Our test series on heat exchanger espresso machines concludes with a review of the Xenia. The Xenia is preceded by its reputation as a special espresso machine.
It is developed in a small manufactory in Germany. You can freely configure and order the machine via the Xenia website. The machine is then assembled by hand and shipped. At the time of our test (Sept 20), however, there was a waiting time of six months until one’s “own” machine was ready.
Choosing a Xenia is a conscious decision! It is not an off-the-shelf purchase. The manufacturer communicates openly with its community, the website is very transparent and provides information on new developments and describes the technical equipment of the espresso machine in detail.
In Switzerland, the Xenia is still underrepresented. This made us all the more curious to put the Xenia espresso machine to an extensive test. And what can we say: our conclusion ranges from enthusiastic to disillusioned. But read and see for yourself.
You can find out more about the comparison with 11 other heat exchanger espresso machines here.
The company Xenia has since been acquired by Hemro-Mahlkönig. You can find an analysis of this in a current video and article.
The Xenia custom order
Stainless steel “mirrored” or “brushed”? Or perhaps the “anthracite-blue metallic” front panel? We aren't at a car paint shop, but have landed in the Xenia configurator. It’s a joy to use!
We click our way through a multi-page menu to build our machine.
We want to be able to pull out the water tank from the side. The boiler should be insulated, please. The button color? We’ll ask the team. We’ll skip the tamper; we have enough lying around here.
Xenia sets standards for all other espresso machine manufacturers here and really plays to its strengths. Because when every machine is built individually on-site and delivered directly by the manufacturer, almost any customer request can be met.
In contrast, all the Lelits, Rockets, and Bezzeras are mass-produced goods waiting for buyers in an importer's warehouse in the respective country. The Xenia is different. The production process begins with your decision to buy a machine and placing the order.
We think that’s fantastic.
Side view of the Xenia
However, this individuality comes at a price. And it lies more in the waiting time than the cost. At the cheapest configuration, the Xenia costs just around €1300, although the interesting and sensible components quickly lead to a price of +€1600.
You currently have to wait six months until your own machine leaves production. You won't read about that on the Xenia homepage. In the configurator, the waiting time is hidden behind the phrasing: “You can view the progress and the estimated production date for your machine in the production list on a daily basis.”
We overlooked that and went straight into the configurator. Our mistake. Only later did we realize the waiting time. We are all the more pleased that we now have a new Xenia on our test table—which we bought like all test machines—and can report to you on how this machine performed for us.
Procuring the Xenia
A waiting time of five to six months was inconceivable for us, as we wanted to finish our heat exchanger test series in September 2020. As a result, we posted an inquiry in the Xenia community on the Kaffee-Netz forum asking if a Xenia owner would make their machine available to us for testing.
The feedback from the community itself was very positive, and numerous emails and messages reached us from Xenia customers willing to provide their machine or stating that their Xenia was up for sale.
To our surprise, the manufacturer itself then called on its customers not to make a machine available to us. On the one hand because of potential transport damage, and on the other hand because of the risk of infection with COVID-19. At the same time, it was pointed out that we have to wait in line like everyone else. We think the latter point is perfectly good and correct. However, judging the preventative COVID protection measures of others feels strange to us.
We then simply ordered the Xenia from Coffee Circle. It arrived after three weeks. It came without the fun of the configurator, but with a good build and in a really chic version.
The setup of our Xenia espresso machine
Like all current Xenias, ours is a heat exchanger model. It is equipped with an insulated 1.3-liter boiler. A heat exchanger tube winds vertically in a spiral through the boiler. Brew water is passed through this tube and takes on the ambient temperature. That’s what a heat exchanger is.
Something special about the Xenia: after every shot, this tube is emptied, so it does not overheat during the downtime until the next shot. This is a phenomenon found in many other heat exchangers. Since the ambient temperature of the boiler is +120 degrees, the water in the heat exchanger becomes too hot and must be reduced by a cooling flush (short rinsing before the espresso shot). Emptying the tube saves you this procedure with the Xenia.
By the way, this also means that the brew temperature is very constant because it truly always undergoes the “same” heat exchange with the environment. We measured very constant temperatures, which barely deviated by more than 0.2 degrees from the start of the shot over 30 seconds until the end. In this regard, the Xenia performs on par with the best heat exchangers in terms of consistency.
