Upgrade from Sunbeam to Bezzera Mitica!

[mwcalder05]

Hey All!

So today it's my birthday and so I asked my parents if we could go halves in a Mitica and they said yes! So it arrived today and wow..am I thrilled. After cleaning up the 6910 and back-flushing and putting it away, I unpacked the Mitica and the first thing was the size! The footprint is quite large but, we have a large kitchen and I get a fair bit of retail as my family is in to their coffee. Also, it's shiny. No brushed stainless here but plenty of surfaces for checking if my hair is just right :P

So to the thing that actually matters, the coffee. I already had a Mini Mazzer which is fantastic (upgrade grinder before machines people!). First shot, pretty quick and didn't bother tasting but still looked pretty nice! Fined it up, and almost there. Got some nice flecking which was pretty cool. Third shot was on the money! Looked as good as a shot coming from the LM at work. Tasted as good as well. The crema was rich and the mouthfeel was thick. Was literally gobsmacked by what I just pulled from a domestic machine! And if it wasn't 9:30pm, I would have downed the whole thing and had another!

My mother likes a hot chocolate so I got a chance at the steam. Now I work on a FB80 at work so I'm used to pretty hard hitting steam. But the power on this machine with the 2 hole tip provided a really nice steady flow. Not uncontrolled but not a snail pace. The first milk was perfect! It was great to actually enjoy steaming at home rather than it taking 5min for one small jug!

No doubt there will be more playing around and fun tomorrow
Cya then!
Michael

[mikejoc]

Hey Michael
Happy birthday and congrats on the new machine!

Just wondering what grinder you had with the 6910 before you went to the Mazzer? And when you started with the Mazzer on the 6910 did you notice much difference in the 6910's performance?

Happy brewing - she looks a beauty!

[mwcalder05]

Thanks!

Before the Mazzer, I had an 0480 Sunbeam. I then started using a 22g VST basket and the shots improved and then I got the Mazzer. It was like chalk and cheese. The Mazzer's shots looked and tasted so much getter than anything I had tasted from the machine before. I do have a thread on it in the grinders section. (I would post a link but I'm on my iPad!)

Anyway, second day at it and wow. Luckily my family drinks a lot of coffee because I got a lot of practise today. The machine performed pretty well quite happy with it. The only qualm is that to fill her up, you need to either jam a spoon down the side of the lid or take the cup holder off to get access to the tank! A small finger hole would be fantastic for the next model. Also, I like my shots pretty restrained but it get the flow rate the pump surges. I suspect that because the filter basket holes are quite large I have to grind it finer and increasing the strain on the pump. So I think I'll invest in another VST basket that will fit in the PF. And according to Sott Rao*, I shouldn't have to change the grind when using my 22g in the naked pf and smaller one in the spouted one.

In light of this, anyone know what size VST will fit in the Bezzera handles?

Thanks,
Michael

*seriously, he's up on the Sunshine Coast and casually dropped into work!

[Dimal]

Wow!

Sooo shiny. Love that new Bezzera PF Handle too, very cool...

That's a lovely setup mate. May your God Shots be plentiful...

Mal.

[chokkidog]

Ditto! Awesome.

[DesigningByCoffee]

Congrats Michael!
Lovely setup. And Happy Bday
Matt

[kwantfm]

Lovely set up and nice to hear that domestic equipment is indeed capable of producing shots rivalling commercial gear. I've got 7 g, 15 g and 18 g VSTs (about to get 20 g and 22 g as well) and find that, although I believe that they're intended to be used at the same grind, that there are small but significant grind adjustments that need to be used to optimise the shot. On my HG one grinder I find that it's about a 5 degree shift between each one with 18 g being the coarsest, 7 g in the middle and 15 g the finest.

[Canelli]

Hi Michael,

Congratulations on getting such a great machine. I'm sure it will give you many years of pleasure.

Stupid question, but have you tried your VST baskets from your EM6910? I thought the EM6910 also took 58mm baskets.

I can't understand why Bezzera didn't put a finger hole in the cup holder tray. I've got the Strega and it has one. Unfortunately the Strega is 10mm wider than the the Mitica so I don't think the parts are interchangeable.

*** Edit *** I just checked some Mitica photos online and downloaded the official Bezzera parts diagram and they all show a finger hole in the cup warmer. Could you please post a photo a photo of the top of your machine? It might be that they forgot to cut the hole out.

Dave

[mwcalder05]

Hi Michael,

Congratulations on getting such a great machine. I'm sure it will give you many years of pleasure.

Stupid question, but have you tried your VST baskets from your EM6910? I thought the EM6910 also took 58mm baskets.

I can't understand why Bezzera didn't put a finger hole in the cup holder tray. I've got the Strega and it has one. Unfortunately the Strega is 10mm wider than the the Mitica so I don't think the parts are interchangeable.

*** Edit *** I just checked some Mitica photos online and downloaded the official Bezzera parts diagram and they all show a finger hole in the cup warmer. Could you please post a photo a photo of the top of your machine? It might be that they forgot to cut the hole out.

Dave

Hey Dave!

The problem with the VST is that it is too deep for the double spouted pf. And the cup warmer does have the finger hole but the access to the water tanks doesn't

But nevertheless, still loving it! Having to make a large amount of adjustments on the MM. It seems either I care a lot more about what I drink at home now or the machine is just more sensitive to the particle size. That being said, it has been about 23 in the morning and 26 and humid in the afternoon, so it's probably just the weather!

Actually made myself a coffee before I went into work at the roastery today which is a first!

Michael

[Lukemc]

Upgrade from Sunbeam to Bezzera Mitica!

Hey Dave!

The problem with the VST is that it is too deep for the double spouted pf. And the cup warmer does have the finger hole but the access to the water tanks doesn't

But nevertheless, still loving it! Having to make a large amount of adjustments on the MM. It seems either I care a lot more about what I drink at home now or the machine is just more sensitive to the particle size. That being said, it has been about 23 in the morning and 26 and humid in the afternoon, so it's probably just the weather!

Actually made myself a coffee before I went into work at the roastery today which is a first!

Michael

If you turn the cup holder piece around you have a finger hole for both don't you? Finger hole meets water tank lid and creates a gap? Without looking (not at home) that's how it works on the strega I thought

[mwcalder05]

...*sigh*..Oh how did I not see that! I must have swapped it around when I was taking off the plastic coating! Thanks Luke

[tiddler2]

Congrats on the new machine, looks great.

[Lukemc]

...*sigh*..Oh how did I not see that! I must have swapped it around when I was taking off the plastic coating! Thanks Luke

No worries mate I did the same thing

[mwcalder05]

Well the shots are pulling beautifully and the milk is pouring silkily Can't be more happy with my coffee at home at the moment. Loving using the naked PF, albeit a little bit messy and sprayey but we're working on that. Still working on getting my 18g VST but that will happen in time. Here are a couple of pics!

Michael

[Canelli]

Great photo sequence!