Rancilio Classe 11 Xcelsius

[Coffeefix]

We've been playing with the new commercial model from Rancilio this week, the Classe 11 Xcelsius.
If anyone is considering a new "top end" espresso coffee machine for their business then this is certainly one to consider.
Its a full on Barista machine with a very high spec and a high price but honestly it is a game changer. Forget your normal PID systems and twin boiler set-ups this is something new.
I have used some pretty special machines lately but this thing is clever. The Xcelsius system makes it possible to change the flavour of your coffee with a couple of taps on the touchscreen and it really is very effective.
Is your coffee good as a latte but a bit acidic as an espresso? No problem, set one group up for espresso with a few quick presses on the Xcelsius button and dial out the acidity. Brilliant and effective, easy too change too.
So many other great features too, check out the Rancilio website.

 

[slurp]

This is interesting to me. Normally coffee is cupped and acidity is a cupping trait with low acidy generally more favorable and premium.

Now your saying that this machine takes out acidity, please explain this to me. Is there a button to remove bitterness too?

What sort of boiler does it have since this machine revolutionized boilers. New technologies are great and it sounds like this machine takes the cassette tape to a DVD, I can not wait to hear more.

 

[Coffeefix]

Hi Slurp,
In common with a lot of PID system, the Classe 11 Xcelsius allows very accurate temperature control of the water for making coffee.
However, each group can be set at a different temperature, also the temperature can be changed during the brew.
Generally, During the extraction of an espresso shot, acidity is prevalent at the beginning, bitterness toward the end of the shot. It is possible to set the temperature at the start of the extraction perhaps slightly higher to highlight acidity, maybe lower towards the end to decrease bitterness... Or the other way around! You can easily alter the brew temperatures with just a few taps on a touchscreen.
We found the results to be very impressive. We started by using one of our most popular blends with the temperature set to 92.5 degrees C from start to finish then started playing around starting higher/lower and ending higher/lower. The effects on flavour and aroma were interesting to say the least. Very impressive.
Each group has a chamber above it where hot water is provided by a thermal reserve in the main boiler - water temperature in the chamber is either cooled by very accurate cold water infusion or heated by an element. This is controlled very swiftly and carefully by the machine's electronics.
This is of course aimed at the more specialist end of the market and it takes a little practice to perfect but really, this is a special machine.
There are other settings on the menu that allow different levels of pre-infusion, pre-infusion pause and total brew time (brew time is displayed on the screen when making coffee), again easy to set-up and effective.
Apart from the "Xcelsius" system the machine has a whole lot of other features that are found on the regular touchscreen, the "Barista" menu or the technicians menu. As a technician, I like the way that I can set up the machine so that the groups have to be cleaned each day! It can also advise the user when a service or a water softener is due. You can even add your own video, picture or music to the display via the USB socket... Hats off to Rancilio for the design of the touchscreen and menu options, very easy to use.
Take a look at Rancilio - Macchine per caffè

 

[slurp]

Sounds interesting, still has Rancilio on it which is not my favorite.

The one thing I know that if coffee is bitter it is because it is crappy coffee. You can not take that out.

I will make sure to look at it while at the SCAA event next month.