Temperature test on the Xenia
Constant, but too hot
We test all espresso machines out of the box just as they are. We take them out of the packaging and start testing. We do not make any changes to the machine that an inexperienced customer could not also make. The reasoning behind this: if you buy a machine, you want to get started and not run to the dealer for a setting.
Our Xenia was set about 3 degrees too hot. After the heating time was completed, all our shots showed temperatures between 95.9 and 96.4 degrees. In practice, this meant that the espressos tended to be unpleasantly bitter, left a dry mouthfeel, and had a harsh finish.
On the Xenia, the base temperature inside the machine can be corrected via a pressurestat. To do this, you set the total pressure of the boiler lower, which also leads to a lower brew water temperature. However, such an adjustment is difficult to carry out if you cannot measure the brew temperature with a corresponding portafilter thermometer.
This overly hot factory setting of the machine contradicts our expectation of custom manufacturing, especially since the manufacturer specifies a target temperature of 92 degrees. For the final test of the machine in comparison to the other heat exchangers, we will adjust the Xenia’s temperature. We recommend that all Xenia users who have difficulty brewing balanced and good espressos check their own brew temperature.
Width, height, and nice gimmicks of the Xenia
With a width of 27 cm, a height of around 40 cm, and a depth of 43 cm, the Xenia is one of the more compact heat exchangers. But a brilliant trick makes it the best and most compact heat exchanger for kitchens with overhead cabinets at all.
With classic heat exchangers, filling the water tank is done by removing the tank or pouring water directly into it. In both cases, you need space above the espresso machine. If, however, a deep overhead cabinet hangs above the machine, that is not easily done in smaller kitchens.
On the Xenia, the water tank can be removed from the side.
The Xenia does this better. The water tank can be slid out in both directions via a side slot. This function can be optionally selected via the configurator—great! Thought went into this, and a useful function was integrated.
Other small or larger quirks of this kind run throughout the machine. The drip tray has a good capacity. But what distinguishes it is a “half-pipe” for the water. Instead of the backflush water simply splashing into the tray and causing more splashing for the surroundings, the water on the Xenia slides into the tray via a ramp. Simple, practical, good.
The machine and the boiler are made of stainless steel, with our exterior having a black anodized finish. We also have two beautiful portafilters with olive wood handles included.
The steam wand and the hot water pipe are “cold touch,” meaning they are non-burn. In other words, they don't get hot.
Here, the splash water slides into the drip tray without splashing.
The vibration pump hums quietly
We are not yet at the heat exchanger comparison. Nevertheless, a little preview: The Xenia is the second-quietest espresso machine in our heat exchanger test series. Here, too, Xenia shows how simple it can be.
There are two things that make noise when using a vibration pump: the pump itself, which rattles against the casing somewhere, and all the other parts, plates, and inserts. On the Xenia, the pump sits on rubber feet. That is already half the battle. The connecting hose itself is attached in such a way that no vibration is transmitted. And since not much else rattles inside the machine, the Xenia is quite quiet!
The Xenia brew group and heat-up time
The Xenia uses a brew group that differs from the widely used Faema E61 group. Instead of the circulating thermosiphon principle, the group is heated electrically via two heating cartridges and is connected via a copper thermal bridge between the boiler and the group, thereby stabilizing the temperature.
In our tests and measurements over several hours and days with repeated heating and cooling of the entire machine, the Xenia was very precise once at operating temperature.
Xenia states that the machine is at operating temperature after 13 minutes. We arrived at a heat-up time of 20 minutes or more. At least that is when we reached the final temperature of the machine. Subsequently, the temperature did not rise further and remained constant at this temperature for several hours (96 degrees).
Foaming milk like a single-boiler machine
A decisive advantage of a heat exchanger is that you can foam milk and brew espresso at the same time. This is a significant reason why people who like to drink milk-based beverages are better off buying a heat exchanger. You can lock in the espresso, start the extraction, and begin foaming—without delay.
With a single-boiler machine, however, the temperature of the boiler must first be pushed up from the espresso temperature to the steam pressure temperature so that there is enough pressure at all. The milk frothing capability is the decisive difference between a heat exchanger and a single-boiler machine.
The Xenia performs more like a single-boiler machine when it comes to foaming. After finishing the espresso brew, you should wait about 40 seconds before starting to foam.
If you don't wait and start foaming immediately, the steam pressure in the boiler drops below 0.3 bar. Foaming is not possible that way. You can only produce warm milk.
Compared to other heat exchangers, the tested Xenia unfortunately falls significantly behind in terms of foaming behavior.
