The Quick Mill Evo 70 belongs to the family of thermoblock espresso machines. We took a closer look at it as part of our thermoblock test series. This text is a brief summary of our findings. By the end of the thermoblock series, this article will be supplemented with a comprehensive comparison test.
Our goal: we search for the best espresso machines for different needs. We want to work out what quality is available for what price. And we want to protect you from buying junk. At the same time, we recommend machines that are good at certain things.
We unfortunately still haven't found the best espresso machine and I'm afraid we won't find it. Because espresso machines are very different and have different weaknesses and strengths.
The Strengths of the Quick Mill Evo 70
We tested the Quick Mill Evolution 70 3145. So this is the model with an integrated grinder. The same machine is also available without a grinder under the model number 3140.
The Quick Mill Evo 70 achieves a relatively stable brewing temperature in the target range of 93 – 95 degrees. Thanks to the integrated PID controller, this can be adjusted. Achieving a constant temperature is difficult with most thermoblock espresso machines. A big plus for the Quick Mill Evo 70. The espresso tastes correspondingly good.
- The machine is robustly built. The entire exterior is made of shiny stainless steel.
- The water tank can be conveniently removed from the side.
- The beverage volume can be set volumetrically and is reproducible.
- The machine heats up very quickly. In this respect, it resembles other thermoblocks. However, what's better about the Quick Mill Evo is that the portafilter is also heated and after 5 minutes already reaches a temperature of 60 degrees. This is important to maintain the brewing temperature later.
The Weaknesses of the Quick Mill Evo 70
The Quick Mill Evo 70 somewhat exudes the charm of an aging espresso machine. The controls are so analog that the touchscreen generation will probably have a hard time with it. "Hold button down while switching on. Press here 3 times. Wait for 5 lights to come on." That's roughly how the instructions read if you want to change the temperature setting.
- A built-in tamper on top doesn't serve its purpose. You can neither tamp evenly nor build up force. Perhaps the most important thing when using the Quick Mill Evo 70. Buy a decent 58mm tamper separately.
- Although the machine has a portafilter holder for 58mm portafilters, unfortunately standard portafilters don't fit. This is because the Sage sieves are flattened. This makes it difficult to purchase additional equipment such as new sieves and reduces the selection. It's incomprehensible that Quick Mill deviates from the industry standard here.
- The drip tray is wide but rather small. Space hasn't been fully utilized here. The simply placed curved drip sheet is very basic.
- The machine shines beautifully. However, you leave fingerprints every time you touch it. This can drive not only photographers crazy.
- The milk frothing button comes from the factory with far too short a steam time programmed. Very important: definitely program it much longer so you don't have to keep restarting when steaming milk and ruining your foam.
Buy with or without an Integrated Espresso Grinder?
Clear answer: without!
No, the integrated Kaffeemacher is not fundamentally bad. And while the first model we bought still produced smoke, the second one ground quite normally. But a permanently built-in grinder has no advantages besides compactness, only disadvantages.
- Your machine is inseparably linked with the grinder. If one breaks down, you can't simply set it aside or replace it.
- You limit your quality. It's better to invest more in a good grinder and a simple espresso machine at the first purchase and then later upgrade the espresso machine – or vice versa.
- By the way, when adjusting the espresso grinder of the Quick Mill Evo, we were at the finest setting. If we had chosen a darker coffee, we wouldn't have been able to grind fine enough.
- The grinder is also very deep inside the machine, which causes the beans to heat up. This can have a negative impact on the taste.
Therefore, a clear recommendation. Rather go for the Quick Mill Evo 70 03140. This is a model without a grinder.
