The Quick Mill Orione 3000 was already on our test bench about two years ago. At that time, the espresso machine delivered good performance as an entry-level espresso machine with a few tricks. However, an important question with more affordable espresso machines is always: how do they perform when they have to perform in daily practice for several years?
That's why we like to lend interesting espresso machines to shared apartments. This was also the case with the Quick Mill Orione 3000. Now it's back. In this article, we briefly summarize the previous results and then let the shared apartment speak for itself.
A quick note in advance: nothing has changed in our conclusion. The Quick Mill Orione 300 is consistent and brews good espresso with some temperature surfing.
Pros and Cons of the QuickMill Orione 3000
Pros:
- Solid construction, lots of stainless steel, and still as beautiful as on day one after two years of use, with a bit of patina.
- Fast heat-up, so it's quickly ready for operation.
- Compact and weighty.
- Consistent in inconsistency (temperature). However, this allows for temperature estimation and control.
Cons:
- Outdated milk wand
- Poor temperature behavior with normal use
- Small drip tray with flimsy cover
Important tips for the QuickMill Orione 3000:
- Get a replacement for the plastic tamper.
- Better baskets lead to more even extraction. Either flatten the rim of VST baskets or IMS baskets or follow this tip that a user wrote on YouTube: replace the 4 screws on the stainless steel brew group with countersunk or pan-head screws and all E61 baskets will fit. (However, they don't always seal tightly as they seal internally rather than at the top.)
- Flush water for 6 - 8 seconds to reach the ideal brewing temperature.
- Follow milk frothing tips
- Use a good entry-level espresso grinder, like the Sage Smart Grind Pro or Eureka Mignon Perfetto.
After we got the QuickMill Orione back, the temperature curves were initially not as they were two years ago. Although the machine was well maintained and descaled, the last descaling was some time ago.
Therefore, we proceeded with descaling and measured again. Afterward, we were able to reproduce the same temperature curves as two years ago. Accordingly, our tips, as given in the following video, still apply.
Our conclusion on the Quick Mill Orione 3000
The Quick Mill Orione 3000 is a good choice for entering the world of espresso machines, provided you are willing to engage with it and follow our tips. Without adjustments, the machine will bring less joy, but with a little willingness to experiment, you can get a lot for little money. And then the machine still does a good job even after several years, as our test after two years in a shared apartment proves.
Report from the Espresso Machine Shared Apartment Period
For a good year now, the QuickMill Orione 3000 has been at my wife's (Fabienne) and my (Benjamin) home and has served us as a coffee machine for espresso, cappuccino, and other coffee drinks. During this time, we were able to extensively test the machine inside out, or rather, its thermoblock and steam wand. Previously, we had a used Bezzera BZ07 dual-boiler espresso machine, which unfortunately gave up the ghost (or thermostat) shortly before the Kaffeemacher test call.
The advantages of a thermoblock machine are obvious: quick to heat up, inexpensive to purchase, and with their often compact design, they fit on any kitchen counter. We were actually looking for all these features in a new espresso machine. So, we were delighted to be able to test the Orione for a year.
As already mentioned in the Kaffeemacher video, not everything that glitters is gold, and so the Orione has some weaknesses. So much in advance - these did not go unnoticed by us either - and yet we discovered one or two tricks.
Temperature Stability and Taste of Espressos
Besides cappuccinos, I also really enjoy espressos, and these can be light and acidic coffee roasts as well as classic dark roasted coffees. In the Kaffeemacher test, the temperature stability and temperature curve are particularly criticized. It clearly shows that the temperature with a short flush is far too high and only with a long 8-second flush a temperature of 93 degrees is reached, but this does not remain truly stable during extraction.
With this prior knowledge, I approached the machine and could indeed notice a difference between long, short, or no flushing. Our house roast is the Nussknacker, a Brazilian Direct Trade from Bösiger's Kafignuss and comes from the APAS cooperative. Initially, the result with 8 seconds of flushing tasted great to me, and I didn't question it much. But since I knew that the temperature curve could be very different, I started experimenting and after some time had to realize that these 8 seconds are very difficult as a rule of thumb. One time the espresso was great with 8 seconds, then it was even better with 6 seconds or even 4 seconds, and occasionally it didn't really taste good at any of these times. The Kaffeemacher's statement: "Consistent in inconsistency" actually fits very well here.
For a while, the Don Roberto coffee was in use, a heavy, opulent, and fruity espresso from El Salvador, roasted by the Kaffeemacher. Fortunately, I was able to taste this espresso in one of the Kaffeemacher's coffee shops and therefore knew roughly how it should taste.
The Kryptonite – Milk Frothing
Mostly, we drink cappuccinos at home, whether in the morning after waking up or when we have visitors. But this is exactly where the Orione shows one of its biggest weaknesses. Since it only has a thermoblock, it takes a few seconds for it to heat up for steam. If the next espresso is then to be pulled, the thermoblock first has to be cooled down again by a longer empty shot, otherwise the temperature will be much too high.
