123 Spresso "ESE doable"?

[Bushido]

Hi javaheads, I'm in the US and am seeking some advice on what is
probably a common topic, but nothing much turned up on recent boards
when doing a NG search. We have very limited space and kitchen
facilities at our office so we are considering a 123 spresso maker,
solely on the basis of no muss, no fuss. I know that Salton has
discontinued this model and it seems that their proprietary 123 pods
(with the little cardboard gasket) are drying up too.

I know that the 123 is not "ESE compatible", but has anyone tried
using a regular ESE pod in this machine, and if so, what were the
results? I am concerned that without the rigidity of the gasket, the
machine won't feed, extract or eject the pods properly. Anyone have
real-world expereince with using the ESE pods in this machine?

I liked the integrated design of the 123 spresso and the pod disposal
system. I realize we will be compromising on quality and I'm not
intending this to be a debate about purist perfection draws. Even the
123 will be better than the awful drip-drek that our foodservice
provides.

Besides, these machines are dirt cheap from Salton direct. If we can
break out of relying on the Melitta pods, it might just work out for
us. Otherwise, I'm concerned we'll have an orphan machine with no way
to charge it. I guess our only other practical alternative is the
Nespresso, but even if you get a deal online, they are $$$ on an
on-going basis and you still have to deal with the portafilter-esque
handling (except on their new "Concept" machine).

Thanks,

Bushido

[D. Ross]

***@att.net (Bushido) wrote:

| solely on the basis of no muss, no fuss. I know that Salton has
| discontinued this model and it seems that their proprietary 123 pods
| (with the little cardboard gasket) are drying up too.

Is this really true? Salton is not the only company who makes 123 machines
(Reneka make a commercial quality one, Boyd's sells it in the US).

I doubt Boyd's would orphan its customers, they have been a strong supporter
of the 123 system.

- David R.

--
http://www.demitasse.net

[Jack Denver]

You seem to know more about 123's than anyone here (for good reason - noone
here wants to know about them). I think you have answered your own question.
Why lock yourself into a difficult to source and fading system? I doubt
ESE's would work in a 123 machine. If you are committed to a pod type
system, why not get an ESE machine (ESE pods are going strong) or better yet
a regular machine with a pod adapter. If you want a non-portafilter solution
there are PF-less ESE machines or better yet get a superauto and skip the
pods altogether.

Post by Bushido

Post by D. Ross
Is this really true? Salton is not the only company who makes 123

machines

Post by D. Ross
(Reneka make a commercial quality one, Boyd's sells it in the US).
I doubt Boyd's would orphan its customers, they have been a strong

supporter

Post by D. Ross
of the 123 system.
- David R.

You can still order the Italia D'oro (one blend only) 123 pods from

Boyd's,

Post by Bushido
but the varieties of the Malongo/Rombouts pods are nowhere to be found.
Salton, J.C. Penney and some others have the Grande Reserve from M/R, but
that's it. Salton used to have a "connoiseur coffe club", but that has

been

Post by Bushido
discontinued.
So, has anyone experimented with the ESE pods in a 123 machine?
Thanks,
Bushido

[Bushido]

Post by Jack Denver
You seem to know more about 123's than anyone here (for good reason - noone
here wants to know about them). I think you have answered your own question.
Why lock yourself into a difficult to source and fading system? I doubt
ESE's would work in a 123 machine. If you are committed to a pod type
system, why not get an ESE machine (ESE pods are going strong) or better yet
a regular machine with a pod adapter. If you want a non-portafilter solution
there are PF-less ESE machines or better yet get a superauto and skip the
pods altogether.

The reasons to go with the 1,2,3 are: it's inexpensive to purchase initially
($35), so we can give the office espresso routine a trial run and upgrade
later or bail out with minimum pain; it's fool-proof for a situation where
not everyone is an espresso-geek; it is quiet and unobtrusive since people's
desks are near the commons area; it's extremely clean to operate in a
location that's not near running water and a sink; and, it has a very small
footprint and very easy to maintain /clean. Anyway, it's a moot point, we
got one and I can now answer my own question (since JD "knows everyone" on
the ng, no one's probably reading this anyway), that the ESE pods are too
large in diameter to fit, what in a conventional machine would be, the
portafilter and group head. This thing is fascinating.

The "portafilter" is permanently mounted and operates on a spring loaded
track. The entire extraction process is done horizontally and depends on
gravity to feed and eject the spent pod into a closed storage bin. You can
get an ESE pod in there and it will seal and extract the espresso, but it
tears the pod in the process and then you have to go in and clean out the
grounds, which isn't that big of a deal because the whole infusion mechanism
pops right out. I wasn't really expecting much from this machine, but it
has some intriguing features for an under $50 unit, like automatically
dumping the water out of the heater after every shot and a universal water
filter holder in the water tank.

The espresso's okay, but it's hard to be fair in the judgment because the
pods that came with the machine had been unsealed and kept in a baggie for
who knows how long. It was much better with the fresh ESE pod used in my
experiment. My local GFS stocks the 123 pods from Boyd's, so I've got some
coming next week, about 30¢ a pop delivered. Our company is headquartered in
Holland, so we will probably get someone to mule the Malongo pods over from
Europe if we can't get them here. The 123 machine is a good office solution,
but it's not going to replace my SL-70. Then again, it's really not
designed to.

Bushido