Crew Review: Saeco Syntia Cappuccino
Yet another gauntlet laid down, yet another petite one-touch superautomatic added to the fray. If we are honest, we will admit that we wish these really were robots and that we could pit these tiny superautomatics against each other in a brew to the death! But we are not honest; doing so would be too difficult to bear … so instead, we have to attempt to assuage our battery acid lust with viewing after viewing of robot camel jockeys.
Back in coffee world, Gail shows off Saeco’s Syntia Cappuccino — all clean lines and serious auto-frothing business. Watch her explain features, functions and craft herself a very tasty, enviable latte.
Crew Review: Saeco Exprelia One-Touch Superauto
Saeco’s newest addition to their stainless steel version of superautomatic espresso machines is the Exprelia, which is basically a simplified version of the Xelsis. With not quite as many programming options (you can program the same number of drinks, you just don’t have multiple users) and a slimmed down case, this is a great choice for folks looking for one-touch functionality combined with a traditional steam wand. At present, the only other one-touch that offers this is the Xelsis.
Watch as Gail breaks down the features and functionality as well as whips us up a drink for our tasting pleasure.
Crew Review: DeLonghi Magnifica S Cappuccino
In a sea of one-touch superautomatics, only the strong will survive! And the short — of course, we are biased since we are members of the goblin class. But if there’s one thing people don’t love about these highly functional robotic cappuccino machines, it’s that they often take up more counter space than a small child (which probably shouldn’t be let loose on the counter, but we don’t judge). So all the kids have come to the table with their version of a diminutive one-touch that gives you automated milk frothing and espresso shots at the touch of a button.
The newest contender is DeLonghi’s Magnifica S Cappucino. Watch Gail go through features, functionality and make one-touch drinks, including measuring the temp on the autofroth.
Crew Review: Jura Impressa J9 One-Touch Cappuccino
Jura’s new J9 One-Touch takes the well-loved, sleek packaging of their J-series of machines, adds a little interface extravagance and rocks the one-touch functionality.
Watch as Gail walks us through the programming interface, overall features and functionality, then whips up some one-touch madness.
Testing: Steaming Lactose Free Milk
We had a viewer query regarding lactose free milk: Was his inability to get great microfoam caused by the nature of the lactose free milk or did he just need to practice more? Milk is magically (OK, scientifically) transformed into lactose-free with the addition of the lactase enzyme, which will break down the lactose before you get your paws on it. Does this change on the molecular level inhibit the the milk’s frothiness?
Watch Gail test it out on the Saeco Xelsis superautomatic to see how well it performs.
Crew Review: Jura Ena9 One-Touch Superauto
One-touch capabilities usually mean a large robot will take over more than it’s fair share of your kitchen’s counter. But Jura released an update to its Ena series last fall that is finally available to everyone who isn’t part of the Sur La Table set.
Featuring the sleek lines and space consciousness of the other Ena models, the 9 also has built-in, programmable milk frothing and one-touch functionality. Watch as Gail goes over the features and makes a one-touch cappuccino.
Gear Testing: DeLonghi ESAM 5400 Superautomatic
Another superautomatic in DeLonghi’s arsenal is this Perfecta model, sans one-touch milk functionality. Watch as Gail takes us through its features and makes a latte.
SCG Certified Refurb Specs
We asked Patrick, who leads our team in dedicated refurbishing of espresso machines, to talk to us about the process they follow when they’re rebuilding a machine. He talks about testing, part replacement, aesthetic quirks and what they go through in preparing a refurb.
Crew Review: Saeco Incanto DeLuxe Superauto
This is one of our crew faves (from !!!Bunny!!!) and we realized the only video crew review we had done on this machine covered the refurbished models we work on and carry. So we thought we’d take you through a brand spankin’ new model — which performs exactly as a refurb, it’s just a little bit shinier. Watch Gail take us through her usual lecture on the Incanto Deluxe’s features and functionality, then demonstrate making a latte.
SCG’s Favorite Gear: Superautomatic Espresso Machines
Continuing with our series on which equipment the staff digs in different classes, we asked them to name which superautomatic espresso machine under $1k and over $1k they preferred. Watch Rob, Jess, Allison, Radoje and Gail talk about their choices, and why, in these two videos.