At the end of last year I scored a Mazzer Mini grinder (YES!). I didn't think I was going to be able to get a good Heat Exchanger E61 style espresso machine for a good while but with my Christmas money plus some I was able to score an Expobar Office Pulser for exactly half of the $800 that you'd pay new for one from the two main sites I can think of that sell them. This guy had this used/excellent condition Pulser up on Ebay with an opening bid of $500. No one bid on it so I made an offer to him of $400 and surprisingly he took it.
This thing is awesome but it still bows before Barthanatos' Andreja Premium:
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All lovely stainless steel except for the control panel with the knobs and the switch. I believe it's Peter Squire who also has an Expobar except his is a slightly different model (with programmable buttons). So far I can't seem to pull a bad shot on this baby and the steaming is awesome. I could get decent microfoam on my old Gaggia but nothing like the silkiness of what I'm getting now. This is one great machine for $400 freaking dollars!
It took a little dent in shipping on the front left (if you're facing it). I have an email out to see if I can get that part, which is easily exchangeable. I already mostly tapped it out with a hammer and you don't really notice it so much in person.
The big advantage of this style of "heat exchanger" machine over my old single-boiler/no hx machine is that you can steam at the same time you pull shots and it maintains temp stability, which is huge in espresso brewing. Also, the brewhead is in the style of the Faema E61 brewhead, which siphons the hot boiler water around the area where the espresso is dispensed so that temperature stability is also achieved there. Temp and pressure are closely related and very important in pulling good espresso shots. I pulled a lot nice, rich flavorful and chocolatey shots on my old machine but this is a whole different league. Anyway, you know I've always gotta share my new coffee acquisitions. Happy caffeination, everyone!
bc
This thing is awesome but it still bows before Barthanatos' Andreja Premium:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
All lovely stainless steel except for the control panel with the knobs and the switch. I believe it's Peter Squire who also has an Expobar except his is a slightly different model (with programmable buttons). So far I can't seem to pull a bad shot on this baby and the steaming is awesome. I could get decent microfoam on my old Gaggia but nothing like the silkiness of what I'm getting now. This is one great machine for $400 freaking dollars!
It took a little dent in shipping on the front left (if you're facing it). I have an email out to see if I can get that part, which is easily exchangeable. I already mostly tapped it out with a hammer and you don't really notice it so much in person.
The big advantage of this style of "heat exchanger" machine over my old single-boiler/no hx machine is that you can steam at the same time you pull shots and it maintains temp stability, which is huge in espresso brewing. Also, the brewhead is in the style of the Faema E61 brewhead, which siphons the hot boiler water around the area where the espresso is dispensed so that temperature stability is also achieved there. Temp and pressure are closely related and very important in pulling good espresso shots. I pulled a lot nice, rich flavorful and chocolatey shots on my old machine but this is a whole different league. Anyway, you know I've always gotta share my new coffee acquisitions. Happy caffeination, everyone!
bc
