prfstars's Full Review: FrancisFrancis! X1 Espresso Maker - Brushed Stainl...
Update: we got two good years out of this machine, but then it died. First the thermometer went, but the internal thermostat and boiler followed. Now, it's an attractive tchotchke on our kitchen counter, but it's useless. We took it to a repair shop, where we saw many other Francis^2 machines strewn about "for parts". According to the repairman, people buy them, they love them, and then the machines break. Quickly. As much as we enjoyed this machine while it worked, I can't recommend it
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The Original Review
My husband and I dropped roughly $2080 last year on triple mochas, cappuccinos, and lattes. Nobody sets out to spend that much money on coffee--we certainly didn't. A $4 cappuccino doesn't seem extravagant, but if two of you each get one five days a week, it adds up. We thought about getting an espresso machine to save money, but the more we read about them, the more we realized that we'd have to buy a very expensive machine to rival the espresso drinks we get at Starbucks or Bean Street.
It's hard to analyze the cost effectiveness of owning an espresso machine. You have to amortize the cost of the machine over how many shots you'll make in its lifetime, and add the cost of espresso or espresso pods. Will the machine live two years or twenty? Will it need costly repairs or part replacements? Who knows. We set out to find the most reliable machine in our price range. In typical fashion, we abandoned our cares about reliability-- and our price range-- when we spotted the FrancisFrancis! X1.
The X1 has a retro-modern-masculine styling reminiscent of the Audi TT's dashboard. Instead of power buttons and digital readouts, there are three silver flip switches, a couple of blinking lights, and an analog temperature gauge. We fell head-over-heels in love.
FrancisFrancis! X1 price varies by color and finish. They range from $650 for the brightly colored models to $1400 for a Titanium finish. The brushed stainless model-- the one we dreamed of-- sells for about $800. We held out for months, but a month ago, an ad in the NY Times pushed us over the edge: Illy, the famous Italian coffee maker, offered a great promotion: if you enroll in their "Illy at Home" coffee program for a year, you can get a FrancisFrancis! X1 Brushed Stainless Steel, three sets of Illy "Pistoletto" espresso cups, and a package of ESE Espresso pods for $500. Thanks to free second day FedEx shipping, we started making espresso two days after we placed our order.
Is this a good deal? That depends. I love Illy coffee, and I'd buy it at a local store anyway. I signed up for the minimum delivery-- $40 worth of pods every other month. If you prefer to grind your coffee or prefer another (or cheaper) brand, it may make sense to just buy an X1 from Amazon.
Out of the Box
The FrancisFrancisX1 is very simple to assemble. It comes with the main body, a water tank, two espresso brewing handles, and a power cord. It also comes with DVD that effectively demonstrates how simple it is to assemble and use the X1.
As I mentioned, there are two brewing handles. One holds ESE pods, the other is for ground coffee and includes a tamper. We use pods only, so the other is still in its box.
The 50 ounce water tank is made of translucent plastic, and slides in and out of the back of the machine for filling and cleaning.
To get started, all you have to do is fill the tank, put espresso in the brewing handle, plug the machine in, and let it heat up. When the temperature is high enough, the temperature light turns off. This only takes 3-4 minutes, but for a better cup of espresso, FrancisFrancis! recommends turning the machine on up to twenty minutes before you'd like to make a drink.
Technical Stuff
The X1 is a semi-automatic espresso machine. This means that the user (as opposed to the machine) controls most of the process. A truly automatic machine may grind the beans, tamp it into the handle, make a shot of espresso, and clean your car's upholstery with a touch of one button. The X1 requires more interaction with the machine. You have to grind and tamp your own espresso (or use a pod,) turn the boiler on, toggle the temperature switch if you want steam for cappuccino, and manually turn the water on and off for your espresso shot.
The brass boiler creates a maximum pressure of 18 bar, and uses a pump to force the hot water through the ground coffee.
The temperature gauge is Celsius. I didn't realize this at first, and couldn't figure out why I couldn't get the water in the tank over 140 degrees.
Making Espresso
As the manufacturer recommends, I usually turn the machine on well before I intend to make espresso. This gives the machine time to build up pressure. I set the machine to its higher temperature range to steam milk; once the milk is steamed, I lower the temperature to make espresso.
Steaming milk requires some practice. It's not absolutely necessary, but a metal steaming pitcher really helps because you can feel the temperature of the milk. Make sure to allow room for the milk's volume to increase, so don't fill the pitcher more than half-way. Raise the pitcher so that the frothing wand is submerged half an inch or so under the cold milk's surface, and release steam by rotating the knob dial on the side of the machine. It can take 3-4 minutes to steam 8 ounces of milk. Once the milk is steamed, I lower the X1's temperature and brew my espresso when it gets down to about 110 degrees.
While the machine is heating up, I store my espresso cup on the cup warmer. The cup warmer is the top of the machine, but it's enclosed by a metal rail to keep the cups from falling off.
Stuff I Love
I love the X1's water reservoir. I had an old Krups model that had its tank built in to the machine. I couldn't actually see the water level! I had to unscrew the machine's lid, and pour in water from a measuring cup. With the X1, all I have to do is glance at the side of the machine to see the water level. Then I slide out the reservoir, and fill it at the sink.
I love the machine's drip tray, which catches all of the coffee that drips after I'm done brewing my espresso. It slides out like a dresser droor, and is easy to clean.
I love that crema!
I love that the stainless steel surface wipes clean with a wet sponge, and doesn't look smudged all the time.
Stuff I Don't Love
The brewing handle tends to drip a lot. The tray catches it all, but it's still annoying.
There's a ridge on the frothing wand where milk tends to get stuck and then turn to crust. Yuck. I haven't found a good way to clean it off.
There's no room under the brewing handle for a regular mug, just an espresso cup. Ideally, I'd love to make a cappuccino in one cup instead of brewing in one, and serving in another. Oh well.
Final Thoughts
I was a little intimidated by the thought of spending this much money-- even with the Illy discount-- on a semi-automatic machine. What if I suck as a barrista? After a few minutes of playing with the X1, my fears vanished. Now that I've been using it for about a month, I can pull a macchiato with as much panache as anyone at Starbucks.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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