3002 - Coffee machine QUICKMILL - Free user manual and instructions

USER MANUAL 3002 QUICKMILL

Quick Mill Model 3002

A Closer Look

The 3002 came in a nice sturdy cardboard box, and is firmly packed to prevent damage. It is well built and designed using a lot of good quality components and has a fairly solid feel. The steel gauge is slightly thinner similar priced Isomac machines, but still good quality. The portafilter is the standard 58mm size, but of fairly lightweight construction and definitely not the same as those on a proper E61 group machine. The machine comes equipped with 1 portafilter handle and a single and double basket.

The water tank is well designed slides out sideways for easy filling (without removal), in truth many of the smaller Isomac machines could (and in my opinion should) have used this system. The tank is also of very good quality clear Acrylic Plastic and it's very easy to see the water level without removing it. When you do clean it, again it's easy to be sure you have it clean.

No rattles at all from the machine and it was fairly quiet in operation. Another nice design touch was the split silicon tubing which acted as an edging around the cup warmer tray and worked really well to eliminate rattles. This is exactly what I was looking for to place on other coffee machine “Rattle Zones”

The cup warmer tray is a good size for this class of machine. The drip tray although plastic, is also a good size, having sufficient capacity for all day use before emptying in most households.

Servicing the 3002 will be very easy; strip down is fast and simple, only 3 screws need to be removed from the cup tray to gain access for the majority of repairs, with little potential for error. Pump replacement is easy and there is good access around the pump. Internally the 3002 is a little more complicated than usual, mainly due to the dosamatic system and electronics designed to make the "Quick Mill System" work properly and prevent damage. The "Quick Mill System" is basically a spiral channel within a heated Aluminium casting. The brew water flows through this channel and is instantaneously heated to the correct temperature for brewing coffee (similar to an instant electronic shower). This is usually referred to as a "thermobloc" heating system in the coffee trade.

The positioning of components means that minor water spillage/leakage is very unlikely to cause any damage. This is especially true with the method used for tank filling and the positioning of the tank. It will be easy for the reseller to support the 3002, due to the easy access to internal components, good simple design and component replacement strategy that will be adopted.

In summary the 3002 is an espresso machine that will outlast cheaper brands and give many years of service. It looks good in the kitchen and is particularly suitable for the smaller kitchen and especially those who want to be able to switch a machine one and be able to make coffee or steam milk within minutes. If you can't justify the expenditure on a more expensive machine, but still want Quick Mill quality and design; if your drinks are mainly Americanos or Cappuccinos, then this is a reasonable machine. It is not, however, a cheap machine and when spending over £400 I do feel you can get better value for money.

Quick Mill is a major player in the Coffee machine market and has been supplying machines since 1977.

How it arrived and unpacking

The box is sturdy and the accessories are packed in a little cardboard box and not placed in the water tank like some machines! The protection internally is good and the machine is unlikely to be easily damaged in transit.

Empty cardboard box placed on tiled floor with diamond patterns (no text or symbols visible)

Open cardboard box with plastic wrap, placed on tiled floor (no text or symbols visible)

It is quite easy to get the machine out of the box as there is space at the sides to reach down and get a good grip and the machine is not heavy

The Quick Mill comes with a manual that is of the usual poor standard common with these machines. It only covers the basics of machine operation and a very brief description of how to make coffee.

Interior kitchen scene with a stainless steel coffee machine connected to a small box, tiled wall patterned, and a wooden stove nearby (no visible text or symbols)

Once in position on the counter the machine looks nice and uncluttered. It has simplicity of design that will work well in the modern kitchen. The compact dimensions fits easily on standard sized work surfaces. The 3002 is especially ideal for the smaller kitchen or where space is at a premium. There is sufficient room under standard height kitchen cupboards to place espresso/standard cups on the good sized cup warmer tray. A corner positioning of the machine is ideal, especially when located near a sink

Bella Barista

Nene Court, The Embankment, Wellingborough, Northants, NN8 1LD

Tel: [phone]

e-mail: [e-mail]

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Preparing the 3002 for use

Before you switch on

There is nothing to remove, peel off, portafilter baskets to assemble or any thing else to do other than lift the 3002 onto the counter, wash the cold water tank, fill it with filtered water and remove any tape holding cup trays and the like.

Flushing the 3002 before 1^st use

I never like the idea of using a machine without thoroughly flushing it; the thermobloc system however makes this easy, with just a 30 second flush of water to remove manufacturing residues or any stale water from the thermobloc and steam wand.

