Interested to read the first impressions from people who snapped up the deal (and have actually taken it out of the box)
Props to whoever said the white model looks better in the original thread, I definitely agree after seeing both in the shop. My first annoyance with the machine is that I think the Milk thermo is off/not accurate, waiting to test with an actual thermometer unless anyone already has. Second the hot water thing is pretty useless, comes out in spurts and not really hot at all
I'm pretty happy with it, although I think the temperature is still a bit on the low side. Average temperature in a warmed cup is between 60 & 66 degrees. I've had it up to 75 with extensive pre heating and stuffing around. For comparison a Rancilio at the top of its thermostat heating period will do 85 degrees.
Bought the BCG820BSS grinder (http://www.myer.com.au/shop/mystore/890622).
It should be a good companion to my EM7000.
I have the machine… new to home use, and i purchased the Breville Smart Grinder pro.
Now getting a good shot is costing me a lot in beans… i am getting something ok, but i have had to grind as high as 20 on my breville, which is weird, as in all videos, people are around 7 - 10.
I know its many factors, but i just can't get the perfect shot yet… often without a lot of Cream.
I have tried fresh beans @ $40 Kg and also some supermarket ones at $10 Kg… just going through so many samples, i am chewing through my expensive beans.
LOVE TO HEAR from anyone that has the grinder combo like me, and a few pointers would be great.
Get a scale and weigh your shot on the way out. Should be double the weight of your beans in 28 to 33 seconds.
I didn't even get the chance to check out the colours in store but I'm glad someone suggested white as it looks quite nice (in addition to being the only unit available in the first place).
The milk thermo gives a false sense of security. Judge the heat of the milk by how hot the bottom of the jug gets (if it's too hot to hold, it's done).
I haven't had the chance to use freshly grounded beans yet and it seems my store bought stuff runs through the grouphead like water. Will be trying fresh grounds tonight to achieve that silky smooth and slightly thick texture that should come out of coffee beans.
Lastly, the hot water thing is more of a cleaner, though I used it for tea and it's fine.
Funnily, when I went to the coffee emporium to pick up the beans today, after he asked me what machine I had, the shop assistant figured out I bought the EM7000 for $400 from HN!