QUICK MILL ANDREJA PREMIUM ESPRESSO MACHINE: POWER AND BEAUTY

The Andreja Premium is a gorgeous machine fittingly named for a Brazilian model, but how does it perform?

The new-and-improved Quick Mill Andreja Premium Evo is a powerful, durable, and compact heat exchanger espresso machine at a price that won’t break the bank. Does that sound too good to be true? Well, I’ve been testing the Andreja recently, and I’m here to vouch for its quality.

In this review, I’ll cover what the Quick Mill Andreja offers – and what it doesn’t. After all, an affordable price tag always comes with some compromises. Let’s find out if it’s the best-value machine for you.

Where to Buy the Quick Mill Andreja Premium Evo Espresso Machine

It’s worth shopping around when making a major purchase like an espresso machine. Different sellers offer different pricing, warranties, and customer service. The Home Brews Coffee team can vouch for the reliability of the distributors below.

	RETAILER
	Chris Coffee	Offers a wide range of prosumer coffee machines Reliable family-run company Amazing customer support	Check Price
	Majesty Coffee	Machines come with limited warratny Wide array of equipment Free ground shipping (Expedited shipping available)	Check Price
	My Espresso Shop	Offers a wide array of equipment Financing Available 1-Year Warranty on Parts and Service	Check Price

The Full Quick Mill Andreja Premium Evo Review

Are you ready for an in-depth look at this premium espresso machine? I’ll start by covering the
basic operation and specs, then go deeper into my user experience and opinion on the overall
build quality.

How I Rated It

• Brewing Capacity
• User Friendliness
• Milk Frothing
• Build Quality
• Value For Money

3.9

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Quick Mill Andreja: The Basics

The Quick Mill Andreja Premium is a semi-automatic prosumer espresso machine with a heat exchange boiler, which allows you to pull a shot and steam milk simultaneously.

It’s the bigger and pricier of Quick Mill’s two popular heat exchanger espresso machines, and the extra capacity is well worth the small upcharge if you’re a lover of milk-based drinks. The smaller model is the Anita, which is similar in most respects but has a 1.6-liter copper boiler.

The Boiler

The Andreja has a 1.8-liter T.E.A.-coated copper boiler with an insulating wrap (1). Though copper is slightly more prone to limescale than stainless steel, it’s preferred in many high-end machines for its superior thermal properties. The patented T.E.A. coating avoids the risk of metal leaching into your brew water, while the wrap ensures better temperature stability and energy efficiency.

A powerful 1400 watt heating element heats the boiler, which means this espresso machine comes to temperature relatively quickly. I found that even 15 minutes was plenty. Just as important, it recovers quickly after making a drink — perfect if you’re making latte after latte for a crowd of guests.

No PID

PIDs are all the rage these days, but I’m still not convinced they’re worth their price in a heat-exchange (HX) machine, so I wasn’t overly disappointed not to find one here. A high-quality Sirai pressure stat controls the boiler temperature, and you can use cooling flushes to make brew temperature adjustments.

Cooling flushes may not be as precise as setting a PID, but they are far more responsive. And you’ll be surprised at how good you get at nailing the temperature once you get to know your Andreja. Just beware that they cause the drip tray to fill up surprisingly fast, so keep a keen eye to avoid an overflow.

High-End Vibration Pump

The Quickmill Andreja Premium Evo espresso machine is equipped with a 52-watt Ulka vibratory pump with a few nice upgrades. It has a pulsar installed to reduce noise and pressure fluctuations, and it has brass rather than plastic ends to increase durability. It also has thermal overload protection, so you don’t need to worry about it overheating.

From a practical standpoint, the main thing I noticed was that this machine was quieter than many similar models I’ve tested.

Classic E61 Group

The front of the machine sports the iconic E61 group head, a hallmark of many prosumer and commercial espresso machines in the last 60 years (2). Hot water is continuously circulated from the boiler to the group head and portafilter to maintain a consistent temperature. This design’s popularity for decades is a testament to its functionality and practicality (3).

I was thrilled to find the E61 group on this model offers automatic pre-infusion, even though this model can’t be plumbed to a water line (4).

In my experience, beginners and pros benefit from this low-pressure pre-wetting of the grounds. It ensures the coffee puck is perfectly primed for extraction, yielding richer, sweeter, and more consistent shots.

Owning And Using The Andreja Premium

There is a bit of a learning curve to using any semi-automatic heat exchanger machine, particularly if you’re new to prosumer espresso. Don’t expect a plug-and-play machine. That said, the requisite hands-on time with your machine will take your barista skills (and drink quality) to the next level (5).

The Andreja has some excellent added features that make it a real pleasure to use. First, there’s the three-position power switch – unique to the Quick Mill brand. It has On, Off, and Fill. In the Fill position, the boiler fills without turning on the heating element. It removes any possibility of damaging the boiler by heating it when dry. Red and green LED indicator lights keep you apprised of the boiler and heater status.

With the E61, you start and stop a shot using a lever on the side of the group. This is a different tactile experience than machines that start and stop with a button. Personally, I prefer the more professional feel of the lever operation.

The Andreja has two pressure gauges for monitoring steam boiler pressure and extraction pressure. Many HX machines only have a gauge for boiler pressure, so I appreciate the dual gauges here. In my opinion, brew pressure is a far more useful metric for pulling perfect espresso. And while I don’t put a super high priority on aesthetics, I must say that I love the new deep blue background of the gauges on this latest edition.

The only thing missing here is a shot timer, something I’ve been seeing more often, even on entry-level machines. While certainly not necessary to pull delicious shots, it is a convenient feature, and I definitely noticed its absence. However, it’s worth noting that the Andreja has an exceptionally large cup clearance (5 inches), so it’s easy to slot a scale under your mug to brew by weight.

