The Quick Mill Orione 3000 was already on our test bench about two years ago. Back then, the espresso machine delivered good performance as an entry-level espresso machine with some tricks. However, an important question with more affordable espresso machines is always: how do they perform when they have to be used in everyday practice over several years?
That's why we like to lend interesting espresso machines to shared apartments. So did the Quick Mill Orione 3000. Now it's back. In this article, we briefly summarize the results from back then and then let the shared apartment residents speak for themselves.
One thing up front: our conclusion hasn't changed. The Quick Mill Orione 3000 is reliable and brews good espresso with a bit of temperature surfing.
Pros and Cons of the QuickMill Orione 3000
Pros:
- Solid build quality, lots of stainless steel, and still looking as good as on day one after two years in use, just with a bit of patina.
- Fast heat-up and thus quickly ready to use.
- Compact and heavy.
- Consistent in its inconsistency (temperature). This allows you to estimate and control the temperature.
Cons:
- Outdated steam wand
- Poor temperature behavior during normal use
- Small drip tray with inadequate coverage
Important Tips for the QuickMill Orione 3000:
- Get a replacement for the plastic tamper
- Better baskets lead to more even extraction. Either VST baskets or IMS baskets — tap the edges flat — or follow this tip from a YouTube user: replace the 4 screws on the stainless steel brew group with countersunk or lens head screws and all E61 baskets will fit. (They just won't always seal well since they seal on the inside rather than on top.)
- Flush water for 6 - 8 seconds to reach ideal brewing temperature
- Follow milk frothing tips
- Use a good entry-level espresso grinder, such as the Sage Smart Grind Pro or Eureka Mignon Perfetto
After we got the QuickMill Orione back, the temperature curves initially weren't what they were two years ago. The machine had been well maintained and also descaled, but the last descaling was a while ago.
That's why we descended to descaling and measured again. Afterward, we were able to replicate the same temperature curves as two years ago. Accordingly, our tips still apply, as we provide them in the following video.
Our Conclusion on the Quick Mill Orione 3000
The Quick Mill Orione 3000 is a good choice for getting into the world of espresso machines if you're willing to engage with it and follow our tips. Without modifications, the machine will bring less joy, but with a bit of experimental spirit, you can get a lot for little money. And then the machine still does good work even after several years, as our test after two years of shared apartment use proves.
Report from the Espresso Machine Shared Apartment Test
For about a 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 put the machine through its paces thoroughly. Previously, we had a used Bezzera BZ07 dual boiler espresso machine, which unfortunately gave up the ghost (or thermostat) shortly before the Kaffeemacher's test call.
The advantages of a thermoblock machine are obvious: heats up quickly, affordable to purchase, and with its often compact design, it finds its place on any kitchen counter. These were precisely the properties we were looking for in a new espresso machine. So we were delighted to be able to test the Orione for a year.
As hinted at in the Kaffeemacher video, not everything that glitters is gold, and so the Orione has some weaknesses. To say the least — these weren't overlooked by us either — yet we discovered a trick or two.
Temperature Stability and Espresso Taste
Besides cappuccinos, I also really enjoy espressos, and in addition to classic dark roasts, I also like light and acidic coffee roasts. In the Kaffeemacher's test, the temperature stability and temperature curve are specifically criticized. Here it becomes clear that the temperature is far too high with brief flushing, and only with a long 8-second flush does a temperature of 93 degrees is reached, but this doesn't really remain 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 Nutcracker, a Brazilian Direct Trade from Bösigers Kafignuss and comes from the APAS Cooperative. At first, I was pleased with the result at 8 seconds of flushing, and I didn't question it much. But since I knew the temperature curve could vary greatly, I started experimenting and after some time had to realize that these 8 seconds are quite difficult as a rule of thumb. Once the espresso was great at 8 seconds, then it was even better at 6 seconds or even 4 seconds, and occasionally it didn't taste quite right at any of these times. The Kaffeemacher's statement: "Consistent in its inconsistency" fits very well here.
For a while, the Don Roberto coffee was in use, a heavy, lush, and fruity espresso from El Salvador, roasted by the Kaffeemacher. Fortunately, I was able to taste this espresso at one of the Kaffeemacher's coffee tastings and thus knew approximately how it should taste.
The Kryptonite — Milk Frothing
Mostly at home we drink cappuccinos, whether in the morning after waking up or when we have guests. But here is where the Orione shows one of its greatest weaknesses. Since it only has a thermoblock, it takes a few seconds for it to heat up for steam. When the next espresso is to be pulled afterward, the thermoblock must first be cooled down again through a longer idle shot, otherwise the temperature is far too high.
