Customer Reviews

FrancisFrancis! X3 Espresso Machine, Cast Iron

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

When paired with an espresso capable grinder (like the Gaggia MDF) and freshly roasted beans, this machine is an excellent choice as a stylish home espresso machine, producing superb espresso and good milk foaming. A plus is that the machine is designed (in what may be a unique design) to allow you to froth milk first and then brew the espresso without burning the espresso: this can be useful if you like reducing dishes, since you can foam the milk directly in a cappa or latte cup, and then brew directly into that cup. (This produces a cool visual effect in the cup, and it preserves hot temperatures, crucial to taste.)

While you can save money and get equivalent espresso in a Gaggia Carezza, the X3 is my favorite machine which combines true style and good internals (like a quality brass boiler). An excellent choice for your kitchen.

This is a great little machine. It is so versatile. You can use pods or grind your own but you will need to purchase a real tamper (57mm) - the little plastic one just doesn't cut it. What is GREAT about this machine (frankly AMAZING) is that you can steam a jug of milk, run a bit of water through the grouphead, and be at optimal brewing temperature within 10 seconds after you steamed. Even the Isomac Zaffiro can't match that.

The espresso quality is okay when using pods. But with a really good burr grinder and the right tamp, you can pull astonishingly good shots with plenty of crema. All this in such a tiny and cute package.

I purchased this machine used, so I can't really properly comment on whether or not it's worth buying at full price. The are several features that make this machine stand out from others. First, while this is a hefty machine, it has a small footprint, which for me and my small apartment is perfect. It fits in a corner of my kitchen counter and is light enough for me to scoot it out when I need it. Second, you can make individual lattes fairly quickly on this machine because filling the boiler with cold water immediately after steaming brings the machine to brewing temperature in a matter of seconds. So, the time need to preheat, steam, fill the boiler, and brew is less than five minutes. Third, cleanup is also very easy despite not having a backflush feature. After pulling a shot, set the machine back to steaming and the pressure from steaming will push out the excess water in the portafilter, giving you a dry puck to knock cleanly. I don't know if this is an intended feature, but it works for me.

Now, since the machine is so small, it cannot steam more than 10-12oz of milk without running out of steam. The wand is also very short and won't work with a frothing pitcher larger than 20oz. If you make each drink individually then these are not pressing problems.

I should point out that I buy fresh, locally-roasted coffee every week, have it ground at the coffee shop (gasp!), and keep it stored airtight in the fridge. Needless to say, I'm not pulling "God shots" this way, but whatever. I can make a good to great double shot espresso drink in five minutes, which is simply not possible by using pods or by grinding your own beans, which take extra space and time that I don't have.

[edit] So, it's a year or so later and I've since learned some more of the X3's quirks and also bought a grinder (my previous excuse for not having one was, well, lame) and a proper tamper (buy a flat one). I've discovered that the steam wand is just the right length to allow you to steam 10oz of milk by merely setting the frothing pitcher on the drip tray, hands-free. It amazingly manages to produce respectable microfoam using the "surf the air hole" technique presented at the coffeegeek website. Since milk frothing becomes hands free, I use that time to grind the beans. Also, it's important to mention that the size and design of the machine cause the drip tray to be smallish and cumbersome to empty. It will take you some practice to use this machine without makeing a mess. Nevertheless, the verdict is that I am still very happy with this X3 machine and expect to be for many years to come.

I've had a Gaggia Classic in my office for quite some time. It pulls excellent espresso shots, but the steam wand is cheap-looking, ineffective, and cumbersome to clean. The machine itself is not quite an award-winning beauty item, either.

On the market for a machine for home, I eyed this FrancisFrancis! X3. Reviews were equally outstanding and the machine looked much more attractive, so I decided to take the plunge.

The machine arrived in excellent packaging and with a complimentary pack of Illy espresso pods (FrancisFrancis! is owned by Illy, I believe). The machine is, indeed, really beautiful (I bought the silver one).

I thought I'd write a review comparing against the Gaggia Classic, since it's the clear contender in the same price range.

- In terms of aesthetics, the X3 wins hands down. This is not the overriding factor for me, but truth be told, it is important.

- In terms of material and construction, they both feel solid, but the X3 feels more so. The grill in the X3 is made of plastic, whereas the Gaggia's is metallic. On the other hand, the steam knob in the X3 is metallic, but made of plastic in the Gaggia. The X3 is slightly easier to clean.

- In terms of usability, the X3 is clearly targeted toward ESE (Easy Serving Espresso) pods. It has a holding element exclusively for pods, and the protective perforated plate that is typically attached to the boiler element to protect it from coffee grounds comes included as an add-on in the X3 package, whereas the Gaggia has it attached permanently (which is more typical). While the X3 can, apparently, use coffee grounds just fine (judging by the instructions and other users' reported experience), in my case I only accomplished to make a mess of my kitchen counter. Nevertheless, I fully intended to use ESE pods exclusively (SO much easier to keep things clean and tidy), as I do with the Gaggia in my office, so this wasn't a concern for me and thus I never tried too hard to get it to work with coffee grounds.