Key Features

Item/Description	Picture	Commen
The thermobloc system has no temperature adjustment I could see. Although undoubtedly there may be some adjustment possible on the programming within the control board of the machine (but not user accessible)Temperature measurement showed lower than optimal brew temperatures, reaching around 88-89c at best. Hence espresso shots were slightly sour		machines, the brew water temperature is not adjustable.The thermobloc unit is shown here
No brew pressure gauge	Difficult to tell if the brew pressure was OK or not, although it seemed to be OK with a standard espresso grind. I would have expected a brew pressure gauge on a machine of this price
The designers of the hot water/steam wand tried to be quite clever about the design. When moved out into the position to draw water, it operates a valve that diverts brew water to the steam wand for hot water production	This seems a nice touch, but became quite annoying after forgetting to return the wand to the “off” position, resulted in water all over the counter top, instead of through the portafilter to brew coffee!This might be something I would eventually get used too, but don’t like the idea of continually having to move the steam wand to operate a valve. A far easier method would be a separate steam valve knob used by most manufacturers
No low water sensor of any kind. Sound of pump changes when water runs out.	You need to keep a good eye on the level of water in the tank.
The machine was a brushed steel finish, which in practice should not show fingerprint and dirt so easily, but of course doesn’t gleam like a little jewel in the kitchen.	The test machine had “rub” marks on the finish, and at certain angles these could be seen. This is potentially another problem with the brushed steel finish.
The steam wand had a little Panarello type frothing attachment, which thankfully when immediately removed (simply pulls off), revealed a single offset hole.	The machine was a very	good steamer and produced micro-foam easily. It is not a powerful steamer by any means, but will continue steaming, as long as there is water in the coldwater tank!
Portafilter holder with the two filter baskets (the spare o ring for the group is a nice touch).Also a nice shot of the large 2 litre clear Acrylic water tank.The mains lead (rolled up) is a plug in slot in type as used on computers etc.. and I actually quite liked this as should any damage occur replacement is easy. The machine if pulled against the electric cord also simply disconnects.	Portafilter holder is a little	light weight, but actually works ok, pucks are dry and release cleanly.I wish the other manufacturers would fit a similar mains cord system.The combined tamper coffee scoop is useless in reality. I have only seen these on the Quick Mill machines so far. One wonders why they bother supplying it!
Nice large cup tray
Water tank is nice quality and well finished. Big 2l capacity.
The 3002 is a clean machine in use, the shower screen gets very little grounds after pulling a shot and cleanup is really quite easy.2 very small cleaning flushes and a wipe with a cloth are all that's required, this means that your not always filling the tank
All components very accessible, especially the Ulka pump. Pump replacement will be a very easy and quick job.
Neat wiring, well tied and routed
Internal components looked of reasonable quality and well assembled
Case doesn't come off, but top plate, under cup warmer, does for access to internal components and its easy to remove (3 screws)
Good sized plastic drip tray
Group is not an E61 so components and spares will be specific to the machine and group type	The entire group including portafilter handles and baskets are specific to this machine, standard E61 parts will not fitThermobloc system means no flush required prior to “pulling a shot”
Plastic switches have a good feel	They somehow feel out of place on a machine of this a set of steel pin type switches would have looked nice or steel finished buttons.
Hot waterIt was slow and also gives only a fairly hot drink, but not hot enough in my opinion. I certainly wouldn’t bother using it for hot water production. An Americano made this way has to be drunk immediately.
A close up view of the control panel showing:On off switchSteam SwitchCoffee Brew switch/hot waterDosamatic adjustment	ter was	baffling to me. About a 3 seemed right for a single espresso and a 5-6 right for a double. The wheel actually goes up to 13 and the manually states this is to adjust the strength of coffee!To be honest anything other than the right setting for the grind is likely just to result in over or under extraction, rather than stronger or weaker coffee.

Espresso

The 3002 makes consistently cool espressos with all of them a little sour due to low brew temperature. This temperature does however seem to be maintained during the pour.

Domestic volumes of espresso one after another will be absolutely no problem with the 3002.

Steam Production

Steam is pretty much instantly available although the 3002 is a weak steamer. The steam wand works well once the froth enhancer has been removed, the 1 hole is not large and set at an angle so the milk swirls eventually. Although it warms slowly, you will have no problems producing copious amounts of microfoam at your first attempt. Failure to return the steam wand to the storage position, does annoyingly result in hot water all over the counter when you next brew a coffee

Hot Water

The thermobloc system used on the 3002 does not really lend itself to drawing hot water

Bella Barista Nene Court, The Embankment, Wellingborough, Northants, NN8 1LD

Tel: [phone]

e-mail: [e-mail]

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Final Thoughts

The 3002 looks neat and is easy to keep clean. It has no 3 way solenoid valve, so cannot be backflushed and a thorough cleaning of the shower screen would be via removal of the nut and shower screen itself.

Descaling is apparently not necessary, which in the UK I don't think is correct. I certainly would advise descaling a machine like this on a regular basis, because once any channels are blocked, you CAN'T get any descaler through to remove lime-scale buildup (an expensive problem)! The process should be quite easy, simply fill the tank with descaler and run it through the group and steam wand.

The 3002 appears to have been designed with the USA market in mind. The type of coffee drunk in the USA tends to be americanos or milk based drinks, rather than pure espresso. The machine is for those in a hurry, they want a decent coffee and they want it quickly, no waiting for the machine to warm up. Additionally the thermobloc has simplicity of use, no special procedures to avoid damage and instant steam, hot water or coffee brew water, at the press of a button. All ideal for the USA

If you like a really good espresso, then this machine may not suit you, unless you like your shots on the cool side or your blend works well with the cooler brew water. I also think there are far more capable machines on the market at a similar cost. They won't have some of the nice design features or the simplicity of use of the 3002, but this does come at the expense of espresso quality and hot water production!

If you can stretch the budget a little more, I think it's always advisable to consider a machine with a boiler such as the, Isomac Venus (very similar price, but a superior machine) or the Isomac Zaffiro, a little more money, but does step you into the "prosumer" category.

Bella Barista will most probably not be adding this machine to the range, as it doesn't really meet the 2 standards they have set themselves in supplying quality espresso machines to their customers, quoted below:

• We would use them ourselves
- They are capable of making coffee as good or better as that served in the best coffee bars

I think it's important to say that Bella Barista has to purchase these machines to try them out, so it's an expensive process if they decide not to sell them! If you're reading this review, it's because Bella Barista have decided to let you see the sort of review that makes them unwilling to stock a machine, because it simply does not meet the criteria above. That said, if you are reading this, it should also give you confidence in the impartiality of the other reviews for the machines they do stock

I would imagine they have one very slightly used test model 3002 for sale, if you don't drink espressos, it could be a bargain, if you do drink espressos, buy something else!