If at least the power for frothing were good, the heating up and cooling down could be forgiven. But it is precisely with regard to power that very little good can be said about the machine. To froth the amount of milk for one cappuccino takes over a minute if the milk comes fresh from the refrigerator. Sometimes the power also completely collapses, which the Kaffeemacher also had to endure several times in their test, and the machine has to heat up again. If you should get the idea of frothing the milk for two cappuccinos at once, this power collapse actually always happens. So I can really only advise against that...
Nevertheless, due to the slow heating of the milk, frothing can be practiced very well, and you can separate the stretching and rolling phases very well. With a little patience, beautiful cappuccinos can also be made with the Orione, including latte art!
Over time, the machine's steam power also seemed to decrease more and more, and during frothing, a lot of steam escaped from the brew group. After a little Googling, the problem seemed to be found: the machine seemed to have accumulated too much limescale despite filtered water. With the help of the following YouTube video, I then descaled the machine and paid special attention to the three-way valve, which sits between the steam wand and the brew group. If this valve accumulates limescale, steam escapes from the brew group during frothing, and over time, this also damages the valve. Since descaling, the machine has more steam power than ever and, in my opinion, performs even better than shortly after I picked it up. The problems with stagnant steam power during frothing have also been reduced to a minimum if you follow the following tricks.
Tips and Tricks
Even before I got the machine, I really wanted to find a way to deal with the problem of stagnant steam power mentioned by the Kaffeemacher. I spent a lot of time on this and experimented a lot with the machine until I finally came to the following solution:
The solution for strong steam without stagnation
No stress, the machine just needs a little time. After an espresso has been brewed, the machine heats up again, indicated by the red light. If you already start extending the steam wand and purging while it is heating up, the thermoblock will absolutely not cooperate and will punish you with a massive drop in steam during frothing. But if you give the machine time until it has heated up (red light off), then wait another 5-10 seconds and only then purge the steam wand, I rarely, if ever, had problems with stagnant steam. Important: only the amount of milk for one cappuccino should be frothed, otherwise this trick unfortunately doesn't work. Frothing two cappuccinos at once is therefore also not possible with this trick.
If, despite this, there is a drop in steam during frothing, the biggest problem is actually that the foam settles on top of the milk and there is no longer a good mixture because the milk no longer rotates nicely in the pitcher. This can be counteracted by immersing the milk pitcher deeper during frothing and then manually keeping the milk moving. This is not particularly practical and not really the goal of the whole thing, but with this technique, I still got acceptable milk foam for latte art.
Last but not least, do your machine a favor and just descale it! It's not rocket science, but if you're unsure, you can also take it to a specialist shop.
Using other sieves
From my previous machine, I had a VST precision sieve in use, with which I was very satisfied and which I actually wanted to use again. The Orione requires classic 58mm sieves in terms of diameter, so this doesn't seem to be a problem.
But hold on. Classic 58mm sieves have a curved rim (left in the picture).
After the Orione sprayed my countertop with water and coffee, I realized that the Orione absolutely needs a sieve with a flat rim, because otherwise the sealing ring together with the sieve cannot hold the pressure. Well, for almost every problem, the Internet has a solution ready, and here it was no different. In the Kaffee-Netz forum, I quickly found owners with the same problem. One user then reported that he simply bent the rim of the normal 58mm sieve with the help of flat-nose pliers and a hammer. The plan was clear, it had to be tried! After a short bending and hammering, the rim was flat, and I could use my freshly bought and modified sieve (right in the picture) almost without problems in the Orione!
At first, a little water still squeezed out, but it only slowly ran down the piston and handle. After I had flattened the sieve rim a little more evenly, this problem was also solved.
General Conclusion
The QuickMill Orione 3000 gave me a lot of enjoyment during testing and produced many delicious coffees! There were some problems to overcome, but for (almost) everything there was a solution in the end. One problem, however, which can only be solved with great expertise or by QuickMill itself, is the missing overpressure valve. Unfortunately, the QuickMill does not have such a valve, which is why the pressure at the beginning of the brewing process is very high and then slowly tapers off. This is probably also what leads to the described different results with espressos. Because even if the grinder is perfectly adjusted and the coffee grounds are pressed with the same pressure, the result will always be a little different due to the varying pressure.
For me, a portafilter machine means a constant striving for the perfect coffee espresso cappuccino. But unfortunately, I was never really able to achieve this with the QuickMill. There is no question that the espressos and cappuccinos I drank were sometimes very good, but after a year, it feels like I have exhausted the machine and there is no longer any way to improve my results.
I personally would only conditionally recommend this machine and would not buy or continue to use it myself. It gave me pleasure, but now it needs a new challenge. The topics of flow profiling and playing with different temperatures are very interesting to me. But the Orione cannot offer me either of these. I also find the machine problematic for beginners in general, because in my experience, only limited reproducibility is possible and it takes a lot of experimentation to produce a good espresso/cappuccino. However, if money is a strongly limiting factor, the machine can certainly be considered and, in my opinion, is also a valid option as a used machine.
Finally, I would like to thank the Kaffeemacher team for this opportunity, I look forward to many future test videos and wish them continued success!