- Espresso quality is outstanding in both cases, but each machine has a trick to it. In the case of the X3, it is important to get the hang of how long a shot you can pull before the water coming out of the boiler decreases in temperature, which would give a bitter taste to the coffee. As a rule of thumb, if the low temperature light comes on, you've ruined your espresso. It took me a couple of days of scratching my head and Googling to find this out, but once I realized where the problem was, it was fixed forever. In fact, the X3 comes with three different ESE holders, each with more or fewer perforations. The instructions clearly indicate that you should pick one based on how long a shot you want--i.e., NOT by pumping out water for a longer time. I guess I learned my lesson the hard (bitter?) way. The Gaggia is not without tricks, as it tends to drip some water into the cup before it starts to pump out espresso, so I always need to hold on for a couple of seconds after the pump is on to put the cup beneath the spout (messy!), or the coffee will be watery. On the other hand, the Gaggia can pull longer shots and not come out bitter (perhaps temperature is higher to begin with).

- The steam wand in the X3 is extremely easy to use and clean. You can create abundant and (importantly) dense froth as long as you use 2% or fattier milk. The best way to learn how to use and clean it is to watch the DVD that comes with the machine, which is by the way short (good), to the point, and excellent. The wand in the Gaggia was something I gave up on long ago.

People complain about the water reservoir being too small. I personally think it's perfectly adequate, although the Gaggia's is indeed larger.

In conclusion, both machines are excellent, with the X3 looking nicer, sturdier, and sporting a better steam wand. I would venture that the Gaggia pulls slightly better espresso shots, but they are really close. The one thing I don't feel comfortable discussing is the X3's handling of ground coffee (as opposed to ESE pods). If that's important to you, I sugggest to look for answers in other reviews.

With all respect to the negative reviews here, look to the reviews at coffeegeek.com - they reflect a more balanced -- and overall positive -- rating for this very capable machine. The X3 offers terrific crema, especially when using fresh roasted beans that are ground correctly. The only critiques I have in over 1.5 yrs use are: 1. a smallish water reservoir, and 2. a limited supply of steam - although enuf for two caps per round.
My experiences with francis customer support by phone and email have also been positive - minor replacement parts under warranty came quickly (new spill grill), and they walked me through cleaning the machine.
So, you're not opening a cafe with this machine, but very able to do multiple rounds of caps and espressos. And it looks great and takes up very little counterspace compared with some of the other machines.

I've been using my X3 for over a year now (averaging 8 shots per day) and have had no problems at all with performance. It is a very consistant machine, and produces excellent espresso. This machine hasn't needed anything but routine cleaning since I purchased it and it's still running like a champ. I would buy another in a heartbeat.

I've owned my X3 for about 2 years and overall, it has been used to make one double espresso daily. So when it stopped working, I was heartbroken. Called FF, after some back and forth I sent the machine in for repair. The cost of repairing it was about $200, incl. the shipping. Add that to the $499 I paid for it and this turns out to be one very expensive machine.

After several days of back and forth with customer service, I still was unclear what exactly is not working in my machine. Apparently, there are 3 items that have failed, one being the thermostat, a washer and a part that CS was unable to identify. I really liked the machine when it was working, so I gave it some serious thought of shelling for repair, but at the end decided against it, it didn't seem worth the investment.

When I called the CS with my decision and asked them to send the machine back, I was told that on top of the $12 shipping there will be a $13 handling charge for packaging the machine. I refused to pay that and the rep turned outright nasty. Oddly enough, on the way back, UPS managed somehow to completely crush the machine.

As a result of this unfortunate experience I finally did my homework and switched to Quickmill Alexia.

I bought my X3 in 2001. Some days I pull 1 shot, some days I pull 10 (for company), the X3 has stood up well.

Over the 7 years of ownership, it has become a bit noisier (pump bearings probably wearing), the portafilter needs a bit more of a twist to seal it properly, and the dual spout first expanded and fell off the filter, and then eventually broke as I squoze it with pliers to get it to screw back onto the portafilter. Regardless, it still brews great coffee, although it requires practice.

I began using ESE pods exclusively until my coffee bean merchant convinced me to use his blend. I found that while you can get good consistent shots with pods, you can achieve excellence with fresh ground coffee. I keep pods for dinner parties (faster, cleaner), but use grounds for myself. My Coffee Bean shop grinds beans for the X3 "one-click" coarser than for other espresso machines. It worked great. If the coffee is too fine, it clogs up in the basket.

There are two tricks using this machine that help you get great results.
1 - If you use the steam wand, be sure that you run the pump until water sprays through the group, this will refill the reservoir for the next shot. Important for good crema.