Upgraded Water Tank

The 3-liter water reservoir has also been upgraded in the latest edition of the Andreja – thank goodness, as the silicone tubes of the previous versions were a hassle. It’s now much easier to refill.

Cleaning and Maintenance Needs

The Quick Mill Andreja Premium Evo has the same requirements as any semi-automatic with an E61 group. Nothing is overly challenging, but if you’re used to a super-automatic machine with an automated cleaning cycle, it will be an adjustment to do everything manually. The trade-off is that a well-maintained prosumer machine can last decades.

A stainless steel backflush disc is included, and you should backflush with water regularly. Usually, weekly is enough, depending on usage. You should also backflush with a proper espresso machine cleaner per the manufacturer’s advice.

The Andreja’s copper boiler is more prone to scale than stainless steel boilers, and it doesn’t come with a water filter. So using filtered water when brewing is essential to avoid a complicated descale (6). That said, a nice aspect of Andreja’s design is that it’s effortless to drain the boilers if you need to have it serviced.

While the mirror finish on the stainless steel exterior of this machine is beautiful, it shows dirt, dust, fingerprints, and scratches. Keep some microfiber cloths on hand to give it a quick wipe after use.

A Latte Lover’s Delight!

Heat exchanger espresso machines tend to have large boilers and thus excellent steam pressure, and the Andreja Premium by Quick Mill is no exception. If you love lattes and cappuccinos, you will love this machine.

The double-wall, no-burn steam wand is stainless steel and fully articulated, so it’s easy to froth using any size of milk pitcher. I found it particularly handy when trying to froth small quantities for a cortado.

The Quick Mill Andreja Premium comes with both a 4-hole and 2-hole steam tip, and it’s worth experimenting with both to see which best suits your demands and skill level. The 4-hole tip allows you to steam faster, but if you’re still a novice, you might prefer the slightly slower 2-hole steam wand tip until you’ve mastered your technique.

There is a separate tap for hot water. The steam and hot water wands are operated using knobs rather than joysticks, though you can pay to have this switched according to your preferences

I like joysticks because they allow instantaneous on/off and short bursts of steam. But knobs are nice for easing on the steam slowly, which might be preferable if you’re new to working with this amount of pressure.

Reliable, Durable, And Beautiful

Build quality is rarely something you’ll need to worry about when buying a high-end home espresso machine from a longstanding Italian brand like Quick Mill. The Andreja Premium Evo is built like a tank.

The inside frame is stainless steel, as is the polished exterior wrap. Quick Mill has a long history of steelwork, evident from the graceful curved edges on this model.

I wouldn’t call the Quick Mill Andreja a small machine — there are more compact options on the market, like the Lelit Mara or Rocket Appartamento — but it is a reasonable size given its functionality.

It has very little wasted space, measuring 16 inches tall by 11 inches wide by 17 inches deep. At 46 pounds, it’s hefty but still small enough for one person to maneuver. It has adjustable stainless steel feet that give you a little leeway in terms of the height and leveling of this machine. I could just squeak it under my upper cupboards, but doing so didn’t leave enough room to take advantage of the cup warming tray up top.

You get two portafilters – a double spout and a single spout – each with a matching stainless filter basket, which is always a treat to find in anything priced under $2000. The portafilters are a hefty commercial style made from chrome-plated brass and measure 58 mm in diameter, so you’ll have an easy time buying accessories.

Speaking of accessories, I was happy that the Andreja came with a good quality metal tamper with a wooden handle, rather than the throwaway plastic tampers I see depressingly often.

Is This Machine Good Value For Money?

The Andreja espresso machine is typically priced around $1850, which, in my honest opinion, is not great value for money compared to competitor models. If you like the brand or the aesthetics, it’s not so overpriced that I would dissuade you from buying it, but there are alternatives that I think offer better bang for your buck.

For example, you can get the ECM Mechanika Slim for around the same price, which has a larger 2.2 L boiler and industry-renowned build quality. A hundred dollars more will net you the Profitec Pro 500, which not only has a larger boiler but also a PID. For a hundred dollars less, you’re looking at the innovative Lelit Mara X.

Don’t Buy the Quick Mill Andreja Premium If…

• You want something easier to use: The Andreja is a semi-automatic espresso machine, meaning some barista skill is required for the best results. If you don’t feel like getting into the nitty-gritty of espresso expertise, opt for an automatic or super automatic machine that does more of the work for you. For example, I’d look into the Breville Dual Boiler or Gaggia Accademia.
• You want PID temperature control: If PID temperature control is too tempting to resist, particularly if you’re a specialty coffee lover, consider one of Quick Mill’s dual boilers, the Vetrano 2B or QM67. Or, if you prefer to stick with a heat exchange boiler, check out the Rocket Mozzafiato Cronometro or the Profitec Pro 500.
• You don’t make milky drinks: If lattes and cappuccinos rarely appeal, you can save a lot of money by opting for a single boiler dual-use machine. These don’t allow you to steam milk and pull a shot simultaneously, but that’s not an issue if you’re mostly making espresso.
• Check out our Quick Mill Alexia review for a great, affordable single boiler option. Or read our Quick Mill Silvano review for a look at a unique machine that uses a separate thermoblock for steam.

The Verdict

The Quick Mill Andreja is an excellent buy if you want to make barista-quality cafe-style drinks at
home. Its steam power is top-notch, the E61 with automatic pre-infusion guarantees delicious
espresso, and it’s built to last. Sure, you’ll have to work a little harder than you would with a
super-automatic, but the results more than justify the effort.

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