The General ACS Minima Thread

HVL87

DavecUK well that solves our problem 😄

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 😊

dutchy101

LMSC Water sitting on a boiler isn’t an issue. You do make lattes, don’t you? Draw a cup of hot water after steaming.

A couple of questions on this. Should you draw a cup of hot water after steaming every time? I’m trying to find some information on this but drawing blanks.

In my case I tend to make myself 2 coffees a day and steam milk for both. What I’m wondering is whether I should be drawing a cup of hot water after each steam or is doing it once in the day enough?

Does it need to be directly after steaming or as long as I do it once a day is it enough? I.e. if I were to make myself a coffee and draw water for a tea for my wife in the morning will that be sufficient for the day / previous day?

LMSC

dutchy101 I would say, drawing a cup after every steam is an overkill. It is ok to draw after you have done steaming for the day. We steam once a day and I draw a small cup out.

Drawing a cup may be twice a week or a big cup once a week should be enough. But, I would flush out every 5-6 weeks.

Test the drawn water regularly for hardness. @Rob1 isn’t a great fan of static testing as this won’t tell you when scale has started forming. But, you are feeding with Zero and will be using RO soon. With RO, you should be ok.

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