psuedo back fluch system of putting a rubber washing in a basket followed by a cleaning tablet and a 10 minute automated cleaning cycle for the group head. It has a conventional domestic flush through for the remainder.

    I am impressed by the wieght of the portafilter - I dont know how yet to extract the plastic shield in the bottom, as Alan Frew did.

    So far I am wrapped. The reason that I opted for this over the Silvia was twofold - first the Silvia would probably have required and expensive grinder update - to a Rocky and second, and probably most importantly, my wife loves making coffees and she doesnt want, or need, the haslte of learning the machine with its alleged temp surfing issues and bleeding of the boiler etc. This thing is really simple - it also goes into standby after an hour (sleeps - keeps the group head warm though) and turns itself off after another 26 hours. It seems fairly foolproof in terms of burning it out.

    It seems that the thermoblock has finally been largely perfected...that will raise some eyebrows im sure.

    Cheers all

  • #2
    Re: EM6900 SUNBEAM - A RIPPER!

    Congrats on the new machine. At that price, there really is no competition. There seem to still be a few teething problems with the EM6900, but Sunbeam are pretty keen to sort these out and will fully support their warranty. I think it great to see an Australian company who are trying to make quality espresso machines for the domestic market. Of course the machines are actually made in China, but soon everything will be made in China.

    However, I reckon you should put the money you saved into a better grinder. This is the most common piece of advise given and for good reason. The grinder is at least as important as the machine. Just because a grinder can choke a machine doesnt mean the quality of the grinds are top notch. I can choke my machines with a wirly blade grinder. The quality and consistency of your shots will only improve when you use a decent grinder.

    BTW: If you want a local Brisbane company to deal with, that sells a wide range of grinders, try Barazi. They are excellent to deal with, and sell a wide range of grinders, from Rocky (not my favorite) to Mazzer and Bezzera. They have a great deal on Mazzer Minis at the moment, so its worth a call.

    Cheers,

    Mark.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: EM6900 SUNBEAM - A RIPPER!

      Gday Ozcott, congratulations on your new arrival.
      When you say that you stopped the flow after 55 seconds, how much volume of liquid was there?
      If it was 30 ml, ie a single shot, thats a long extractraction time, but if it tastes good, what the hey?
      The baskets in these, as youve discovered are huge compared to standard baskets. This also gives you a big margin for error, allowing you as shot time of 55 seconds without overextrating. Conversely, youre using twice to three times the amount of coffee, to make a similar sized drink, than you would using standard sized baskets, but you said that you can put up with that.
      Its up to you whether you change the baskets over or not. If you do change them, any technique errors will be magnified using the standard baskets compared to the Sunbeam baskets, due to the big difference in ground coffee volume.
      If you do decide to change them, give Coffeeparts a call or send them an email, as they sell baskets which will fit the Sunbeam handles, they provide excellent service too.
      In relation to the plastic insert, it looks like it would just pop out. If not, remove the retainer spring and find a large screw or bolt and screw it into the centre of the plastic liner, then pull it out using a pair of pliers or multi grips. Just be careful not to screw into the spouts.
      Enjoy your new acquisition.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: EM6900 SUNBEAM - A RIPPER!

        Hello Sparky - I didnt see mention on the Barazi website of a mazzer mini deal. Do you have any more information?

        "BTW: If you want a local Brisbane company to deal with, that sells a wide range of grinders, try Barazi. They are excellent to deal with, and sell a wide range of grinders, from Rocky (not my favorite) to Mazzer and Bezzera. They have a great deal on Mazzer Minis at the moment, so its worth a call."

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: EM6900 SUNBEAM - A RIPPER!

          Well done Ozcote. We just brought a Sunbeam 6900 or a "Raggio Di Sole 6900" (Italian for Sunbeam)

          Having owned a Silvia/Rocky combo Id have to say that the coffee  quality is so darn close as not to be an issue, especially when you take price difference into account.

          Build quality is excellent. Id also have to say that it looks better and ease of use makes any difference in coffee quality negligable especially as we got it for $490 from Beta Electrical in Waurn Ponds. Also most of your friends wont be able to tell the difference in the coffee. For those that are after a Gaggia Classic they had one @ $425 - 495 I cant remember exactly. When I brought my Silvia the Classic was about the same price. The 6900 is also heavy @ 15 kg 18 when full of water. There is enough wieght in it that you dont have to put to much effort to stop the machine moving when you push the filter handle home.

          My Silvia was a right royal pain in the but when it comes to making alot of coffees on the run especally if you are doing milk based drinks.

          Reliablity I guess we will find out over time but with Sunbeams excellent waranty it should not be to much of an issue and all our other Sunbeam Appliances have been good.

          The Silvias steaming ability is much better but who really cares if you can save 10 secs when streaming the milk. With the 6900 does have more than enough steam grunt to more than double the volume of the milk to a nice silky micro foam and you wont run out of steam unless you use the full 3 litres of water in the tank.

          The Sunbeam Conical Burr EM0480 grinder while it works ok is oh so messy the spout needs to be about 5 to 10 mm longer. I might save up for a Rocky but ill extend the spout in the mean time, then again maybe I wont as its pretty good. By then you would have burnt the carp out of the milk and melted the handy 800ml stainless jug that comes with the 6900.

          Id have to agree with Alan Frew that V2 of the 6900 could be a catgory killer and it does prove the Chinese make build a decent domestic coffee machine.

          It seems a fair bit of time and effort went into the designing of the 6900 it even comes with a pin for cleaning out the steam nozel and a rubber disk for running the cleaning cycle. Its from feet are also adjustable, just for good measure. I was told by the importer of the Silvia that you will void your warranty if you back flush a Silvia, So I did  it anyway you should have seen the gunk that came out the first time i did it.