2 - If you use steamed milk: steam your milk FIRST, switch off the steam heater button, pump water into the reservoir, load your coffee and pull your coffee shot(s). The room temp water hits the steam-heated "boiler" and come to near-perfect temperature for your coffee shot, a few seconds of heating brings it to brew temperature. This is backwards from how most machines work, but is the intended method for the X3.

I chose this machine for it's small footprint. It take up about as much room as my waring blender and fits nicely under my cabinets. I DO pull it out when I brew to give me some extra counter space to work and for cups, milk, coffee, etc.

Accessories: a very slightly smaller scoop, and a good-sized tamper have helped me get good dosage in the basket.

For years, I have had my eye on FrancisFrancis machines due to its aesthetic, heavy-duty looks. I ran a cafe for three years and believe me, when it comes to coffee, I am a keen and experienced serious coffee lover. When I found the opportunity last week to purchase this FrancisFrancis X3 machine, I grabbed it and awaited its arrival with full delight.

Only to find myself extremely disapointed when it arrived at my door and pulled several shots as soon as I took it out of the nifty box.

Never mind the pods. No real coffee lover would even contemplate on hoping that an espresso from the EXE pods (even if it's Illy coffee) could produce the same great, creamy and tasty espresso as a freshyly ground coffee measured by YOU and tampered by YOU. So I purchased the filter-holder accessory to ensure I can use freshly- ground coffee rather than those stupid pod ones.

So what happened when I produced lattes, capuccino, expresso, (and a "flat white", a made up shorter version of a latte here in Australia)?

Shot after shot after shot after shot of espressos, the results always came out the same: dull, watery, barely crema-less espressos. After 6 espressos, the filter-holder housing was spouting steam and hot water along with the espressos. The machine cannot handle a well-tampered espresso grounds and you must loosely put the espresso grinds in the filter-holder if the machine is to handle producing a waterless espresso. The steamer .............AHHHHHHHHHHHH the steamer!!!!! Infuriating. You can only produce STEAMED milk rather than a nice, froamy one. Besides the fact that the steamer is too short, the steamer tip, itself, is difficult to work with due to a "hole" in the middle of the steamer tip that you have to work with rather than the normal 'asparagus tip' that you normally find in other maches, so you end up with a steamed milk with some 'bubbles'. Really quite unnaceptable if you want to serve a brilliant capuccino or a macchiato.

For a machine this expensive, you would think that it would, at least, produce a decent, HOT espresso and a frothy steamed milk. Yeah..................nup!

Don't even THINK of serving an espresso to any of your guests, unless they like a luke-warm crema-less one. Can you imagine turning down your guest at home if such an order comes up? "Sorry......I can't make you one of those......this good-looking, domestic $400 {USD} coffee machine can't produce a simple latte. It's like asking a blonde supermodel to do your 12-year old's algebra test. It ain't gonna happen."

Oh, and all those other negative reviews about the faults with this machine? THEY'RE ALL TRUE.

Folks, do yourselves a favour. Save yourselves. If you can afford to buy this machine at the retail price, buy a Rancillo Miss Sylvia, Nemox, or any other brands that also manufacture commercial-grade machines. Dont' buy into the hype and your mall brand coffee machines such as Gaggia, Saeco, Krups, DeLonghi if you want to invest in a good, long lasting, serious domestic coffee machine. You'll be wasting your money.

Until such time that you have done your research and can afford to buy a REAL domestic coffee machine, save your money and get yourself a $20 stove-top espresso maker or even a plunger. You will get a much more satisfying and even BETTER result than most of the expensive machines you find in the mall. Spend another $5 on a hand-held milk frother, for less than $30 you can enjoy a good coffee at home.

If you insist on having a little machine, however, and given a choice between this $400 FrancisFrancis machine and a $70 Krups espresso machine that you can buy from K-mart, take the cheap Krups and spend the rest of your money on a darn good conical or flat burr grinder (Lux, Sunbeam Cafe Series EMO4800, etc). Your Kmart $70 espresso maker will produce far better results than this expensive piece of good-looking junk. At the end of the day, a good quality, fresh, well-grounded coffee is really all that matters. Learn to grind your coffee beans properly with a really good grinder that won't burn your beans, and you are off to a good start.

Buy this machine and you will end up with a machine that looks better than the coffees that you be making and with a big hole in your wallet. If you end up regrettig it, you can't say you have not been warned.

Here I have a refurbished Palinato X3; textured, very hardy stainless; and a good bargain with no cosmetic flaws, -170 to start (6 mo warranty).

But let me correct one point made in these reviews, the drip grill below is made of chromed plastic, a rather new trend that works quite well, the steam nob as well seems to be this material.

All around this is quite an improvement on the X1: more boiler pressure plus a more heat efficient design makes the whole machine heat in less than half the time as the X1. Cups warm quicker also.

It also seems to handle ground coffee a little better. Still it's important to use a grind as fine as can be without becoming powder, and the milk should properly be low or no fat for steaming, fat content just makes more fat, not true foamed milk.