The average American spends more than $1,000 per year on coffee drinks. And, most of those drinks taste like crap and require socializing before you’ve had caffeine. Disgusting! Wouldn’t it be nice if you could get your espresso fix with the push of a button in your own house? With the Saeco Xelsis Super Automatic Espresso Machine, you can live this dream, and it’ll only take a couple of years to pay for itself. We had the opportunity to test out this amazing appliance. Below are our experiences with it.
What Makes the Saeco Xelsis Espresso Machine Special?
The Saeco Xelsis Espresso Machine is super automatic, which means it does everything. You just put coffee beans in the top hopper every week or so (or grounds in the special ground coffee hole), fill the water reservoir every few days, connect the milk carafe, and you have espresso drinks.
If you like to have frothy, milky coffee drinks, the Xelsis has you covered. First, fill the milk container with cow, almond, soy, coconut, rice, or any other milk. Next, stick the milk probe – they call it a “milk tube” – in the milk container. Then, you choose the drink you want. It does the work. When you’re done, you press the clean button and put the milk container in the fridge to keep its contents cold. I’m not a frothed milk drinker, but those who are have enjoyed the concoctions I’ve made with this unit.
The unit is a bit large at 15.5 inches high by 11 inches wide by 19 inches deep. So, it’ll fit on your counter under a cupboard, but there won’t be room to put stuff behind or in front of it. On the bright side, you can fit cups up to 5.75 inches high under the height-adjustable spout.
Lastly, the Xelsis has 15-bar pump pressure. This is fairly standard among high-end espresso makers. You need at least 9 bars to force the water through the grounds so 15 is more than enough. At no point have I noticed the pump straining.
Performance
Here’s our video review of the Saeco Xelsis SM7684/04 Super Automatic Espresso Machine:
And, if you’re into watching videos, check out our unboxing video of the espresso maker:
What We Liked about the Espresso Machine
Overall, there are three main PROS we found with the Saeco Xelsis SM7684/04 Super Automatic Espresso Machine:
- The grinder performs exceptionally
- The espresso shots are outstanding
- It’s easy to maintain
In order to get the best espresso taste possible, it’s imperative that you grind your beans right before brewing. But, grinding on your own is a tedious and often messy affair. Fortunately, the Xelsis gently grinds your beans to avoid overheating and automatically loads them into the portafilter. You just need to remember to fill the hopper with beans once in a while. Or, don’t remember. It will remind you. There are 12 grind settings based on your personal preference.
The espresso is excellent. You get full-bodied flavor with just the right amount of bitterness, and it’s topped with a nice layer of crema. If you aren’t a purist, there are 14 other drink options to choose from, including old fashioned coffee, cappuccino, café latte, café au lait, hot milk, and – my wife’s favorite – latte macchiato. Each drink has default settings, which are great. But, if you are meticulous, you can customize the strength, volume, milk quantity, foam, temperature, flavor, and order in which different elements are added.
Save your favorite drinks in your user profile
If there is a particular drink you like to enjoy on the regular, you can save it to one of the six user profiles. Each profile can hold several drinks. My wife has a bunch of drinks in her profile. I’m not exciting. I just have my double espresso saved. I tested how long it took to make a double espresso from the moment I turned on the machine until I was getting my fix, and it takes about 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
The Xelsis tells me when it needs water, when to remove coffee grounds, when the filter needs to be changed, when to descale, etc. The manual has a log where you can keep track of when you last cleaned the milk circuit (should be done monthly), cleaned and lubed the brew group, and descaled. There is a little red bobber in the drip tray that tells you when to empty it. This should be done daily. The only downer is that there tends to still be a bit of moisture around the drip tray, and it’s hard to empty it without spilling gross water.
On the bright side, I’m no longer sending droplets of espresso all over my kitchen walls as I empty the portafilter. This unit collects the grounds in a nice neat compartment that I empty when prompted, usually after every 14 shots or so.
What We Didn’t Like about the Espresso Machine
There are three main CONS we found with the Saeco Xelsis Espresso Machine:
- It’s expensive
- Philips tries to get you to use its AquaClean Filter
- It doesn’t produce milk hot enough for hot chocolate
My affiliate contract with Amazon does not let me disclose exact product prices. I think the reasoning is that the prices change so quickly that what I quote you would be inaccurate in a day or two. That said, the Xelsis is currently about $2,000 on Amazon, and they have the best price. That’s a lot for an espresso machine, but it does make it easy to make your favorite drinks when you are at your most vulnerable: before you’ve had your morning coffee. And, in the long run, you will save money over going to that place that rhymes with “Barstucks.”
The Xelsis comes with the AquaClean Filter, which you install in the water reservoir to purify your water. This is supposed to make your espresso taste better and reduce the need for descaling. After having trouble finding the filter, I gave up on using it. However, I don’t have hard water, and I use the Brondell Circle Reverse Osmosis filtration system on my faucet. You may be able to skip buying the AquaClean Filter, but be sure to stay on top of descaling when prompted by the machine.
After attending a particularly cold nighttime Christmas parade, we came home in need of hot cocoa stat! I decided to give the warm milk function a try. On its highest setting, the milk was just warm, not hot enough for my needs.
Should You Buy the Saeco Xelsis Espresso Machine?
The Saeco Xelsis has become the main attraction for visitors to the Brains Household. We are surrounded by pretentious hipster coffee shops that charge way too much for their subpar drinks. I’m happy that I can avoid these places and get whatever drink I could possibly want in my own kitchen. The biggest downside to the Xelsis is its price tag. But, I’ve been making espresso at home for about 15 years, and this is the most impressive unit I’ve ever seen. If you have a large budget and want an appliance that takes care of every step of the espresso making process, this is your best alternative.
Buy the Saeco Xelsis Super Automatic Espresso Machine on Amazon
