So there's a lot of people buying Minimas on here at the moment and a few experienced users so I thought a thread dedicated to the Minima with questions / information on the machine would be useful to myself and the others who have recently purchased and are about to take the plunge (and to prevent myself from hijacking other people's threads). One question I have to kick us off is about the brew boiler and PID. For some reason my Minima does not seem to like bring set at 93 degrees. Despite me having it set at 93, the display shows it settling at 94. I'm not sure if this is indicative of an issue or standard behaviour. It occasionally will drop to 93 but then goes up to 94 again

Edit…I've just found the PID Values Explained section at the back of the manual where it explains this is normal.

Mine does the same and I confirmed with other Minima users when I bought the machine.

> @"dutchy101"#p6482 Edit…I’ve just found the PID Values Explained section atvthe back of the manual where it explains this is normal. Very good manual that one…, online version available as well. https://sway.office.com/xofz72xFBgYyiWqi?ref=Link

@"dutchy101"#56 @"HVL87"#57 How have you found the stock filter baskets? I'm already thinking of upgrading, but won't do unecessarily quickly - although that is also partly tamper dependent.

@"PortafilterProcrastinator"#p6679 they are fine. Easier to pull a nice looking bottomless shot - in my opinion that doesn’t mean much. I moved on to a 18g VST to optimise my shots as much as possible.

It's been a bit of a transition for me this week as I've changed from Sage 54mm baskets and didn't have a 58mm tamper until a few days after the machine arrived. I got a new distributor yesterday which has also helped so still finding my feet a bit with the stock baskets, but pretty happy with them so far

Thanks both, if they're a similar ID then I can get a tamper (thinking bravo ATM) first and upgrade the basket later when looking for refinement, rather than just trying to make something palatable!

Yeah - I've got a Nomcore 58.5mm tamper on order and coming this week so will get a better handle on things once that has arrived

@"dutchy101"#p6686 I'd be really interested and grateful to hear how you get on. How are you finding the Minima overall?

Absolutely loving it - so glad I went with it I'm really enjoying using it. How about you? Made my wife a tea using water from the service boiler to drain some water this morning and she commented how much better it looked and tasted (using the zero and remineralised water I've been making up).

The General ACS Minima Thread

DavecUK

HVL87

HVL87 ooking at @PortafilterProcrastinator steam wand it looks like ACS have moved the rubber grip further up the steam wand. Unless it’s movable, although I doubt it.

It’s movable, they have to slide them on.

HVL87

DavecUK well that solves our problem 😄

dutchy101

Yes that looks correct. Maybe I just need to move mine up a bit

DavecUK

HVL87 It does…unless they have glued them on….Just kidding, silicone doesn’t glue well to steel.

dutchy101

Voila. I honestly thought it was fixed lol

PortafilterProcrastinator

dutchy101 This was my thinking, but I’ve ended up progressively further over to the left and then it’s awkward with the steam knob.

I’ll try over to the right, but you’re right - I’ll be watching the neck of my hand!

Snooze

This thread is really making me doubt (again and again) my next machine choice! I went from Lelit MaraX to Bianca, back to MaraX but now I’m wondering if I should not get this Minima! In black with wooden knobs it would be amazing. I just sent them an email but not sure if they deliver in Canada. Anyone here they got one delivered in Canada?

Also I was under the impression that a flow control with a vibration pump was not really the best combination. Is it a good match for the Minima? That was one of the feature I liked about the Bianca.

Thanks all!

Matt

MediumRoastSteam

Snooze flow control with a vibration pump was not really the best combination

Plenty people using flow control with vibe pumps on MaraX, Minima, Profitec 500/600, Rockets. It’s not an issue at all.

See this on the Minima: https://coffeeequipmentreviews.wordpress.com/2019/08/30/acs-minima-with-lelit-flow-profiling-kit/

PortafilterProcrastinator

Snooze

A very different beast to the MaraX, being a dual boiler.

Minima will be more temp stable and have more steam power. You can more easily and more quickly do back to back drinks pulling shots and steaming. Will be noiser, due to the MaraX having the QuietX pump.

