Elektra Nino

[Chris Birkett]

Is anyone out there using an Elektra Nino at home or in a commercial environment? I'm interested to hear about the quality and how it holds up vs. Mazzers, Compaks, etc. From what I gather, it has some benefits over the Mazzer E series, with the tiny lower grind chamber and non-existent grind path. This probably doesn't make much difference in a shop, though. I'd imagine grind quality is the same, and the Nino costs rather a lot less than a Robur E, of course.

[Jesse Bladyka]

We've got three Ninos, in use for about 6 mos. They run on 220v, and we had to have some adaptation done so we could plug them in. Elektra just re-engineered the chute, since this is the first production run, they're still working out some kinks. The grinder had been clogging up somewhat at the point where the coffee exits the burr housing into the chute. We're waiting our new parts and expecting the minor issue to be solved. I haven't spent much time on a Robur, and the one I've used had a dosing chamber (why are people still using these?). The grind is excellent on the Nino, a 20 gram dose takes just under 4 seconds to grind and when they were new, pre-clogging issues, we were seeing a variance of around .1 grams over several shots. Distribution is excellent, the only thing I would change would be to add a grind on demand, as it stands, you can grind a single dose or a double dose, but you can't add a just a scosch more coffee if you need it. I'll let you know when we get the new parts in. They are considerably smaller in physical size than the Roburs, even though the specs are almost identical. Aesthetics matter too, not as much as grind quality, but I think they are very tastefully designed. Full disclosure: I work for a company that distributes Elektra machines and has a long, friendly history with the company. I won't say the Nino has no faults, but I'll say before the issue popped up, and once they fix it, it's the best grinder I've ever used.

[Jason Shipley]

Hope their electronics in thier grinders are better than the crap they put into their espresso machines.

[Jesse Bladyka]

We haven't seen any electronic issues, of course, I've had no problems with the electronics on their machines either. What specifically is crappy about the electronics that you've experienced? We had to replace the circuit board on our 3grp Belle Epoque, but she's five, maybe six years old, heavily used and I didn't think anything of it more than routine maintenance. Anyway, it sounds like you've had a poor experience, I'd like to hear more about it.

Jason Shipley said:

Hope their electronics in thier grinders are better than the crap they put into their espresso machines.

[Chris Tellez]

We have an Elektra modern thats about six years old. THe thing is a work horse, We too have had to replace the circuit boards once, but this is understandable when were pulling as many shots as we do out of it. I think Elektra's are fantastic machines, very traditional and dependable. They may not be the "it" machines like synesso or la Marzocco, but I stand by the company whole-heartedly. As for the nino, I've used it on several occasions for various trade shows as a guest barista, and I had no problems with them. They are a machine, but there are bigger, and I too saw some clumping issues, but that was almost a year ago, and if they've fixed the issue, then I don't see any reason not to endorse it as a quality grinder.

Jesse Bladyka said:

We haven't seen any electronic issues, of course, I've had no problems with the electronics on their machines either. What specifically is crappy about the electronics that you've experienced? We had to replace the circuit board on our 3grp Belle Epoque, but she's five, maybe six years old, heavily used and I didn't think anything of it more than routine maintenance. Anyway, it sounds like you've had a poor experience, I'd like to hear more about it.

Jason Shipley said:

Hope their electronics in thier grinders are better than the crap they put into their espresso machines.

[Jason Shipley]

We have an Elektra Modern 3 group that is no longer in service after a short 1 year we had replaced all 3 touch panels once and 2 twice none were covered by warranty we were told there is no warranty on electrical components. We all love what we own and I will say that the Elektra when working properly is a superb machine, but I would never buy one for a cafe again.

Chris Tellez said:

We have an Elektra modern thats about six years old. THe thing is a work horse, We too have had to replace the circuit boards once, but this is understandable when were pulling as many shots as we do out of it. I think Elektra's are fantastic machines, very traditional and dependable. They may not be the "it" machines like synesso or la Marzocco, but I stand by the company whole-heartedly. As for the nino, I've used it on several occasions for various trade shows as a guest barista, and I had no problems with them. They are a machine, but there are bigger, and I too saw some clumping issues, but that was almost a year ago, and if they've fixed the issue, then I don't see any reason not to endorse it as a quality grinder.

