What could be more appealing than a domestic espresso machine, whose 150 components are predominantly produced and assembled "locally"!? We're talking about Olympia Express – a company that has been a pioneer in espresso machine production in Switzerland for over 80 years.
Both the company and the brand are iconic. Their longevity is legendary. Indeed, there are still machines available that have been delivering espresso for 30 years. The espresso machine manufacturer, acquired by Schätti Metallwarenfabrik AG in Schwanden in 2011, strongly emphasizes tradition, materiality, coffee quality, and experience.
We will focus particularly on these factors in this review. A price classification is difficult because all other tested heat exchanger espresso machines are produced "differently" and are in a different price range (1200 – 2500 CHF). The Olympia Express Maximatic is available for around 4000 Swiss Francs and is listed in the Eurozone for 3690 Euros, e.g., at Manufactum. This makes the machine the most expensive heat exchanger espresso machine known to us.
Beyond its cult status, longevity, and coffee quality, we have several expectations.
Materiality par excellence
How much we have cursed over **unburred metal edges** and thin "semi-metal" during our heat exchanger tests in recent weeks and months. Not so with the Olympia Express Maximatic! This small heat exchanger is also one of the heaviest, most robust, and, above all, best-manufactured espresso machines. Its roughly 18 kilograms of dead weight speak volumes. Nothing wobbles when inserting the portafilter.
The polished stainless steel of the front and upper section feels twice as thick as the outer casing of the Bezzera BZ10. The Lelit Mara X, in contrast, feels as soft as a pillow. And the edges are buttery smooth, even on the drip tray, whose punched holes on almost all machines known to us could double as potato graters. The powder-coated side panels also make a good impression. This is a joy!
The stainless steel water tank with a capacity of 1.5 liters is also a joy. Usually, this is plastic, and of the cheap variety. With the Olympia's water tank, you could probably hammer in carpenter's nails.
The Olympia Express Maximatic
The machine is very compact and, at 19.5 cm wide, narrower than an A4 sheet. A depth of 34 cm and a height of 37 cm ensure that the machine fits well into any niche, but also makes an impression when standing alone.
What we really like: the brew group can also be opened from above. This theoretically allows direct access and easier descaling. With classic heat exchangers, we advise against doing this yourself, as residues can remain in the boiler and clog the valves. With the Olympia Express Maximatic, this is less of a problem (but beware, never open when hot).
Functionality of the Olympia Express Maximatic – reduced to the essentials
In terms of functionality, the Olympia Express Maximatic is completely reduced to its core purpose: making espresso and steaming milk.
The machine heats up to operating temperature in about 20 minutes. The machine's own brew group heats up well through a thermal bridge to the boiler. This is important to prevent the brewing temperature in the portafilter from dropping due to a cool ambient temperature. The brewing temperature of the machine is constant for individual extractions. We measured an average brewing temperature of 93 degrees, with only fluctuations of half a degree up and down. This is exemplary!
The drip tray of the Olympia Express Maximatic is very small.
However, the machine's small boiler (0.75 l) is not designed for continuous use. After the fifth consecutive shot at the latest, the machine's temperature drops. Since the Olympia Express Maximatic cannot be connected to a fixed water supply, it is not designed for continuous use anyway.
Steaming milk with the Maximatic also works well. Initially, the small boiler built up quite a strong pressure, but this noticeably dropped during the rolling phase. We therefore recommend steaming only 0.35l pitchers.
Water dispensing is started and stopped with a button. Steaming is started via a plastic rotary knob. Unlike most other espresso machines, hot water for tea cannot be dispensed with the Maximatic. We didn't really miss this, as we don't sensorially recommend water from boilers anyway. For quickly preparing an Americano (extended espresso), however, a dispensing option is naturally practical.
Missed opportunities and what we don't like
Unfortunately, the precision in material selection and workmanship does not extend to all facets of the machine. The small size of the drip tray is less significant. But it is impractical that it feels sensible to empty the tray after every 5 espressos. This is because when the extraction is finished, the excess water from the lines drains into the tray.
Supplied tamper of the Olympia Express Maximatic is too small
Olympia itself describes the steam wand as "extra long". We find it "quite short" and, above all, fixed in its angle. This makes steaming and correct positioning difficult. The plastic wheel for starting the steaming process also falls short compared to the other materials.
What truly surprised us is that Olympia Express does not put a rubber cover over the steam wand. While not aesthetically pleasing, this allows one to touch the wand. All other machines on the market either have a rubber cover, a plastic handle, or a "cold touch" tube that does not get hot on the outside.
An absolute no-go is the size of the tamper in relation to the diameter of the basket. A good tamper should fit flush with the edge of the basket and thus "tamp" the entire coffee puck. The included tamper leaves a gap of a good 2 mm. This provokes channeling, and indeed, we struggled with channeling in the extractions.
Conclusion and thoughts on the Olympia Express Maximatic
First off: we drank very good espresso and also prepared decent cappuccino with the Olympia Express Maximatic. The material language and choice are truly excellent. The fact that the machine is built in Switzerland, the components are not haphazardly bought together, and the machine claims to be built for eternity – this puts the 4000 CHF price in a proportionate light.
Put differently: if an espresso machine for 500 CHF lasts 3 years and the Olympia Express lasts 30 years, then the Olympia is cheaper and easily amortized. And especially in a throwaway production society, we find this long-term perspective very, very valuable, and "local" production anyway. And we also find tradition immeasurably valuable, but also obligatory.
Experience and tradition can be used to further develop an already high-quality machine and incorporate market impulses. A good example is the steam wands. Cold Touch wands are now installed as standard in espresso machines across all price ranges. You save yourself the ugly rubber cover and can still touch the wand. Olympia Express needs to address this!
That a machine that prioritizes precision supplies a tamper that doesn't even fit the portafilter is incomprehensible. Tamper development has progressed significantly in recent years, and for a 58mm basket, tampers of 58.4 or 58.5 are now used, which fit perfectly with the edge. This significantly eases the preparation of a good espresso, especially for inexperienced users.
The Olympia Express Maximatic has not seen any further development for a long time, although the product could simply be made better and upgraded. Since the machine is button-controlled, a programmable water dispensing quantity would be a great relief for all inexperienced home baristas to reliably achieve a good brewing ratio.
We think it's right that the machine dispenses with digital bells and whistles. But a brew time stopwatch would be an immense gain for the machine. This could also be equipped with hands – how ingenious would that be!
Even the portafilter itself doesn't feel as high-quality in terms of material as the rest of the machine. Another easily achievable upgrade would be a replacement for the plastic wheel of the milk wand.
This test is difficult. Difficult for us to make a statement about who this machine is right for. In a pure price-performance test, we have to say: more is possible for less. In terms of value, the Olympia Express Maximatic sets standards, but also leaves a lot to be desired.
The machine is a collector's item. And learning to love the quirks and edges is part of any love affair.
Update: We have received feedback from a user of the machine that its value retention may not be as good as thought. We have repair invoices totaling over 1400 Euros, resulting from three repairs in less than four years.
Have any of you had similar experiences? Please let us know in the comments.
