A top espresso machine for £3k? ssshhh - don't tell Elektra

Want an espresso machine that looks beautiful, has top build quality and is packed with features, but you're too cheap to drop £6k to get it? Me too.
Elektra has built a wonderful machine, and they haven't noticed that everyone else has put their prices up. Check it out.
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[@jettav88]

Thank You very much for the info and the shout out! Much Appreciated and will dig further into this machine!

[@markmillett9869]

Hi I have had a Elektra Verve for 8 weeks now and everything u say is correct, its a fantastic machine from looks to build quality, the machine is heavy and does not move whilst installing the portafilter, can't recommend enough

[@bartalks1810]

That's great to know. I bumped into some execs from Elektra at an after-event party last week in Italy. The marketing lady was lovely - kept bees. What country are you in as a matter of interest?

[@markmillett9869]

@@bartalks1810 Englishman living in Canada

[@respectfullydecline973]

Thank you for the video. Can you, or anyone, discuss its reliability? The reason I ask is because I’ve had two Elektra SemiAutomatica’s and found them to have regular issues.

[@nickbaskett3537]

I think that's a great point. I've had an Elektra commercial machine - the Barium, without any issues, but while in a cafe in Germany, they told me they had gone through two Barlumes before changing to another manufacturer. Reliability might be an issue, although my un-authoritive response is that QA issues are the sort of things that can go good to bad and bad to good in a short period of time. Look at how managers destroyed decades of Boeings reputation after cost cutting QA that led to the Max disaster. So, I guess I'm saying that it's hard to tell, but possibly Elektra need to work a bit harder to earn some trust back in that department.

[@respectfullydecline973]

Thank you for taking the time to read and reply. A Verve is being delivered tomorrow.

[@UloPe]

You can get a Decent for 4k easy. I know that not everyone likes the look but feature wise it definitely can do it all.

[@paul--b]

I feel like that coffee nastiness in the drip tray would go down the drain mostly rather than settle in the pool that forms when not plumbed.

[@bartalks1810]

You might be right, as an expert plumber (I recently unclogged my shower, so I feel qualified) I can say that it might come down to the drain angle.

[@Val_Smith]

You can get VBM Domobar Super and Rocket R nine one for that price with pressure profiling.

[@paul--b]

Love my cool touch steam wand… but supposedly normal steam wands produce drier steam. Possibly not true or not always true.

[@bartalks1810]

cool touch uses a sleeve inside I think, maybe that produces a condensation issue? but that would be easily purged.. sounds like that might be an bit of mythology. I'll ask the Max the mad scientist when he's next on.

[@sEboissa]

where does it have „flowcontrol“ or similar? Did I get something wrong? It has „just“ preinfusion via the app

[@bartalks1810]

the flow control I was talking about was with the Sanremo You, but it does have the ability to set pressure at the group by turning a small screw on the side. Not something you'd do during extraction, but nice to have the option to set it at 9bar, 6bar, whatever you prefer.

[@gimig91]

There is no flow control on the Elektra. You really can't compare it with the Sanremo You. A lot of people have also reported that the preinfusion doesn't work as it should. Breville Dual Boiler does exactly the same thing has this machine (and even more since you can flow control with a quick mode and the BDB also has volumetric control or at least it can be connected with a scale). And the BDB is a third of the price of the Elektra.

[@bartalks1810]

Thanks Gimig, what you say is mostly true - but I can compare the SRY with this machine, because the context is just what interest me, and what my personal likes are. It doesn't have to be qualifed - actually, you do the same thing as me when you mention the BDB is a third of the price of the Elektra 😀 The BDB is a great machine btw, but just not one I'd like to have in my kitchen. I don' t like the plastics, and Breville themselves wrote in their annual report their machines are appliances and effectively disposable (hence not environmentally friendly). I think at the end of the day, it's great that there's a choice, and we can celebrate our differences. In all seriousness, it's a good point you make, and those Breville DB are a lot of bang for the buck.

[@gimig91]

@@bartalks1810 I understand that you may not find the BDB pretty, I don't either (I don't have it to be clear) but it has mostly the same specs than the Elektra except for the pump if I'm not mistaken (dual boiler, preinfusion module). So what you are getting for 2000 more is "only" a rotary pump and a better design (which can be subjective). I can totally get that it would be worth it to you but spec wise, I wouldn't say that the Elektra verve is a bargain knowing this.