Jesse Bladyka said:

We haven't seen any electronic issues, of course, I've had no problems with the electronics on their machines either. What specifically is crappy about the electronics that you've experienced? We had to replace the circuit board on our 3grp Belle Epoque, but she's five, maybe six years old, heavily used and I didn't think anything of it more than routine maintenance. Anyway, it sounds like you've had a poor experience, I'd like to hear more about it.

Jason Shipley said:

Hope their electronics in thier grinders are better than the crap they put into their espresso machines.

[Jesse Bladyka]

I can understand how this would turn you off of Elektras, what are you using now? How do you find it?

ps Go Primo!

Jason Shipley said:

We have an Elektra Modern 3 group that is no longer in service after a short 1 year we had replaced all 3 touch panels once and 2 twice none were covered by warranty we were told there is no warranty on electrical components. We all love what we own and I will say that the Elektra when working properly is a superb machine, but I would never buy one for a cafe again.

Chris Tellez said:

We have an Elektra modern thats about six years old. THe thing is a work horse, We too have had to replace the circuit boards once, but this is understandable when were pulling as many shots as we do out of it. I think Elektra's are fantastic machines, very traditional and dependable. They may not be the "it" machines like synesso or la Marzocco, but I stand by the company whole-heartedly. As for the nino, I've used it on several occasions for various trade shows as a guest barista, and I had no problems with them. They are a machine, but there are bigger, and I too saw some clumping issues, but that was almost a year ago, and if they've fixed the issue, then I don't see any reason not to endorse it as a quality grinder.

Jesse Bladyka said:

We haven't seen any electronic issues, of course, I've had no problems with the electronics on their machines either. What specifically is crappy about the electronics that you've experienced? We had to replace the circuit board on our 3grp Belle Epoque, but she's five, maybe six years old, heavily used and I didn't think anything of it more than routine maintenance. Anyway, it sounds like you've had a poor experience, I'd like to hear more about it.

Jason Shipley said:

Hope their electronics in thier grinders are better than the crap they put into their espresso machines.

[Jason Shipley]

We have a Simonelli Aurelia Plus that we absolutely love, a GS3 for our lab and a couple of lineas in wholesale accounts. And yes I love my Primo! We're shopping now for what we will use in our next shop. I am infatuated with the Jet Steam machines but have yet to see one in person and more importantly taste the coffee from it.

[Chris Birkett]

Thanks Jesse, I'd never heard of the clogging issue before. I guess it is still a pretty new product. I'd read about the lack of pulse grinding before, and it seems like it would be pretty annoying not to be able to touch up a slightly underdosed basket. If the consistency is as good as you say, it's probably not a big deal, though.

There is some talk about Elektra making a minor Nino announcement at the trade show they're attending starting today. I wonder if they are addressing any of the minor issues. They still adamantly deny they will ever produce a lower voltage model, due to space constraints inside the case. Having to run a dedicated line or use a big transformer is a definite turn-off, but the Nino seems like the most innovative doserless design around right now.

[Mike Benis]

I've had a Nino for around 6 months, used in a domestic/office setting so not high volume by any means. The grind is fluffy and neat but not entirely clump free. The clumps disappear with a very light tamp (I am not a heavy tamper) and the pours are solid and consistent, with the usual late blonding you would expect of a good, large conical burr machine. There is very little grind retention in the bur carriers and chute - much less than a Robur. Dosing accuracy between shots is good and the worm screw infinite adjustment works well though I personally prefer the Mazzer's. Taste profile is sweet and well-delineated. I have not compared to a Robur for example, but home baristas whose opinions I respect find no discernible difference in flavour profile. A Robur might run cooler in a very busy cafe.

The only time I had a clogging issue on mine was when running through several kg of stale beans to season the burrs. This was entirely my fault, since the Nino was grinding so fas in the container I was using that the grounds backed up all the way top the top of the chute. It has worked faultlessly after I disassembled the chute and cleaned it out.

I believe a purge grind/top-up function will be available in the very near future.

It's certainly a brilliant grinder for a demanding home barista.

Hope that helps

Mike