If at least the power during frothing were good, the heating up and cooling down could be forgiven. But it's precisely in the power department where there's really very little good to say about the machine. To froth the amount of milk for a cappuccino takes over a minute if the milk comes fresh from the fridge. Sometimes the power completely breaks down, which the Kaffeemacher also suffered from several times in their test, and the machine has to heat up again. If you should get the idea to froth milk for two cappuccinos at once, this power breakdown pretty much always happens. So I can really only advise against that…
Nevertheless, through the slow heating of the milk, frothing can be practiced very well and you can separate the pull and rolling phases very clearly. With a bit of patience, you can also make nice cappuccinos with the Orione including latte art!
Over time, the steam power of the machine seemed to decrease more and more, and there was also significant steaming from the brew group during frothing. After a bit of Googling, the problem seemed to be found: the machine appeared to have built up a lot of limescale despite filtered water. Using the following YouTube video, I then descended to descaling the machine, paying special attention to the three-way valve, which sits between the steam wand and brew group. If this gets limescale buildup, steam comes out of the brew group during frothing, and over time this damages the valve too. Since descaling, the machine has had more steam power than ever, and in my opinion, it even performs better than shortly after pickup. The problems with stagnating steam power during frothing have also been minimized as long as you follow the following tricks.
Tips and Tricks
Even before I got the machine, I really wanted to find a way to get a handle on the stagnating steam power problem mentioned by the Kaffeemacher. I spent a lot of time on this and played around with the machine quite a bit until I finally came up with the following solution:
The Solution for Strong Steam Without Stagnation
No stress, the machine just needs a bit of time. After an espresso has been brewed, the machine heats back up, visibly through the red light. If you start unfolding the steam wand and blowing it out while it's heating up, the thermoblock has absolutely no desire to cooperate and will punish you with massive steam loss during frothing. But if you give the machine time to heat up (red light goes off), then wait another 5-10 seconds or so and only then blow out the steam wand, I rarely to never had problems with stagnating steam. Important: but you can only froth a maximum of the milk amount for one cappuccino, otherwise this trick unfortunately won't work. Frothing two cappuccinos at once is thus also not possible with this trick, unfortunately.
If steam loss does occur during frothing anyway, the biggest problem is actually that the foam settles on top of the milk and there's no longer good mixing because the milk no longer swirls nicely in the pitcher. You can counteract this by inserting the milk pitcher deeper during frothing and then manually keeping the milk in motion. This isn't particularly practical and isn't really the goal of the whole thing, but with this technique I still had acceptable milk foam for latte art.
Finally, 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 specialty shop.
Using Different Baskets
From my previous machine, I had a VST precision basket in use, with which I was very satisfied and which I actually wanted to use again. The Orione needs classically 58mm baskets in terms of diameter, so this shouldn't really be a problem.
But wait. Classic 58mm baskets have a curved edge (left in the picture).
After the Orione sprayed the drip tray with water and coffee, I noticed that the Orione absolutely requires a basket with a flat edge because otherwise the seal ring together with the basket can't hold the pressure. Well, for almost every problem the internet has a solution, and this one was no different. In the Kaffee-Netz forum, I quickly found owners with the same problem. One user reported that he simply bent the edge of the regular 58mm basket flat using a flat pliers and a hammer. The plan was clear, this had to be tried! After brief bending and hammering, the edge was flat and I could use my freshly purchased and modified basket (right in the picture) in the Orione with almost no problems!
At first, it still pushed a bit of water out, but it only slowly dripped down the piston and handle. After I made the basket edge a bit more evenly flat, this problem was also solved.
General Conclusion
The QuickMill Orione 3000 brought me a lot of fun during testing and produced many delicious coffees! There were some problems to overcome, but for (almost) everything there was eventually a solution. However, there is one problem that can only be solved with great expertise or by QuickMill itself: the lack of an overpressure valve. Unfortunately, the QuickMill doesn't have such a valve, which is why the pressure during extraction is very high at first and then slowly decreases. This probably also leads to the described different results in espressos. Because even if the grinder is cleanly dialed in and the coffee grounds are pressed down with the same pressure, the result will still be a bit different due to the varying pressure.
For me, a portafilter machine means a constant striving for the perfect coffee/espresso/cappuccino. But I could never really achieve this with the QuickMill. The espressos and cappuccinos I drank were sometimes very good, no question about it, but after a year it feels like I've maxed out the machine and there's no way to improve my results further.
I personally would only conditionally recommend this machine and also would not personally buy or continue to use it. It brought me fun, but now a new challenge is needed. The topics of flow profiling and playing with different temperatures really interest me. But the Orione can't offer me both. I also find the machine overall problematic for beginners, because in my experience only limited reproducibility is possible and it takes a lot of experimentation to produce a good espresso/cappuccino. But if money is a major 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 sincerely for this opportunity, look forward to many future test videos, and wish them continued success!