The Bianca has a rotary pump and more technology inside. Minima is a more ‘traditional’ machine, so really depends how much playing/ experimenting you want to do.

@Cuprajake Has had both, now has the Bianca, so might be able to provide more info.

John_Yossarian

I will repeat myself but if I have not had Vesuvius already it would have been a Minima with the flow control. It is a no brainer.

MediumRoastSteam

John_Yossarian - You could have a “Vesuvius On Steroids” and add a flow control valve 😀

dutchy101

The noise of the Minima is a complete non-issue for me. I don’t make drinks before 8 am when the house is all up and awake, not that I think it would be loud enough to wake anyone anyway. It’s only ever a few seconds when you first turn it on and whilst you’re making a drink. There’s something reassuring about the noise for me.

Might not be the case for everyone though

PortafilterProcrastinator

dutchy101 I agree with this.

Mine turns on at 0530 and we’ve not been woken by it - albeit we’re normally awake then anyway. If the boilers do need to fill it’s very short.

PortafilterProcrastinator

I also understand from ACS that they are still working on this:

I don’t think anyone should decide on the Minima purely on this basis, as it is still a question mark, but it’s an interesting proposition.

dutchy101

Looks like a very clever device PortafilterProcrastinator. I had no idea this was being developed

PortafilterProcrastinator

dutchy101 It is very interesting. As I say, I’ve no idea if it will ever see the light of day for consumers, but at the moment it is still a possibility.

You do need a more recent Minima I understand. But I don’t know precisely what the cut off is.

Snooze

ACS just replied and the current deal on the Minima makes it cheaper than the MaraX once all considered… now that is interesting!!

I never heard of that brand before coming up here. I’ve seen that there is not much information about it so while it looks like a super deal, I wonder if for example the resale value would be low if I ever want to upgrade.

What would be its direct competitor? I will compare specs and all but I wonder if it is not similar to the Silvia Pro X.

I’ll have to read this whole thread to know the machine a bit more.

Thanks all for your help.

DavecUK

Snooze What would be its direct competitor? I will compare specs and all but I wonder if it is not similar to the Silvia Pro X.

Apart from the noise the machine is a very high specification indeed. The case is simply made, but thick.

https://coffeeequipmentreviews.wordpress.com/2019/03/06/acs-minima-final-production-machine/

PortafilterProcrastinator

Snooze I can’t recommend enough watch ALL @DavecUK videos on YouTube. They cover the beta and production machines. It’ll give you a really good feel for what the machine is like.

If you’re importing, make sure you check all import taxes and duty etc.

Snooze

PortafilterProcrastinator the specs are amazing and Dave’s videos really help but I just wonder if for my needs the MaraX would be sufficient since I’m not making lots of coffee except once in a while. The water may need to be purged more often with the Minima in my scenario.

I contacted ACS and they are very nice. It would be very cheap but after taxes and duties it would be similar to the MaraX in the end. My other worry is that not much people seems to know that brand here in Canada so resale value may not be the best.

LMSC

Snooze I didn’t realise you haven’t purchased your Bianca yet. What’s your budget?

Bianca, Minima and Mara V2 - all are great machines. What ever you choose, you will be very happy in the end. If you add a paddle to Minima, there isn’t much that will separate Bianca and Minima except the noise.

Water sitting on a boiler isn’t an issue. You do make lattes, don’t you? Draw a cup of hot water after steaming. Flush out the water every 5-6 weeks and use that for cleaning. Even if you don’t steam daily, you know it is there should your taste buds change in future.

Would the noise bother you? Get the Bianca.

Are you worried you will regret buying Minima what ever may be the reason or do you think you get the upgradeitis sooner than you think because of a wrong choice? Get the Mara X, so that you can sell and move on. Better still, grab Bianca and make it an end game!

The more you think, the more you will be confused. Please take your time, it’s your money, buy what you think fits your requirements and don’t suffer from buyers’ remorse. GL 😊

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