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Saeco Talea Touch, or similar.

PostPosted: Thu May 03, 2007 12:26 pm
by tisri
Hi all, I wasn't sure where to put this so took a best guess.

At present I'm using a Gaggia Syncrony Compact Digital which I've had since December 2003. Being something of a gadget man (and being uncertain how long I want to keep a machine with an aluminium boiler) I've been toying with the idea of replacing it with something new and improved.

I want a fully automatic machine because I really can't be bothered with tamping and dealing with everything myself. I like to roast my own coffee but prefer to be able to just press a button and let a machine make me a cup, especially first thing in the morning.

Expected usage is low but variable - usually 2-4 shots in the morning with maybe another 2-4 in the evening. Some evenings I'll draw a couple of dozen shots or more through it if I have company. Because it will spend a lot of time not being used it needs to have an energy saving mode. A timer to wake it up shortly before I get up during the week is also a must-have.

Ability to make latte, macchiato and so on is useful but not required, and since I want this machine to be easy to work with I don't want to have to fuss about cleaning milk pipes every time I make a latte.

Having two bean hoppers for a choice of bean (e.g. my own blend for long black coffees and a cheaper blend for philistine guests who want a sugar-laden cappuccino) would be useful. The Jura X7 does this but I don't want to spend that kind of cash...

It looks like the Saeco Talea Touch does everything I want and some, so if anyone has experience of using it or other comparable high-end (if not top-end) bean-to-cup machines I'd be grateful for any thoughts. I'll even do a light roast in your honour :-)

Cheers
John

RE: Saeco Talea Touch, or similar.

PostPosted: Thu May 03, 2007 1:07 pm
by CakeBoy
Tis, the only thing that worries me about superautos from Saeco/Spidem/Gaggia is that they are all basically the same plastic brew-group inside and the prices vary massively from model to model based solely on extras. A machine costing £199 has the same inards as one with bangs and whilstles cosing over £500.

The cheapest place I could find the model you mentioned his here, but I would be tempted to look and see whether it is better value badged up as a Spidem. For instance the Spidem Divina is basically a Gaggia Titanium in disguise (a plastic shell). Having said that, I haven't yet managed to find the alter ego of this particular machine. Is it a very new model?

Aside of the usual concern over durability in superautos in general and the identical brew-group to much cheaper models, it looks very nice to me.

RE: Saeco Talea Touch, or similar.

PostPosted: Thu May 03, 2007 1:31 pm
by tisri
The Talea Touch seems to be a fairly new model. In terms of durability they seem fine - my Gaggia is still going strong after over three years and some 5000 coffees put through it.

Good point on the brew unit though, the one in my Gaggia seems pretty robust but there comes a point when I'd be better off spending more on a better brew unit and grinder and either cut a few bells and whistles or push the total budget up a little. Perhaps the Jura machines are worth another look, although I'd prefer not to be spending Jura money :-)

The chap at Gaggia I spoke to said that the Titanium is fundamentally the same machine as my Syncrony and that I'd benefit very little from an upgrade. He suggested the Talea, which is how I came to find out about it.

RE: Saeco Talea Touch, or similar.

PostPosted: Fri May 04, 2007 10:40 am
by CakeBoy
The Talea certainly looks impressive. Like you, I would be loathe to go for Jura type money and, I believe, some of them have sealed innards meaning only the automated cleaning is available. Being able to get right inside for proper cleaning and maintenance is of paramount importance to us.

Edit: Typo

RE: Saeco Talea Touch, or similar.

PostPosted: Fri May 04, 2007 11:37 am
by tisri
Ah, cleaning, good point. The Gaggia is easy, if a little fiddly, to clean - you can take the brew unit out and give it a good soak. At the very least I'd need to be able to shift the inevitable build-up of coffee grounds that didn't quite make it into the brew.

A chap I worked with a year or two ago bought a Jura (I think the X5) which was a very nice piece of kit, if a little pricey. I really like the look of the twin-hopper X7 but to drop nigh on £3000 for a little extra convenience seems more than a little excessive :-)

If I win the lottery this week maybe I'll treat myself...

Thanks for your comments Cakey, you raised a couple of very good points I'd overlooked. Would you like me to do a light roast in your honour, as promised in the original posting?

RE: Saeco Talea Touch, or similar.

PostPosted: Fri May 04, 2007 3:19 pm
by jumper
look into solis machines or schearer, they are the same i think.
dont know that much about them but they have a better brewer then the regular saeco and jura machines and ofcourse all their lookalikes

RE: Saeco Talea Touch, or similar.

PostPosted: Fri May 04, 2007 3:24 pm
by CakeBoy
Light roast Tis ..... you! :lol: :wink: . You are very kind but we have a zillion kilos or thereabouts here to wade through. Gosh, £3k for a superauto, that is rather a lot as you say.

I wish someone would come up with a more durable superauto as it would surely be posssible then to drag the standards up to somewhere nearer manual production.

Please post sme pics if you go with the Talea. It sounds very interesting to me. We have never replaced our Spidem and if you find this one is good, we might be tempted to give it a go too :D

RE: Saeco Talea Touch, or similar.

PostPosted: Tue May 08, 2007 9:10 am
by tisri
Jumper, Cakey, thanks for your thoughts. It looks like it's probably time to try and find one of these things in a store somewhere so I can actually see it in operation, check out some of the clones and decide whether to retire my trusty Gaggia.

Much as I like the look of the Jura X7 it just doesn't offer me enough benefits to justify dropping three grand on it, although a local pub I know uses one and they rate it very highly (they probably make more coffee per day than I ever will!)

If the Gaggia does go to see the barista in the sky I'll certainly let people know, even if only for gloating rights :-)