Espresso Test -- Forget The Mess. Which Home Machine Makes The Best Latte?

BARISTA FROM HELL.

About a month ago, fed up with my mundane morning beverage, I began borrowing espresso machines. Eventually they took over whatever of my kitchen counter space wasn't already clogged with the Kenwood Major, other culinary machines, pizza-flour canisters, assorted pepper mills and telephone directories.

"What in the world is all this?" asked the Research Assistant one recent Sunday morning.

"I am researching espresso machines," I said.

I found some were too uneven in the quality of their coffee; others seemed to taste like hot plastic. Almost all were messy. Of course, so was I.

Regardless, affordable home espresso machines were getting better, the number of quality local roasters was increasing, and the dream of an easy, almost automatic cup of coffee in the morning persisted.

I went through a small Krups machine (which I gave away) and a bigger Krups (which I still have) but the coffee never tasted quite right. It may have been the old apartment-house water.

Just as I was ready to bail and buy some Taster's Choice, Starbucks began importing its own line of Italian coffee makers, including a promising model called the Estro Vapore for $299, sometimes on sale for a little less. I managed to borrow a used one.

I experimented daily for three weeks. The coffee tasted OK and occasionally wonderful (I used Starbucks, Torrefazione and a preground, canned Lavazza). But either I was inept - or still a slob. I had wet, warm coffee grounds, unbrewed espresso powder and scatterings of beans everywhere.

Recently, in Food Arts Magazine, a publication for restaurateurs, I spotted an advertisement by Illy, the Italian coffee roaster, paired with a series of French commercial machines made by UNIC (pronounced unique). I called the 800 number and asked if any of their machines were suited for use in the home.

The smallest one (the Phoenix) was, but it had to be plumbed - that is, a permanent cold water line had to be run into it, like into a refrigerator's automatic ice-cube maker. Plus, they were expensive: $2,650 for a one-cup model; $3,890 for a simultaneous two-cupper. Adios Phoenix.

Illy did, however, offer a simpler Swiss-made machine, the Termix Mies 515, for between $325 to $465, depending on whether the thing was on sale. At that time, it was.

An Illy rep called and consigned me one. I could test-drive it and return it, or buy it if I liked it. The Illy 515 was "dedicated." That is, it could be used only with prepackaged, preground Illy filter-paper-enclosed pods. In a city that prides itself on quality coffee choices (and where each cup is religiously ground fresh to order) that struck me as a serious drawback.

Another negative: no steamer wand. "Because it's made for Italians, who don't usually drink milk with their coffee," said the local Illy sales rep, Lori Eastes. But included in the price was a separate boiler-steamer (requiring more counter space). It worked well, but was uncomfortably hot to the touch.

Krups, which presently sells more espresso machines to the general public (as opposed to the restaurant industry) than all other manufacturers combined, also had a new, bigger model out: the Espresso Maximo No. 863, described as "Semi-Commercial." A Krups product demonstrator lent me a used one and told me I could play with it for a week.

My four-year old Krups 969 (which is no longer in production), Starbucks' Estro Vapore, the Krups Maximo and the Illy-Turmix 515 went head to foaming head.

What were the results?

Mostly good; some messes.

The Estro Vapore, using fresh-ground beans (when I managed to get the grind right) made the best cup of coffee (when I got the brew-time right). Whenever I misjudged anything, like loosening the filter holder before the pressure subsided, I ended up with muddy water all over the countertop, or a so-so cup of espresso. It comes with it own steam wand.

I had the distinct feeling that once I really mastered everything, the Estro Vapore would be the best, reasonably priced choice. But like an exotic Italian sports car with six gears, or a pair of competition skis that are just too good for you, eventually, you hope you'll grow into it.

The Krups L'Espresso II, Type 969 (also Swiss-made), is strictly a home machine, but well built and solid. I think I paid less than $300 for it. It comes with two different filter holders, one for freshly ground beans and one for premeasured Illy pods. In addition it has two different sized filters for each holder, for making more than one cup at a time.

Krups discontinued the machine a few years ago when it broke with Illy and started making an espresso maker, in conjunction with Nestle, that used small, puncturable canisters. That unit was called the Krups Nespresso. I tried one at the time. It worked fine, but you had to reorder the small canisters from "Nespresso House." The system is still available.

The Krups Type 969 made adequate espresso, using open-filter and Illy-pod systems, but without the intensity of flavor of the Estro Vapore or the Turmix 515. The coffee seemed to come through more rapidly than expected, and more watery.

The Turmix 515, despite the absence of an integrated steamer and the limitation of using only one brand of coffee, Illy, was the easiest to use - and the most foolproof, i.e., even I could make flawless cups of espresso with it on a dreary morning without paying much attention.

It was the easiest to live with, as well. No grounds, no wondering if the grind was right or if it was all tamped down to the right density. It worked. And when it was done, there was nothing to clean.

But I wouldn't be able to enjoy shopping for a new brand of coffee bean or a different Seattle roaster. Why brew coffee in Seattle if you can't play the field? And, per cup, it was more expensive. The paper-enclosed pods come in a foil-lined envelope; 40 cups for $13.95. Cheaper than going down to the corner store. But a consideration.

If the Termix 515 had an integrated steamer, I'd buy it - and I still may.

The Krups Espresso Maximo No. 863 (also around $300) had most of the characteristics of the older No. 969, plus a warming shelf on top (for pre-warming cups) and a hot-water dispenser for making tea - or an Americana.

I found the Krups Semi-Commercial coffee quality to be similar to the Krups 969, which I already owned. Admittedly, with its metal trim, it looked more professional, even though the box was labeled (in more discreet letters): For household use only.

Dave Olsen, "the coffee guy" senior vice president at Starbucks, and author of "Starbucks Passion for Coffee," (Sunset Books: $14.95) likes the Estro Vapore. He feels it has the versatility to allow the home espresso maker to vary flavors and intensity. Olsen recently upgraded his own home machine to a $2,800 Italian commercial brewer.

Olsen, who started in the coffee business with the Cafe Allegro in the University District in the 1970s, took notice of the advantages of using a packaged, precisely measured pod. "We're looking at it," he said. "Very seriously. We are far more than idly curious about that kind of possibility."

The two most common mistakes that home baristas (coffee-bar attendants) make, Olsen said, was: "Getting the grind wrong and over extraction." That is, running too much hot water through the coffee. The proper extraction time, he said, is between 18 and 20 seconds, or perhaps a few seconds more.

If you want to buy any of these things, you can find Krups products almost everywhere. The Estro Vapore is sold through the various Starbucks stores. The Termix 515 is available from Illy Espresso of the Americas, local office at 5501 Sixth Ave. S. (762-2333), which also sells the Illy pods, as does DeLaurenti's in the Pike Place Market.

My old Krups No. 969 is not for sale.

(Copyright 1995, John Hinterberger. All rights reserved.)

John Hinterberger's restaurant and food columns appear in The Seattle Times in Sunday's Pacific Magazine and Friday's Tempo. Mike Siegel is a Times photographer.