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 results. At the end of the thermoblock series, this article will be supplemented with a comprehensive comparison test.
Our goal: we are looking for the best espresso machines for different needs. We want to find out what quality is available at what price. And we want to protect you from buying junk. At the same time, we recommend machines that are good at certain things.
Unfortunately, we have not yet found the best espresso machine and I fear we will not 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 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. A constant temperature is difficult to achieve with most thermoblock espresso machines. A big plus for the Quick Mill Evo 70. The espresso tastes accordingly 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 well reproducible.
- The machine heats up very quickly. In this respect, it is similar to other thermoblocks. However, what is better with the Quick Mill Evo is that the portafilter is also heated and after 5 minutes already reaches its own 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 has somewhat the charm of an espresso machine that has seen better days. The controls are so analog that the touchscreen generation would probably struggle with it. "Hold button down when switching on. Press here 3 times. Wait for 5 lights". That's roughly how the manual reads if you want to change the temperature setting.
- A built-in tamper at the top does not fulfill 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 to go with it.
- Although the machine has a portafilter holder for 58mm portafilters, unfortunately standard portafilters do not fit. This is because the Sage baskets are flattened. This makes it difficult to purchase additional equipment such as new baskets and reduces the selection. It is incomprehensible that Quick Mill deviates from the industry standard here.
- The drip tray is wide but rather small. The space was not utilized here. The merely placed curved drip tray is very simply designed.
- The machine shines beautifully. However, every time you touch it, you leave fingerprints. This can drive not only photographers crazy.
- The milk frothing button comes from the factory programmed with far too short a steam time. Very important: definitely program it for much longer so you don't have to keep restarting when frothing milk and ruining your foam.
Buy with or without an integrated espresso grinder?
Clear answer: without!
No, the integrated coffee grinder is not fundamentally bad. And while the first model we bought 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 united with the grinder. If one fails, 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 initial purchase, and then you can upgrade the espresso machine later – 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 would not have been able to grind finely enough.
- The grinder is also positioned very deep in the machine, which causes the beans to heat up. This can have a negative impact on taste.
That's why we have a clear recommendation. Better go for the Quick Mill Evo 70 03140. This is a model without a grinder.
