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Saeco Incanto Sirius espresso machine

by Daniel
(Mountain View,CA)

$
Saeco 300034 Incanto Sirius
Superautomatic Espresso Machine


When I was in the market for my espresso machine I did plenty of research, as I wanted something fairly high-end and easy to use. I am very glad I came across the Saeco Incanto Sirius. As a coffee lover I have a few different types of coffee makers at home including a french press and a plain old drip brewer but by far my favorite machine is the Saeco Incanto Sirius.

I was drawn to this machine for so many reasons including the easy to use digital display and the sleek appearance that makes it a good fit for any kitchen with stainless steel appliances. Due to its appearance alone I am glad I bought it as it really helps to make my kitchen look high end.

In terms of making espresso or coffee the Incanto Sirius makes it as easy as can be. You pour coffee beans in the tops (it has storage capacity for enough beans to make at least 15 coffees) and on the digital display you select the amount of coffee you want used and the size of the drink you would like. I tend to use the 3-bean position as this makes a nice strong coffee or espresso. The 3 preset sizes allow you to make an espresso shot, a medium sized coffee or a large coffee.

You can override the defaults to set the size of coffee you would like. As a tip though, if you are looking for very strong coffee but want a large cup I recommend making multiple batches of either an espresso shot or a small coffee. If you use the large coffee setting the result can be rather weak coffee.

This machine also has a decent steam wand for making lattes. Although not as convenient as some of the units that have a milk input this is still a fairly high quality steam wand and makes frothing milk rather easy. The one draw back to this machine is it is quite intensive to clean but fortunately you don’t need to do a major cleaning all that often.



Comments for
Saeco Incanto Sirius espresso machine

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Aug 12, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Easy to maintain
by: Anonymous

Saeco Magic cappuccino plus I am very satisfied with my espresso maker. From 1 to 5, I would give it a five. I have been using it since December 2003, and it is still working perfectly. With this espresso maker you can make two espressos at a time, each one tasting fantastic and rich. This espresso maker has a special feature of making a perfect, smooth, and rich foam for a cappuccino. You can also do your cappuccino the traditional way.

My espresso maker has a very large bowl for water, so you do not have to refill it constantly. What I find to be a con of this espresso maker is that when the water in the bowl reach the bottom, and you proceed to refill it, then the machine has to be turned off in order for it to reset the reading of the amount of water on the tank.

And the other con I can think of is that the tray is too high, so you can not put a mug on the tray. You then have to take it off, put the mug, and make your coffee. This espresso maker has a very big advantage. It kinds of "self cleanses" the hole where you put the coffee to be brewed. It uses a lot of water to brew the coffee, cleaning the hole as well.

This espresso maker is very easy to maintain and clean. It has a very nice design that looks good on any kitchen style, contemporary or classic. I bought it almost 7 years ago, and it still looks modern and stylish. It is an excellent product.
Apr 25, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstar 		Keep it clean and you'll get many years of good espressos
by: James

I have been a fan of super automatic espresso machines and especially of Saeco units since I earlier owned a Magic Deluxe. It was a nice machine, but I was ready for something new after 5+ years. Fortunately, Saeco introduced the Incanto Sirius unit. Like my earlier Magic Deluxe, it's a super automatic, so one need only add fresh water and whole beans to get a good espresso.

And like all Saeco units, it requires a bit of knowledge to set it up properly and regular user maintenance to keep it working well.

This unit has a touch screen control which allows for customization on many, many settings. The user can select how much water is used for a short, medium and tall coffee/espresso. One can also select how much coffee is ground. Prebrewing is an option in which hot water is sprayed on the just-ground beans to help in the extraction process. I always leave that on. The built-in grinder is quiet and supposedly lasts for a long time. It's also customizable regarding how coarse or finely ground your beans are. As with all Saecos, one should choose a non-oily bean or you won't get good long-term reliability as the oily beans would gum up the machine. I stick with Lavazza (Super Crema) or Illy beans, and I've never had a problem.

There's also a pre-filter available for the water container, but as my water at home is filtered, I don't use this option. Better than my earlier unit, this has two boilers, so I can have steam for milk at the proper temperature while my espresso is being extracted. It's a home unit, so it takes a bit longer to steam milk, but if one uses an amount for a single cappuccino and keeps the end of the wand just below the top of the foam, good results can be achieved. I use an instant read thermometer and wait until the milk is about 175F.

For regular espressos with the above Italian coffee, I get excellent crema and a full body taste. It's not as dark as I've had in Italy or from professional machines, but it's really close.

The touch screen warns when water needs refilling, when descaling is necessary or when the dregdrawer (where the used grounds pucks go) is full. If I had one main complaint regarding this unit, it's that the dregdrawer is too small and the full sensor too sensitive. Sometimes it thinks it's full after only one puck. I recommend keeping a small piece of paper towel in the bottom of the dregdrawer to make clean up easier.

Speaking of cleanup, at least once a week, the brew unit should be removed and rinsed well. The metal screens should be cleaned and the water drawer underneath cleaned out.

You can set a timer to turn the unit on at a certain time and you can tell it to turn itself off after a certain amount of idle time. Nice feature list.

I've had this unit for over a year and it's been very reliable. Keep the cleaning and maintenance up and you should get many, many years of reliable service and good espressos.

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