          Cheers
          Rich and Rae

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: EM6900 SUNBEAM - A RIPPER!

            Great to hear from someone whos got experience with the king of the hill (Silvia). I had a look at the EM6900 today. I was temped to add it to my stable, just out of curiosity and because my BZ has been giving me trouble. But after thermologging a mates BZ35 and seeing just how good that machine can be, I decided to find the fault with mine. Im still curious though. So Ill have to press my EM6900 thermoblock into service asap.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: EM6900 SUNBEAM - A RIPPER!

              Might even end up going the Sunbeam EM6900 route myself some way down the track...... Would love to grad up to a reasonable HX machine but the fiscal reality just isnt there. But the possibility of the same convenience in the EM6900 and the very favourable reports both here and around the traps definitely make it a contender for sure ,

              Mal.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: EM6900 SUNBEAM - A RIPPER!

                I would like to do a side by side shoot out with a Silvia at some stage so if someone in the Geelong region has a standard Silvia and is willing........PM me.

                Cheers
                Rich

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: EM6900 SUNBEAM - A RIPPER!

                  ....this is where the cheesy Kill Bill 2 spag weston soundtrack needs to start playing..

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: EM6900 SUNBEAM - A RIPPER!

                    I only have a few concerns about the Sunbeam. The first is that it is a $600 machine with a lot built into it. At that pricepoint Id be concerned that this machine is "designed" to have a realtively short lifespan (maybe 5-6 years). Its complexity and the "no user serviceable parts" comment made by Alan Frew suggests that there may be a lot to go wrong. In contrast the classic single boiler machines usually has no electronic brain at all, just some switches and thermostats. They are simple to work on and can live for decades doing the job they were designed to (like the Silvia and my 20 yo Faema Family).

                    My other concern is using a thermoblock for steam. For a dedicated steam thermoblock, all the water that enters it is converted to steam, leaving behind all solid residue (scale). So unless the water is completely devoid of minerals (unlikely unless its ultrapure such as reverse osmosis water). the steam thermoblock will rapidly accumulate scale deposits. I know that Sunbeam have a programmed descaling cycle for this thermoblock to make all this transparent. But this is again just one more thing that can go wrong.

                    I guess what Im trying to say is that its a very complex $600 machine with a lot that can go wrong. I applaud Sunbeam for making it, but do wonder if longevity was one of their design criterea.

                    OTOH, at $600, maybe a 5-6 year lifespan is fine for a domestic appliance.

                    Cheers,

                    Mark.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: EM6900 SUNBEAM - A RIPPER!

                      Mind you in a Slivia there are no user servicable parts either and a Silvia will scale up too over time but according to the guy that imports you will never need to descale a Silvia.

                      I agree tho longevtiy could be an issue but i guess time will tell but so far so good. But Sunbeams pump is covered for five years.

                      Rich

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: EM6900 SUNBEAM - A RIPPER!

                        Salute - a love the euroising of the name. Whilst I have always been a subscriber to good things euro, I have over time found many excellent quality (fogetting about price/value) things made in China or Taiwan - it depends entirely on how the product development and how the factory is set up (latest and decent tooling etc) and run (ie proper supervision and quality control etc). There is no reason at all why a product well done from China should not last as long as those from Europe.

                        I have a misgiving about printed circuits in things like coffee machines, but most things have them these days - they make for amazing convenience, such as programability of one touch extraction, sleep modes, and fully automated reverse cleaning cycles.

                        Cheers

                        ps. I still like the sound of the Silvia, but I dont need the hassle of working it out. This machine is putting out consisent excellent coffee. I have got the grind and dosing right and as a result is doing things with consistency.

                        Further, I have done some research and have applied it to microfoaming techniques and I am getting great results with both full cream and skim - excellent streching and sweet silky coffees but with plenty of flavour - what more than we ask for?

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: EM6900 SUNBEAM - A RIPPER!

                          Hi folks, I didnt mean to bag the EM6900. On the contrary, Im very interested in its performance. Cheap thermoblocks repeatedly get bashed in the forums, and deservedly so. The thermoblocks in the EM6900 are something else again. This machine looks like a hell of a lot of bang for the buck, and Sunbeam are doing their best to educate the buyers in how to use the machine to best effect.

                          My first machine was a Sunbeam thermoblock and it performed admirably for about 3 years. However, by that time it was looking pretty shabby, and while there were no user serviceable parts inside, it did have cockroach edible parts. Not a pretty sight when I finally did open it up. But as an appliance, 3 years of daily service is pretty good. However, compared to the EM6900, this machine was a plastic toy.

                          My concerns are just concerns, not criticisms. Enjoy the machine and the coffee it makes. I was considering one simply because my main machine has been banned from the kitchen. So I was looking for something good that I could use regain some of my old kitchen turf.

                          Cheers,

                          Mark.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: EM6900 SUNBEAM - A RIPPER!

                            ....he he..I had a lot of convincing to do to take up a considerable part of the bench wtih the 6900 and the rocky.

                            PS. The Rocky came with its own little roaches (found when I took off the hopper) - all the way from Italy. I tried to scare them off in English..no result..switched to Sicilian and whadyknow they took off!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: EM6900 SUNBEAM - A RIPPER!

                              The quad basket on the 6900 is great. ie you get 2 doubles im sure you sacrifice some quality over a double but hey its not that noticable first thing in the morn when you are running late for work. When you only have to pull one shot for 2 coffees so my darling wfie can have a coffe with me.

                              Rich

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X