update on the Illy (francis francis x8)
Just a quick update-
Well, the machine is breaking. It’s leaking water. To be fair, the company has already started shipping a new machine to my dad. But I wonder if it was a design problem that they knew about already. I need to stop calling it an Illy too, it’s a Francis Francis X8.
I won’t have a full review I guess unless the machine gets here early next week. Let’s just say I still love my Rancilio Silvia and Rocky grinder and it completely demolishes pod machines imho, but there’s some ease of use I like in these pod boxes.
Illy pod & Nespresso pod
- Illy/Francis Francis pros -
- makes great espresso
- has a pretty good milk frother
- Illy/Francis Francis cons -
- can’t leave the machine on all day (how do you heat the cups then?)
- makes a shitload of refuse (giant plastic pod trash/recycling)
- machine broke (although to be fair they’re shipping a new one)
- Nespresso pros-
- really good coffee
- good variety of styles to order from even thought I use the same 2 over and over again
- can leave the machine on for a while, gets cups nice and warm
- bigger water resovoir
- makes good to great espresso
- Nespresso cons-
- no milk frother for guest’s cappuccinos
- machine costs a lot (I think the one I used is an n90)
Here you can see the difference in pod sizes (for those of you concerned w/ the trash/recycling), although, I swear, the illy pods really are much bigger and really pile up quickly. They’re thick plastic too.
edit: I have another update here
13 comments
But how do they compare when it comes to making Bubbly Girls? ;-) he he he
LD: only the Illy/X8 can make a cap, but not as good as the one I make for you at my place ;)
I really enjoyed reading your first thoughts about the X8 and was wondering if you got the new one OK and if you’ve spent enough time with it to draw any conclusions.
Well, to clarify, it was my dad’s machine. I was on vacation at my parents’s house. And yes, he got the new machine very quickly. I was pretty impressed with Francis Francis’s customer service.
I’ll ask him to post a comment here, but I think he still likes the machine. He wound up taking the Nespresso to his office and kept the X8 at home. He works out of the house frequently, so that says a lot about the machine.
Personally- I prefer the Nespresso machine more of the two machines. It seems better made and I like being able to leave the machine on for long periods of time. Maybe Francis Francis has a more robust model though. If that’s the case, then I’d change my mind because I think the Illy coffee is great.
One of the other things I forgot to mention is the cost per pod. I think the Illy averages around 75 cents a pop and the Nespresso pods are under 50 cents. I could be wrong though. Nespresso’s shipping on the pods is really fast too (you have to order them online). The flip side to that is if I ran out of the Illy pods, I could always run to Whole Foods and pick up a can of pods as they sell them there. If I ran out of Nespresso, I’d have to wait for UPS.
My final conclusion is that I wouldn’t buy the X8 no matter how good a deal it was. It doesn’t seem to me like it will last a long time.
At my house, I’m still a Rancilio Silvia guy though. I appreciate the pod machines and full-automatic machines, but I like being able to grind and pull what I want, the way I want.
Thank you so much for the review. I do think that the X8 is currently their top-end model. It was interesting to hear your comparison’s of the build quality. If you set that issue aside, what do you think about the comparisons between an espresso brewed by each of them?
I lived in Italy for a while and have a soft spot in my heart for Illy coffee. However, almost every comparison I see seems to give it to Nestle. Couple that with the superior popularity of Nespresso, and I’m having a tough time making the Illy plunge :-)
Hrm, good question. If I were blindfolded and had a double-shot of each in front of me (from a similar rost profile), I’d give the edge to Illy.
Thanks for the taste test elaboration — ah, decisions, decisions! Sure would be nice if you could get Illy pods for the Nespresso. I don’t think I can talk my wife into one of each :-)
Do the two use basically the same process to make espresso?
I have the Nespresso. I’ve had a hard time finding coffee I like.
What I’ve done is buy the Luongo and that seems to do the trick for a single.
The problem is that the Nespresso doesn’t have true pressure.
Does the Illy?
If it also does not exert pressure I’ll stick with the Nespresso.
I have a true machine, but, to run out of the house quickly the Nespresso is just fine.
In the book “On Food and Cooking” by Harold McGee he gives you a trick on how to make perfect steamed frothy milk without a steam feature.
Take non fat milk, put it in a container, shake it till it foams.
Take the top off and put it in a microwave for 30 seconds.
Wala perfect steamed milk. It’s all about the molecular structure.
You must use non fat milk.
Bruce: yeah, very similar process. Just engineered differently from what I can tell from the pods and holder. I think the X8 may have slightly higher pressure buildup in the pods based off the thickness of the pod cases. But it’s slight. If you already have a Nespresso though, I wouldn’t switch.
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Had the machine 6 months and am sending it back for the second time for repairs (leaking from the inside). Very convenient for an office, but the workmanship is shoddy. Even the guy at Empire Fulfillment admits that there’s a problem with the X8. ArGH!
to comment on M Blair’s post: the X8 is not the top Francis Francis machine the X1 is. (Retails at $900 apprx). I’ve owned both a Francis Francis X1 and an X5, both were great machines made of metal not plastic and both capable of using ground or an adapter for pods.
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