[@bartalks1810]

yeah, I get it. But how often do you find something that makes you smile, but you can't say why? I've never owned the BDB, although I've had 3 different Brevilles at various points. None of them made me feel joy when I used them, even though I could appreciate their value and it made nice coffee. If you don't care about that feeling of joy in your workflow, you're probably in the majority and it's a totally valid point. Just not for me :)

[@gimig91]

@@bartalks1810 Of course I understand but I think that this feeling is really subjective. What you find enjoyable in a machine might not be the same for another person (maybe someone enjoys a lever machine much more than an automatic one). So - to me - if you're talking about price and value comparing espresso machines, to generalize, you should be comparing specs first because when you start to talk about feelings, you're talking about something that is difficult to compare and might be totally subjective. I was speaking about the BDB here but I could have choosen any cheaper dual boiler with the same specs (the Lelit bianca does even more (with flow profiling) while costing 1k less than this machine). I was just not really understanding the comparison with the Sanremo You, yes it's much more expensive (and probably too much for what it does) but they don't have the same specs so it makes sense in a way. Comparing the Elektra Verve to the Linea Mini would make more sense to me if you're point is that it's a good value because it does more than the Linea Mini for 2/3 of the price.

[@bartalks1810]

Ah, got you. I understand now. You need to go back and watch my earlier videos where I talk about wanting a SRY - I met the distributors at the Amsterdam Coffee Festival, and it was sort of my holy grail machine, except I couldn't get one at the time, and then the price rises put it out of reach. My comments should make more sense in that context. I'll bear this in mind when making future videos too :)

[@zipfelquest]

Lets see what the micra patent will bring :)

[@Thetache]

No it does mean Dell is a bad company, I had a very expensive Dell XPS and it died after 2 years due to an inherent design fault they knew about....wankers! The Elektra looks fantastic but I am almost in on a Lelit Bianca for the flow profiling, at £1900 don't think I can go another £1k plus I do not want to use my phone to get the best out of it. I totally get what you are saying about the whole experience in workflow and the interaction with the machine, that is kind of the the thing with the Bianca and the idea of pissing about with the flow paddle (even if the coffee tastes worse!). I think the Elektra is a more beautiful machine than the Bianca BUT I NEED THE FLOW PADDLE!

[@bartalks1810]

... but what do you really think about Dell. They're sending my son a new motherboard. Yeah, the LELIT Bianca is a great machine too - I can't wait to get my hands on one to play with :)

[@Skfkf1393a]

I thought verve has ring grouphead not saturated?

[@bartalks1810]

pretty sure it's saturated. Let me know if it's wrong - I'll go fact-check later, but I'm sure there's a small boiler above the group with the PID directly attached.

[@Skfkf1393a]

@@bartalks1810 isn’t that basically like Lelit Anna or Silvia?

[@bartalks1810]

yeah, it's a fully saturated group head.

[@bartalks1810]

no, those might look like saturated groups, but they're not. The boiler is separate from the head. The fully saturated group on the Verve means the boiler and the head are all one unit, which means greater temp accuracy and stability.

[@chongli297]

Funny how taste differs between people. I really don't like the look of those legs. They look glued on, not solid at all! It makes the machine look so ugly to me that I would never consider it! I also wouldn't call it "steam punk"; that look is all about polished marine brass (a nightmare to maintain when you're splashing coffee everywhere).

[@bartalks1810]

That's why the world is a beautiful place - variety. When I lived in Iowa, I suddenly realised one day how all the buildings looked the same, and I missed the varied architecture of Europe. Something I'd never thought about while I lived here. Also, you're wrong, it's lovely.

[@chongli297]

@@bartalks1810 I will say one thing though: Elektra do make some beautiful classic machines. The Micro Casa a Leva in brass is gorgeous and very steampunk with its sight-glass boiler level gauge and its winged goddess! Love it! The Semiautomatica is also very cool looking.

[@bartalks1810]

@@chongli297 true dat

[@respectfullydecline973]

I have two Elektra SemiAutomaticas in brass and experienced no issue whatsoever in keeping them clean and beautiful.