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Breville Ikon - 2007/09/21 12:40I haven't read anything good about Breville on your website and undstand the reason to be primarily because of the thermoblock on most of them? I bought the Breville "Ikon" (Bed,Bath and Beyond)because it had a stainless steel boiler. It foamed milk great but in two days of constant trying, neither I nor my husband could get any crema on the "espresso." I tried different tamps and grinds. After three days of constant trying,I took it back as I don't care how well it foams milk if I can't get crema. Did I give up too soon? Any idea what the problem might have been?
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colin
Admin Admin
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Re:Breville Ikon - 2007/09/21 14:47The most common failure of achieving crema is in the beans and the grind:
-the beans must be impeccably fresh and -they must be ground precisely.
Tell me more: What do the shots look like? Are they coming out quickly or slowly dripping out?
Where are you getting your beans from?
Pre-ground espresso is bad news by the way. Any coffee, after grinding, becomes seriously stale within an hour or so.Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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tmplo
User Senior Barista
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Re:Breville Ikon - 2007/09/21 15:21Beville machines all have so called 'dual wall' crema enhancing basket. I have read on other forums that Breville owners are unable to get good shots or crema because of the basket.Tmplo is a Vancouver area resident and coffee expert
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colin
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Re:Breville Ikon - 2007/09/21 16:00tmplo wrote: Beville machines all have so called 'dual wall' crema enhancing basket. I have read on other forums that Breville owners are unable to get good shots or crema because of the basket.
Yea - they are pieces of crap in the vein of Delonghi, Krups and Braun of old -- and let's not forget some of the original Capresso units -
Link to some other forum discussions hereColin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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sachermom
User Coffee Lover
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Re:Breville Ikon - 2007/09/23 20:33Colin,
Hi again, sorry it took so long to get back to you, and thanks for the links to other Ikon comments. The comments seemed rather positive generally, although one person was getting good shots without much crema??? Another one was getting good shots but couldn’t froth? Mine frothed like gangbusters…the only thing it did well.
To answer your questions, my beans are usually from Wild Oats, organic, ½ pound or so at a time, using their grinder’s fine exspresso grind. (My husband mixes this in his brewed coffee, too, so it goes fast.) I used this same grind with my old Krups XP4030 and usually--though not always--got a robust pour and good amount of crema. With the Breville, ($400 U.S) the coffee dripped or drizzled out unevenly, black and watery, usually from the left side, no crema, and tasted bitter even when I varied the tamp. I also tried another similar grind from the local food co-op’s fair trade beans. No luck. Illy Espresso pods didn’t work either. All very disappointing since the machine was so easy to use otherwise, the frother worked which speaks to me (love cappuccino) and the water tank loaded easily from the front. The baskets always trapped water in them maybe due to the double wall. From the other website’s Ikon comments, I understood that a Krups basket could be used in the Ikon? Do you know if that works? I’m probably going to go Gaggia or Rancilio and maybe even spring for a good grinder, but I’m curious as to your take on why the Breville failed for me in spite of the stainless boiler. Our local vendors (Lexington, Ky.) offer no Gaggia or similar machines in price or quality, just Breville models, and I suspect many midwestern cities have similar situations. Mail ordering sight unseen for $700-800 is a real hurdle for me.
Thanks again!
sachermom
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DR.J
User Coffee Lover
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Re:Breville Ikon - 2007/09/23 22:59Hi, This is my first post! Hope you don't mind if I jump in. I have owned a Breville 'Cafe Roma' one model below the 'Ikon', for about a year. I purchased the 'Cafe Roma' because it was red. It matched some other gear in my kitchen. So much for research eh! Any how, I have experimented with all kinds of coffee and grinds and have found the machine able to deal with a wide range of coffees. I recently purchased the Breville grinder, a very good unit. For the buck, I have less than $400 invested in the two units and can now produce an espresso that I would put up against any out there. The moral to the story... Don't give up. The machine is probably better than you think. I've learned 4 important factors; 1) the bean, 2) the grind, 3) the water, and 4) you - your skill Lots of variables. It's worth taking the time to figure out the 'variables' and get a great espresso. In the last year I have borrowed many Coffee books from the local library and studied like I never did in high school!
Good Luck, Julius
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colin
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Re:Breville Ikon - 2007/09/24 10:46DR.J wrote: Don't give up. The machine is probably better than you think. I've learned 4 important factors; 1) the bean, 2) the grind, 3) the water, and 4) you - your skill Lots of variables. It's worth taking the time to figure out the 'variables' and get a great espresso. In the last year I have borrowed many Coffee books from the local library and studied like I never did in high school!
Good Luck, Julius
This is so true - in order to achieve a good knowledge base of espresso coffee you need to start at the bottom - which is what I did in the late 80's -- with a steam powered toy -- I figured out the limitations and how to foam milk -- which was something that the steam powered toy was good at.
Coffee is a journey, not a destination.Colin is the Senior editor and creator of the CoffeeCrew.Com Website
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